16thDorobanti Reg. Baia-Maresal Josef Pilsudski, from 7th Infantry Division (1941-44)

[Janek]

Do You have any info about giving the name of Maresal Josef Pilsudski to 16th Dorobanti Regiment Baia? Whan it happend, why, who had choosen His name for that unit.
pozdrawiam

[Victor]

It most likely happened when King Carol II became the honorary commander of the Polish 57th Infantry Regiment. As an exchange of courtesy, the marshal was named honorary commander of the of the 16th Regiment.

[Kepi]

In October 1931, during the third visit of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski in Romania, he was appointed as Colonel-in chief of the 16th Infantry (Dorobantzes) Regiment “Baia” of Falticeni, northern Moldavia. The unit was named the 16th Dorobantzes regiment “Jozef Pilsudski” and the officers and men bore the cipher “JP” on the shoulder boards.
In 1931 and during his last visit in Romania, in March 1932, Jozef Pilsudski visited the regiment in Falticeni, and several times delegations of officers from this unit visited Poland.

In June 1937, during the visit of King Carol II and Crown Prince Mihai in Poland, Carol II was appointed colonel-in-chief of the 57 Infantry Regiment of Poznan (see: http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=525&st=90 )