Rumanian Hurricanes claiming ten 'Grumman' fighters on June 30, 1941...

[Dénes Bernád]

June 30, 1941 was a successful day for Rumanian Hurricanes, which claimed ten Soviet 'Grumman' fighters over Ismail-Tulcea zone, nearby the River Danube, in three different dogfights.
Does anyone know details from the Soviet side? Probably, the fighters belonged to the Black Sea Fleet (ChF), maybe 96 OIAE?

What aircraft could have been this 'Grumman'? Perhaps the I-153 biplane?

[Modeldad]

Either a bad translation or the pilots had a little to much to drink.

Grumman produced the Wildcat, Hellcat and Avenger for lend-lease, and none went to the Soviet Union.

BTW, all Grumman aircraft were radial engined aircraft.

[Nokose]

Denes, Look at at the design of the U.S. Navy Grumman F3F which they might have mistaken the I-153 on looking through an aircraft ID book.

[kolya1]

Originally Posted by Nokose

Denes, Look at at the design of the U.S. Navy Grumman F3F which they might have mistaken the I-153 on looking through an aircraft ID book.

I think that this may be the answer, at the same time the Germans were claiming tens of "Martin bombers" (SB-2) and "Curtiss fighters" (I-153), so this wouldn't be surprising.

[focusfocus]

Dénes
do you know the names of the pilots (rumanians hurricanes) claiming ten "grumman" fighters june 30,1941
thanks

[Dénes Bernád]

Yes. Here they are:
Adj. sef. Andrei Radulescu,
Adj. stag. Eugen Camenceanu,
Adj. stag. Constantin Popescu,
Adj. stag. Constantin Pomut,
Adj. stag. Petre Cordescu,
Adj. stag. Petre Hanceanu,
Serg. Nicolae Culcer

Do you have any info from the Soviet side?

[Evgeny Velichko]

Grumman F3F is radial engined monoplane, with wing in middle of fuselage. Also, fuselage was fery short but thick.

Look on I-16 Rata SAME discription Short but thick monoplane

[Juha]

Hello Eugen
Grumman F3F was USN's last biplane fighter. You are probably thinking Grumman F4F-3, -3A or -4, ie Wildcat, which was a fat, stocky mid-wing fighter.

All the best
Juha

[Evgeny Velichko]

Oh, really..

Yes, my typing mistake Very late here in Russia, almost sleeping...
Siluets...
"Grumman"


"Rata"

[Graham Boak]

The Rata was misidentified as a Curtiss, during the Spanish Civil War. However, the Grumman FF-1 did see service in that war, so could have entered the Axis recognition guides that way. My opinion is that the likeliest type is the I-153, but are there any other reports of the Romanians claiming Grummans, or indeed recognising the I-153 as what it was? One example is likely to be misleading.