Info on pilot Florea Virgil Chifulescu

Thanks to Andrey's questions in another topic on this forum, I have come across a mention of of. ec. Florea Chifulescu in the 5th Bomber Group in 1943.
In August 1943, of. ec. Chifulescu was on the front in the Ukraine with the 77th Bomber Squadron/5th Bomber Group, flying on Ju-88A-4s.

On 7 December 1943, he was flying a/c no. 125 in a mission to bomb the village and beach of Ribaltshe. His aircraft had problems with the right engine. He dropped the unarmed bombs over friendly territory and returned to base with only one engine andlanded safely. At the end of the month he was awarded the Virtutea Aeronautica Order Gold Cross class.

On 10 January 1944 (the incident also mentioned by Denes probably), during the bombing of Soviet forces in the Tretiakovo Valley, the JU-88A-4 no. 116A flown by of. ec. Florea Chifulescu, with slt. av. Gheorghe Mazilu as observer, was hit by enemy AAA and the radiators on both engines were damaged. He managed to recover from the dive and head back to base, under the escort of two Romanian Bf-109Gs, one apparently flown by lt. av. Ioan Dobran. He eventually managed to make a belly landing near Apostolovo. The crew, without a scratch due to the perfect landing, took out the machine-guns, the map and the parachutes and with a German car and then by train they arrived at Nikolaev the following day.

Florea Chifulescu doesn't show in the pilot rooster of the 5th Bomber Group in September 1944, after reorganization, so I take it he was reassigned.

C-2, if you read this, phone mr. Stoian and, if you are able to make him hear you, ask him about Chifulescu. They were even in the same squadron! Apparently on 10 January 1944, Stoian also volunteered for this mission and Chifulescu told him not to try to become a hero and let him go instead. When he returned the next day, he told Stoian that he should have come, as he was curious to see him carry the damn machine-gun all that distance.

Barbosu, if you have some biographical data on Florea Chifulescu (date&place of birth/death, awards), photos etc. we can add him to the Pilots list on the website. What do you think?

Victor ,It's no longer posible talking Mr Stoian on the phone.
He's in good shape but almost totaly deaf.
You can make him a visit!

Dear friends,

Long live the forum!!!

1. I am totaly happy with your last message Victor. I don't know what to say except for a big THANK YOU! I am very proud of my uncle and I think all of us, the "nephews", should be proud of their family war heroes. Especially for the ones with heroic deeds in the war against USSR, because they were forgotten and persecuted for decades by the communism (read also paragraph 3. please)

2. Thank you for your kind offer to put my uncle in the Pilots section and yes, I will be proud to see him there, along to the other great Romanian airmen.
I will try to get as soon as possible the pictures we have with him in the family and the brevets of his decorations (they exist at one of my cousins outside Bucharest).

Also, I hope I'll get other information researching some collections of magazines and newspaper from 1925 to 1945. I think that it's good to research the press looking for stories, because they must be longer and more colourful than the reports from the Statul Major al Aerului.

3. I am very sad. Today I walked in more then 15 book shops and antiquaries and found nothing on ARR!! Two exceptions, I'm not very happy about them:
- "The History of Romanian Aviation" (Editura Stiintifica si Enciclopedica -1984)
- "The Sky Amazons", by Victor Firoiu (Editura Albatros - 1980).

Why I'm not happy about them? Because they are in the best case censored, if not severely incomplete.

Of course, I am subjective: if Chifulescu's name is not there, it's incomplete, but take the example of Cantacuzino who was the ace of aces in ARR, but against the USSR and also defected from Romania. You will find him mentioned only as an aerobatic pilot and a little in the battles after 23 august 1944.

ANYONE TELL ME SOME BOOKS TO LOOK FOR!!!


CONCLUSION

- ARR is practicaly unknown for the great public, with the exception of some enthusiasts like you or relatives of the pilots.

- Please start to think of a conjugated action of the members of this forum and other clubs etc to collect information. I am a volunteer and you can totally count on me.
Of course, you have a lot of data and interviews, but as Denes (I think) said, you should hurry with the interviews!!!

Let's think about a way to act together in this matter.

And, I think the problem with the number of ARR veterans capable to give information is accute, but also for the army in general will be soon.

I have to say that for me is very important to find out the truth about the history pre-23 august. I was raised learning what communists offered me and that is very very far to be enough.

SORRY I GOT SO OFFICIAL!!!!

But I am very angry after my experience in the book stores. I am also very angry that I didn't have the time and determination to start the research in the early 90's as I wanted, when so more veterans were alive!! (But there was no internet).

Barbosu
Proud Romanian "Nephew"


This post has been edited by Barbosu on January 11, 2005 12:21 am

Currently, the only Rumanian publisher who publishes books on aviation, on a regular basis, is Modelism Int'l, in Bucharest.

Gen. Dénes

- Denes, your books are available in Romania?

- Chifulescu was a few years instructor at "Mircea Cantacuzino" School of Flight. Are there resources about this school?? (He was there in 1936 for example)

- I found in some other topics some books. Perhaps "Pumnul tarii" mention him

- Victor, you have astonishing details. Are they from interviews or books?!

- Istoria Aviatiei Romane is worthless regarding pre-23 aug. 1944 war. Not a single word. Instead, there are tens of pages about the PCR (Communist Party) in the ARR!!!! (the authors mention that there were three communist cells of 2-3 men in ARR)

- From Modelism I'm interested first in some CD's first, those with the collections of "Magazin Aeronautic" and "Aripi Romanesti". Are they a good resource??

Barbosu

Barbosu

I red the posted messages regarding your family member and its an other piece of history you can add to this forum but also an other reflection of bravery of ARR Pilot in the WWII . By reviewing Denes and Victor concluding researches on the past flying time of your uncle, allow me to add that given the numerous bailouts he must have received somewhere sometime the golden silkwurm pin of MARTIN BAKER ,UK , who used to manufacture at that time the parachutes supplied to ARR prior WWII .....during the WWII I am not aware what kind of parachues were used by ARR. The golden silkwurm ( 48 karates) pin is awarded till today to every airman who bailed out with or without ejection when emergecy eggressed . Finally like anyone on this forum I look forward to see the photos posted at the pilot section....btw except your nickname can you reveal your first name or ist it a military secret ?

Al

IIRC, one of the most used parachute types by Rumanian pre-war airmen was Heinecke (not Heineken ).
During the war, the I.R.V.I.N. type parachute was mainly used (also manufactured under licence in Rumania). German airplane types were probably shipped with a set of German parachutes.

Gen. Dénes

No. I know of no-one who imports them.
Anyhow, they are mainly intended for readers outside Rumania.

Gen. Dénes

Denes , yes I know Heinecke Fallschirme Gsl and I also know that Ballon Farbrik Augsburg also manufactured for Luftwaffe and the axis German aircraft operators parachutes and life jackets .....though the Roumanian Hurricane and rest of the non German were equipped most of them with Martin Baker parachutes....
Alex

***edited by admin***

This post has been edited by Victor on January 11, 2005 04:36 pm

About the bailings:

- Maybe Denes could you tell me what kind of Nieuport he was driving in 1928?

- And please, maybe anyone have answers for the questions in my previous posts.


Barbosu

This post has been edited by Barbosu on January 12, 2005 10:11 pm

The book you mentioned, dedicated to the 6th Bomber Group in 1943 and 5th Bomber Group in 1943-45, is the source for the two incidents with your uncle.

Alex, please create a new topic for the question related to the 42/52nd Fighter Squadron.

OK will do Victor

1. Please anyone post photos of 5-th BG in 1943-1944

Especially 77-th sqd if possible.

2. Victor, in the "Units" section of the site there is no 73 sqd from Flotila 1 Bombardament. Sorin Tulea mention this sqd as his first squad, in May 1940.

3. Where can I find details about reorganisations of ARR in WWII?

Barbosu

C-2, Victor,

Please, Can you reach Mr. Dan Stoian or Sorin Tulea, please, so I can continue my research on Chifulescu?

Or Di Cesare, Stinghe, anybody!

Many thanks,

Barbosu

PS Please read the previous post too

The 73rd Bomber Squadron was equipped with P.23Bs during the 1941-42 campaigns and then with Ju-87Ds during 1943-44. It was part of the 6th Bomber Group and then of the 3rd Light Bomber Group.

Where you able to find documents from your uncle. If you manage to find his flight books (carnetele de zbor) you will find out everything you want to know about him and the units he was assigned to during his long career.