13-14 September – no major attacks on Timisoara but the defenders are now in a precarious position because to the North Arad and Aradul Nou were captured by Hungarians and to the South German units occupy Oravita and Sasca Montana. On 14 September, a small Hungarian attack from the North is repulsed by the cadets of the Northern Detachment.
15 September – The enemy attacks the city from three sides: from the West and Northwest by the SS Kampfgruppe Behrends (two mechanized battalions and a tank company), from the North by the Hungarians and from the South by elements of the 4th SS Polizei Division. However, the 4th SS didn’t finish its reorganization after its defeat on 11-12 September and reported that it was unable to attack in the morning as ordered. The attack from the South will only begin during the evening. The other two attacks are repulsed by the Central and Northern Detachments. Surprisingly, Kampfgruppe Behrends was unable to break through the positions of the 17th Training Infantry Regiment, reinforced by a cavalry squadron.
During the night, Gen. Popescu orders the Central and Northern detachments to retreat to positions closer to the city and replaces the Southern Detachment with the bulk of the13th Calarasi Regiment (commanded by Col. Ioan Enescu, some elements of this regiment were sent to other sectors) from the general reserve and a battalion of conscripts from the 5th Training Infantry Regiment.
16 September – The Southern positions are attacked by a powerful Kampfgruppe of the 4th SS Polizei, formed of the Recon battalion, two reinforced battalions and an artillery divizion. The Germans defeat the conscripts battalion and capture the villages of Sag and Parta, afterwards they attack the sector held by the Calarasi Regiment, which repulses all the attacks.
To the West of the city, the pressure of the SS Kampfgruppe Behrends forces the 17th Training Infantry Regiment to retreat towards Sanandrei. The only Romanian force that holds its position in this sector is a detachment from the 13th Calarasi Regiment, supported by an artillery battery from the 1st Training Infantry Regiment. This detachment, commanded by Capt. Victor Serbanescu, defends its position against several enemy attacks supported by armoured vehicles and tanks. The Germans are repulsed with heavy losses and are forced to abandon several tanks and vehicles disabled by the single field gun of the detachment, used in an anti-tank role.
In a critical moment of the battle, Capt. Serbanescu replaces the dead servant of a machinegun and continues to fire. He will be later awarded the Michael the Brave order with swords, 3rd Class, “For his bravery in the defense of Timisoara, when he was also deafened permanently by a shell. […] The officer and a sergeant jumped to the machineguns, opening fire and pinning the German infantry to the ground, showing great bravery and personal courage. […] Without his exceptional bravery, the enemy could have captured Timisoara that day.”
Later during the day, another German attack on Sanandrei (where the 17th Tr. Inf. Reg. had retreated) also fails.
In the Mehala sector, Northwest of the city, a battalion of conscripts from the 5th Training Inf. Regiment supported by a small Calarasi detachment and a company of mechanics hold their positions against the Hungarians.
During the evening, the first Soviet forces arrive in Timisoara but will not take part in combat initially.
17 September – The Germans start a powerful attack in the southern sector and manage to capture the suburbs of Chisoda and Ghioroc. After fierce fighting, the calarasi repulse the enemy and recapture the suburbs in the afternoon, with the help of a Soviet AT divizion. The commander of the 13th Calarasi Regiment, Col. Ioan Enescu, is killed in action, along with some other officers of the regiment (Maj. Titus Muresanu, Capt. Alexei Donici and others).
Some German formations from the southern sector try to envelop the city from the East. Some of them are stopped in the Bistra forest by the detachment of Col. Galgoti (which was formed from geandarme cadets). A small German tank detachment runs head on into a formation of Soviet heavy tanks (which was coming from the East) and is completely destroyed.
To the West of the city, the Romanian positions at Sanandrei, defended by the 17th Training Infantry Regiment, were attacked all day. The regiment repulses the attack of a Hungarian cavalry squadron early in the morning, followed by a heavy attack of the Behrends Kampfgruppe. Two other Hungarian attacks follow in the afternoon, with forces estimated at two battalions of infantry, supported by artillery, cavalry and cyclists. All the attacks are repulsed, the last one after a counterattack of the 1st battalion of the regiment.
Smaller Hungarian attacks in the Northern sector also fail.
At the end of the day, the German-Hungarian forces are ordered to stop all attacks and entrench on their current positions.
18 September – All the Romanian forces are withdrawn, as requested by the Soviet high command, and replaced with Russian units.
In conclusion, I would say that Sid is right about the low combat value of some of the SS formations. Even if it was the Soviet arrival that probably stopped the German attack, Romanian units proved more than capable of dealing with the SS. The Germans, which were usually superior in numbers and weaponry, were defeated every time they met elements of the only regular Romanian unit in this sector, the 13th Calarasi Regiment. Even some of the training formations were successful in stopping the German units.
|
