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On June 10, 1944, the U.S. Army Air Force launched what it hoped would be a surprise attack on the Ploiesti oil refineries in Romania. The low level attack was carried out by 36 Lockheed P-38 Lighting fighters of the 82nd Fighter Group, each carrying a single 1,000 pound bomb, escorted by 39 P-38 Lightings of the 1st and 82nd FGs.
Unfortunately, the American force was met by German Bf-109 fighters and what the Americans identified as FW-190s because of their radial engines and stubby wings. In the melee that followed, 23 of the P-38s were shot down and damage to the refinery was minimal, though one P-38 pilot became an “ace in a day” by shooting down five enemy fighters.
What the Americans did not know was that the radial engine fighters they faced were not FW-190s but rather the little known I.A.R. 80s, the only domestically-designed fighters to see service with the Romanian air force.
The I.A.R. 80 was the product of a royal Romanian government subsidized aircraft company, Industria Aeronautica Romana. For most of the 1930s the Romanian air force bought Polish PZL fighters. But with World War II approaching, Industria Aeronautica Romana was told to develop a domestic fighter aircraft with much of the design adapted from the Polish P.Z.L. P.24 fighter to reduce risk.
The resulting fighter, the I.A.R. 80A, was a relatively conventional low wing monoplane fighter with a cigar shaped fuselage and rectangular stubby wings. The wing design was not optimal for high speeds, but they did give the aircraft excellent maneuverability.
The tail section was from the P.24, but the fuselage was a new, welded steel tube frame covered with duralumin sheeting. The bubble canopy was set far to the rear, which gave the I.A.R. 80 terrible forward visibility on the ground.
The retractable main gear were wide-set, and the tail “gear” was a simple skid that did not retract. The armament was light — only four Belgium-built 7.62 millimeter machine guns.
The prototype I.A.R. 80 first flew on April 20, 1939. Tests showed that, despite being much lighter contemporary fighters, the I.A.R. 80 was almost 50 mph slower. Still, it was easy to fly and highly maneuverable, so 100 were ordered in December 1939, followed by orders for another 300.
Unfortunately, the German invasion of Belgium in 1940 ended the supply of the armament. There was no Romanian machine gun that was suitable, so I.A.R. 80 production was put on hold until Romania allied with the Germans. Delivery of the guns resumed and first production I.A.R. 80s were delivered in January 1941. They were well received, but Romanian pilots considered them to be underpowered and under armed.
In April 1941, the new I.A.R. 80A arrived with six guns and a more powerful engine, but the power proved to be more than the fuselage structure could handle, and it had to be reinforced. The result was that, even with the more powerful engine, the added weight actually reduced the top speed slightly. I.A.R. 80s took part in the invasion of the southeastern Soviet Union in June 1941, but combat proved that the firepower was still inadequate. The design was then modified to increase the firepower with two 13.2 millimeter FN machine guns and later German 20 millimeter MG FF/M cannons.
By 1943, the I.A.R .80 was obsolescent and the survivors were returned to Romania for home defense. On Aug. 1, 1943, I.A.R. 80s defended against “Operation Tidal Wave,” the famous American low level raid at the Ploesti oil fields. Ten B-24s were claimed by I.A.R.80s out of the 51 shot down that day.
Beginning in April 1944, American bombers began to regularly raid Ploiesti.
The I.A.R. 80s saw a great deal of combat in addition to the raid on June 10, but heavy losses caused I.A.R. 80 units to be withdrawn from the active air defense by July 1944.
An I.A.R. 80 was rebuilt after the fall of communism and painted in its 1941 to 1944 original colors. It now regularly appears at air shows.
(Dr. Michel’s articles appear twice a month in the KA. E-mail Dr. Michel at
marshall.michel@spangdahlem.af.mil with any questions or comments.)
