The Patriotical Guards

Does anybody know how the Patriotical Guards in communist Romania functioned?
From what I heard they had special ranks. What was their o.o.b.? Also any information on this topic would be great.
Thanks in advance.

HONOR ET PATRIA

Ml. B.

I have some books - magazines but theyr are propaganda almost 100%... No OOB.

Iama

Well, what can I say? The communist regime was pretty militarized, at least in theory. You know, “lupta intregului popor pentru apararea patriei” (the fight of the entire people for defending the homeland) was part of the military doctrine. I can tell you that I have fired a gun for the first time (tough “fire” is an improper expression, since it was a compressed air, small caliber) when I was in the ninth grade, 14 years old (and justs got an ID). The target practice was part of the PTAP program (“pregatirea tineretului pentru apararea patriei” - preparing the youth for the homeland defence).
So we were a kind of Hitlerjunged, and the “patriots’ guards” a kind of Wolkstrum. And the communist “pioneers” (with uniforms and all) were Carol II “Straja Tarii” with a different ideology. Hei tramvai…

Now about the “patriots’ guards”, as I know they were organized on the basis of the working places structure - units to be formed at any economic unit, people making the military training after work hours of by rotation during the working day. Anyone who was too old (or for another reason could not be mobilized in the case of conflict in the regular army but was apt for combat) was a member of the "patriot’s guards". The ranks were similar to those of the regular army, and the commanding officers were mainly retired or ‘half-retired” officers (with small health problems, or people who preferred a more rapid promotion within the “patriots’ guards” that within the regulars, and so on - pretty difficult to explain that in detail).

The uniforms were somewhat similar to the army’s, but with a more modern look that the awful looking infantry “pifan” (GI) uniform: green-khaki blouse (cooler than the army tunic from 1980’s) - with an emblem on the left sleeve: “Garzile Patriotice”, pants and a beret of the same color, looking like that of the mountain troops or paratroopers. Oh, and no shoes or boots: everyone should wear his/her own shoes; the state would not provide that for the patriots . For the PTAP “troops” the uniform was similar, but light-blue instead of green (and even cooler ).

The equipment was mainly light, as I know: AKMs, RPGs, perhaps grenades. I know that for targeting practice they used the old ZB’s. Rumors were that there also existed light armored vehicles, in the units organized at the big companies and factories - APC’s to support the lightly armed infantry. Perhaps their crews (if they really existed) were composed by NCOs.

However, my uncontested favorites from all these “elite” paramilitary units of the superpower Romania once was were the students’ (female students) squads . They were commanded by female officers and they had their drilling hours scheduled in the spring mornings (in-between courses?), on a field near my home. My grandmother used to take me for long strolls near that field (I was for or five years old then). I don’t know how, but so many of them were blondes… Unfortunately a year of two after that I started going to school …

This post has been edited by Agarici on July 21, 2005 07:42 pm

Aryan chicks... cool.

And I think the system was good. Though probably corrupted by communism, the principles were OK.

Bloody school. it get's the best out of the man.
Thanks for the info. The reason I asked this question is that last week I went to the Antiques Fair that took part in the Palace's Sutu yard and having little money I managed to buy an interesting badge. It looks like a RSR general's cap badge the problem being that in the oval were the coat of arms whas placed there were 4 golden stars under a red founding. On top of it the were the letters G.P. and on the bottom the flag like an emergent descending flame.
Thanks for the info.

HONOR ET PATRIA

Ml. B.

Patriotic Guards were a popular militia. My father was a PG and he had a riffle from WW2. I guess he was very dangerous , especially because he served in Tudor Vladimirescu Division as a cook in fiest part of '70s

I found out that the decree creating the Patriotical Guards was adopted on September 4th 1968 (after Ceausescu's condemnation of the invasion of Czechoslovakia). The purpose of the PG was to defend the cities, the factories and institutions of those cities, in collaboration with the regulars.
They were probably to be used as urban fighters in case of invasion.

In the eighties I remember I fired a MG42 at a shooting range in Campina with the Patriotic Guards. The weapon was in mint condition, in his original german ww2 crate.The have also plenty of MG34's. Beside the VZ24 and Kar 98 , they used the Czech Samopal 24 SMG in 7,56x25 mm (TT) caliber .

I wonder where are today those weapons. On MOD or on Police/Jandarmerie??

Here is a picture taken from a Youth Military Training Manual.
I think those are all the cap badges of the patriotic guards.




Peace!

and here are some of my Patriotic Guards badges

Hi, if you're still around, I recommend these books:

[img=http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/4553/scan0002sj8.th.jpg]

[img=http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/3378/scan0004oo4.th.jpg]

take care

This post has been edited by Imperialist on December 22, 2006 02:14 pm

The patriotic guards weapons were (from my memory and from "Patriotic Guards Magazine" (Revista Garzilor Patriotice) from (I think) "army surplus"
In Bunesti - Valcea, the village patriotic guards had
russian Maxim MG, ZB rifles and ZB automatic rifles

In Sibiu, the "batallion" of Balanta factory, had ZB rifles and PPSh SMG's
Other PGs had AG-7 RPG launchers, 2 barreled MR-2 AA MGs, some mine launchers.

A factory, usually, had a batallion of Patriotic Guards I an not sure if it was formed exclusively from Romanian Communist Party members
This batallion had (generally), 1 headquarter, 1 or more companies of riflemen /riflewomen, 1 battery of mine launchers or AA mg's, 1 platoon of MG's, 1 platoon medics (women), 1 platoon radio/telegraph, In some places, they had companies or platoons of mountain riflemen or sappers.

And their last "activity" was in 1989 revolution...

This post has been edited by chisi on December 25, 2006 07:51 pm

Hallo,
I read in a book dedicated to the revolution of December 1989 in Arad County, that between December 22, 1989 and 16 January 1990, in combat and defense actions of the main objectives and enterprises in Arad county, were actually committed 2340 fighters (patriotic guard), of which 1900 participated in actions with weapons and ammunition. The troops were organized into 4 companies, 26 platoons and 108 groups of rifle fighters. This fighter troops acted outside the intervention subunits, prepared and organized in advance according to the orders of the General Staff from 17 december 1989. I quoted all this to have a picture of the organization in the territory of patriotic guards forces, and because this is the only image I could find about their structure.

These are the Rank patches and the emblems of the Patriotic Guards. I think the triangles are red with yellow (4 October 1968)



This post has been edited by bansaraba on March 08, 2010 11:33 pm