Brinzeni 1941

Hello everyone. I'm trying to find information on the fighting around the town of Brinzeni (in modern-day Moldova) on 4-5 July 1941. I did a search here but found nothing. About all I know comes from a single sentence in Third Axis Fourth Ally about a platoon of R-2s from the Romanian 1st Armored Division knocking out some T-28s from the Soviet 2nd Mech Corps. I've also read that this was the first armor engagement between the Romanians and Soviets.

Does anyone have any tactical details on the overall battle? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Try looking also for Brânzeni.

Gen. Dénes

It wasn't Brînzeni/Brânzeni, but Brătuşeni and it isn't certain that they were T-28s. The official Romanian documents of the time mention the enemy as heavy tanks. Most likely they were BTs, but the 2nd Mechanized Corps also had a number T-34s and KV-1s at the time.

The assault was carried out by the 1st Tank Battalion with support from the 1st Armored Division's artillery. The mission was to relieve the German 203rd Infantry Regiment, which reported it was under attack by a formation of 40-50 Soviet tanks (probably an exaggerated number) and had lost some ground. The attack was overall successful, as the Soviets pulled back and the Germans recaptured the hill.

See more details (in Romanian) in the article in the no. 3 issue of Modelist magazine: http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=5354

Thank you both. Is it known which division of the 2nd Mech Corps was involved?

Actually, Brânzeni and Brătuşeni are two different villages and the first was the "target" to reach for the Romanian troops, while the last was just the point of the counter-attack. The 2-nd mechanized Corps (Soviet) consisted of the 16-th and 11-th Armoured Divisions and 15-th motorized infantry Division.
The source is a book already mentioned on this forum:
http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=5216
My third post: "Eliberarea...".

Because of the rain, the 1st Tank Regiment had only managed to advance up to Bratuseni. It was relatively lucky that it was in place to mount the counterattack late in the evening.

Regrding the T-28s, I think we can say more certainly that the tanks knocked out weren't T-28s, because only the 8th and 10th Tank Divisions had them and none were in the area at the time.

We don't know the Soviet unit with precision. If the tanks were T-34s or KV-1s, then it was the 11th Tank Division. If they were BT-5s or 7s then it was the 16th Tank Division.

According to 76. Infanterie-Division archives that I'm studying extensively, it was rather the Infanterie-Regiment 178 that was in danger and had to be supported by the Divizia 1 Blindata. 22. Infanterie-Division's Infanterie-Regiment 65 was also targeted, and its Infanterie-Regiment 47 was also badly mauled south of the 178, in the area Moseni-Borosenii Noi-Pîrjota.
Infanterie-Regiment 203 sent the message to the corps HQ at 19.45 that the Romanian Armored Division was ready to provide support in the area Borosenii Noi, but wasn't involved that much in the fights against the Soviet 2nd Mechanized Corps' counter-attack.

For instance:

- 76. Infanterie-Division Kriegstagebuch Nr.2 vom 25.5 bis 28.8.1941 [Journal des marches et opérations n°2 de la 76. Infanterie-Division, du 25 mai au 28 août 1941], T315 R1086 files 671 to 675: "19.45 Uhr: [...] I.R. 178 und rechts davon I.R. 65 werden laufend von Panzern angegriffen. Lage erscheint dort ernst. Kdr. I.R. 203 hat gemeldet, dass der zufällig bei ihm anwesende Kdr. der rum. Panzer-Division einverstanden wäre, bei Boroseni Noi mit seinen Panzern einzugreifen, falls das Korps damit einverstanden wäre. Kommandierender General gibt Genehmigung"

- Ibid., file 671:
"19.55 Uhr: Während zu diesem Zeitpunkt die Lage vor der Mitte der 22. I.D. sich wesentlich günstiger gestaltet hat, werden die Nachrichten aus dem Abschnitt des I.R. 178 und I.R 65 immer kritischer; vor allem auch durch den Mangel an Munition und die Unmöglichkeit, der kämpfenden Truppe die fehlende Munition sofort zufahren zu können infolge eines für deutsche Begriffe unvorstellbar schlechten Wegezustandes"
"20.30 Uhr: Funkspruch an I.R.203: I.R. 178 braucht dringend Hilfe. Möglichst viel rum. Panzer und wenn möglich Panjefahrzeuge mit Munition zu I.R. 178 in Marsch setzen";
"20.32 Uhr: Funkspruch von I.R. 178: Regiment wird von Feindpanzern eingeschlossen. Dringend Hilfe notwendig".

Regards,
Skarn

This post has been edited by Skarn on April 17, 2021 10:50 am

I found a German report (written by Leutnant Linder, from Regiments-Reiter-Zug/Infanterie-Regiment 203 - the recon cavalry platoon of this infantry regiment) that described the tank action near Parcova on July 5th, 1941.

This German officer insists on the high quality and value of the Romanian tank company that attacked jointly with his platoon. The romanian coy commander was capitan Catana. The German-Romanian counterattack succeeded in taking Hill 229 and then developed toward Fintina Alba and Hill 243 (around five kilometers northwards Bratuseni, presently in Moldova).
This move apparently broke a complete Soviet rifle battalion and reestablish the German-Romanian frontline in this area.

Not a tank against tank action, it was a good illustration of what could be achieved by Romanian tanks in July 1941.

Skarn