Romanian DAR 11

[comrade harps]

Darzhavna Aeroplanna Rabotilnitsa DAR 11R
a/c 9, 58th Fighter Squadron, 5th Fighter Group, Royal Romanian Air Force
Personal mount of Lieutenant av Tiberiu Statescu
Pipera , Romania, 31 May, 1944



The story of how Romania flew Spitfires with Daimler-Benz engines during the second world war goes back to 1938, when Bulgaria began negotiations to purchase the Supermarine Spitfire. Poorly equipped and keen to maintain their neutrality, the Bulgarians saw in the Spitfire a chance to radically update their air defences. The British agreed and in early 1939 signed a contract to sell Bulgaria 12 Spitfires and the rights for licence manufacturing by Darzhavna Aeroplanna Rabotilnitsa as the DAR 11. Events intervened and by the time that Bulgaria joined the Axis Powers in April, 1941, they had only received one Spitfire (diverted from an order for Estonia in 1939), a partial set of blueprints and an incomplete range of jigs and tools. With their new German allies being tardy on the provision of Bf 109s, the Bulgarians were instead sold material from the incomplete Yugoslavian Spitfire assembly line. They were also sold a damaged RAF Spitfire I that had been shot down over France and allowed to inspect a captured Spitfire V.




The first DAR 11 took flight in December, 1941, although it was really a hybrid airframe using British and Greek assemblies and powered by a DB601 taken from a crashed Bf 109E. The first Spitfire with an all-Bulgarian airframe took flight in April, 1942. Designated the DAR 11DB, this prototype was powered by a DB601 imported from Germany. The first production series of 27 DAR 11As also used the DB601 and were armed with four wing-mounted 7.92 mm MG 17s. These were followed by the 63 DAR 11Bs, which upgraded to the DB605A and added a 20mm MG 151/20 cannon to each wing.




The Royal Romanian Air Force was in a similar situation to Bulgaria in as much as they were also hamstrung by poor German support, although their situation was more desperate because of their close proximity to the Eastern Front. With their own IAR 80 fighter being somewhat passé and the Germans proving to be slow in their provision of Bf 109s, the Romanians reluctantly looked to their southern neighbor for support. Despite their territorial disputes, the Romanian and Bulgarian governments signed an arms contract in 1942 that included the sale of both the DAR 11 fighter and the DAR 12 dive bomber (see http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,39140.0.html). Romania was familiar with the Spitfire. A British plan to supply 100 Spitfires to Poland saw the aircraft delivered to Romania, where the Polish crews would be trained before being ferried to Poland via Zakarpattia. Only 20 Spitfires 1s had been delivered to Romania when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, causing the British to suspend further deliveries and deny the Polish the  right to return home with their new fighters. Transferred to Romania, 15 Spitfires were still in service when it joined the Axis invasion of the Ukraine and the Socialist Union. They gave a good account of themselves, so when Bulgaria agreed to sell arms to Romania, the DAR 11 was high on the Romanian list of requirements.

Bulgaria built 92 DAR 11Rs for Romania with the assistance of Romanian industry during 1943-44. They were used both for domestic air defence and on the Eastern Front. Some were turned against the Germans after the 23 August 1944 Royalist coup attempt. The DAR 11R was armed with two MG 151/20s in the wings, plus an additional MG 151/20 firing through the propeller hub.





By mid-1944, Lieutenant av Tiberiu Statescu was a combat veteran of both the Eastern Front and the war against the USAAF's 15th Air Force, whose bombers and fighters frequently  had targeted the Romanian oil fields since mid- 1943. With 3 confirmed Red kills to his name, Lt  Statescu joined the 58th Fighter Squadron in March 1944 and shared a B-24 kill on 7 May.  On 31st May, he shot down another B-24, but was in turn shot down by a P-38 whilst flying this aircraft (as evidence by several crash site photographs). He survived the crash (just as he had survived two crashes on the Eastern Front) and continued flying through to 27 August 1944, when he joined the Royalist Revolt and was severely injured in a firefight with personnel loyal to Prime Minister Antonescu. He survived the war.

[rickshaw]

Very nice, very interesting.  On a bit of a minor Axis members bent at the moment?   

[comrade harps]

On a bit of a minor Axis members bent at the moment?

Yes! An Italian He-112 is on the bench.

[McColm]

Great job.

[NARSES2]

Right that's given me the impetus to start my Romanian Spitfire Mk I, they got Spit's instead of Hurri's in my world

Great build

[tc2324]

Now that I like. 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Great idea, & looks really good.