June, 6th 1944 two opposing ace pilots found themselves engaged in a terrifying dogfight over the Romanian city of Ploesti. Gen. Ion Dobran, a Romanian pilot flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109 located Col. Barrie Davis’ P-51 Mustang ahead. Dobran fired his machine guns and canon in furious blaze hoping to tear Davis’ plane from the sky. Davis would crash land 400 km away in the Ukraine.

Btm Lft: Dofight with Dobran attacking Davis
Btm Rt: Dobran anbd Davis profiles of Messerschmitt and P51 craft with Romanian and US markings.
Btm: First meeting of two 'aces' in January 2010 (bucharest, Romania)

Pilot of the Sandman that flew in the TIDAL WAVE raid of August 1, 1943, from Libya to Ploesti.
Sternfels authored "Burning Hitler's Black Gold"

As a boy in Romania, he witnessed the crash of a B-24 and along with his father helped rescue its pilots. Pliers are a souvenir from one of those pilots. Seen (lft) in WW-II reenactment uniform at his home in California.

Sitting on right, Gimabroni was a radio operator on the B-24 "Sparta James" cree (photo below) and held prisoner after crashing in Romania on July 3, 1944. On left is William Fili of the B-24 "Destiny Deb" crew also shot down on April 24, 1944 and held prisoner.

FEATURED PERSONALITIES

Col. Barrie Davis and Gen. Ion Dobran

Major Robert Sternfels

Cornell Iliescu

William Giambrone

Dan Melinte

Dan Melinte has specialized in recording and publishing materials related to the air-war over Romania during WW-II. He has an encyclopedic inventory of materials cumulated from Romanian and U.S. archives as well as from private collections. His most recent book is a comprehensive record of all B-24 crashes from the 'Tidal Wave' mission.