Romanian Order of Battle c. 1936, Request for Information

I would like to ask whether anybody might be kind enough to post the Romanian Order of Battle c. 1936. It's for a WWII simultation on which I am planning to embark. As I am currently away from university, I lack the academic resources to be able to do a more thorough investigation myself. (I'm also fairly limited in that I can't read Romanian.)

I would be much obliged if the Order of Battle could be arranged by division, with additional notations for unassigned ("independent") brigades, regiments, battalions, groups, or other formations of smaller size. The best result would include estimates of reserve divisions.

I am deeply thankful for any help that might be forthcoming. Critical suggestions as to how to solve some of the Romanian armed forces' outstanding problems c. 1936 would also be great.

There is a book called L'ipotesi H - 193... and it was published in 1935 by the Carlo Perego Co. in Milano. It has no apparent author and the editor claims to have received the manuscript from his gardner who supposedly found it on the Via Aurelia. The book presents a supposed conflict netween the Little Entente and the Hungary, which is helped by Italy and Germany.

Interesntingly it has a presentation of the armies of the Little Entente. I do not know how exact it is, but here it is:

- 21 Infantry Divisions
- 1 Guard Division
- 2 Mountain Divisions
- 4 Cavalry Divisions

It also mentions four armored regiments, which is a fantasy, three railroad regiments (again fantasy), a pioneer regiment, a automobile regiment (?), 8 fortification battalions and for gas defence regiments (?).

The army corps were based in the following cities:
- 1st Corps: Craiova
- 2nd Corps: Bucharest
- 3rd Corps: Chisinau
- 4th Corps: Iasi
- 5th Corps: Brasov
- 6th Corps: Cluj
- 7th Corps: Sibiu

The divisions were distributed in the territory following manner (the first town in teh list is where teh HQ was):
- 1st Infantry Division: Timisoara, Arad, Lugoj
- 2nd Infantry Division: Craiova, Calafat
- 3rd Infantry Division: Pitesti, Campulung, Turnu Magurele
- 4th Infantry Division: Bucuresti, Giurgiu
- 5th Infantry Division: Buzau, Ramnicu Sarat, Ploiesti
- 6th Infantry Division: Focsani, Bacau, Piatra Neamt
- 7th Infantry Division: Roman, Botosani, Falticeni
- 8th Infantry Division: Cernauti, Suceava, Dorohoi, Lipcani
- 9th Infantry Division: Constanta, Medgidia, Silistra, Dobric
- 10th Infantry Division: Braila, Tulcea, Calarasi
- 11th Infantry Division: Slatina, Ramnicu Valcea, Caracal
- 12th Infantry Division: Ismail, Bolgrad, Cetatea Alba
- 13th Infantry Division: Ploiesti, Targoviste, Brasov
- 14th Infantry Division: Balti, Feoresti, Iasi, Ungheni
- 15th Infantry Division: Chisinau, Vaslui, Tighina
- 16th Infantry Division: Dej, Satu Mare, Carei
- 17th Infantry Division: Oradea, Cluj
- 18th Infantry Division: Sibiu, Sebes, Orastie
- 19th Infantry Division: Turnu Severin, Orsova, Targu Jiu, Caransebes
- 20th Infantry Division: Targu Mures, Alba Iulia, Aiud, Bistrita
- 21st Infantry Division: Galati, Barlad, Tecuci

The Guard Division was obviously based in Bucharest.

The two mountain divisions:
- 1st Mounatin Division: Sinaia (HQ+1 bat), Predeal (1 bat), Sf. Gheorghe (2 bat), Caransebes (2 bat), Curtea de Arges (1 mtn art regiment), Orastie (1 mtn art regiment)
- 2nd Mountain Division: Bistrita (HQ+1 bat), Aiud (1 bat), Abrud (1 bat), Zalau (1 bat), Sighet (2 bat), Gherla (2 mtn art regiment)

I appreciate your suggestions, Victor. Unfortunately, if it's undocumented, and the original includes spurious information (aside from being part of a fictional account), I won't be able to use this in good faith. The HQ data is useful, if only because I'm free to quarter troops where I please.

Anyone else?

I don’t want to interfere with your simulation, but I think a world war in 1936 would have been a highly improbable event. The alliance later called “the Axis” was inexistent, in fact by that time there were open tensions between Germany and Italy because of the later opposition to the first Anchluss attempt. Also Germany was far from being prepared for any kind of continental war, and the Central-Eastern European revisionist states (Hungary, Bulgaria) were far from what might have been called a military resurrection. Not to mention the Little Entente, which in itself (and especially its “frontline soldier” towards Germany, Czechoslovakia, with its excellent armament industry) was enough of a deterrent for any ambitions Germany could have manifested by that time.

The first time when the outbreak of a world war might have occurred was, in my opinion, in the spring of 1938, when Czechoslovakia was ready to suppress any German aggression attempt, so Germany backed up. The second was in autumn 1938 when the Czechoslovak political leadership, pressed by Great Britain and France, accepted the Munich arbitrage. If the Czech wouldn’t have accepted the Hitler gambling and the western powers blackmail, I think WW 2 would would have ended before actually fully beginning - that of course if Hitler would have been fool enough to attack Czechoslovakia.

This post has been edited by Agarici on March 22, 2006 11:03 pm

The game begins in 1936. That it's called a "WWII simultation" has everything to do with hindsight about the era and expectations about what players will do, and nothing to do strict prescription demanding war from the get-go.

Something like Hearts of Iron?

Iama

A bit more complex when it comes to working with military data. Since it is text-based (it functions on a forum much like this one), players can afford to inject substantially more realism.

It would be great if you'd give us a link when it is ready, at least to see what it is about, if not to play (is it open to anyone?).

take care

The game can be found at SpaceBattles.com. Search for the Forums section for Story Debates. It is indeed open to all.