A unique event will be hosted by the Museum of Aviation on Saturday, January 23 at 11 a.m.: two veteran pilots from the Second World War, Air Flotilla General (R) Ion Dobran and US Colonel (R) Barrie Davis will meet face to face, for the first time. On June 6, 1944 the two pilots engaged in air combat and the US pilot was forced to land, finally.
The Romanian and the US officials, war veterans, their families and friends are invited to be part of the meeting, too.

June 6, 1944 is an important date in our history: one of the most powerful US air attacks against the Romanian oil fields and airdromes, with the mission to bomb the cities like Bucharest, Ploiesti, Brasov, Craiova, Pitesti, Ramnicu Valcea and Galati. The air fight between the two pilots took place over Galati city.

Barrie Davis, a 20 years old young Pilot Officer, in the 325th Fighting Group was flying a P51 Mustang and had numberless missions of escort of bombers in air raids over Romania. On June 6, in such a mission he was attacked by a Romanian airplane and forced to land in Ukraine, the plane being seriously affected.

The A F Lieutenant Ion Dobran was the commander of the 48th Air Flotilla, the 9th Fighting Group, deployed in Tecuci airdrome; he was pilot on a Messerschmitt 109. His unit was designated to the front in Moldova (against the Soviets) and till June the 6th, the day he met Barrie Davies he never fought against the Americans. In that air fight, a DOGFIGHT, Lieutenant Dobran was at his turn wounded by Davis' fellow member and was forced to land, too.

MoND Press Office