''Grupul 1 Aeronautic'' ("1st Aeronautical Group" in English), also known as ''Grupul 1 Aviație'' ("1st Aviation Group") was one of the three

groups A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

of the Romanian Air Corps created following the aviation reorganization in the winter of 1916/1917.

History

After the reorganization of the Romanian Air Corps in the winter of 1916/1917, under the advice of the

French Military Mission French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

, 3 Aeronautical groups were created. Each composed of 2 reconnaissance and 1 fighter squadrons and each assigned to a Romanian or Russian army. ''Grupul 1 Aeronautic'' with its headquarters at

Bacău Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...

was assigned to the 2nd Romanian Army. The group, commanded by

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

(Maj.) Sturdza, was composed the following squadrons: *''Escadrila F.2'' - commanded by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

(Cpt.) (until March), then by Captain Panait Cholet *''Escadrila F.6'' - commanded by Cpt. Scarlat Ștefănescu *''Escadrila N.1'' - commanded by Cpt.

Campaign of 1917

''Grupul 1 Aeronautic'' together with ''

Grupul 2 Aeronautic ''Grupul 2 Aeronautic'' ("2nd Aeronautical Group" in English), also known as ''Grupul 2 Aviație'' ("2nd Aviation Group") was one of the three groups of the Romanian Air Corps created following the aviation reorganization in the winter of 1916/191 ...

'' contributed to the Battle of Mărăști. On 15 August 1917, the airmen of the group carried out 18 reconnaissance, bombing missions, photographing the enemy positions on the front of the 2nd Romanian Army. In preparation for an offensive on the Oituz Valley, the airmen of ''Grupul 1 Aeronautic'' executed numerous reconnaissance missions between 3 - 7 September 1917, the fighter pilots of N.1 squadron continued patrolling the

front-line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or unint ...

, engaging aircraft of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

. On 8 September, airmen of the F.2 and N.1 squadrons engaged enemy aircraft over Târgu Ocna, and

Slănic Slănic () is one of the 12 towns of Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania, historically and currently known as a salt extraction center, as well as a spa town, with salt lakes. Two villages, Groșani and Prăjani, are administered by the town. E ...

. The next day, managing to shoot down 3 aircraft. Between 9 - 12 September, 18 combat missions were completed, with dogfights being carried out in 12 of them. Two enemy aircraft were brought down, while the reconnaissance squadrons managed to photograph the whole front between Cireșoaia-

Cașin Cașin is a commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hunga ...

and the . From 22 September 1917, ''Grupul 1 Aeronautic'' was composed of:{{cite web, url=https://www.art-emis.ro/istorie/actiunile-aeronauticii-romanesti-pe-timpul-marilor-batalii-din-vara-anului-1917-4, title=Acţiunile aeronauticii militare române pe timpul marilor bătălii ale românilor din vara anului 1917, authors=Valeriu Avram, Marius-Adrian Nicoară, work=Revista Art-emis, date=9 August 2017 *''Escadrila F.2'' and ''Escadrila N.1'' - with the aerodrome at Borzești *''Escadrila F.6'' - at Gârbovanul

1918

From January 1918, ''Grupul 1 Aeronautic'' was commanded by Maj. Athanase Enescu. All squadrons of the group were located at Bacău. Following Order no. 275/1918, the squadrons of the group were moved to auxiliary airfields, closer to the front-line in

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

1919

In 1919, the N.1 and B.4 (ex-F.4) squadrons, part of ''Grupul 1 Aviație'' commanded by Major

Ștefan Protopopescu Ștefan Protopopescu (14 January 1886 – 10 October 1929) was a Romanian officer and aviation pioneer, he held the no. 1 pilot license in Romania, being the first licensed pilot in Romania and the first pilot of the Romanian Army. Military care ...

, set their base at

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ), also known as Kishinev (russian: Кишинёв, r=Kishinjóv ), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial center, and is located in the ...

, in order to support the Romanian troops of ''Grupul general Popovici''. ''Escadrila N.10'', which was part of ''Grupul 3 Aeronautic'', was also sent to the front, being based at Cernăuți. All 3 squadrons executed mainly reconnaissance and bombing missions.

References

Aviation history of Romania Romania in World War I Romanian Air Corps units

History

Campaign of 1917

1918

1919

See also

References