Romanian tank aces

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Victor
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#31

Post by Victor » 15 Feb 2005, 20:11

Well I managed to find out more details on one of the tank commanders mentioned earlier to have distinguished themselves in November 1942 and won the Mihai Viteazul Order 3rd class.

Slt. (2nd lt.) Gheorghe Budu was born on 24 november 1916 in Focsani. During 1942, he was the commander of a medium tank platoon. On 20 november, during the fights at Winterlager farm, he destroyed two T-34s and four AT guns. Several days later, at Donchinsky he destroyed the enemy forces that were preventing the 1st Battalion to advance further. He took part in the attack at resistance point 302 (south of Chernichevskaya), taking out several mortars and two AT guns. At Valamov, with two tanks, he helped a German Panzergrenadier unit break out of the encirclement.

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#32

Post by Victor » 27 Feb 2005, 10:43

Another NCO: serg. maj. Atanase Manolescu, born on 26 November 1916 in Foisor, Dolj county. In 1942 he was a tank commander in the 1st Tank Regiment, most likely of a medium tank subordinated to slt. Gheorghe Budu's platoon.

On 20 November, during the fights near Winterlager farm, he destoryed two T-34 tanks and two AT guns. On 28 November, south of Chernichevskaya, during the attack on Height 302, he took out 4 LMGs and two AT guns. At Varlamov, he destroyed six MGs and one AT gun.

For his exploits he received the highest military award for NCOs: the Virtutea Militara Medal war version 1st class.


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Victor
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#33

Post by Victor » 12 Nov 2005, 14:14

Cpt. Ioan Chifulescu joined the Army in 1929 and by 25 October 1939 he had reached the rank of captain.

In 1941 he was serving in the 1st Tank Regiment, as the commander of the regiment's AA Company, consisting of two platoons equipped with 20 mm Gustloff AA guns. During the fighting in July and August, his men have claimed 12 aircraft shot down (8 bombers and 4 fighters).

During the spring of 1942 he was in charge with the Tatra truck presentation course for recruits. For the autumn campaign at Stalingrad, cpt. Chifulescu received the command of the 7th Company/1st Tank Regiment, equipped with the obsolete R-2 tanks ( Pz-35(t) ). He led this unit in the fighting in November 1942, during Operation Uranus. On 20 November, during the 1st Armored Division's counterattack at Winterlager farm, the 7th Company was in the first line and was also the first one to reach the heights near the farm after crushing through the Soviet infantry positions. Cpt. Chifulescu destroyed a mortar battery that was firing on the Romanian infantry advancing with the tanks.

Two days later, during the 1st Armored Division's breakout of encirclement, during the fight with the Soviet 8th Cavalry Corps at Donchinsky, his company took out an enemy cavalry squadron and he personally destroyed two AT rifle sections.

Following the 1942 campaign, the 1st Armored Division returned back home to Romania. For one and a half years it was reorganzied and requipped anmd went into battle again in August 1944. Cpt. Ioan Chifulescu was assigned to the division's HQ in an administrative position. In October, when the division was disbanded according to the armistice requirements, cpt. Chifulescu was sent to the Mechanzied Training Center.

Image

Photo posted by Barbosu on the Worldwar2.ro Forum. He was a relative of Chifulescu.

Skyline
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Re: Romanian tank aces

#34

Post by Skyline » 08 Feb 2021, 21:26

Victor,please can you help me find information about Sergeant RADU ION ,contingent 1939, from the 1st Tank Regiment.He was my grandmother's brother.
I have an extract from the register of civil status for the dead for 1943 in which it is specified:"Died in the war on 20 November 1942 in Ukraine near the Winterlager farm,mortally wounded by anti-tank projectile.
I searched the internet for information about the Winterlager farm and I didn't found anything but I don't think it was in Ukraine and that there is an error in the document regarding the location.I think the Winterlager farm was in Russia.
From the stories of those who were his comrades and survived,the family found out that on November 20,1942,they were engaged in battle at the Elbow of the Don Russia,and that he died there.
Now,finding your posts,I think he was part of Captain Chifulescu Ioan's company.

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Re: Romanian tank aces

#35

Post by Victor » 19 Feb 2021, 22:40

Serg. Ion Radu was part of the 1st Tank Company (Chifulescu commanded the 7th Company) and was indeed KIA in his tank on 20 November 1942 by splinters from an AP round.
Winterlager farm was somewhere West of Zhirkovskiy. The fighting was actually around a small elevation (Hill 204.5m).

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Re: Romanian tank aces

#36

Post by Slava2012 » 22 Oct 2021, 18:10

Skyline wrote:
08 Feb 2021, 21:26
Victor,please can you help me find information about Sergeant RADU ION ,contingent 1939, from the 1st Tank Regiment.He was my grandmother's brother.
I have an extract from the register of civil status for the dead for 1943 in which it is specified:"Died in the war on 20 November 1942 in Ukraine near the Winterlager farm,mortally wounded by anti-tank projectile.
I searched the internet for information about the Winterlager farm and I didn't found anything but I don't think it was in Ukraine and that there is an error in the document regarding the location.I think the Winterlager farm was in Russia.
From the stories of those who were his comrades and survived,the family found out that on November 20,1942,they were engaged in battle at the Elbow of the Don Russia,and that he died there.
Now,finding your posts,I think he was part of Captain Chifulescu Ioan's company.
To understand, you need to look at the old pre-war maps, indeed, a lot of those lands belonged to Ukraine, and were later exchanged (like a part of eastern Ukraine was given for the Crimea in 1953, if I am not mistaken) .0 So the documents were rightly lost in Ukraine.

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