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ROYAL ROMANIAN AIR FORCE ORDERS, MEDALS, and PILOT and OBSERVER BADGES

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ROYAL ROMANIAN AIR FORCE ORDERS, MEDALS, and PILOT and OBSERVER BADGES The Orders and Medals Society of America ROYAL ROMANIAN AIR FORCE ORDERS, MEDALS, and PILOT and OBSERVER BADGES Charles H. Pankey, OMSA #6275 The country of Roma- nia has a rich and colorful history in the field of aviation. Their aeronautic a- chievements of self- powered aircraft date from 1903 when the Ron~anian engineer Traian Vuia intro- duced a design of what he described as a "car airplane" to the French Science Aca- demy. This was approximately two months prior to the Wright brothers’ first flight near Kitty Hawk, North Caro- lina, on 17 December 1903. The Board of the French Science Academy considered the design of Vuia and referred to it as highly improbable. Undeter- red by this rejection, Vuia later achieved The Aeronautical Virtue Order flight with a heavier Commander with Swords - Michael I Obverse than air aircraft using solely its own power on 18 March 1906. The aircraft was designed, built and piloted by him. 28 The Medal Collector Volume 48 Number 9 Romaulan Junior Lieutenant Henri Colanda was one of the first individuals to design and build a "jet engined" airplane. On 16 December 1910 the craft was tested for the first time. While the aircraft was warming up for other than a scheduled flight, it began moving and took offby its own means. After it achieved flight, it ultimately plummeted back to the ground with sufficient force to destroy the craft. One must consider that if you have never flown, certainly you have no experience in landing! The initial date of the Romanian Air Force is said to be 17 June 1910 when an aircraft contracted by the Romanian Ministry of War was successfully tested. On 1 April 1913 the Romanian Parliament began structuring laws for military aviation thereby paving the way for the Air Force as an independent branch. The Romanian Air Force had at least 18 aircraft in the Second Balkan War (June- August, 1913). On 15 August 1915 the Romanian Air Corps was established with three groups and a squadron for special missions. During World War I the Romanian Air Force engaged in combat facing both German and Austro-Hungarian forces. Subsequently there were campaigns against the Bolsheviks in Hungary and Bessarabia. During World War II, Romania first allied itself with Germany and the Air Force saw combat in the invasion of Russia and against Hungary. After the coup d’etat by King Michael in 1944 ousting Marshal Ion Antonescu from power, the Romanian Air Force joined with the Allied powers and fought for the liberation of Transylvania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Pilot and Observer Badges The earliest military pilot insignia consis- ted of a badge in the shape of an aircraft resembling the French Bleriot 32I. (The Bleriot XI con- ducted the first cross-channel [English Channel] heavier than air flight on 25 July 1909.) This badge was worn on the collar of the uniform. (Above) After the reign of King Carol I (1866- 1914), military aviation insignia consisted of a pilot badge and aerial observer badge. The aerial observer essentially assisted the pilot in navigation and also 29 The Orders and Medals Society of America controlled the armament on the airplane whether it be machine guns or bombs. This second type military pilot insignia consisted of an eagle with its wings upraised, standing on a sphere with the superimposed inve~ted cipher of Ferdinand I under crown. (Above Right) The Aerial Observer Insignia consisted of the Ferdinand I inverted cipher under Crown with upraised wings attached thereto. The size was approximately 44 mm wide and 57 mm high for the pilot’s badge and 40 mm wide and 49 mm high for the observer badge. The insignia primarily was made of white metal and photographs of military personnel indicate it was worn on the upper right breast. (Above left) 3O .
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