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Pilot profiles
cpt. av. Horia Agarici
lt. av. Florin Alexiu
lt. av. Tudor Andrei
lt. av. Titus Axente
lt. av. Mircea "Gicu" Badulescu
lt. cdor. av. Corneliu Batacui
slt. av. Constantin Balta
adj. av. Mihai Belcin
lt. av. Emil Boian
lt. av. Romulus Bucsa
cpt. av. (r) Constantin "Bâzu" Cantacuzino
adj. av. Dumitru Chera
lt. av. Serghei Ciachir
lt. av. Ioan Cioroiu
slt. av. Vasile Claru
adj. av. Nicolae Cojocaru
cpt. av. Petre Coles
lt. av. Decebal "Desi" Constantinescu
cdor. av. George Davidescu
adj. av. Traian Dârjan
cpt. av. Dumitru Deica
cpt. av. (r) Ioan Dicezare
lt. av. Ion Dobran
lt. av. Gheorghe Dobrescu
lt. av. Constantin Dragomir
cpt. av. Boris Ferderber
adj. sef av. Spridon Focsaneanu
lt. av. Ioan Galea
lt. av. Vasile Gavriliu
slt. av. Rene Gânescu
slt. av. Costin Georgescu
lt. av. Emil Georgescu
lt. av. Gheorghe "Gâga" Georgescu
cpt. av. Marin Ghica
lt. av. Teodor Greceanu
lt. av. Eusebie Hladiuc
adj. maj. av. Dumitru Ilie
lt. av. Gabriel Ionescu
adj. maj. av. Petre Ionescu-Conta
adj. stg. av. Aurelian Livovschi
of. ec. cls. III Ioan Maga
lt. av. Tanase Mancu
cpt. av. Alexandru Manoliu
adj. av. Ioan Marinciu
cpt. av. Eugen "Matra" Marinescu
slt. av. Nicolae Sixtus Maxim
of. echip. cls. III av. Ion Milu
lt. av. Gheorghe Mociornita
lt. av. Lazar Munteanu
slt. av. Vasile Nasturas
lt. av. Traian "Ciocan" Nicolae
slt. av. Dumitru Pasare
adj. maj. av. (r) Vasile Pascu
lt. av. Alexandru Paun
lt. av. (r) Nicolae Polizu-Micsunesti
lt. av. Horia Pop
cpt. av. Gheorghe Popescu-Ciocanel
adj. av. Victor Popescu
lt. cdor. av. Alexandru "Popicu" Popisteanu
cpt. av. Eusebie Popovici
cpt. av. Traian Popteanu
cpt. av. Ion Profir
adj. sef av. Stefan "Grecu" Pucas
cpt. av. Craciun "Sbilt" Salajan
cpt. cdor. av. Ioan Sandu
cpt. av. Wilhelm Schmaltz
cpt. av. Dorin Sculi
adj. stg. av. (r) Niculae Sculy Logotheti
cpt. av. Alexandru Serbanescu
adj. sef av. Nicolae Stan
lt. av. Virgil "Ghinghi" Stanculescu
lt. av. Dragos Stinghe
lt. av. Dan Stoian
cpt. av. Gheorghe Stroici
cpt. av. Virgil Trandafirescu
slt. av. (r) Sorin Tulea
slt. av. Florin Vasilovschi
adj. av. (r) Tiberiu Vinca
cpt. av. Dan Vizanti
slt. av. Ion Vonica
slt. av. Vasile Claru

Fighter Pilot

Born: 15 February 1918, Valcele, Bacau county

Units:

  • 29 July 1940 - 12 July 1941: 8th Fighter Group

Combat missions: 13

Victories: 1

Decorations:

  • Mihai Viteazul Order 3rd class
  • Virtutea Aeronautica Gold Cross class

War episode:

In 12 July 1941, fighting reached a very high intensity in the Tiganca area, where several Soviet rifle divisions tried to push back the exhausted Guard and 21st Infantry Divisions over the Prut River. The 8th Fighter Group provided cover for the Romanian ground troops and for the bombers striking Soviet infantry and artillery concentrations. Four I-16s were spotted in the area over Tiganca and four IAR-80s led by lt. av. Ion Micu were dispatched to intercept them. Slt. av. Vasile Claru was part of the formation. They engaged the Soviets and lt. av. Micu and adj. av. Gheorghe Cocebas shot down two of them. Slt. av. Claru pursued one of the I-16s, which was heading to Taraklia and distanced himself from the formation. Another six VVS fighters appeared and he was soon engaged in a very uneven fight. Apparently he had finished his ammo and then collided with an I-16, going down in flames with his IAR-80 no. 23. The crash was seen by his wingman serg. av. Gavanescu. The Soviet pilot with whom he had collided was lt. Shamanov of 67 IAP, who died in a taran that day. It is not clear who initiated the ramming, but the Romanian propaganda picked up the story and inflated it a bit, by attributing another three kills to Vasile Claru that day and making hi man example of sacrifice for King and Country. He was awarded the Mihai Viteazul Order 3rd class posthumously.

Died: 12 July 1941, Tiganca KIA

Picture from "Aripi Romanesti" no. 42/1943

Slt. av. Vasile Claru

 

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