The Ghost Kyiv - Myth and Truth
Hanging Around With Heroes, A Series (Ep. 3)
It was said in a day before social media trends and Tik Tok videos that, “the first casualty when war comes, is truth.” Those are the words of US Senator Hiram Johnson and they came in 1917 as World War One neared its end. “Fake news” is not new. Subterfuge is a vital weapon in warfare and its application is wide ranging.
From simple acts of camouflage to the remarkably complex Operation Bodyguard, in advance of the Normandy landings, deception has proven eternally valuable. Within this is the complex world of propaganda. Do you bury your dead where they fall or bring them home in flagged draped coffins. Morale might suffer with either choice, but one won’t result in images of weeping mothers. Their heads resting on a child’s casket as they seek one last moment together. Propaganda also serves to elevate the will of people. We learn of heroes and acts of bravery in the hopes we are inspired to work to support the cause or so that we seek such an end for ourselves. Waging war requires heroes, real or otherwise.
That being so, I was not surprised to see tales of “The Ghost of Kyiv” in the early days or Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Accounts vary, but the early reporting was that this person was the pilot of a Ukrainian MIG-29. In the first few hours of the war they shot down six Russian aircraft. This is a feat of aerial combat rarely seen in the modern age. Five air to air kills makes a pilot an ace. For context, there hasn’t been an American ace since the Vietnam War. Despite the heavy use of airpower and length of that conflict only two American pilots achieved ace status.
What to believe? Six kills in a few hours seems impossible. Indeed reporting at the time of this writing is clear, it is a myth. That’s a hospitable version of the word lie. But… I hold out hope. Not because I know anything about “The Ghost of Kyiv.” My hope lingers because I know it is possible. It’s been done before. I’ve met the man who did it. He actually did it in less than eight minutes.
Alexander Vraciu was the son of Romanian immigrants, a country that shares a border with Ukraine. On June 19, 1944 he was piloting a US Navy F6 Hellcat fighter in support of the U.S. invasion of the Mariana Islands, in the Pacific Ocean. He was already an ace having accumulated 12 air to air kills. After launching from an aircraft carrier to met a Japanese raid Vraciu spotted a few specks in the sky.
Then more and more appeared, he reckoned there were about 50. Each one an enemy aircraft. “Boy this is a once in a lifetime dream,” is what Alex told me about that moment. He shot down three in quick succession. About that moment, Alex confessed to me, “I started to feel a little sorry for the bastards, but not for long.” Three more kills in the next few minutes and it was over. Alex remembered it this way, “It was over as fast as it started. I looked back and all I could see was pieces of planes burning, things falling.”
Vraciu’s six kills are among the 369 aircraft lost by the Japanese that day. This aerial battle is known as "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." American loses, 22 aircraft.
Sitting with Alex and listening to him I was struck by something many veterans possess. The calm and pleasant demeanour of someone who knows how bad things can get. A lovely manner, warm smile, that conceal the knowledge of dreadful days. Alex had a twinkle in his eye that revealed a charming and upbeat outlook. This was a nice guy.
But when he described shooting down planes with his aircrafts six machine guns you realized the twinkle might be the last thing you see if you piss him off and he gets the jump on you like he did that day in 1944. What drove him was simple, I believe it’s what drove “The Ghost of Kyiv.” Their home was attacked. Alex said to me, “I considered it my payback, my payback for Pearl Harbor.”
We may never hear something similar from “The Ghost of Kyiv.” This person is almost certainly a myth or amalgamation of acts designed to inspire others. But this moniker may as well be that of countless Ukrainians. All with the twinkle in the eye of ordinary folks turned warriors. Each awoken in defense of their home. There are few more formidable foes.
Alex Vraciu ended World War Two with 19 air to air kills. If you want to hear more about the invasion of the Mariana Islands and Alex Vraciu you can watch that here.
Author’s Note: Over the course of my journalism and television career I’ve traveled the world to document the actions of individuals during warfare. I’ve met and interviewed in some capacity 100s of veterans, the actual number might be in the 1000s. This is an ongoing series to memorialize my experience and further record remarkable acts and attitudes the worst of humanity can inspire.