Born on February 15, 1918, in Valcele, Bacău county. He began flying with the 8th Fighter Group on July 29, 1940. By the start of the war, Claru had completed 12 combat sorties.
His thirteenth mission, on July 12, 1941, proved fatal. On that day, in the Tiganca area, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive against Romanian units crossing the Prut River. A quartet of IAR-80s, led by Lieutenant Ion Micu, was scrambled to intercept four Soviet I-16s.
The Ramming Incident
In a short engagement, Lieutenant Micu and Adjutant Gheorghe Coțobas shot down two enemy aircraft, and one of Claru’s fighters was also hit. However, six I-16s suddenly arrived, and out of ammunition, Claru rammed the nearest Soviet aircraft with his IAR-80 no. 23. It is unknown whose fault the ramming was, but Romanian propaganda heavily publicized the incident.
All three aircraft were credited to Claru, and he was posthumously awarded the Order of Michael the Brave, Third Class. This event was covered by all Romanian publications of the time.
Conflicting Accounts
Interestingly, the ramming is also confirmed by the Soviet side, though with an exactly opposite interpretation. According to Soviet data, on July 12, 1941, in the Fălciu area, Lieutenant Ilya Mikhailovich Shamanov of the 67th IAP rammed a Romanian fighter and himself perished. Thus, the fact of the ramming is confirmed by both sides.