Gheorghe Mihăilescu

Gheorghe Mihăilescu
Gheorghe Mihăilescu, post-war photo
Born(1888-02-02)2 February 1888
Alexandria, Kingdom of Romania
DiedUnknown
Allegiance Romania
Service / branchRomanian Navy (1908–1913)
Romanian Air Corps (1913–1919)
Years of service1908–1919
RankCaptain
UnitGrupul 1 Aeronautic, Escadrila N.1
Battles / warsSecond Balkan War
First World War
AwardsOrder of Saint Anna
Order of the Star of Romania
Croix de Guerre

Gheorghe Mihăilescu (2 February 1888 – Unknown) was a Romanian World War I pilot, credited with four victories by Romanian standards[1] and eight including shared ones.[2]

Early life

Gheorghe Mihăilescu was born on 2 February 1888 in Alexandria, Teleorman County. He attended the Military School of Artillery, Engineering and Navy, receiving the rank of Sublocotenent (Slt.) on 1 July 1908. He attended the Piloting School of the National Air League (Liga Națională Aeriană), obtaining pilot license no.19 on 11 October 1913.[2]

Military career

During the Second Balkan War, he flew with Section II of Aviation (Secția II de Aviație), commanded by Captain (Cpt.) George Valentin Bibescu, executing a number of missions.[3]

In the summer of 1914, during the visit of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, he flew over the Imperial ship together with Constantin Beroniade [ro], Andrei Popovici, Alexandru Sturdza, and Poly Vacas and put up a show for the Tsar.[3] Before the war, he also served as an instructor at the Băneasa Flight School, and on 1 July 1916, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.[2]

After Romania entered World War I on the side of the Allies in August 1916, he was first deployed in Dobruja, then he was assigned to Grupul 1 Escadrile at Râureni. On 1 January 1917, he was appointed administrative commander of Escadrila N.1. On 22 January 1917, he scored his first victory over a German aircraft which crashed behind enemy lines over the front of the 2nd Romanian Army. On 21 June, while on a mission over Târgu Ocna, he shot down a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I of FliK 39 flown by Augustin Novak and Karl Lukats, the victory was shared with Sergeant (Sgt.) Nicolae Mănescu. He would shoot down Novak again, on 8 July,[a] while on a mission with Cpt. René Chambe [fr] over Dărmănești. This time, Mihăilescu was the one who delivered the coup de grâce. During the battle, Novak's observer, Franz Fritos von Felsöbenced, lost his life, the aircraft crashing near Bergy Magyaros.[2][4]

On 9 August 1917, while escorting the Farman F.40 flown by French Sgt. de Triquerville and Slt. Dumitru Bădulescu, he engaged and shot down the Oeffag C.II no. 52.63 of FliK 31, flown by Zugsführer Adolf Rabel[5] and observer Oberleutnant Franz Xaver Schlarbaum.[2][6] The Austro-Hungarian aircraft crash-landed in no man's land, closer to the Romanian trenches, Schlarbaum being rescued from the wreck of the aircraft by Bădulescu and de Triquerville.[7]

Mihăilescu scored his last non-shared victory over a German DFW on 21 August.[2] On 7 September, he carried out 8 combat missions together with Ioan Georgescu and Paul Urechescu (who recently joined the squadron), totaling 11 hours of flight time. During these missions, the pilots of N.1 squadron engaged 5 Austro-Hungarian KD fighters.[8]

Mihăilescu in the cockpit of a Nieuport 11 fighter, together with other airmen of the N.1 squadron[9]

After the war, on 1 September 1919, he resigned from the military as he felt he had been wronged when he was dismissed from his post as assistant to the commander of Grupul 1 Aeronautic.[2]

The commander of Escadrila N.1, Cpt. Chambe, described him as such:

Mr. Navy Lieutenant Mihăilescu Gheorghe, assigned to Grupul 1 Aeronautic - Escadrila N.1, is an officer-pilot of great courage, above all. He distinguished himself many times during the battles from the summer of 1917 with a particular boldness, engaging in more than 20 aerial battles. He was appointed to the post of deputy commander of the squadron, as he was gifted with great qualities of an organizer and fighter pilot. During confrontations with enemy aircraft, he always showed great bravery and courage, carrying out dangerous missions. Not infrequently he returned from combat with his aircraft riddled with enemy bullets, but each time he emerged victorious.[2]

Air victories

See also: Aerial victory standards of World War I § Romania

Mihăilescu scored eight victories during the war, including four shared with other pilots, so not counted by Romanian standards.[2]

No. Date/time Aircraft Foe Result Location Notes
1 22 January [O.S. 9 January] 1917 Nieuport fighter German reconnaissance airplane Crashed behind enemy lines Over the front of the 2nd Romanian Army Crashed aircraft photographed by a Farman F.40 of Escadrila F.6
2 (shared) 21 June [O.S. 8 June] 1917 Nieuport 11 No. 1418 Hansa-Brandenburg C.I of FliK 39 Crashed behind enemy lines Over Târgu Ocna Enemy aircraft flown by Augustin Novak and Karl Lukats;
Victory shared with Sgt. Nicolae Mănescu
3 (shared) 30 June [O.S. 17 June] 1917 Nieuport fighter German LVG Landed behind Romanian lines Over Cota 1000 Enemy crew taken prisoner;
Victory shared with Slt. Gheorghe Gheorghiu
4 8 July [O.S. 25 June] 1917 Nieuport fighter Hansa-Brandenburg C.I serial number 67.52 of FliK 39 Crashed near Bergy Magyaros Over Dărmănești[4] Enemy aircraft flown by Augustin Novak and Franz Fritos von Felsöbenced;
von Felsöbenced lost his life
5 9 August [O.S. 27 July] 1917 Nieuport 11 No. 1418 Oeffag C.II s/n 52.63 of FliK 31 Crash-landed in no man's land Near Cota 408, south of Grozești[7] Enemy aircraft flown by Adolf Rabel and Franz Xaver Schlarbaum;
Rabel died, Schlarbaum taken prisoner
6 21 August [O.S. 8 August] 1917 Nieuport fighter German DFW Forced to land Near Zăbrăuți Enemy crew taken prisoner
7 (shared) 23 September [O.S. 10 September] 1917 Nieuport fighter Hansa-Brandenburg C.I s/n 269.26 of FliK 36 Forced to land Over Târgu Ocna Enemy crew taken prisoner;
Victory shared with Sgt. Nicolae Mănescu
8 (shared) 1 October [O.S. 18 September] 1917 Nieuport fighter Hansa-Brandenburg C.I series 67 of FliK 36 Landed behind Romanian lines Enemy pilot, Leutnant Soliser, taken prisoner;
Victory shared with Sgt. Nicolae Mănescu

Awards

He received the following awards:[2]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Second source gives the date of 7 July.

References

  1. ^ Mihail Orzeață; Valeriu Avram (2018). "Romanian Aviation in the First World War" (PDF). Romanian Military Thinking (3/2018): 230.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Marius-Adrian Nicoară (2017). "Despre Așii Aviației Române în Războiul de Întregire naţională" (PDF). Buletinul Arhivelor Militare Române (in Romanian). No. 78/2017. pp. 12–13.
  3. ^ a b Valeriu Avram (2013). "Din Istoria Aripilor Românești 1910-1916" (PDF). Buletinul Arhivelor Militare Române (in Romanian). No. 61/2013. pp. 2–17.
  4. ^ a b Jon Guttman (20 January 2015). Reconnaissance and Bomber Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78200-803-3.
  5. ^ Glenn Jewison; Jörg C. Steiner. "Golden Bravery Medal Winners of the Aviation-Services". Austro-hungarian-army.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021.
  6. ^ Victor Kulikov (23 April 2013). Russian Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78096-061-6.
  7. ^ a b Valeriu Avram; Marius-Adrian Nicoară (6 August 2017). "Acţiunile aeronauticii militare române pe timpul marilor bătălii ale românilor din vara anului 1917 - 3". Revista Art-emis (in Romanian).
  8. ^ Valeriu Avram; Marius-Adrian Nicoară (9 August 2017). "Acţiunile aeronauticii militare române pe timpul marilor bătălii ale românilor din vara anului 1917 - 4". Revista Art-emis (in Romanian).
  9. ^ Valeriu Avram; Alexandru Armă (2018). Aeronautica română în Războiul de Întregire națională 1916-1919 (in Romanian). Editura Vremea. p. 157. ISBN 978-973-645-853-8.