Border clashes in 1940

This is a pretty unknown subject to me. So far, I have managed to find out that apparently there were border clashes in 1940 with all the states claiming land from Romania.

First Hungary:

Monitorul Oficial No. 10/13 January 1941
Royal Decree No. 4244/31 December 1940
Virtute Militara Medal peace version 2nd class posthumously awarded to fruntas Gheorghe Adjer (drafted 1939) and to sold. Constantin Mot (drafted 1931), who died in the fights with Hungarian border guards that had entered Romanian territory on 29 June 1940.

Monitorul Oficial No. 83/7 April 1941
Royal Decree No. 845/28 March 1941
Virtute Militara Medal war version 2nd class posthumously awarded to sold. Mircea C. Cordos (drafted 1937), who died in a clash between Romanian frontier-guards and a Hungarian patrol on 29 August 1940.

QUOTE

This is a pretty unknown subject to me. So far, I have managed to find out that apparently there were border clashes in 1940 with all the states claiming land from Romania.

Yes indeed. I have a book in 3 volumes which is made up of communiques between romanian military units during that time. Most of them give accounts of such clashes.

I'll look for the book and post some examples. Unfortunately, I lost 1 of the 3 volumes (the one about Bulgaria), but I still have the other 2... :cry:

Are these books the books:
Armata Romana de la Ultimatum la Dictat

Documente. Vol. I, II, III

Anul 1940

Autori: Florica Dobre, Vasilica Manea, Lenuta Nicolescu

Editura Europa Nova, Bucuresti, 2000?

If yes, where did you buy them?

I would also be interested in having this set of books. Can anyone help me buying them? If yes, please send me a PM. Thanks.

Col. Dénes

Yes, that's the title...

I bought them last summer, but I'm not sure I remember where. I think I got them from a kiosk just after C.A. Rosetti, between Piata Rosetti and Inter hotel. There is a guy there who sells new books from an outside kiosk.

If there are any particular passages or documents you are interested in from these books, I can scan the pages and post them or email them to whoever is interested.

I would be interested in the whole book
I'll go take a look in the area, who knows, maybe I get lucky?

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who knows, maybe I get lucky?

Well, Victor, it the vendor is a pretty woman, who is also willing, you may indeed 'get lucky'
I say this, as the 'getting lucky' notion has a sexual connotation.

Gen. Dénes

Bulgaria:

Monitorul Oficial No. 35/11 February 1941
Royal Decree No. 156/27 January 1941
The Virtute Militara Medal peace version 2nd class posthumously awarded to serg. Savu Ganta (drafted 1938), who died on 26 October 1940 during the attack of the Bulgarian frontier-guards on the Nebuna Eyot.

The Virtute Militara Medal peace version 2nd class awarded to cap. Ilie Prie (drafted 1938) si sold. Nicolae Ghica (drafted 1939) for the courage they have shown on 26 October 1940 during attack of the Bulgarian frontier-guards on the Nebuna Eyot, when although gravely wounded they continued the fight, and eventually determined the Bulgarians to leave the island.

This is great stuff, guys. Anything about border clashes with the Soviets? As I have already pointed out in some of my earlier posts according to some documents there was a serious border clash between Soviets and Romanians in November or December 1941, when the Soviets took three small river islands on the Danube near Izmail. Anyone have any details about what has really happened there?

lp,

Klemen

Smaller or larger border clashes along the Rumanian-Hungarian borders (both pre-Vienna and post-Vienna borders) occurred constantly, with changing frequency, from the late 1930s up to the time Rumanian declared war on Hungary on Aug. 25, 1944.
Here is an excerpt from the memory of a Hungarian border guard officer, Lt. Ferenc Kovács, of the 24/1. Fortified Company, posted on the Hungarian side of the Oituz (Ojtoz) pass (this is probably the last border clash, as the next day Rumania declared war on Hungary):
"On August 24, 1944, a small group of Rumanian soldiers, 30-40 men, armed with submachine guns, approached directly our positions without reconnoitring the area first. After a short battle the survivors surrendered.
After a couple of hours, a larger group of Rumanian mounted soldiers, led by a Lt.-Col., followed by a small motorized column, approached again our positions. Again, a rather short battle followed and we captured the survivors. This was the last Rumanian tentative in our sector.
Next, after two days, superior Soviet forces showed up and attacked us from the direction of Sósmezö (Poiana Sãrata)."

Gen. Dénes

Monitorul Oficial No. 118/21 May 1941
Royal Decree No. 1270/8 May 1941
The Virtute Militara Medal peace version 2nd class awarded to serg. Alexandru Barbu (drafted 1938) and sold. Gheorghe Ungureanu (drafted 1937), who captured on 5 January 1941 the captain Alexander Kozlov from the 25th Frontier-guard [NKVD] Regiment from Cahul, the chief of the Soviet Espionage Service in Bessarabia [obviously he couldn't have been the chief of the KNVD in Bessarbaia]

Monitorul Oficial No. 32/7 February 1941
Royal Decree No. 156bis/27 January 1941
The Virtute Militara Medal peace version 2nd class awarded to:
serg. Dumitru Damian
cap. Vasile Arion
fruntas Vasile Cretu
sold. Marin Dumitrascu
sold. Dumitru Gradinaru
sold. Ioan Calugaru,
who distinguished themselves during the attacks made by the Russians with superior forces on the Tiganasi and Ocrub posts on 11 August 1940

There was also another part, which awarded orders to several officers for the same action, but I didn't copy it. Next week though.

In November and December 1941, the Soviet units closest to Romania were at Sevastopol, hundreads of kilometers away from Ismail.

Where are these two posts?

Arghhh... I of course meant November-December 1940. It happened after Bessarabia was taken by the Soviets. My source is Peter Gosztony: "Hitler's Foreign Armies".

Any details about this incident would be most appreciated.

lp,

Klemen

This post has been edited by Klemen on September 20, 2004 12:45 am

Klemen this might be incident you mentioned.
On 25-26 October 1940, at 01.00 hours, four Soviet monitors landed marines on the Daleru, Tataru and Maican Eyots, located at the mouth of the Chilia branch. There was a skirmish with the few Romanian frontier-guards, which left six dead behind, before they retreated in front of the Soviet numerical superiority. Thus the Soviets gained control over the Chilia channel and have kept the eyots since (today they belong to the Ukraine).

Zivjo Victor!

Yes, yes, yes, Victor!!! That's the one I had on my mind! Does your book say any further details about this skirmish like which Romanian border guard unit was protecting the islands and who was their commanding officer?

lp,

Klemen