Diviziei AVT

Who has complete orbats for the early divisions of Romanian Aviation?
Like Diviziei 23, 15 or 66 Aviatie Vanatoare Tactica in 1950s/1960s?

Jeroen

This post has been edited by Jeroen on April 15, 2009 01:54 pm

Hello Jeroen,
I had only few informations on this thema but I gladly offer you:
125. Jet Fighter Regiment -Balaci /Silistea-Gumesti,
258. Ground Attack Regiment -Targsor /Ploiesti, Il-10M based,
108. Transport Regiment -Pipera /Bucuresti,
206. Jet Fighter Regiment -Otopeni /Bucuresti,
282. Jet Bomber Regiment -Borcea, Il-28 based,
197. Jet Fighter Regiment -near Tecuci??,
for 1953-55 period. If I find out more I return.
Best Regards.

Thank you Andreas

Hallo Jeroen,
I have some new informations about units of Romanian Air Force around 1955. The existence of this divisions and regiments is 100% sure but numbers of planes and sometimes location of the unit is unknown to me...
But let's proceed...
-23. Tactical Aviation Division -??
---200. Jet Fighter Regiment -Brasov
---206. Jet Fighter Regiment -Otopeni/Bucuresti
-108. Air Transport Regiment -Pipera /Bucuresti,
-66. Tactical Aviation Division -Craiova ??
---158. Jet Fighter Regiment -Craiova,
---226. Jet Fighter Regiment -Deveselu/Caracal,
---277. Jet Fighter Regiment -???,
-68. Ground Attack Division -Brasov??
---167. Ground Attack Regiment -Turda ??
Best regards.

Thanks Andreas

I would like to add

135th jet fighter regiment Caransebes (1953)
???th ground attack regiment Caransebes
172th jet fighter regiment Kogalniceaunu (1957)
180th fighter regiment Rosiorii (1952)

Jeroen

Oops forgot the sources...

Thus
different sources like Orizont Aviatic etc collected by www.ejection-history.org.uk
different sources listed in bibliography by ACIG team, april 17, 2008, Romanian cold war defections

There were a lot of changes troughout all the 1950's as far as unit designations, airfields where they were based and equipment are concerned. Those were very dynamic times.

Basically there were 8 fighter regiments and 3 assault (attack) regiments, plus various support units (training, recon, etc.)
The order of battle for 1956 looks like this:

97 Fighter Division, HQ Timisoara
294 Reg. Giarmata Timisoara MiG-15
135 Reg. Caransebes Yak-17/23

66 Fighter Division, HQ Craiova
158 Reg. Craiova
227 Reg. Craiova
226 Reg. Deveselu
all using MiG-15 plus a Squadron of 12 MiG-17 F in the 158 Reg.

23 Fighter Division, HQ Bucharest
206 Reg. Bucharest - Otopeni
172 Reg. Mihail Kogalniceanu
125 Reg. Silistea Gumesti
all using MiG-15 plus a Squadron of 12 MiG-17 PF in the 206 Reg.

68 Assault Division, HQ Brasov
One regiment with Il-10 and B-33 (Czechoslovak made Il-10) at Brasov, and one regimet each at Sibiu and campia Turzii equipped with B-33 only

Training was carried out at Tecuci, Buzau and Focsani

The Il-28 arriveed in 1955 at Ianca, where type conversion took place, shortly afterwards they were moved at Mihail Kogalniceanu until 1956, when moved again at Boteni (Titu), with the 282 Regiment.

Sources used: Romanian Air Force article by Paul van der Linden in Scramble magazine issue 307, "Pe aviatori lasa-i sa zboare" by Sorin Turturica and "Istoria aviatiei reactive in Romania 1951-2001" by Paul Sandachi.

In the period 1958-1959-1960 there were some important reorganization movements, I'll be detailing those tomorow, I've got to go now (beer & friends waiting / calling)

This post has been edited by Vici on May 15, 2009 05:58 pm

Cheers Vici!

One beer for you! One beer? Multi bere blonda!
What is the best local brand in town?

So one of these regimentul from 68th was temporarily at Caransebes?

Multumesc
Jeroen

If I am well informed there were 9 regiments in 1950, including one asalt regiment?

But I am still missing some information about 15th and 87th divisions (and 34th, and 70th divisions?).
Were 1th, 2th, 3th and 4th division (Targsor/Ploiesti/Pipera?) renumbered into these others?
190th regiment Brasov?

Jeroen
(source orizont aviatic nr 26, 2004?)

There also had been some airforces at Bacău, as well! I remember that, when I was a kid (before 1989), there were many jet fighters taking off (MiG 21's usually) and there even was a crash in a village near the city around 1985 or 1984; the pilot ejected
So it must have been a regiment or something; we also had a unit of paratroopers there.

MMM, the base at Bacau was established in 1968, so it's not within the scope of this thread.

In my previous post I forgot to mention that most MiG-15 units used both Soviet and Czechoslovak manufactured aircraft.

As Soviet troops withdrew from Romania in 1958, a number of airfields were left deserted
(Borcea-Fetesti, Alexeni, Ianca), so Romanian AF units were detached there.

The 125th Reg. from Silistea Gumesti moved at Alexeni, the former airfield remaining empty
206th from Otopeni moved at Fetesti, with its MiG-17PF dispatched at Mihail Kogalniceanu.
Jet training was concentrated at Ianca, and moved at Boboc in 1960. Ianca was closed.
The Il-28 from Boteni were moved at Fetesti sometimes in 1959-1960, Boteni remained empty.
The unit was redesignated 38 Recon Squadron (former 282 Reg.)
The Yak-23 from Caransebes were retired in 1958, so that unit was left without activity.
Also in 1958 the MiG-19 arrived, serving at Timisoara, Deveselu and Fetesti.
In 1960 the 68th Assault Division was disbanded, and the Il-10 / B-33 scrapped.

So, by 1960 the order of battle looked like this:

34 Division, HQ Timisoara
93 Reg. Giarmata Timisoara (former 294)
37 Reg. Caransebes (former 135) disbanded in 1961, Yak-17/23 scrapped

21 Division, HQ Craiova
67 Reg. Craiova (former 158)
34 Reg. Craiova (former 227) disbanded in 1961
91 Reg. Deveselu (former 226)

15 Division, HQ Otopeni
86 Reg. Borcea-Fetesti (former 206)
57 Reg. Mihail Kogalniceanu (former 172)
49 Reg. Alexeni (former 125)

In 1961 the 15th Division was renamed 16th. the 21st Div. was disbanded, the 67th and 91st Regiments being taken over by the 16th Div.

In September 1965 the 49th Reg. was moved from Alexeni to Ianca, to make way for the choppers (Mi-4 and SM-1/2 moved from Bucharest).

This post has been edited by Vici on May 16, 2009 02:01 pm

OK, I wouldn't know! But in 1968 did the Airforce use MiG-15? Because I've seen three such planes in the yard of a high-school near the airport in Bacău in the early 90's. What was the interval in which we used MiG-15 in Romania?

In summer 1990 I still saw a Mig15UTI landing at Craiova while waiting as a passenger in a An24 from Tarom on taxiway for take off from runway 09 for a return flight to Baneasa.
Also I saw a Mig15UTI bord number 2192 at Ianca in 24 june 1991, but it had its wings already taken away.
Some MiG-15UTI dubla comanda were the last to fly, with the training school at Boboc, or the attack unit(s) like at Ianca with Mig-17. MiG-17 had no operationale training version.
Other possibilties are that a MIG-15/UTI was kept in flyable condition either at the Romanian test unit (Craiova?), Bacau maintanance unit, or Craiova factory or air force museum at Otopeni?
Who helps us out, last flight of a MiG15UTI at Boboc must be documented.

Jeroen

Do you happen to know or could you find some mothers who took pictures from their children playing around those Fagots? all single planes or also dual trainers?
With the stars or the roundell?

Jeroen

This post has been edited by Jeroen on May 16, 2009 08:27 pm

Actually I was playing in them . One was single, two dual; all three had the roundel. That was in 1991-1992, when I was in 9-th grade at the high-school belonging to the plane factory in Bacău (also next to the airport and the above-mentioned parachute unit; I remember sometimes skipping classes and watching the paras' instruction manoeuvers ). I did have a photo with some classmates in front of the "relic", but I'm not sure where it is now. Later this year, when I'll visit my parents in Bacău, I'll search the photo and the MiG's, if they're still there and weren't moved or dismantled piece by piece by children.

This post has been edited by MMM on May 17, 2009 07:08 am