Evacuation from Karpovka, Stalingrad

[Der Maresal]

Here would be a good place to discuss the interesting events of the Romanian evacuation (flight) from the Karpovka aerodrome at Stalingrad, November 1942.

With some difficulty i was able to find a map with Karpovka on it. (My best and thickest world-atlas did not show it). I was able to find it here -
(click to see map, -large-)
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealt...gograd_1979.jpg
A few small clarifications would help us all understand what exactly happened.
First, I found that this airfield was finally overrun by the Soviets on 13th January. The Romanians evacuated it in November under fire and with T-34's cloasing in..
They headed (west?) for "Tatchinskaya"? - I was not able to find this place/airfield anywhere. Any idea where it is ??
From what i saw, there were 7 airfields in the pocket... Gumrak and Pitomnik being the largest and most significant.
Pitomnik had a concrete runway and also being the only one "equipped" with facilities for Night flying...
What other airfields were evacuated where Romanian units were stationed.
At Karpovka how many were left behind, and besides Serbanescu and
Di Cesare who were some of the other Me-109E pilots...?

[D13-th_Mytzu]

Another pilot was Iolu Nicolae who crashed at takeoff (due to enemy firing on the airfield).You can read the book Cpt. Av. Alexandru Serbanescu - there it says more about this event.I do not have the book now because I borrowed it to a friend.

I don't remember but I guess Greceanu, Milu, Vinca were also there at that time.Read more here: http://www.worldwar2.ro/arr/g7vt.htm

Karpovka airbase is near 44 degre - just left oft on of those two lakes formed by the river.Hope I can find a better pic of it.

As I recall each pilot took a crew member with him in the cockpit (that is what saved Iolu's life) and the pilot who had the ideea took 2 mechanics with him.Some of the remaining mechanics were lifted later with ?JRS79/Ju52? and another part of those who remained tried to make it on foot - only a few of them arrived later in friendly lines.

[D13-th_Mytzu]

Ok, I had to use an Il2 map but it is as good:




If we compare it with this one: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealt...gograd_1979.jpg



You will notice the exact position.

[Victor]

From: http://www.worldwar2.ro/arr/g7vt.htm

The situation around Stalingrad became critical on 19 and 20 November when the Red Army broke through the Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies, which were situated north and south of the city. The high command lost contact with many of the units and needed to know the situation of the front. So the 7th Fighter Group carried out several recon flights on 20, despite the very difficult weather conditions and low clouds. Slt. av. ® Dicezare flew one of these missions on 21, but as he approached a Soviet column he was hit in the fuel tank by a bullet and had to return to the Karpovka airfield with gas in his cockpit. Serbanescu then took off on the same mission and on his way back discovered that the Soviet tanks were only a few kilometres to the south of the airfield. Since slt. av. ® Dicezare's airplane was ready (the hole in the fuel tank had been covered by a wooden cork), he was ordered to go to the Romanian Air Corps command and report the situation. He managed to get to Morozovskaya and get gen. Ermil Gheorghiu on the phone. Two JRS-79Bs were then sent to the surrounded airbase and get as many personnel out of there as possible.

In the meantime, lt. av. Alexandru Serbanescu, who had a lot of infantry experience (he came in the air force from the elite mountain troops), organized the defense of the airfield. He used the two AAA batteries (one 37 mm and one 75 mm battery) and the guns on the airplanes, which were raised on barrels, to repulse the initial Soviet assault. The heavy fire unleashed on the attackers probably made them believe that they were facing an entrenched infantry formation, instead of a fighter group. However, things could not remain this way and, early on 23 November, all available airplanes took off under the artillery barrage of Soviet tanks.

The plane of adj. av. Nicolae Iolu receiveda direct hit. Lt. mec. Gheorgeh Simioneta, his passenger was killed and he was severely wounded. SLt. av. Constantin Rozariu and slt. av. Nicolae Naghirneac colided on the runaway.
Lt. av. Teodor Greceanu and slt. av. Hariton Dusescu managed to take off with one passenger and adj. av. ® Tiberiu Vinca with two mechanics in his
Bf-109Es. Also lt. av. Alexandru Serbanescu, adj. av. Alexandru Moldoveanu, adj. av. Ioan Malacescu, adj. av. Ioan Panaite and the German liaision officer als otook off. Seven unserviceable aircraft were left behind. Later several Ju-52s returned to evacuate some of the personnel (one soldier even grabbed onto one of the wings and was defrozen succesfully after landing). The rest retreated to the Pitovnik airfield, inside the Stalingrad bulge. Some managed to escape on foot from the encirclement.

[Der Maresal]

Yes, I've read this article. Found it very interesting.
Did the two romanian transport planes arrive to evacuate some of the personnel?
And what was the size of the Russian tank force? How many were they,..and what kind? T-34s only?

tx.

[Der Maresal]

[quote]Ok, I had to use an Il2 map but it is as good:
[/quote]

it's very good.


The airfield is not quite near the city. It's further south-east, near "Volgodonskoy"?

It is very close to Marinovka. The german produced film of 1992, "Stalingrad" features a heavy battle at Marinovka, in snow. T-34 attack the german lines. They run over the germans,..a really heavy battle worth seeing...in this film.
Where is "Tatchinskaya", or where did the Me-109E who managed to take off, head to ??
Also,.. what time was it when the Soviet attack took place.. it was totally dark ..at night.. maybe..3.00 or 4.00 at night.? How did the planes managed to land at the other airfield, or was it daylight by then ?

[D13-th_Mytzu]

Karpovka a/f is actually just south of Stepnoy

[Der Maresal]

[quote]Karpovka a/f is actually just south of Stepnoy [/quote]

You'r sure that what you circled is "Karpovka" and not "Stepnoy airfield? :shock:

[Victor]

[quote]Yes, I've read this article. Found it very interesting.
Did the two romanian transport planes arrive to evacuate some of the personnel?
And what was the size of the Russian tank force? How many were they,..and what kind? T-34s only?

tx.[/quote]

The S-79s evacuated some of the personnel during teh afternoon of 21 November. The tank force was approximately 50 machines strong, type unspecified (whcich wouldn't matter that much given the poor AT capabilities of the airfield defenders).