17. People of Bessarabia and Bukovina!

by Dumitru Almas, war reporter, June 29, 1941

You are our brethren for which the German-Romanian army initiated the sacred war. It is for you and for your freedom that the entire Romanian Nation worries, strives and fight today. It is for you, for your lands and rights that the Romanians from everywhere have rushed across the Prut.

It is for you, brothers from Bessarabia and the Bukovina, for your language, belief and wealth, that we spare no effort, making our sacrifices enthusiastically and with a brotherly love. We want to wipe out the blemish and humility you suffered last year; we want to return your fields to you; we want to bring your children back; we want you to be masters of your wealth; we want you to be again the dignified, hardworking masters of the Romanian lands, ruled by Romanian authorities, we want you to live in Romanian peace.

We want the invaders pushed over the Romanian borders; we want to ease your pains, we want to raise again crosses on your holy churches' steeples; we want to introduce again the Romanian letters and language in your shools.

Archers of the Bukovine, and you, fighters of Lapusna, Orhei, Hotin, the hour of your freedom has come. Join the Romanian-German Army and fight the whole world's enemy, fight against Bolshevism!

Join us, brethren of the same blood and law with us, defend your fields and your households, defend your families against the hordes that invaded you last year, defend your Romanian justice! Show your selves as dignified descendants of Stephen the Great free peasants and archers!

You have always loved your Romanian country and belief, you have always fought bravely for your rights. Be now as you have always been. Our victorious army steps today on your holy lands. Warm embraces and joyful tears can be seen in each village, at each crossroad of our liberate land, the land of Bessarabia and the Bukovina.

Well, as long as the Romanian Army was fighting between Prut and Nister, all the nation was united in her support. The first confusions and divisions (like critics from the historical parties, and their political leaders) appeared when our army crossed the river Nister, in an area who did not belong to the inter-war Romanian state.

Indeed, but the common people, before other important losses occurred, was afraid of bolshevism and USSR as an aggressive state and I think they understood and accepted military action as such to consolidate Romania’s situation without thinking of territorial gains east of the Nistru/Dniestr river. As long there was no peace treaty signed between Romania and USSR ( can’t see how such treaty could have been signed before USSR’s defeat) we could at most bargain the number of forces, needed equipment and areas where we could involve ourselves but avoiding to participate beyond Nistru would have been utter stupid as you can’t leave your ally alone when the outcome of the war will dramatically affect our country’s fate.

Well, Inahurry, I agree.
We can talk hours if it was politically correct, but from a militar point of view, it was the crystal clear correct decision.

Some famous military mistakes when the winner did not pursued the defeated part, and thus mistakenly allowed a recover:

1. Hannibal after the battle of Canae allowed the Roman Republic to survive
2. King Carol XII of Sweden, after completely defeating Peter the Great in their first battle
3. Napoleon after Austerlitz let the crushed Russian to fled away, as gesture of benevolence
4. Marshall Gratziani did not pushed the victorious Italian troops another 70 km to reach the end of a railroad. Instead he stopped and allowed the British a deep breath, in June 1940.
5. The Japanese fleet entering in the Indian Ocean in March 1942, after they sunk all the British battleships and aircraft carrier encountered, left the area without trying a landing in undefended Ceylon, India or Madagascar.
Etc.........................

[quote]Well, as long as the Romanian Army was fighting between Prut and Nister, all the nation was united in her support. The first confusions and divisions (like critics from the historical parties, and their political leaders) appeared when our army crossed the river Nister, in an area who did not belong to the inter-war Romanian state.[/quote]

Yes, I can certified this, because my family is from my mam' part from Basarabia and we had a huge relatives and friends who fought and many died onto the eastern front during ww2.
Yes, the morale of the romanian soldiers droped extremelly low when the army crossed the river Nister.
In fact, the psychology of the romanian soldier was this:
he was ready to fight against russians to take back our lossed territory, but never he viewed the russians the real enemies.


Leo.

The very proposition of a landing in India or Madagascar in 1942 would have been preposterous.

Lads,
A friend of mine took an important initiative: to send books to Cernauti because they are low on Romanian written books, we all know why. He has allready made a few shipments. On one of them he was held in an interrogation for 3h at the costoms for lacking some money for exiting the country or so they say.
If you have any books to hive I will get in touch with him and see if they can be sent.

HONOR ET PATRIA

M. B.