Ethnic minorities in Romanian Army (30's)

Also general Leonard Mociulschi, who was from the Botosani county, in Northeastern Romania, close to the Polish border, could also have had some Polish blood.

How were these work detachments called? Did they have a registration number?

What fortifications and other things did they build?

Where can I get information about that?

Regards

Here is an ARR statistics I just found in a document, taken on 15 Sept. 1939:

Gen. Dénes

Gen Denes,

this is very interesting,

do there also exist statistics of the years 1942 and 1943?

Regards

At the begining of the war the Romanian Army had two fortification engieers battalions (1st and 2nd). On 15 December 1915, the Fortification Service of the Ministry of Defence was created and had under its direction the two battalions and four work detachments made up of Romanian Jews, which had the task to do the maintaince work for the fortifications and also agricultural works. They were called:
-"Diguri Prut" Detachment organized by the 4th Pioneer Regiment
-"Sihna" Detachment organized by the 4th Pioneer Regiment
-"Indiguiri Siret" Detachment organized by the 5th Pioneer Regiment
-"Paulis Matca" Detachment organized by the 7th Pioneer Regiment

In the autumn of 1942 several work detachments were created in Trans-Dnestra with locals and deportees (also Jewish and probably some Gipsies), which were incorporated in the Work Army.

Towards the end of 1943, another 3 detachments were created: 100th, 101st and 102nd by the 3rd, 5th and 7th Pioneer Regiments. These were also manned by Jews and in early 1944 another two minorities work battalions (Jews and Gipsies) were created 1012th and 1013th. These were used alongside Romanian work battalions to build the fortifications in Moldavia, mostly on the Adjud - Namoloasa - Focsani - Braila line.

The Jewish and Gipsy work detachments were not organized and led by the army, but I do not know wether the workers were incorporated in the Army. All of the Jewish officers and NCOs had been discharged after Antonescu and the Iron Guard came to power. The Jews were no longer required t oserve in the army, but had to pay some taxes for the military or to be used in work detachments. However, the Jewish doctors, pharmcists, architecs etc. who were going to be used by the Army for different tasks were supposed to be assimilated to the rank they used to have and paid accordingly. They were rehabilitated in early 1945. I have personnally seen several such Royal Decrees containing several thousands of names (Jewish) who received their old ranks back (a source mentions 3,445).

Victor, what you found out is really great!!

What was your source?

Do you know if there was any detachment with the number 1008?

You speak about Jews an Gipsies, were the other minority members in such detachments?

If they were in and around Moldavia, what happened to them after August 23rd 1944?

You write that there were NCO´s and higher officials who afterwards were rahabilitated. What was their fault to come into those working detachments?

Lots of questions, but I know that you will find it out.

Greetings

The source is Armata Romana 1941-45 by C. Sca\fes, Ioan Scafes, H Serbanescu & Co., RAI, 1996.

The 1008th was apparently made up of convicts according to another source, which mentions the 1016th and 1017th as made up of Jews, not the 1012th and 1013th, which were also made up of convicts.

As I already mentioned, many of the work detachments were made up of convicts, mostly Romanians.

The detachments were disbanded after 23 August 1944.

Maybe the "rehabilitated" part wasn't were chosen. They haven't done anything wrong. They were Jews and because of that, after 8 September 1940, they were discharged from the Army, according to the new anti-Semite rules introduced by the first Antonescu government. In January 1945, when the laws weren't valid anymore, the king issued a decree that put them back into their rights.

Not only the Jews, but the Hungarian ethnics were also completely removed from the Army in 1940.

Most of them were reinstated to their former ranks and seniority from late 1944 on. Their names were published in Monitorul Oficial. For example, there is a list of hundreds of names (Jewish and Hungarian) listed in M.O., dated Jan. 13, 1945 (p. 187-205). The decree is called 'Ofiteri reactivati, care au fost deactivati prin M.O. No.287/1940, cu vechimea de la 5 Dec. 1940'.
The officers listed there were mostly from the cavalry and the pioneers.
And so on.

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on December 08, 2005 08:34 pm

Is it today still possible to read the list? Where? How?

Greetings

Is it today still possible to read the list? Where? How?

In archives that have Monitorul Oficial in their collections.

Not where I live, Carol I,
do you think somebody could send me a copy of the list?

Greetings

Theoretically, in the main library of every European capital there should be a collection of the Rumanian Monitorul Oficial. For example, I did my research while I was living in Budapest.

If you're living in Europe, I suggest you to try to locate the copies of M.O. in the main (central) library of the nearest capital city.

Gen. Dénes

Here is a photo taken by an ethnic Hungarian, Béla, while serving in the Rumanian Army as mountain trooper. After Aug. 1940, Béla became a soldier in the Hungarian Army's border guards. Photo taken at Zalau (Zilah), in Sept. 1939. The soldiers' dark (black?) shirt and tie, as well as white gloves, are noteworthy.

Is it known which mountain unit was stationed in that zone at that date?

Gen. Dénes

The people in the photo are not military. They belongs to a Military Training Youth (“Pregatire Premilitara”) unit and are wearing the standard uniform adopted at the end of 1930s: khaki beret, shirt, tie, breeches and puttees. The commander has a lighter khaki shirt. The colour guard wear white gloves as a symbol of their special status.

Thanks, Képi, for the clarifications and interesting uniform details.

Gen. Dénes