Romanian Order of Battle 1917/1918

Dear all,

Being new in this forum firstly I would like to say i'm glad to enter such interesting discussions and to start I would need some help.

I would like to have the complete Romanian Army Order of Battle, down to regimental or battalion level for the summer of 1917 (Marasesti, Marasti and Oituz). This because I have all of 1916 but cannot find the 1917 parts and I know there were a lot of changes in early 1917 during the reorganization. If certain Divisions kept the same regiments from 1916 to 1918 others changed somewhat, specially the 11th to 15th Divisions.
Besides if the infantry regiments are fairly well documented, the same cannot be said for the Artillery, Cavalry or Engineer troops.
As I know the knowledge in the Forum is huge, I would be glad of any help provided.

Many thanks in advance
Mathias

I am not familiar with a published OoB for 1917. What you ask for would require time to compile and will probably will not be complete.

That is precisely why I asked this forum. Anyway that is also the reason for a forum's existence. To be able to compile something with everybody's help. Why not start this unpublished OoB in here.

I can start by adding what I already have.

First I think we can leave the Cavalry Divisions and even the Calarasi Brigades which I think kept the same OoB from beginning to end. Besides it is easier to retreat on horseback than on foot so we can presume Rosiori and Calarasi Regimenrts suffered less. There are several Divisions that kept more or less the same infantry regiments to the end. Again we can suppose the artillery also remained unchanged. What are your thoughts??

Finally to start from something here is a very summary list of what I hava for now. Maybe a starting point.... These I am sure were assigned to these divisions in 1917.

Divizia 1 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 1 Vanatori
- Regimentul 18 Infanterie
Divizia 2 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 5 Vanatori
Divizia 3 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 28 Infanterie
- Regimentul 2 Vanatori
- Regimentul 4 Infanterie
- Regimentul 22 Infanterie
- Regimentul 30 Infanterie
Divizia 4 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 6 Vanatori
Divizia 5 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 3 Vanatori
- Regimentul 8 Infanterie
- Regimentul 32 Infanterie
Divizia 6 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 7 Vanatori
- Regimentul 24 Infanterie
Divizia 7 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 4 Vanatori
- Regimentul 14 Infanterie
- Regimentul 15 Infanterie
- Regimentul 16 Infanterie
- Regimentul 27 Infanterie
Divizia 8 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 8 Vanatori
Divizia 9 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 9 Vanatori
- Regimentul 34 Infanterie
- Regimentul 36 Infanterie
- Regimentul 40 Infanterie
Divizia 10 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 10 Vanatori
- Regimentul 38 Infanterie
- Regimentul 39 Infanterie
Divizia 13 Infanterie –
- Regimentul 47/72 Infanterie
- Regimentul 48/49 Infanterie
- Regimentul 50/64 Infanterie
- Regimentul 51/52 Infanterie
Brigada de Graniceri – Frontier Guards
- Regimentul 1 Graniceri
- Regimentul 2 Graniceri

Cheers
Mathias

At the end of May 1917, the composition of the infantry divisions was as following:

The 1-10 divisions had one more vanatori regiment.

Each infantry and vanatori regiment had an infantry battalion (marching battalion), with the number of the regiment. For example the 8th Infantry Regiment had the 8th Infantry Marching Battalion, the 4th Vanatori Regiment had the 4th Vanatori Marching Battalion etc.

Each division had also a cavalry company (escadron calarasi), a battalion of engineers, and logistic elements.

Hello Matasso and Dragos, Many thanks to you both for opening this subject and for providing invaluable details. Has anyone tried to determine the locations of the division headquarters during the course of 1917???

I am also interested in the designations and locations of anti-aircraft units and numbers and types of guns with each unit. Has anyone done any research on that subject??? Best regards, agblume

The Air Defense Corps was established in 1916 and it comprised 92 57mm guns (72 on mobile carriage Model Colonel Negrei and 20 on pivot Model Colonel Burileanu) and 13 75mm Model 1880 guns mounted on special platforms.

On 1 September 1917 the Romanian AAA had 76 57mm guns, 70 75mm guns, 23 AA machineguns, 12 searchlights.

Hello Dragos, Many thanks for additional details. Do you have any time frames when these units were formed and where they were stationed, or what divisions they were attached to during the course of the war???

One of my research projects attempts to determine locations of enemy aircraft shot down by Romanian and Russian anti-aircraft units during the course of the war. There were quite a few enemy aircraft that fell on Romanian territory and others that fell on their side of the lines. Romanians were very good marksmen. A fact very few people outside Romania even know.

I am much interested in the deisgnations of these anti-aircraft units. Do you have any information on that topic???

Thank you again, you have helped make some elements more clear.
Best regards, agblume

During WW1 Romanian anti-aircraft artillery shot down 11 planes and 1 zeppelin.

I'll try to find more information when I'll have the sources at hand.

Firstly, thanks Dragos for the OoB of 1917.

Maybe we can add something in it, as for what you've posted, the artillery regiments remained rather constant in the divisions from 1916 to 1917. So we might then assume that some of the artillery regiments missing would be the following:

2nd Division - 9th Artillery, 14th Howitzer Rgts
5th Diviison - 7th Artillery, 19th Howitzer Rgts
9th Division - 3rd Artillery, 20th Howitzer Rgts
10th Division - 18th Artillery Rgt
11th Division - 21st Artillery Rgt
12th Division - 22nd Artillery Rgt
13th Division - 23rd Artillery Rgt
14th Division - 24th Artillery Rgt
15th Division - 25th Artillery Rgt

Any comments
Cheers
Mathias

As I searched other sources I think I can add a new OoB to the artillery Regiments of the Romanian Divisions in 1917 with corrections:

2nd Division - 9th Artillery, 14th Howitzer Rgts
5th Diviison - 7th Artillery, 19th Howitzer Rgts
9th Division - 13rd Artillery, 20th Howitzer Rgts
10th Division - 3rd Artillery Rgt, 18th Howitzer Rgt11th Division - 21st Artillery Rgt
11th Division - 21st Artillery Rgt, 25/1st Howitzer Rgt
12th Division - 22nd Artillery Rgt, 27/2nd Howitzer Rgt
13th Division - 23rd Artillery Rgt, 28/3rd Howitzer Rgt
14th Division - 24th Artillery Rgt, 29/4th Howitzer Rgt
15th Division - 25th Artillery Rgt, 30/5th Howitzer Rgt

Cheers
Mathias

2nd Division - 9th Artillery, 14th Howitzer Rgts
5th Diviison - 7th Artillery, 19th Howitzer Rgts
9th Division - 13rd Artillery, 20th Howitzer Rgts
10th Division - 3rd Artillery Rgt, 18th Howitzer Rgt
11th Division - 21st Artillery Rgt, 26/1st Howitzer Rgt
12th Division - 22nd Artillery Rgt, 27/2nd Howitzer Rgt
13th Division - 23rd Artillery Rgt, 28/3rd Howitzer Rgt
14th Division - 24th Artillery Rgt, 29/4th Howitzer Rgt
15th Division - 25th Artillery Rgt, 30/5th Howitzer Rgt

Sorry, the haste of doing several things at the time, this is the correct form for the OoB I propose

Cheers
Mathias