Romanian troops during battle of Budapest 1944-45, I need help

Thanks for the additions, Victor and Dragos.
I don't see the 7th Heavy Artillery Regiment in the OOB given above. Was it really part of the 7th Corps?

Gen. Dénes

1st and 7th Heavy Artillery Regiments were part of the 7th Army Corps' artillery.

In the meantime, I also found the following:

The 7th Army Corps' Engineer (geniu) unit, commanding officer Lt. Col. Câmpeanu. Any subordinated engineer units?

The 7th Army Corps' Operations Bureau (birou operatii), commanding officer Cpt. Balanescu. First name?

Gen. Dénes

The more I dig into the actions of the 7th Army Corps in late 1944, the more confusion arises and the more contradictory information surfaces.

For example, in a document dated Dec. 1, 1944, Regimentul 5 rosiori was under command of Divizia 1 cavalerie moto, along with Regimentele 2 and 1 (the latter still in the rear area). If true, which was the 3rd regiment of the Divizia 9 cavalerie?

It now appears to me that every infantry/cavalry division in the 7th Army Corps had three infantry/cavalry regiments but only one (not two) artillery regiment attached, not two. Could this theory be valid?

Additionally to the artillery regiments of the individual divisions, there were (at least) two heavy artillery regiments under direct command of the corps (the 1st and the 7th), plus additional sub-units. True?

More questions that await answers...

Gen. Dénes

From 1943, the 9th Cavalry Division was made up of the: 3rd Rosiori, 9th and 13th Calarasi Regiments. The 5th Rosiori had been assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division.

Then the table on page 228 in the 'Armata Romana' book is faulty. It lists the 5th Rosiori Moto Regiment as part of the 7th Army Corps.

How about the other issues listed above?

Gen. Dénes

More questions regarding the 7th Army Corps in late 1944:

- how was an infantry brigade incadrated into the order of battle of an infantry division? For example, there was Brigada 19 infanterie, headed by a Colonel, within Divizia 19 infanterie.
- have you heard of the following high-ranking officers: Col. Botezatu and Lt.-Col. Grunau [sic!]? If yes, what were their positions?
- where were the 19th and 119th Artillery Battalions assigned to?

The most important details to find out though would be the names of the commanding officers of the following cavalry regiments: 26 Dorobanţi, 31 Dorobanţi, 9 Călăraşi and 13 Călăraşi.

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on January 07, 2005 03:20 am

A rather comprehensive source mentions Regimentul 9. Roşiori 'R.E.' (Regina Elisabeta?) as part of Divizia 9 cavalerie, within Corpul 7 armată, instead of Regimentul 13 Călăraşi.

Can someone confirm/inform this info? I personally believe Reg. 13 c. is the correct version.

Thanks,

Gen. Dénes

As Victor said, during that time frame, the 9th Cavalry Division was made of 9th and 13th Calarasi Regiments, and 3rd Rosiori Regiment.

It seems you are talking about the divisional anti-tank batteries of the 19th Infantry Division.

There was an interesting comment made by a professional historian who read my study on the 7th Army Corps' activity in the battle for Budapest.

He noted that compared to other ground armies, combat losses of Rumanian officers seems much lighter. He asked for an explanation for this phenomenon.
What is your opinion?

Gen. Dénes

The casualties were at approximately one third of the initial strength before Operation Budapest began. I wouldn't rate them as "light".

Denes refered to officer losses. I don't believe at Budapest they were higher than at Odessa, for example, where the losses in officers amounted to 22% of the initial strength.

Yes, the emphasis was on the losses of officers compared to NCOs and Privates.

Can you check out the data on this particular topic on other combat engagements of the Rumanian Army?
Tonight I will post the statistics for the Budapest Operation.

Gen. Dénes

Here are the details of the overall manpower losses of the 19th Infantry Division and the 9th Cavalry Division, for the period when the combat was done inside Budapest (Dec. 31, 1944 - Jan. 15, 1945). I have no detailed info on day-by-day losses of the 2nd Infantry Division. Also, soldiers missing in action and prisoners of war are apparently not included in the official statistics.

Killed: 13 officers (5 due to an aerial bomb = indirect combat loss), 7 NCOs and 269 troops = 289 men [2.82% officers (excluding the 5 killed by bomb), 2.46% NCOs and 94.72% troops]

Wounded: 53 officers, 34 NCOs, 1322 troops = 1409 men [3.76% officers, 2.41% NCOs, 93.82% troops]

Indeed, it appears that the losses of officers and NCOs in urban warfare are rather small compared to those of the troops.

A comparison to other campaigns would be beneficial in trying to solve this issue.

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on January 11, 2005 01:36 am