Soviet attack on the airfield at Karpovka on 22 November 1942. Subsequently, under his leadership, the squadron's airworthy machines took off before dawn. Șerbănescu was twice wounded in the face in 1943, once in July and again on 20 August, the latter occasion leaving him with a permanent scar. Back to Romania On March 29, 1943, Șerbănescu was appointed commander of the 57th Fighter Squadron, equipped with the new Messerschmitt Bf 109G, and promoted to the rank of Captain. Between June and August 1943 he shot down 28 Allied aircraft, and received the highest Romanian military decoration, Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd Class. On October 23, the 9th Fighter Group replaced the battle-exhausted 7th Fighter Group, but Șerbănescu and the other aces remained. He kept fighting and shooting down airplanes of the Allies and, as a result, he was named the Group's commander on February 13, 1944. In May 1944 the Red Army entered Romania and occupied northern Bessarabia and northern Moldavia, but they were stopped after some fierce fighting (see also: Battle of Târgul Frumos), in which the pilots also played a very important role. On 11 June 1944, Șerbănescu shot down his first USAAF aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress. This was followed by two P-51 Mustangs shot down on the last day of July and on 4 August respectively, which were his last kills. He also claimed a P-38 Lightning on 22 July, however this remains unconfirmed. Death On August 18, 1944, Șerbănescu took off on his last mission. On that day, he and his twelve wingmen, together with twelve other fighters from the 9th Fighter Group, attacked a swarm of Mustangs and Lightnings. When Lieutenant Dobran and Adjutant Dârjan tried to clear his tail, it was too late. His last words were: "I'm going down...". Apparently his radio was not functioning properly and he could not hear his wingmen's warnings. Following Șerbănescu's death, all Romanian fighters were issued orders to refrain from engaging the Americans until a new strategy would be adopted. Five days later, on August 23, 1944, a coup d'état led by King Michael of Romania deposed Marshal Ion Antonescu and Romania switched to the Allied side. During his entire piloting career, Șerbănescu was credited with 47 confirmed victories (and 8 probable) in aerial combat which, with eight unconfirmed, yielded 55 points in the Romanian scoring system, second only to Constantin Cantacuzino with 69.