Alexandru Şerbănescu Alexandru " Alecu " Şerbănescu ( 17 May 1912 in Coloneşti , Olt County – 18 August 1944 in Ruşavăţ , Buzău County ) was a leading Romania n fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II . In the spring of 1942 he was assigned as a pilot to the 7th Fighter Group , which fought with the German forces against the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front , including Stalingrad . He flew mostly IAR - 80 and Messerchmitt Bf - 109 fighters . Early military career . He graduated from the Military College at Târgovişte and the Infantry Officers School at Sibiu in 1933 and was soon appointed the commander of the 3rd Mountain Troops battalion , located at Braşov . In 1942 , he joined the Air Force Flight School in Ghimbav and became soon a fighter pilot within the 7th Fighter Group . Eastern front . The 7th Fighter Group was detached in 1942 to the Stalingrad front . Şerbănescu distinguished himself in the fierce battles during the retreat from the airfields around Stalingrad . When Soviet s broke the German and Romanian defenses in November 1942 and approached the Romanian airfield where the 7th Fighter Group was stationed , Şerbănescu successfully organized the defense of the airbase against the Allied forces , helped by his infantry experience . He had at his disposal only two anti - aircraft guns ( one Rheinmetall 37mm and one 75mm Vickers - Reşiţa gun ) , the 20mm guns on the Bf - 109Es and a company of ill - equipped and trained soldiers . The Romanians ' camouflaged positions and well - led defense stopped the Soviet tanks attacking the airfield for two days . The Bf 109 ' s 20 mm guns were used as antitank weapons on the ground ( by lifting the airplane ' s tail on barrels ) , this being a unique case of airplane - tank duel . On November 23 , 1942 the Romanians evacuated eight Bf - 109E ( another 3 were lost while they tried to take off under fire ) . Each airplane carried two or three people in the cockpit . After this , what remained of Şerbănescu ' s unit was stationed on the Morozovsk aya airfield and was soon withdrawn to Romania for rest and recuperation . Back to Romania . On March 29 , 1943 , Şerbănescu was appointed commander of the 57th Fighter Squadron , equipped with the new Messerschmitt Bf - 109G , and promoted to the rank of Captain . Between June and August 1943 he shot down 28 Allied aircraft , and received the highest Romanian military decoration , Order of Michael the Brave , 3rd Class . On October 23 , the 9th Fighter Group replaced the battle - exhausted 7th Fighter Group , but Şerbănescu and the other aces remained . He kept fighting and shooting down airplanes of the Allies and , as a result , he was named the Group ' s commander on February 13 , 1944 . In May 1944 the Red Army entered Romania and occupied northern Bessarabia and northern Moldavia , but they were stopped after some fierce fighting ( " see also : Battle of Târgul Frumos " ) , in which the pilots also played a very important role . On June 11 , Şerbănescu shot down his first USAAF aircraft , a B - 17 Flying Fortress , his 45th victory . This was followed by two Allied P - 51 Mustang s shot down on July 31 and on August 4 respectively , which were his last kills . Death . On August 18 , 1944 , Alexandru Şerbănescu took off on his last mission . On that day , he and his twelve wingmen , together with twelve other fighters from the 9th Fighter Group , attacked a swarm of Mustangs and Lightnings . When Lieutenant Dobran and Adjutant Dârjan tried to clear his tail , it was too late . His last words were : " My boys , I ' m going down . . . " . Apparently his radio wasn ' t functioning properly and he could not hear his wingmen ' s warnings . Following Şerbănescu ' s death , all Romanian fighters were issued orders to refrain from engaging the Americans until a new strategy would be adopted . Five days later , on August 23 , 1944 , a coup d ' état led by King Michael of Romania deposed Marshal Ion Antonescu and Romania switched to the Allied side . During his entire piloting career , he was credited with 47 confirmed victories ( and 8 probable ) in aerial combat which , with eight unconfirmed , yielded 55 points in the Romanian scoring system , second only to Constantin Cantacuzino with 69 . Legacy . Today , a boulevard in Bucharest bears his name and passes very close to Aurel Vlaicu Airport . Each year , on 18 August , veterans , air force officers and aviation enthusiasts gather at his tomb to commemorate him . On August 18 , 2004 , the 30th Honor Guard Regiment commemorated , with military honors , the sixty years that had passed since Capt . Şerbănescu was killed in action . On December 1 , 2006 , the 95th Air Base of the Romanian Air Force received the honorific title " Cpt . Av . Alexandru Şerbănescu " .