general Lascar Mihail

[Bernard Miclescu]

Some days ago I read in the book "Romania in al doilea razboi mondial" written by D.C. Giurescu that the CO of the division "Horia, Closca si Crisan" was gen Mihail Lascar. I was amazed to see his name. After the battles of Crimea and Stalingrad, where he and his division (was him a division CO in Crimea? I forgot it) faught well (von Manstein in his "mémoirs" is speeking about his courage) neither book that I know tells something about him. Even in the book written by Petre Otu and Jipa Rotaru "Infranti si uitati, romanii in batalia de la Stalingrad" the authors doesn't tell any think about his presumed capture or defection.

So please, does anyone knows a book where the dark part of his life (nov-dec 1942 -- late 1944) is presented? Or more details about his capture near Don river?

Thank you in advance,
B Miclescu
PS Sorry for my poor English.

[Victor]

This is going to be put onlinein the near future on www.worldwar2.ro
Hope it helps!

General de divizie Mahail Lascar was born on 8 November 1889, at Targu Jiu. He went to Infantry Officer School between 1908 and 1910. He finished with the rank of 2nd lieutenant. During the Second Blakan War he was a lieutenant and in 1916, when Romania joined WWI, he had the rank of captain. Promoted during the hard year of 1917 to major, he had to wait another 10 years to accede to the rank of lt. col. He became colonel 1934 and in 1939 he received the rank of brigadier general.

On 10 January he was appointed commander of the 1st Mountain Brigade, one of elite Romanian military formations, which was subordinated to the 3rd Army. He participated in the initial attack on the USSR, when his unit operated in Northern Bukovina. After crossing the river Dniester the unit advanced towards the Bug and then to the Dnieper. It was then involved in the Battle of the Azov Sea („the great vanatori de munte battle”, as they called it). After that he participated in the breakthrough into Crimea by fighting in the Salkovo Isthmus and then in the pursuit of retreating Soviet forces. In four days it marched 180 km and took 2,447 prisoners, until it reached the seaside at Sudak. For a short while, his unit conducted anti-partisan operations in the Yaila mountains, until it was moved to Sevastopol in November, where it took the Chapel hill together with the German 170th Infantry Division. Lascar won the Ritterkreuz and the admiration of von Manstein, who mentions him in his memoirs, but during the second assault on Sevastopol, when Lascar was the CO of the 6th Division.

His direct CO, maj. gen. Gheorghe Avramescu (commander of the Mountain Corps), wrote in his file: He is full of energy and commitment, with a lot of initiative. Firm character and personality, self-confident. It proved to be a high quality general with a powerful grasp on his troops.
On 10 February 1942 he was relieved of command and returned home. But this was only for a short while, because a month later he was assigned to the command of the 6th Infantry Division, one of the best of the Romanian army, which in 1941 received training from German instructors. He was also promoted to maj. general. He went on to fight at Stalingrad, where the unit was surrounded. He took command of the units in the pocket (5th, 13th, 14th and 15th Infantry Division) and coordinated the defense. It is reported to have said to his subordinates: If one of you survives these battles, he must tell the story of our fights. I am a soldier and I remain at my post.

Without food, freezing, grossly outnumbered the troops under his command fought until they ran out of ammo or were killed. A report of 5 December 1942, of SSI (Special Intelligence Service) said that in the hardest moments of the battle, general Lascar showed a high sense of duty, by calmly coordinating the actions of the 6th ID and of the other units of whose command he had assumed. He was an example for the subordinates. When Golovsky was under attack, he was sitting in the Operation Bureau and when everything seemed lost he went together with his staff among the soldiers, even though he could have saved himself. He showed courage, dignity and patriotism.

According to some of his subordinates, during the night of 21/22 November, when the first Soviet delegates arrived to talk them into surrendering, he replied: We fight to the last man. We shall not surrender!

On 22 he decided that the 15th ID should try to brake through to the south west to friendly lines, towards Bol. Donchinka. In the same time the 6th ID was suppose to retreat towards Pasheany. He became more and more unsettled and told col. Cristea Stanescu that if the Russians come he would kill himself. His depressive state aggravated when the Soviets started to shell Golovsky at 1700 and at 2100 they attacked. At 1900 he reportedly went out to spot the Soviet artillery positions. Some say that he headed towards Isbusinsky, where the troops of brig. gen. Traian Stanescu were still holding out. He was captured by the Soviets. He had already received the Mihai Viteazu Order, 2nd class and the Oak Leaves to his Ritterkreuz, plus several citations, but in the evening of 22 November he was defeated.

He went to the Kranogor camp, then to Suzdal and Ivanov and finally to the special Camp no. 48, reserved for generals. On 12 April 1945 he was named commander of the second Soviet sponsored Romanian volunteer unit: Horia, Closca si Crisan Division, which he commanded until 12 September. He was then named commander of the 4th Army until 30 November 1946, when the new four star general became the Minister of Defense. He fell in disgrace and, from December 1947, he was appointed Inspector of the Armed forces, until 12 January 1950, when he retired.

He acted clearly in the favor of the Communists between 45-47 when they were struggling to get the hold on all the instruments of power. However, he was not radical enough. In a report it was shown that he had shown too much sympathy for the Bourgeoisie and the King. Even though he openly supports the party, he secretly continues a campaign against our leaders. He mentions that the friendship with the SU is important, but so are the ties with the UN. He said to gen. Petrescu: What do the Russians want? To destroy the army? To destroy the schools? What do they want? Or In fact I am not the minister. Susaykov is. I just carry out his orders ".

He was under investigation for war crimes, but wasn’t found guilty. He died on 24 July 1959, at Bucharest

[Bernard Miclescu]

OAU!!!
Many thanks Victor for your big help. Plenty new information.

I'm waitting for his biography in www.worldwar2.ro.

With gratitude,
Bernard

[Victor]

This is pretty much the biography that will be inline.

[Bernard Miclescu]

c'est déjà pas mal !!!!
Merci Victor