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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
lt. av. Traian "Ciocan" Nicolae

Picture courtesy of cdor. av. Traian Nicolae

lt. av. Traian Nicolae

Long Range Recon Observer

Born: 27 April 1917

Units:

  • March 1940 - May 1941: 4th Long Range Recon Squadron
  • August 1941 - May 1942: 3rd Long Range Recon Squadron
  • May - 1 December 1942: 1st Long Range Recon Squadron

Combat missions: 38 + 2 in 1940

Victories: -

Decorations:

  • Virtutea Aeronautica Order Gold Cross class with two bars
  • Eiserne Kreuz 2nd class

War episode:

On 1 December 1942 the Bristol Blenheim Mk. I no. 10 took off on a recon mission over the Soviet Ilanskoe airfield. The pilot was adj. av. Florea Patrascu. The weather was difficult and the visibility was reduced. They eventually got to their target, photographed it from 2,000 m and turned back. That is when 4 Yaks attacked them. They climbed to 3,000 m, trying to hide in the clouds. But unfortunately the sky cleared soon after that. Two Yaks kept the machine-gunner busy, while other two struck from beneath and right wing caught fire. As it was expanding in the rest of the aircraft the pilot managed to put it down close to the Italian sector, but in Soviet held territory. Adj. Patrascu was stuck in and could not get out. Lt. av. Traian Nicolae struggled to get him out of the burning wreck finally succeeded. The Romanians were taken POWs quickly, taken to a command post and interrogated by an NKVD officer. The next day they were sent to a prison camp. In 1944 he came back to Romania in the Soviet-sponsored "Tudor Vladimirescu" Division and saw action in Transylvania and Hungary, but as CO of an AT-rifle section.

He is presently living in Bucharest

 

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User Comments Add Comment
Pr.Cezar Barbu  (3 May 2010)
Am avut onoarea ,copil fiind sa-i ascult relatarile din razboi,plin de veneratie si incantare...Pe vrednicul de pomenire Stefan preotul,tatal sau nu l-am cunoscut dar i-am cunoscut faptele si credinta,fiind preot la noi la Floresti(Margaritesti)apoi la Sf.Apostoli la Ramnicu Sarat,unde mai tarziu si eu am ucenicit in cele ale preotiei.Pe doamna preoteasa Pauna am cunoscut-o la varsta batranetii...o femeie inalta si distinsa,...pe Radita care avea grija de dansa,pe doamna Coca si pe ceilalti copii ai dinstinsei familii preotesti.Pastrez in casa cateva carti cu insemnarile si adnotarile parintelui Stefan si pomenesc la fiecare Sf.Liturghie pomelnicul familiei.Tatal meu Barbu Nicolae ,familia noastra a avut multa vreme un garaj in curtea casei parintelui,la Ramnic,iar bunicul meu Coman Barbu de la Floresti a fost bun amic si enorias al parintelui,vecini cu pamanturile si impreuna pastrator al traditiilor romanesti.Mi-as bucura daca cineva din familia parintelui ar lua legatura cu mine.Stiam ca doi frati erau pe la Predeal,doamna Coca in occident,...care-or mai fi traind dintre dansii...