# Aces Stories...



## hellmaker (Mar 27, 2005)

On 23 June 1941, the Hurricanes of the 53rd Fighter Squadron took off on an escort mission. After a while lt. av. Agarici returned to the airfield, because of a malfunction that caused oil to spill over his windscreen. He landed without problems and the mechanics started to work on the airplane. After a few minutes they heard engine roar coming from the sea. They saw three Soviet bombers heading towards Constanta, probably with the intention to bomb the harbor. Lt. av. Agarici immediately took off, although the problem on his Hurricane hadn't been solved. He quickly gained altitude to meet the DB-3s that were flying at about 2000 m. He then dived and attacked the formation leader. Soon after that the bomber caught fire and probably fell into the sea. He again gained altitude and attacked. A second DB-3 started to go down in flames. It dropped its bombs over the sea and crash-landed on Romanian soil. The crew was later taken prisoner. The third bomber had already turned back when lt. av. Horia Agarici reached it. He attacked and set it on fire. Another Soviet bomber formation appeared, but retreated after seeing what happened to the first one. Agarici came back to the airfield and landed. He did not know the result of the battle, because his windscreen was almost entirely covered with oil. Only two of the claims were confirmed. One remained probable.
This action was transformed into a very popular song about Agarici and his victories, composed apparently that night at the party thrown for the ace in a restaurant in Constanta. The story was picked up by the Romanian propaganda and soon Agarici and his song became well known throughout Romania.


I find this one very interesting... take my word for it...


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