Romanian Forces

Romanian Bf 109E-3 Stalingrad

Dan Antoniu Collection

A Bf 109E-3 of GrupuI 7 Vânătoare prepares for take-off from Karpovka West airfield, Stalingrad, in November 1942. 'Yellow 45' (Wk-Nr. 2731) survived the Soviet encirclement in late November, when 12 of the group's Emils were abandoned. Note the girl's name Ileana painted on the engine cowling, 'Yellow 45' soldiered on with Gr. 5 Vân. in the coastal patrol role over the western shores of the Black Sea. The Red Army's winter offensive began in the sector held by the Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies on 19 and 20 November 1942, respectively. This shifted the focus of air operations to ground support for troops cut off from the rear and cover for transport aircraft supplying the encircled units. In the days following the Soviet onslaught, Grupul 7 Vânătoare also found itself cut off. Once the seriousness of the situation was realised, personnel at Karpovka prepared for defence, and the airfield's few flak guns were organised in an artillery role, their primary job being to protect the aircraft. This was done just in time, for at dusk on 22 November, the first Red Army reconnaissance vehicle appeared on the horizon and was quickly knocked out by the flak guns. Before dawn the next day Soviet tanks arrived in strength. Romanian deliberations on how to meet this threat were cut short by the tanks firing across the airfield. For the airmen, there was only one solution - take to the air, regardless of the attacks and the darkness. Accordingly, all 16 airworthy Bf 109Es were hastily prepared for a night take-off for which their pilots were not trained. Radio equipment and armour was stripped from each fighter to make room for a passenger - either a pilot whose aircraft was unserviceable or a ground-crewman. As soon as the aircraft engines were started, the Russian tanks headed for the airfield,. The first Messerschmitt attempting to take-off suffered a direct hit and crashed in flames. Then two other fighters collided while taking off in the darkness. Both were set on fire. But the flames helped the other pilots see the makeshift runway and they were able to get airborne. All remaining aircraft were able to escape the hell of Karpovka, as well as the nearby airfields not yet overrun by the Soviets. But the crews of the Rumanian flak guns stayed to fight, and most were killed or captured. Twelve Bf 109Es were left behind to fall into Soviet hands, together with large quantities of ammunition, fuel and other materiel. The Rumanian retreat continued well into the New Year, with fighter pilots continuing to evacuate one airfield after the other, IAR 80/81-equipped Grupul 6 and 8 were finally withdrawn to Romania in mid-January 1943. By then, their pilots had claimed 26 kills, plus 15 confirmed and two unconfirmed victories, in 33 aerial battles. Some 14 aircraft were in turn lost in combat, together with 11 in accidents and six captured. Thanks to an infusion of replacement aircraft from German stocks, Grupul 7 Vânătoare soldiered on alongside the few surviving He 111 Hs at Stalino - this ad hoc group comprised ten Bf 109Es and six He 111Hs. After limited activity with its few serviceable aircraft, this last ARR unit was ordered back to Romania in mid-February. By the time of the final withdrawal, Messerschmitt pilots had claimed nine Yak- 1s, two Hurricanes and one 'Curtiss' shot down, plus three enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground. Gr. 7 Vân. lost 22 Bf 109Es either in combat, in accidents or just abandoned during the retreat. The top ace of the Stalingrad campaign in respect to overall claims was Adj. Av. Teodor Zabava of Grupul 8 Vânătoare with six victories. His score comprised three Yaks confirmed as destroyed in aerial combat, plus another Yak and a MiG unconfirmed and a fifth Yak shared with Adj. Av. Marian Dumitrascu. But it was Cpt. Av. Emil Droc (a former IAR test pilot who volunteered for service with Gupul 6 Vânătoare) who had the most confirmed kills - two Yaks and two MiGs, plus an unconfirmed ground victory. (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces - 54 - Romanian Aces of World War 2)