On June 22, 1941, the German Army and it's Axis allies launched Operation Barbarossa with a massive attack on the western border of the Soviet Union. Under the leadership of Romanian Supreme Leader Ion Antonescu, King Michael's Royal Army joined the Axis Alliance and the invasion of USSR in the hope of recapturing Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, which they had been forced to cede the previous year. They code named their campaign Operation München, and in concert with the German Eleventh Army, Field Marshal Antonescu led the Romanian Third and Fourth Armies to their eastern border on the Prut River and prepared for war.
Operation München
The Romanian Air Force began the invasion with about 600 aircraft. Some of these were obsolete Polish designs and the majority of the rest were a mix of British, French, German and Italian models. They also had three squadrons of Romanian made IAR-80 fighters operational by the middle of July, 1941 assigned to the 8th Fighter Group. The 7th Fighter Group (Grupul 7 Vânatoare) was equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3/4 fighters which had been refurbished and purchased from Germany after the Battle of Britain. Grupul 7 was composed of a headquarters staff squadron and the 56th, 57th and 58th Squadrons. They were commanded by Lieutenant Commander Alexandru Popișteanu, and were destined to play a major role in the support of the Axis advance into western Russia by providing reconnaissance, bomber escort, free hunt missions and ground support. You have been assigned to the 57th Fighter Squadron under the command of Captain Alexandru Manoliu.Under Siege
To counter this threat in the region the Red Air Force had the 20th and 21st Mixed Air Divisions, equipped with a combination of Mig-3, I-16, I-15 and I-153 fighter and ground attack planes. They also fielded a limited number of Pe-2s, Tuploev SB and Illyushin DB-3 bombers based further to the east.The front line quickly advanced to the Prut River, and the Red Army fought a month long rear engagement as it moved to the east across the Dniester River. By the middle of July, the Soviet 9th Army was reinforced with the newly established Independent Coastal Army and prepared defensive positions on the approaches to Odessa. The Soviet Black Sea Fleet mobilized its available resources and sent in the 73rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of the Black Sea Fleet Air Defense to defend the port of Odessa from air attack. By the beginning of August, 1941 Odessa was completely surrounded by the Romanian 4th Army and a small cadre of the Soviet Air Force and the Black Sea Fleet continued the aerial battle against the Axis invaders from the small airfields scattered around the besieged port city with their backs against the sea.
