Transylvanian volunteers in romanian army, Corpul voluntarilor ardeleni

[21 inf]

Transylvanian romanians made their first attempts to join romanian army in great numbers since 1915, before Romania entering WW1.

A number of 20.000 volunteers were given to the romanian divisions, as oficers, NCO's or soldiers, according to their qualification. (1)

Octavian Goga wanted to create from this transylvanian volunteers an independent great unit, which was to be called "Legiunea ardeleana". It was planned that division to have about 15.000 men. This division never came to life cos the neutral politics of Romania between 1914-1916.
The transylvanians entered war in 1916 as seen above, as soldiers in different romanian divisions.

On 1st september 1916 O. Goga, V. Lucaciu and O. Taslauanu gave a memorium to the Consiliul de Ministri asking for help in order to raise regiments from the ranks of transylvanian romanian POW's in Russia, as ex-AH soldiers. In Russia were as POWs a number between 100.000-120.000 romanians who were previously AH soldiers. An aditional number of 1.816 oficers and 29.000 soldiers romanians were refugees from Transylvania already serving in romanian army at 15 august 1916. (2)

First transylvanian volunteer units arived on Iasi on July 1917 and were distributed on the ranks of following romanian regiments: 26 infantery Rovine, 3 infantery Olt, 19 infantery Caracal and 5 Vanatori from 11th Division.

The first entirelly transylvanian regiments were raised also in 1917 and named I "Turda" and II "Alba Iulia", followed in 1918 by III "Avram Iancu".

The volunteer units were disbanded after the peace from Buftea.

On November 1918 transylvanian volunteers were called again to arms, now under the name "Corpul Voluntarilor" (Volunteer's Corp) and they were completely equiped for battle on 10th november 1918. They were actually 1st Volunteer Corp, the 2nd Volunteer Corp being raised on Siberia under the name "Legiunea romana de vanatori transilvaneni-bucovineni din Siberia (1918-1920).

On 3rd december 1918 1st Volunteer Corp arived in Transylvania.
The transylvanians from 1 st Volunteer Corp, together with those who were in romanian 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 infantry divisions, romanian 1 Vanatori division and Corul granicerilor (Border Corp) were let to go home for about a week.
After this period, they were reorganise as following:
- Regiment I "Turda"
- Regiment II "Alba Iulia"
- Regiment III "Avram Iancu"
- Regiment "Horia" - it was a new unit raised in March 1919, later re-named "Beius".
In february arived from Italy the voluntareers organised in "Horea" regiment (not to be confused with the other "Horea"-"Beius" regiment!).
From the volunteers from Italy were raised II "Closca" and III "Crisan" regiments, eventually transformed in batalions with the same name.

On 10 may 1919 the name of "Horea" regiment was transformed in 97 infantry regiment "Odorhei".

Also on 10 may 1919 "Beius" regiment, formerly "Horea" regiment was withrawed from Tisa front at was reorganised as 87 infantry regiment "Beius" from 17th Division.

Note:
1. Marele Stat Major informing Octavian Goga.
2. I. Clopotel, Revolutia din 1918 si unirea Ardealului cu Romania, Cluj, 1926
3. Ioan I. Serban, Voluntarii transilvaneni si bucovineni din Rusia in razboiul pentru intregirea neamului 1916-1919.

[Kepi]

Thank you "21 inf" for this most interesting and useful information!

[21 inf]

Welcome! More will follow, as I'll have to read and write

[21 inf]

At this adress http://enciclopediaromaniei.ro/wiki/Corpul...arilor_Ardeleni can be found an extensive an well documented history of transylvanian romanian volunteers from ww1, in romanian army. Romanian language only

[contras]

If you want to learn more about the contribution of Transylvanian volunteers in Romanian army, take a look in some new books, written by brave men who served in these corps:
Tirani, cruciati si banditi, by Elie Bufnea, and Luptele romanilor cu bolsevicii in Siberia (1918-1920), by Simion Ghisa. Both autors were serving and fighting in Romanian Legion in Siberia. They fought and win in battle of Seragul and Kuitun, in 20 february 1920, against bolsheviks, and they fought many battles against Red Troops, to protect the Transsiberian Railroad. They were part of Romanian volunteers (up to 10000), who were serving side by side with White army led by general Kolceak.

[21 inf]

I consulted Elie Bufnea's book one year ago. Problem is that those book are very hard to find, being available only in the special colections of some libraries, such as Biblioteca Universitatii Cluj and that require a lot of free time to go to library as these books are so rare that they dont allow them to be borrowed for home reading

So, if one can provide those books in electronic variant to be downloaded or mailed, it will be of great help

[contras]

It seems they're published again. I ordered both Elie Bufnea (2 volumes) and Simion Ghisa from this adress www.marist.ro. Both contained many pictures, a few maps. Above I put a map of battle of Seragul, hand made by Simon Ghisa, who take part of this battle.

[contras]

I put here the map.
http://img339.imageshack.us/i/hartaseragul.jpg/
Another image, a photo that contain a part of Romanian oficers who traveled incognito the entire Russia (during the Civil War) from Romania to Siberia in 1918, to take command of Romanian soldiers who foght against bolsheviks.
http://img683.imageshack.us/content.php?pa...iteriromani.jpg
Elie Bufnea and Simion Ghisa, standing, centre of the image.
Last image is one of the armored train "Horia".
http://img683.imageshack.us/content.php?pa...blidathoria.jpg

[21 inf]

Thanks for the info! I studied only the first edition, from 1920 and some.

I ordered also the books, I'll wait to see if they'll answer to my request.

[contras]

I'm glad, because I know we will have much to discuss about this important, but forgoten, episod about Romanian forgoten wars. Romanian troops gave their tribute of blood and glory, at thousands kilometres from their land. They fought after Romania become Great Romania, after Budapest was conquered. Constantin Kiritescu, author of Istoria razboiului nostru pentru intregirea Romaniei, said about this part, O Anabassis romaneasca (A Romanian Anabassis).

[21 inf]

In Voluntarii transilvaneni si bucovineni din Rusia in razboiul pentru intregirea neamului book, Ion Serban speaks about the same facts and about same people, but at a higher level, not revealing the experiences of individuals, but rather the experiences of 2nd Romanian Volunteer Corp, atached to the Cehoslovac Volunteer Corp.

[contras]

I read the book of Ioan Serban, from here I learned about Elie Bufnea. But Elie Bufnea books, and Simion Ghisa's, are true real, these are about the facts, the feeling of men in combat. They're are true memories.

[contras]

There is a photo in which apeared Romanian officers who traveled incognito from Romania through Ukraine, Russia (under civil war) and reached Romanian troops in Siberia, where led them in battle against Red Bolsheviks, until 1920.
This photo is taken from the book Luptele romanilor cu bolsevicii in Siberia (1918-1920), by Simion Ghisa. (in center, standing, with moustache. Left of him (the 3rd from the left), smiling, is Elie Bufnea, author of Cruciati, tirani si banditi, in 2 volumes, In Rusia sovietelor si In Siberia lui Kolceak).




By the way, Elie Bufnea was imprisoned 6 years in jail under comunist rule, and he died in 1987, at 90 years old.

[21 inf]

I bought the E. Bufnea's book and S. Ghisa's book I am glad that the postww2 romanian comunists didnt killed E. Bufnea in jail. I wondered what happened to him and I was afraid those bloody romanian comunists postww2 killed this man who sacrified so much for Romania in ww1.

[contras]

I founded that about Elie Bufnea:

http://www.revista.memoria.ro/?location=view_article&id=389

Later, I found, In Memoria magazine, a note that he was jailed for 6 years, and later, that he died in 1987, at 90 years old.
I founded in a library other books written by him, the most interesting is Pe drumuri japoneze, about his trip in Manciuria, Japan and Hawaii in interwar period, with some mission (!), he tells he was in an mission, but do not explain what kind. He says only he meet with milirtary atachee in Japan.