PZL.23 Karaś

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PZL-23 Karaś
The third prototype PZL.23 / III
The third prototype PZL.23 / III
Type: Light bomb and reconnaissance aircraft
Design country:

Poland 1919Second Polish Republic Poland

Manufacturer:

PZL

First flight:

April 1, 1934

Commissioning:

1936

Production time:

1935-1938

Number of pieces:

250

The PZL.23 Karaś ( German  crucian carp ) was a Polish light bomber from the late 1930s. It was numerically the most heavily represented bomber of the Polish Air Force during the German invasion of Poland in 1939 and was then still in use in Romania and Bulgaria .

History and construction

Under the direction of the designer Stanisław Prauss, at the request of the Polish General Staff, work began on the PZL.23 Karaś , a light bomber / reconnaissance aircraft , which was to replace the Breguet XIX and Potez XXV that had been flown until then . A year later, the Ministry of Aviation ordered three prototypes, the first of which (the PZL.23 / I) was completed in spring 1934 and flown in by Jerzy Widawski in Warsaw-Mokotów on April 1, 1934. The single-engine, cantilevered low- wing aircraft with a rigid, clad undercarriage and tail skid was derived from the light PZL.13 commercial aircraft. The second prototype followed in the spring of 1935, which differed from the first mainly in structural changes to the fuselage. So Prauss removed the bomb bay that was previously in the fuselage and used the space that was freed up for an extensively glazed observer cabin. The engine was moved ten centimeters down and a new hood was installed. The pilot's seat was relocated to the aircraft axis. There were also changes to the wings, the landing lights and the glazing of the nacelle. However, the test program ended abruptly when the machine crashed on July 27, 1935 in Wilanów near Warsaw, killing the crew. The flight tests were continued in the summer of 1935 with the PZL.23 / III. In December 1935, the Polish military aviation forces ordered 200 of the planes now known as PZL.23A. At the end of 1935, the new PZL plant in Warsaw-Okęcie began manufacturing the first 40 aircraft (presumably W. No. 44.1–44.40), which cost 230,000 złoty each. Problems with the Pegaz II M2, however, delayed the delivery to the Polish air forces. However, Version A's performances were disappointing, so this pattern was used for training only.

In 1936 the more powerfully motorized version PZL.23B appeared , which, in addition to the Bristol Pegasus VIII, featured aerodynamic modifications and a slightly modified cockpit . This sample performed well overall, which is why it was decided to deliver the remaining 160 machines of the original order as PZL.23B. At the end of 1936, the PZL factory had already delivered 42 aircraft of the new version, which were followed by 20 to 22 units a month from February 1937. In February 1938, production ended with 40 PZL.23A and 210 PZL.23Bs delivered (50 aircraft had been reordered by the Air Force as reserve aircraft).

commitment

When the war broke out, the 224 PZL.23 in the Polish Air Force were distributed among five bomber or seven reconnaissance squadrons and school groups as follows: 50 PZL.23 for bomber squadrons, 64 PZL.23 for reconnaissance squadrons, 10 machines served as reserves, 45 machines were with school associations and 55 machines were in the process of repair or major overhaul. The 114 operational machines provided the bulk of the resistance of the Polish Air Force, albeit with very high losses.

Nineteen copies flew for Romania , which were left over from the 21 planes originally brought there by their pilots at the end of the attack on Poland . Before the outbreak of war, 48 aircraft of the improved version PZL.43 had been delivered to Bulgaria , which were equipped with the 980 hp Gnome-Rhône 14N-01 (PZL.43A) engine, the first twelve aircraft still with the Gnome Rhône 14Kirs (PZL.43) were delivered. In October 1940, two more PZL.43 captured in Warsaw were added, so that the total number of PZL.43 deployed in Bulgaria increased to 50.

Countries of operation

Technical specifications

Three-sided view of the PZL P-23B
Parameter Data (PZL.23B)
crew 3
length 9.68 m
span 13.95 m
height 3.30 m
Wing area 26.80 m²
Empty mass 1980 kg
Takeoff mass 3525 kg
drive 1 × Bristol Pegasus VIII (manufactured under license), 720 PS (530 kW)
Top speed 319 km / h at an altitude of 3650 m
Range 1260 km
Service ceiling 7300 m
Armament 1 rigid, 2 movable 7.9 mm MG PWU wz.37, 700 kg bomb load

See also

literature

  • Bombers and fighters 1939–1945. Orell and Füssli Verlag, 1971.
  • The World War II planes. Motorbuch Verlag, 1975.
  • Combat aircraft. Salamander books, 1976.
  • Combat Aircraft of World War II. Arms and armor press, 1977.
  • Picture dictionary of aircraft. Südwest Verlag, 1984.
  • Encyclopedia of Airplanes. Weltbild Verlag, 1994.
  • WWII bombers or fighters. Bechtermünz Verlag, 1998.
  • PZL.23 Karaś. Stratus, 2004.
  • Olaf Groehler : History of the Air War 1910 to 1980. Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1981.

Web links

Commons : PZL.23  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. According to Olaf Groehler: Geschichte des Luftkriegs 1910 to 1980. Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1981, p. 223, production did not begin until 1935
  2. according to Olaf Groehler: Geschichte des Luftkriegs 1910 to 1980. Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1981, p. 223 300 pieces were produced