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| Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
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Aviation Art Prints  Pilot Signatures World War Two Signatures Romania  Maximciuc, Leonidas |
[UP] - Maximciuc, Leonidas |
Leonidas Maximciuc | Leonidas Maximciuc Prince Leonidas Ivanovich Damianov Maximciuc was born in Vassiliutz, Bessarabia, the grandson of Tsar Nicolas II's commander of the Imperial Guard. He joined the Royal Romainian Air Force Academy in 1942 at the age of 15, where his uncle was the commandant. Upon graduation he attended fighter school in Austria and returned to join the Free Ukrainian Air Force in December 1942. Two days before his 17th birthday he was credited with shooting down five Soviet Yak-1 fighters. That same day he was show down and was seriously burned as he exited the fighter. Upon returning to combat he scored heavily and in late 1943 the Free Ukrainians were either assimilated into the Luftwaffe or joined the Free Russian Air Force. Maximciuc and his pilots went into the Luftwaffe and signed a contract that they would only fight the Soviets. Despite some encounters with American bombers and escort fighters, they never violated this agreement. As a result they were awarded refugee status after the war. All of the pilots captured by the Soviets or Romanian Communists were later executed. He was given command of a squadron at age 18 and ended the war as a 19 year old Lt. Col. with 52 aerial victories and 27 T-34 tank claims in ground attack missions. He was the flight leader when, in 1944, Stuka pilot Hans Ulrich Rudel and his gunner were forced down on the Soviet bank of the Dnieper River, Along with flights from JG52, which flew top cover, Maximciuc's squadron strafed Soviet positions, aloowing Rudel to swim to the opposite bank. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class and Romania's highest medal for valour, the Virtutea Militaria. By the end of the war he had been awarded 57 other decorations, including the German Wound badge, Fighter Pilot's Clasp, German Cross in Gold, and the Hungarian Order of Wenceslas. He flew over 800 missions from 1942 through 1945, was shot down three times and parachuted once. After the was he went to England and joined the Norwegian Merchant Marine. Finally he came to the United States. He was drafted into the US Army and later transferred to the USAF, where he retired from active duty after 30 years of service. Until his death in April 2001 he was flying F-15E aircraft in a reserve status at age 75. He lived in Wilmington, North Carolina and worked as a safety inspector for the Civil Air Patrol. |
| Leonidas Maximciuc - Signed Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings |
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