DFS230, searching for pictures

Dear all,
I am still searching for pictures of DFS 230 in Rumanian markings. Only received one very bad one, showing one DFS230 wreck in front of a IAR39, both with Rumanian markings.
Any help is highly recommended, thank you in advance
Best regards, Peter Ocker

Hi Peter,

Can you show us please your picture ? I for one would love to see it.

Many thanks,

Al

Hi Peter,

I have some pictures with romanian DFS 230
I also have the 1/48 kit model from Special Hobby and I intented to build it romanian.
I will serch in my database the mentioned pictures and will help you soon.

Below are the pictures. Source ABC Archiv.

Dear Cantacuzino, thank you, very nice. The only one I had is attached.
http://img17.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dfs230rumnien1.jpg
I am very interested to learn more on the use of DFS230 in ARR.

I learned that 38 were sent to Romania, only 29 were used. They were used at Escadrila 109 transport cu planoare which was established in November 1943. Last use was in April 1945.

Anybody has more informations or better pictures ?

Best regards, Peter

Hello Peter,

Here are some info from the book "Un Secol de planorism" author Constantin Volcinel Atanasiu.

Military transport gliding school.

Between 1 april and 26 august '43 on the Focsani South airfield start the first training lessons for transport gliding pilots. The school command was given to Lt av. Mircea Gabureanu technically assisted by germans Cpt.av. Alois Fluke with Unteroffizier Hans Adomait, Fritz Kalmayer and Paul Muller. The first series of 18 military gliding pilots were selected from civil gliding pilots (most of them also engine-planes pilots) and 2 civil gliding instructors: Mihai Golescu and Valentin Popescu.
The preliminary instruction was done using two seat gliders "Go-4 Goevier" and "Kranich II" tuged by PWS-26.
In the final stage the training was completed on DFS-230.
After 4 month of instructions the commision made by G-ral Gh. Jienescu (Air Minister) and Comandor av. Mihai Pavlovski the commander of military transport group (who had the nr. 1 transport glider licence) give the transport gliding licence to following pilots:
1.Badulescu Ion
2.Bazga Vasile
3.Butnaru Stefan
4.Bugoi Nicolae
5.CatanaNicolae
6.Coman Constantin
7.Costache Cleante
8.Costin Eugen
9.Crivat Aurel
10.Dumitrescu Mihai
11.Gheorghe Dumitrescu
12. Fagaras Mihai
13.Fagarasanu Victor
14. Golescu Mihai
15. Pavlovschi Mihai
16.Poltarac Mihai
17.Popescu Valentin
18.Puicea Iorga
19.Raiciu Ilie
20.Roman Ioan
21.Susma Mircea

All this pilots will perform war missions for transport on estern front, from Baneasa airfield to Odessa.


Escadrila 109 planoare transport


On 11 november '43 was established a special squadron for gliding transport named "Escadrila 109 planoare transport" commanded by Lt av Gabureanu Mircea. The squadron had 9 DFS 230 gliders, and 7 IAR-39 tug biplanes.
The airfield was at first at Baneasa until december '43 and after moved to Spataru-Buzau.


New pilots for military transport gliding.

On the airfield Petresti-Dambovita near Gaesti took place between 20 august-25 november '44 a new training session for DFS- 230 glider pilots.
The commander of the school is the same Lt.av Mircea Gabureanu and instructors were Niculae Catana, Eugen Costin and Mihai Fagaras.
On 18 november '44, a number of 14 pilots got the transport gliding licence.


The transport gliders on west front

Starting with 14 february '45 the " Escadrila mixta aerotransport" (Mixed air transport squadron) made by transport planes (with one or twin engines) and transport gliders from "Flotila 7 Aerotransport Bucuresti" were moving to west front joining the "Corpul Aerian Roman".
The transport gliders were 5 DFS -230 with following pilots: Serg.av. Niculae Catana, Eugen Costin, Mihai Fagaras, Balaita Mihai, Cojocaru Ion, Covataru Mircea, Cristian Mircea, Galca Ghe.,Iliescu Mihai, Rasnoveanu Gh.and Constantin Atanasiu.
The gliders missions were for passangers transport and supply of munitions,fuels and food to the front in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
In total on west front the DFS- 230 gliders performed 579 missions with 1165 flying hours and 463,2 tones of material transported.

This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on March 08, 2009 10:10 pm

And a picture with Lt. av. Mircea Gabureanu near a DFS 230 glider. Source ABC Archiv.



This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on March 08, 2009 10:19 pm

Below a picture with fuel ( or oil) transport in a romanian DFS 230. Source ABC Archiv.



This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on March 08, 2009 10:52 pm

For more and better pictures with romanian DFS 230 sent me a PM with e-mail adress.

And below pictures with this commision on Focsani airfield. G-ral Jienescu with fresh licensed gliding pilots and officers instructors
The german with white visor cap is probably Cpt. Alois Fluke. Source ABC Archiv.






This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on March 08, 2009 10:47 pm

Thank you for the pictures. Was it a special insignia for the glider pilots, like that of their German counterparts ?

Al

Hello,


Very interesting read and thread. I will search in my archives but i can already mention the following german instructors did get the following Rumanian awards:

* Hauptmann Alois Flucke was awarded the romanian order with the crown + Rumanian pilots badge
¨
* Uffz. Alfred Kallmeyer the Romanian pilots badge

The last one can be seen in the book " The glider pilot badge " printed by B & D Publishing on page 102. I could never trace why these persons where awarded these Romanian pieces.

I think because they where active in training the Rumanian glider pilots.

Will digg on.

Cordial greetings,

Hello,


And here is the picture where Kallmeyer does wear the Rumanian pilots badge.

I can now also confirm, Uffz. Hans Adomeit is the correct name.

Could the Rumanian pilotsbadge be awarded on a honorary base? Or did (for example) Germans also need to qualify?

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/4526/bild1kallmeyer.jpg[/IMG]


Cordial greetings

This post has been edited by Stijn David on July 24, 2010 08:50 am