Romania (1939-1946)
Light Bomber/Reconnaissance Aircraft : 21 Aircraft Operated
During the 1930s, the Polish Air Force sought to modernize by introducing several new aircraft into its inventory. One of these was the PZL.23, a single-engine reconnaissance/bomber aircraft. More than 200 were built and entered service before the outbreak of war, several of which they obtained through unorthodox channels. When Germany invaded in September 1939, the Polish Army was defeated after a month of heavy fighting, and a substantial portion of its forces managed to escape into neighboring countries. A large number of aircraft of various types were flown to Romania, among them 21 PZL.23s. After being inspected, 19 of these were incorporated into the Royal Romanian Air Force. Although outdated by 1941, the PZL.23s were a welcome addition. They saw extensive service on the Eastern Front and remained in use until 1943.
A Brief History of the PZL.23
In the early 1930s, the Polish Air Force began modernizing its outdated fleet. One of its top priorities was to acquire a new class of aircraft capable of both reconnaissance and light bombing, intended to support ground forces. The requirements called for a modern all-metal, low-wing monoplane design, a significant step forward compared to earlier models.
After reviewing several proposals, the winning design came from a young engineer, Stanisław Prauss, working at Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze (PZL, or State Aviation Works). By early 1932, a full-scale wooden mock-up of the fuselage had been completed. Both the drawings and the mock-up were presented to the Polish Aviation Department in the spring of that year. Following a detailed analysis, the department approved the project and ordered three prototypes for testing. The first prototype was finished in 1934. After nearly a year of refining the design, the Polish Air Force placed an order for 200 aircraft at the end of 1935, designating the model as PZL.23. However, production was delayed for almost two years due to a shortage of suitable engines.
Of the first batch, 40 were built as the PZL.23A, while the remaining 160 were completed in the improved PZL.23B variant. The latter featured a more powerful engine and a reinforced fuselage.
The initial order of 200 aircraft was completed by September 1937. Due to continued demand, the Polish Air Force allocated additional funding for 50 more aircraft, which were delivered by February 1939.
In New Hands
While the Polish Army attempted to secure export sales of the PZL.23, their efforts were largely unsuccessful. The only country to purchase the aircraft was Bulgaria, which acquired 50 modified versions fitted with new engines, designated as the PZL.43. The next operators of the PZL.23, however, were not buyers at all but rather countries that came into possession of the aircraft following the collapse of Poland’s armed forces in September 1939.
After a period of rising political tensions between Germany and Poland over the status of the Free City of Danzig, relations between the two nations rapidly deteriorated. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, marking the beginning of the Second World War. Contrary to the common misconception that the Polish Air Force was destroyed within the first days of the conflict, this was not the case. Although it suffered heavy losses, the Polish Air Force, despite being outnumbered and equipped with largely outdated machines, continued to resist.
The PZL.23, originally intended as a light bomber, was primarily employed in reconnaissance missions, with occasional bombing sorties. By the time Poland surrendered in early October 1939, most of the PZL.23s had been lost in combat. Yet this was not the end of the aircraft’s story. Both Germany and, later, the Soviet Union, after their invasion from the east, managed to capture several examples. However, neither power showed significant interest in putting them to extensive use.
An Unexpected Gift
With their nation collapsing, many Polish soldiers tried to escape to neighboring countries, hoping to continue the fight on the Allied side, or at least find safety in a neutral country. Through this exodus, Romania came into possession of nearly 300 Polish aircraft of various types, both military and civilian.
On the 17th September, a formation of 21 PZL.23 (mostly the B variant) crossed the border into Romania, with the Polish crews required to surrender their planes for their internment. For the Romanian Air Force, this was an unforeseen opportunity to acquire relatively modern aircraft. At that time Romania had only a modest air force, so the new arrivals were viewed as an unexpected but welcome addition. However, the sudden influx of aircraft also created serious logistical challenges. It was therefore unsurprising that many of them were either never accepted into active service or saw only brief use.
The 21 bombers were quickly taken over by the Romanian Air Force and carefully inspected to assess their mechanical condition. Having been used in combat, most required extensive overhauls. Of the 21 that reached Romania, 19 were deemed suitable for service. Still, the lack of spare parts soon became a major problem. With the factories in Poland out of operation and Germany unwilling to produce replacement components, the only way to keep the aircraft operational was to cannibalize some to support the others. Those not selected for service were dismantled for parts.
In Romanian service, the aircraft did not receive any special designation and continued to be referred to simply as Karaś (Eng. Crucian carp – a fish native to central Europe).
Markings
On their new PZL.23 aircraft, the Romanians painted large yellow Michael’s Crosses on both the fuselage sides and the wings. This marking was introduced on all Romanian aircraft after May 1941. In addition, the tail assembly carried the nickname Karaś and the aircraft’s identification number (ranging from 1 to 19), both painted in white. Lastly, the 73rd Bomber Flight, which primarily operated these aircraft, added its own unit insignia just behind the rear gunner’s position, a depiction of three horses pulling a cart.
In Service
Once accepted for service, the 12 PZL.23B aircraft were formed into the 1st Bomber Flotilla, based in Brașov. Alongside them, seven older variants of the type were issued for training duties and as potential replacement aircraft.
At the beginning of 1941, the reorganization of the Romanian Air Force saw the PZL.23s reassigned to the 73rd Bomber Flight. For the next several months, the unit was employed mainly in training activities.Things changed drastically in July 1941, when Romania joined the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The offensive was supported by the 6th Bomber Group, which included both the 73rd Bomber Flight and the 18th Bomber Flight.
The PZL.23 was not used in the initial offensive operations. Its first combat action took place on 5th August 1941 near Kishinev. The mission was not a bombing run but rather a reconnaissance flight over Soviet positions along the Dniester River. The following day, eight PZL.23s took off, this time equipped with bombs. They attacked Soviet positions near Karargi-Buzinovo. While the mission succeeded in striking the enemy, one aircraft was heavily damaged by Soviet anti-aircraft fire. The pilot managed to bring it back to Romanian-held territory but was forced to crash-land. The aircraft was written off.
In the following months, additional bombing missions were carried out. PZL.23s also took part in the Romanian offensive that led to the capture of Odessa. On 20th October, the 73rd Bomber Flight was withdrawn from the front line for rest and to undergo a major overhaul of its aircraft.By this time, the Romanian Air Force had achieved remarkable results: about 7,857 fighter sorties were flown, bringing down an estimated 266 Soviet aircraft at the cost of 40 losses. The bomber units, meanwhile, flew 463 combat missions and dropped 2,287 tonnes of bombs. They were credited with destroying around 170 Soviet aircraft on the ground, while losing 29 bombers of various types, including one PZL.23.
For the remainder of 1941 and most of 1942, the PZL.23s were stationed in Romania. However, the heavy fighting around Stalingrad in late 1942 forced the recall of the 73rd Bomber Flight to the front. They remained in action against Soviet forces until January 1943, when they were once again withdrawn. By then, the aircraft were considered obsolete, and the unit was reequipped with newly acquired German Ju 87s, marking the end of the PZL.23’s frontline service.
By that point, 12 aircraft had been assigned to a unit simply designated as PZL Flight. The unit remained relatively inactive throughout most of 1943 and the early months of 1944. In April, it was recalled to the front lines to conduct night harassment raids. For this role, the aircraft were to be equipped with bomb carriers designed to hold 1 kg shrapnel bombs. However, it is unclear whether they were ever actually used in this capacity, as no records from that period have survived.
By late August 1944, only five aircraft remained operational, with another five unserviceable. Despite their extensive use, very few survived, and the last examples were finally withdrawn from service and scrapped in 1946.
Technical characteristics
The Romanians did not make any major changes to the PZL.23 original design and it remains practically the same throughout its service. The PZL.23 was a single-engine, low-wing aircraft intended for both bombing and reconnaissance missions. The fuselage featured an oval-shaped cross section built using a framework of stringers and struts. The tail section employed a semi-monocoque construction for added strength and reduced weight. The entire fuselage was then smoothly covered with duralumin sheeting.
The wings were constructed in three main sections. The first section consisted of an inner panel with two spar assemblies that were joined to the fuselage. In addition to serving as the attachment point for the rest of the wing structure, this central section also housed the mounting points for the two landing gear units. The tail assembly was built using spars and ribs, all of which were covered in duralumin for structural strength and aerodynamic efficiency.
In its early development phase, the PZL.23 suffered from poor forward visibility. This issue was eventually addressed in the B variant by lowering the engine and raising the pilot’s seat. Directly behind the pilot sat the observer and bombardier, who was provided with a glazed canopy offering fairly good all-around visibility. Finally, at the rear of the aircraft was the gunner’s position
The first variant was powered by a 670 hp Bristol Pegasus II M2 V-12 engine. Later production aircraft were equipped with the more powerful 710 hp Bristol Pegasus VIII radial. In both versions, a two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller was used. The fuel load consisted of 740 liters stored in six fuel tanks located within the central section of the wings.
The landing gear comprised two front-mounted fixed wheels, each enclosed in aerodynamic spats. To absorb shock during landings, shock absorbers were mounted on the landing gear legs. At the rear, a small tail skid with a shock absorber was installed.
The defensive armament included one forward-mounted 7.92 mm Wz.33 (Karabin lotniczy wz. 37) machine gun. The rear was protected by two 7.92 mm Wz.36 machine guns. Each machine gun was supplied with 600 rounds of ammunition. The B variant was designed to accommodate two forward-firing guns.
Initially, the aircraft’s bomb bay was located just behind the cockpit. However, during early testing, this design proved to be inefficient and was soon eliminated. Instead, bombs were mounted on an external rack positioned under the central fuselage. This bomb rack could carry a payload ranging from 300 to 700 kilograms.
Conclusion
The Romanian PZL.23, despite being obsolete in almost every respect (speed, maneuverability, and overall performance), nevertheless saw extensive operational service. Initially, it was deployed on the Eastern Front in a reconnaissance role before being reassigned to ground-attack missions. Over time, their numbers gradually declined due to combat losses and frequent mechanical breakdowns. Some aircraft, however, continued to serve in secondary roles until 1944, when they had become hopelessly outdated. By that stage, their only occasional use was for night attack operations.
PZL.23B Specifications |
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| Wingspans | 13.95 m / 45 ft 9 in | |
| Length | 9.82 m / 31 ft 9 in | |
| Height | 3.3 m / 10 ft 10 in | |
| Wing Area | 26.8 m² / 288 ft² | |
| Engine | 710 hp Bristol Pegasus VIII | |
| Empty Weight | 1,980 kg / 4.251 lbs | |
| Maximum Takeoff Weight | 2,893 kg / 6,378 lbs | |
| Maximum Speed | 319. km/h /200 mph | |
| Cruising speed | 270 km/h / 168 mph | |
| Range | 1.260 km/ 782 miles | |
| Maximum Service Ceiling | 7.300 m / 23.949 ft | |
| Crew | 1 pilot, observer, rear gunner | |
| Armament |
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Credits
- Article written by Marko P.
- Edited by Henry H.
- Illustration by Oussama Mohamed “Godzilla”
Source:
- B. Belcarz and R. Peczkowski (2001) White Eagle:s The Aircraft, Men and Operation of the Polish Air Force 1938-1939, Hikoki
- C.Craciunoiu and J. L. Roba,(2003) Romanian Aeronautics In The Second World War
- D. Bernad (2000) Romanian Air Force: The Prime Decade 1938-1947, Squadron Publication
- T. J. Kopanski (2004) PZL.23 Karaś, Stratus
- J. B. Cynk (1966) The P.Z.L.23 Karaś, Profile Publication
- J. B. Cynk (1971) Polish Aircraft 1893-1939, Putham