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Alexandru "Alecu" Șerbănescu (17 May 1912 in Colonești,
Olt County Olt County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt River, Olt river). The capital city is Slatina, Roma ...
– 18 August 1944 in Rușavăț,
Buzău County Buzău County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km ...
) was a leading
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n fighter pilot and
flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. At the end of Romania's campaign on the side of the Axis, Șerbănescu was the country's leading ace, dying only 5 days before the country changed sides. He was credited with 47 aircraft confirmed destroyed (3 American) and 8 probables (1 American). In the spring of 1942 he was assigned as a
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
to the 7th Fighter Group, which fought with the German forces against the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front, including at the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...
. He flew mostly IAR-80 and
Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...
fighters.


Early life

Alexandru Şerbănescu was born on 17 May 1912 in Colonești, Olt County. He graduated as an infantry ''Sublocotenent'' in 1933 and joined a mountain warfare unit at
Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
. He joined the aerial observers' school in 1939 and the pilots' school in 1940, obtaining his combat pilot brevet on 31 October. He flew on various fighters: PZL P.11, IAR 80 and then Bf 109E.


Eastern front

The 7th Fighter Group was detached in 1942 to the Stalingrad front. Șerbănescu distinguished himself in the fierce battles during the retreat from the airfields around Stalingrad. When the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
broke the German and Romanian defenses in November 1942 and approached the Romanian airfield where the 7th Fighter Group was stationed, Șerbănescu successfully organized the defense of the airbase against the Soviet forces, helped by his infantry experience. He had at his disposal only two
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...
guns (one
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37mm and one 75mm Vickers-Reșița gun), the 20mm guns on the Bf 109Es and a company of ill-equipped and trained soldiers. The Romanians' camouflaged positions and well-led defense stopped the Soviet tanks attacking the airfield for two days. The Bf 109's 20 mm guns were used as antitank weapons on the ground (by lifting the airplane's tail on barrels), this being a unique case of airplane-tank duel. On November 23, 1942, the Romanian troops evacuated eight Bf 109E (another 3 were lost while they tried to take off under fire). Each airplane carried two or three people in the cockpit. After this, what remained of Șerbănescu's unit was stationed on the Morozovskaya airfield and was soon withdrawn to Romania for rest and recuperation.''Alexandru Șerbănescu – from Infantry to Aviation''
, Victor Niţu, Octavian Ghiţă and Dariusz Tyminski, April 29, 2001. Retrieved on 21 February 2008.
Using his ground combat experience, Şerbănescu organised his troops to repulse the Soviet attack on the airfield at Karpovka on 22 November 1942. Subsequently, under his leadership, the squadron's airworthy machines took off before dawn. Șerbănescu was twice wounded in the face in 1943, once in July and again on 20 August, the latter occasion leaving him with a permanent scar.


Back to Romania

On March 29, 1943, Șerbănescu was appointed commander of the 57th Fighter Squadron, equipped with the new Messerschmitt Bf 109G, and promoted to the rank of
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. Between June and August 1943 he shot down 28 Allied aircraft, and received the highest Romanian
military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations award ...
,
Order of Michael the Brave The Order of Michael the Brave () is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King of Romania, King Ferdinand I of Romania, Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign (World War I), Romanian Campaign of the World War I ...
, 3rd Class. On October 23, the 9th Fighter Group replaced the battle-exhausted 7th Fighter Group, but Șerbănescu and the other aces remained. He kept fighting and shooting down airplanes of the Allies and, as a result, he was named the Group's commander on February 13, 1944. In May 1944 the Red Army entered Romania and occupied northern
Bessarabia Bessarabia () 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 Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...
and northern
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
, but they were stopped after some fierce fighting (''see also: Battle of Târgul Frumos''), in which the pilots also played a very important role. On 11 June 1944, Șerbănescu shot down his first
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
aircraft, a
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
. This was followed by two
P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...
s shot down on the last day of July and on 4 August respectively, which were his last kills. He also claimed a
P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...
on 22 July, however this remains unconfirmed.


Death

On August 18, 1944, Șerbănescu took off on his last mission. On that day, he and his twelve wingmen, together with twelve other fighters from the 9th Fighter Group, attacked a swarm of Mustangs and Lightnings. When
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
Dobran and
Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...
Dârjan tried to clear his tail, it was too late. His last words were: "I'm going down...". Apparently his radio was not functioning properly and he could not hear his wingmen's warnings. Following Șerbănescu's death, all Romanian fighters were issued orders to refrain from engaging the Americans until a new strategy would be adopted. Five days later, on August 23, 1944, a coup d'état led by King Michael of Romania deposed
Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc� ...
and Romania switched to the Allied side. During his entire piloting career, Șerbănescu was credited with 47 confirmed victories (and 8 probable) in aerial combat which, with eight unconfirmed, yielded 55 points in the Romanian scoring system, second only to Constantin Cantacuzino with 69.


Legacy

The 23 August 1990 issue of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' took note of Alexandru Şerbănescu's emerging post-Communist rehabilitation, stating that he had been recently commemorated by the daily ''
România liberă Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to the east, and the Black Sea t ...
'' with a front-page article. While the NYT issue acknowledges that he shot down some American aircraft, it wrongly labels them as
B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...
s. Şerbănescu never shot down any B-24s, but a B-17 Flying Fortress and two P-51 Mustangs, plus an unconfirmed P-38 Lightning. Alexandru Şerbănescu was the top-scoring ace of
Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
Romania: the country changed sides five days after his death and at the time of his death he was the top-scoring Romanian ace. In terms of the number of aircraft destroyed, he was credited with 47 confirmed victories and 8 probables. Having died fighting an enemy which enjoyed both technological and numerical supremacy, and not being "tainted" by any contribution to the campaign against the Axis, Şerbănescu became a legend among Romanians. The boulevard in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
that today bears his name is a unique tribute to a Romanian wartime pilot.Dénes Bérnad, Bloomsbury Publishing, Nov 20, 2012, ''Rumanian Aces of World War 2'', p. 79 Today, a boulevard in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
bears his name and passes very close to Aurel Vlaicu Airport. Each year, on 18 August, veterans, air force officers and aviation enthusiasts gather at his tomb to commemorate him. On August 18, 2004, the 30th Honor Guard Regiment commemorated, with military honors, the sixty years that had passed since Capt. Şerbănescu was killed in action.''Cpt. av. Alexandru Şerbănescu''
Bogdan Patrascu, Unofficial site. Retrieved on February 21, 2008.
On December 1, 2006, the 95th Air Base of the Romanian Air Force received the honorific title ''Cpt. Av. Alexandru Șerbănescu''.


See also

* List of World War II flying aces from Romania * Horia Agarici * Constantin Cantacuzino * Romanian Air Force


References


Notes


Bibliography

*Dénes Bernád, ''Rumanian Aces of World War 2'',
Osprey Publishing Osprey Publishing is a British publishing company specializing in military history formerly based in Oxford. Predominantly an illustrated publisher, many of their books contain full-colour artwork plates, maps and photographs, and the company p ...
,
Botley, Oxfordshire Botley is a residential area in the civil parish of Botley and North Hinksey, in the Vale of White Horse district, in the county of Oxfordshire, England, just west of the Oxford city boundary. Historically part of Berkshire, it stands on the S ...
, 2003 *Ion Bucurescu, ''Aviația Română pe Frontul de Est și în apărarea teritoriului Vol. I; II'' (Romanian Aviation on the Eastern Front and in defense of the national territory), Editura Fast Print, 1994. * *Vasile Tudor, ''Un nume de legenda – Cpt. av. erou Alexandru Șerbănescu'' (A legendary name, Captain Alexandru Șerbănescu), Editura MODELISM, 1998. {{DEFAULTSORT:Serbanescu, Alexandru 1912 births 1944 deaths Romanian military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave Romanian Air Force officers Romanian World War II flying aces Aviators killed by being shot down Burials at Ghencea Cemetery People from Olt County Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Romania)