Countless fighter pilots from every Commonwealth and Dominion nation fought with the RAF during the war. Panico Theodosiou was born on 21 November 1919 in Limassol, Cyprus, into a deeply religious Greek Cypriot family. After Cyprus was officially declared a Crown Colony in the mid-1920s and the islanders became British subjects, the Theodosiou family emigrated to Southern Rhodesia. A week before Britain declared war on Germany, units of the Southern Rhodesian Air Unit were the first to answer the call to arms. Panico volunteered for service and received a commission as a signal officer, reporting to headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Later renamed the Southern Rhodesian Air Force, 1 Squadron at Nairobi was re-designated 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron in April 1940 when all SRAF personnel were absorbed into the RAF. Panic° successfully applied to fly and on 26 November 1940, Plt Off Theodosiou began flying training on DH Tiger Moths from the 25 Elementary Flying Training School at Belvedere, on the outskirts of Salisbury. He made his first solo flight after about ten hours of instruction. After completing EFTS, he took another leap - into marriage with his long-time girlfriend Denise. On 20 January 1941, he transferred to the 20 Service Flying Training School at Cranbourne, also near Salisbury, where he flew North American Harvards. There he received his wings on...

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Born to Greek immigrants from Sparta, Lou was the second of four children. Lou was raised in Dayton, Ohio during the Great Depression. Much of his boyhood was spent getting into mischief and having fun with his older brother, Straty, and his many cousins who affectionately called him "Big Louie." Big Louie's strong arm and athleticism made him the obvious choice for quarterback and pitcher in both sandlot and organized games, and his humor, optimism, and relaxed and engaging ways made him a natural leader. When he was not playing sports, he was participating in Boy Scouts or making airplanes from balsa wood. In the 1930's, Dayton was a national aviation center and Lou daydreamed about flying the planes that roared over his neighborhood. In 1943, at 17, Lou volunteered for the Army Air Force. Lou survived 31 missions over Nazi Germany as a tail gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress and recorded one "kill." During 2009 George Chalkiadopoulos, founding member of the Greeks in Foreign Cockpits team, exchanged emails with Louis Stamatakos who wrote about his story in a few words.

"I was raised in Dayton, Ohio during the Great Depression years by parents who both had immigrated from Krokea, south of Sparta. I had two brothers and a sister. During the war, all males aged 18 and over were eligible to be drafted into the military service. I was crazy about flying and, not surprisingly, enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a cadet (I wanted to be a pilot.  I entered the Air Corps as soon as I turned 18 and had basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi. Having all too many young men in the cadet program, the military sent me to Gunnery School in Las Vegas, Nevada where I learned gunnery with 50 caliber machine guns and aircraft turrets (found on bombers).  Later I was ...

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The Royal Romanian Air Force (RRAF) during World War 2 boasted several remarkable fighter pilots of Greek heritage, a fact well-known to aviation history enthusiasts in Greece. Despite their origins tracing back to the Byzantine Empire centuries ago, their impressive achievements have often been overlooked, leading to the perception that they might have lost touch with their Greek identity. However, it's essential to note that this was not the rule, as some pilots proudly served both in the RRAF and even the Luftwaffe and were proud of their heritage too. Among the distinguished fighter pilots and aces of Romania, one individual stood out prominently – Dan Vizanty. His legacy has been celebrated, and his daughter, Ana Maria Vizanty, authored an article about his life and accomplishments. The piece was initially published in the September 2014 issue of Aviation History magazine and later republished on https://www.historynet.com/ on March 7, 2017. With the generous permissions granted by both the magazine and Ana Maria, we are delighted to republish the article on our website, ensuring that the Greek public can also appreciate and learn from his extraordinary exploits. Moreover, we had the immense honor of meeting Ana Maria Vizanty in Bucharest. During a special occasion on August 6, 2023, our esteemed member and aviation artist, George Moris, had the privilege of presenting her with a remarkable painting depicting one of her father's most intense dogfights, on June 10, 1944, against USAAF fighter-bombers (for a personal account of Vizanty during that dogfight click the following link: https://www.greeks-in-foreign-cockpits.com/pilots-crews/fighter-pilots/dan-vizanty-in-his-own-words/). This particular aerial battle featured Dan Vizanty piloting the indigenous IAR-81C fighter against the renowned twin-engine American fighter, the P-38 Lightning. For a comprehensive account of this thrilling encounter, please refer to the article that follows. For more please refer to the Romanian bibliography, especially his biography "DAN VIZANTY DESTINUL UNUI PILOT DE VANATOARE" written by Daniel Focsa (Institutul European 2010, ISBN: 9789736116926. Now, without further delay, let us immerse ourselves in the captivating story as shared by Ana Maria Vizanty herself.

“My father, av. Dan Vizanty felt indeed an ancestral nostalgia for Greece. He said that he was also considering himself a Greek citizen due to his origin. I only know a little though about this aspect. He mentioned sometimes that his ancestors had come to Moldavia around the 17th or 18th century, and they had become perfectly integrated into their new country. Such that his family became a prominent one in the Moldavian area, just like many others who arrived in Romanian Lands in the Phanariot period as well. His name’s etymology, from Byzantion, also points out his Greek origin. Unfortunately..."

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Frank J. Sarris was born on December 8, 1917, in Newport, Rhode Island, in the USA. His parents were Greek immigrants, John Sarris and Maria Lafiotis, both originally from the beautiful island of Skiathos. Frank's father first arrived in the USA between 1900 and 1905 to obtain American citizenship. To achieve this, John Sarris volunteered for the U.S. Army during World War I, serving in France with the 6th Engineer Regiment before returning injured to the USA. In November 1915, he married Maria in Providence, Rhode Island, and later, after moving to Newport, they had four children: Rose (1916), Frank (1917), Koula (1919), and George (1922). Frank enlisted in the Rhode Island National Guard and served three years before being discharged. He then reenlisted in the National Guard for another four months before joining the U.S. Navy on November 1, 1939, as a "Seaman Apprentice" with a prospect of six years of service. In January 1940, he was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), where the impressive sight of aircraft taking off and landing on the flight deck profoundly influenced young Frank. Due to the needs of the war, the Navy's requirements were reduced from the required two years of college or university studies, allowing Frank to apply for pilot training. On January 5, 1943, he reported to Pre-Flight Training School at the Naval Air Station in Athens, Georgia. On October 12, 1943, after completing all tests, Frank was designated an "Aviation Pilot 1st Class" and a few days later...

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Born in Clayton, N.J. on Feb. 29, 1924, John Stargu was the son of the late George and Despina (Moshovos) Stargu. According to his son, Nick, the original name was Stergiou but the authorities in Ellis Island wrote it as Stargu. George's heritage was from Mykonos Island while Despina was from Samos Island, both in the Aegean Archipelago. John graduated from Bloomfield High School and was employed by Danaher Ford and M&E Ford.  During WWII he enlisted in the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and trained as a Flight Engineer and Top turret gunner in the B-24 Liberators. He met his crew during their joint training in Pueblo Air Force Base in Colorado, in January 1943, his captain was Robert Blair. One interesting note is that the crew's tail gunner was named Vlachos, almost certainly another Greek American. When their training was over, they were assigned for service in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) specifically the 451st Bomb Group, based in Italy. The whole crew went to Herrington in Kansas in order to deliver a new bomber equipped with radar. According to Blair before their journey to Europe, the bombardier and three gunners were sent by boat while the rest of the crew along with two radar engineers and spare parts, however when they arrived in Italy, they never...

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Nicholas  Andrew Vlassie, born on May 23, 1918, was the son of Andrew Constantine Vlassie from Corinth, Greece, and Photoula Vlassie (Nicholaides). Nick was the oldest followed by Emanuel (aka Manoli) who also served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, stationed at No. 3 Wireless School, Tuxedo during the Second World War, then Constantine and 14 years later his sister Katina was born.  Andrew came over in the early 1900s, landed in Rochester, New York and later went to LA. While he was in California he was contacted by a cousin in Winnipeg, who worked at the Royal Alexandra Hotel on Higgins, and told him to come to Winnipeg because it was a booming town and there was lots of work. It was called the "Chicago of the North". Andrew packed up and went to Canada, where he also started working at the hotel. Photoula came over in 1914 when she was 16 years old (born in 1898). Andrew wrote to her father to ask him for her hand in marriage and accepted only after he gave her daughter the choice. It is most probable that they knew each other as their families were both from Corinth. After the war, Andrew and his two sons Manoli and Constantine (Gus) purchased The Chocolate Shop, one of the oldest restaurants on Portage Avenue. This family business, a Winnipeg institution, was renowned for gorgeous pastries baked on the second floor and was a regular hangout for many. Manoli and Gus worked The Chocolate Shop for several decades and probably Nicholas would have joined them had he survived the war. Nicholas attended Gladstone and Kelvin Schools and was manager of the College Inn, Portage Avenue before enlistment. He was eager to join the war effort and it is certain that the Greek resistance against the Italian and German invaders motivated him. Actually, he did participate in actions of the Greek Canadian Winnipeg community to aid the war-harassed people of Greece, specifically two dances in which he was dressed in evzone, dancing with Greek folklore music. Nicholas honored Greek customs and according to his file he also spoke Greek fluently. He joined RCAF on September 14, 1942. Later he was posted to...

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William Stanley Manos was born in Portland, Oregon on January 21, 1923. His father Basilios Manolis was from a village named Roeino, in Arcadia District and came to the United States in 1918, where he shortened his changed his name to William Bill Manos. He married his sweetheart and had two children, Doris and William. Bill always think of Greece and he used to tell stories to his children about his days in his village. William finished his school studies and worked at the family restaurant as well as a Clark driver in Iron Fireman MFG. When WW2 broke out he applied for the USAAF and he was accepted, reporting to Santa Anna, California in February 1943. Completing his training the young 2nd Lt was posted to the 497th Fighter Squadron in order to proceed to his operational training on P-47 Thunderbolts. Having logged 300 flying hours (90 in fighters) he was transferred to the 9th Air Force and posted to the 406th FG and specifically in the 513th Fighter Squadron. William flew his first missions some days before the operation Overlord and took part in 4 missions during the D-Day and the days following the invasion. Except for the ground support missions for the invading allied armies he also...

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Nikolai was born on 29 July 1889 in Lipetsk of the once-Russian Empire. His father, Stavrion Elevterievich Sakov (1846-1921), born to a Greek family in the town of Unya of the Ottoman Empire, arrived in Russia probably during the Crimean War of 1853-1856, where he finished school and received Russian citizenship. In addition to his studies in Oriental languages, his father also graduated from medical school and took part in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 as a military doctor. After the war, he continued to practice medicine and occasionally taught at the Oriental Languages Institute where he had originally attended. At the same time, he served as Honorary Consul of Greece in Moscow (until 1914). In 1888, in Moscow, he married Anna Nikolaevna Fedtsova from Lipetsk and they had Nikolai and later Alexander (also the future owner of an aviator's diploma). In 1908 the family moved permanently to Lipetsk. Nikolai, in 1911, went to France (Betheni) to learn to fly at the school of Armand Deperdussin, a SPAD designer, and on September 25 of the same year, he obtained his diploma, which listed him as Nicolas de Sacoff. After obtaining his diploma, he returned to Russia with a SPAD monoplane (probably Type A or Deperdussin Racer), which he also demonstrated in flights at Khodynka Park in Moscow. In the Kozlovskaya Gazeta newspaper dated 6 May 1912, it is reported that...

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Technical Sergeant Thomas Efstathiou USMC was born on May 22, 1918, in Bronx New York. He was the son of the Greek immigrant couple, John and Mary Efstathiou who also had one more son, George. Thomas was raised within the Greek community and according to his military file, he spoke Greek very well. After school, he worked in Steel Construction as a Power Shearer. He enlisted as a private in the USMC recruiting station in New York on June 20, 1938, to serve for a 4-year period. Until 1941 when he extends his enlistment for three more years he served as a metalsmith in various USMC Squadrons including VMF-1 and VMS-1 and was promoted first a Corporal (10/06/1940) and then as a Sergeant (03/06/1941). He applied for naval aviator training and after successfully passing a written examination to determine his education status on June 9, 1941, he joined NAS Pensacola on November 22, 1941, entering the 11B-41P Class. He was designated as a Naval Aviation Pilot of the USMC, on May 7, 1942, specializing in ...

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Jim Harbilas was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts to Nicholas and Angelika Harbilas. He and his siblings, William, Julie, John, and Sophie were the first generation to be born in the United States after their parents immigrated from Kouteli, Kalavryta, Greece. After graduating from Holyoke High School, Jim joined the US Navy as an Apprentice Seaman on May 28, 1940, and was selected to receive pilot training at Pensacola in 1942, joining the ranks of enlisted aviators known as Mustangs in a program entitled Silver Eagles which was an experimental pilot training program to train enlisted sailors as pilots, due to extreme war needs.  He was designated as Naval Aviation Pilot on May 18, 1942, and although most of the enlisted pilots either left the Navy or were rated as Warrant Officers, Jim became a Commissioned Officer and was named a Naval Aviator on December 23, 1943. He was assigned to VPB-34 Squadron while operating under Fleet Air Wing Eleven, based at Guantanamo Bay from October 1942 to June 1943. The core of the squadron's operations was training in a low-altitude bombing at night...

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