Portraits of Romanian Soldiers

Officer wearing a 7 year badge.



This post has been edited by Alexei2102 on July 25, 2009 04:40 pm

Navy Officer.

MTR members.

ARR pilot wearing the military and the civil pilot badges.

Navy officer wearing the submariner badge.

Interestingly he wears the Romanian Crusade Against Communism medal

with the reverse to the front.

Kevin in Deva.

This post has been edited by New Connaught Ranger on July 25, 2009 05:41 pm

A photo taken in early 1940. Sitting is my grandfather, in his last year at the college. Sitting is one of his elder brothers, Nicolae, MIA at Stalingrad, just 2 years after theis photo was taken.

Excuse me, sitting is my granfather, standing is his elder brother, Nicolae, at this time serving in Reg 88 Inf Carei. later, after the occupation of northern Transylvania, they refugiated near Turda, and Nicolae was serving in Reg 83 Inf, I believe. If you had any dates about this regiment, in wich division it was part of, and what it happens with it, please tell me. I know about him that he is MIA at Stalingrad, the last postal card from him is dated in 15 September 1942.

Reg 83 Inf is part of 20th Infantry Division .In the book of Pandea Adrian '' Romanii la Stalingrad '' write more about Reg 83 Inf during the battle of Stalingrad .
I read these days about the actions of the regiment in the book of Mr Pandea and I post here some details .

Thank you, ocoleanui, I'll check.

20 Infantry Division - Gerner Nicolae Tataranu = 20th Infantry Division: (It used to be Targu Mures until August 1940) with :
82nd Infantry Regiment,
83rd Infantry Regiment tribune Solomon Balint,= CO Col.Jianu Dumitru
91st Infantry Regiment Alba Iulia-King Ferdinand I: Alba Iulia,
39th Artillery Regiment,
40th Artillery Regiment.



On 20/11/1942 when Russian attacks began south of Stalingrad, a division of General Tataranu lined stretched space, was attacked by superior forces. Although enemy tanks passed separately over division, she still held until the chest and 2nd Infantry Division, which is located south was thrown back to the south west and flank the enemy atact discovered Roman .[....] Division 20 Dissolution Division, pierced in several parts and threatened back, became imminent. General Tataranu to succeed in this very difficult situation that the energetic order to keep its Division cohesion to form a new front on 21/11/1942 defensive front organization .[...] Occasion oraului south of Stalingrad, it was found that almost all heavy weapons and restocking of Division services lost due to the rupture front executed by surprise by the Russians. The division could not be engaged in the block and was not able to source only. The fact that the situation was so nature, that had found all sorts of expedients to increase the power struggle, it was necessary to engage all unittile Division 20, they were still able to fight. For these reasons the body of the army ordered all units in this division to be assigned to the German divisions. fully understanding the situation, the general admitted that Tataranu dolutie and care that each Roman soldier, able to fight, to be framed in front of defense .[...}

On 09.12.1942 there was the bulk of Division 20 is in the region .. always Agodni Division was subordinated to IV Army Corps in Germany. Division has the following losses in personnel and material: Reg 82 Inf was 25% Inf Reg 83 was 35%, Reg 91 Inf Division was 50% ... 6300 total of 11,400 people.
Losses in men and material are due mainly to wearing heroic units have stayed the initial resistance cantinuind, encircled, to complete destruction. Whose heavy enemy direct action we produced the greatest losses .[... ]
On February 2, 1943 ends a chapter traffic but glorious Division 20. The rest live surrounded rid soldiers have taken the path of communist camps ...

Rid of those stories from inferno mention these on the fight for elbow Don:
-colonels fighting the bayonet;
-wounded, fell to his knees, praying able-bodied people to not leave them in the hands of Russia;
-gunner and infantry, tanks pulling up to 20-30 feet, preferring to die crushed by tanks better than to give a step back;
-people gathered by the Russians and ironing tank, making it a mass of jelly, etc. [...]

source :From the book ''Romanii la Stalingrad '' de Adrian Pandea and his team .

This post has been edited by ocoleanui on January 14, 2010 08:16 pm

Between 2 and September 9, in cooperation with German units mentioned, captured the village Pesteanka (the southern edge of Stalingrad), Stara Duborova and Trigurgana height and between 10 and 17 September last in defense of the line reached to make sure flank and back German troops advancing on Stalingrad, then handed or fight the German Infantry Division 271, taking the front of Jagoda and Tundutovo.

Starting the morning of November 20, 1942, after a powerful artillery preparation, including Katie, Division 20 has received the shock of mass attack Soviet tanks. With all the resistance of 91 Regiment and 20 Battalion Pioneers, the enemy broke the front directiiloe Tundutovo and Ivanovka, along the railway embankment, penetrating the rear and right flank of the division. After an endurance of about an hour, the Romanian military effort on the direction of Soviet troops have been killed or captured, from commander to the last soldier, were saved only 2-3 officers and soldiers 30-40.

Simultaneously, Russian tanks have entered the sectortul the 2nd Artillery Regiment 40, pulverizându her position as a life and death struggle. "10 At times, the Russians attacked and in central and northern sectors of the Division, the Battalion 1 of 83 Infantry Regiment escaped only 32 people.

29 Motorized Infantry Division German intervention and vigorous orders in accordance with the situation "given by General Tataranu - as considered by General Erwin Jaeneke, 4 German Army Corps - 20 Division have maintained cohesion and made possible the establishment of a new front defensively, committing reserves the forefront, day of November 21, along with neighboring German units, moved to counterattack. Finally, the front was stabilized in the east of Gavrilovka until November 22, when the order of 4 German Corps, Division 20 and direct the fight broke north the line Jagodni, Zibenko west, where, after a short time, was surrounded, together with German Infantry Division 297. On November 23, due to the precarious situation of the division, its units, replaced by German troops retreated into a zone of regrouping in the north-east of Rakotino.

The fight against Soviet tanks continued without interruption, on a cold of minus 30 degrees and under a layer of snow over 50 inches. 82 Infantry Regiment was particularly noted that, in early December, the attack of two Russian divisions, as quoted by order of the day by the 294 Division commanders, Army Corps 4 and 4 armored German deed to the praise and commented post Radio Berlin. The regiment was awarded the Order of Michael the Brave "class III and a total of 50 soldiers have been awarded the Order of the Iron Cross" class Ia and II.

Referring to the general behavior Tataranu, 4 German Corps, General Jaeneke appreciate that he was active in all situations, working without waiting for orders, in the spirit of the German command higher intentiunilor. He was groomed every Romanian soldiers capable of fighting , to be employed in front of defense "and did not hesitate to take action against some officers and troops that did not correspond." when they entered Division 1 in encircling calaverie (History Magazine, no. 11/1992) and Detachment Colonel Voicu ", they immediately took their subordinates engaged in the fight by the same principles.


Bayonet against tank

To summarize, this was the situation in which Romanian troops were caught in the encirclement. The fight was dramatic,. No food, no water, no fuel, no ammunition and no escape, carrying an avalanche day and night by bullets, shells, mines and bombs thrown from all directions, massive attacks of tanks grapple - as record of the major Niculescu Staff of Division 20. After shooting and the last bullet, brave soldiers of the 20 Infantry Division, in their latest effort, the enemy with bayonets fling with shovels and cazmalele in hands, scoring in the history of the nation as the most brilliant pages of glory and heroism, arising from spirit of dedication, boundless love of country and spirit of sacrifice all for the nation and the Cross ".

Grandiloquent, chauvinist, propaganda? Well, not this time. This testimony linking with other documents of age and German assessments may be established as 20 Infantry Division troops fought heroically in the circle indeed of Stalingrad, trying to resist them by up to relieving other troops outside the encirclement. They were firmly convinced that this will happen. Relevance of this is recorded in a document summary:

In mid-January with the complete confidence of the favorable end of the fight still reigned in the bands from the city. German headquarters all knew the steps to face the most difficult situations with ease. Its air supply from the same course as before. German soldiers, especially infantry, still struggling with the same enthusiasm of the soldier invincible. All were aware of the fact that resistance was their last chance. The overwhelming superiority of enemy forces and means to them but finally sealed the fate ".

After the Russians occupied the aerodrome Pitomnik on January 16, 1943, taking the trapped exhaust every possibility of casualties, supplies could have been done only by launching parachute living conditions - log specifies operations - are becoming increasingly heavier. The enemy, no frost and make havoc among the people whose efforts are titanic. Narrow circle incessantly until the walls reach Stalingrad. Last day of resistance was February 2, 1943, when Romanian troops finally overwhelmed by the number of enemy fall alongside their German comrades.

Finally, 20 ianfanterie Division lost 234 officers, 209 NCOs, 601 soldiers, 6, 5 600 horses and all weapons. They escaped only part of the formations of services when the Soviet counteroffensive at Sety were grouped in two echelon of the division. Threatened with encirclement and they have managed to retreat with great difficulty to the west, arriving in country on April 16, 1943, with only 54 officers, 39 NCOs, 1 470 soldiers. Mention that the numbers leaving her division at the front were 427 officers, 431 NCOs and 217 soldiers 13.

Definitely is that the crushing defeat was due and difficult situation in which division was introduced by the German command in battle (and to reserve a front exceeding 18 km), but their mistakes in carrying the fight, insufficient instructions especially regarding action against tanks, which made that in some cases to produce panic followed by leaving the position to fight. General firm disciplinary measures taken Tataranu and it did not disintegrate as the front. Moreover, following the example of German comrades, the Romanian military have gained courage to fight enemy tanks, before making attempts that were difficult to be subjected to cold nights and violent wind that during the fighting they spent in the open, often continuously harassed the enemy and inadequate equipment grelelor evidence that must pass. "He gave all realize that there was another way of survival.

Unlike other cases, the failures were attributed to their German allies, most of the 20 Division officers who survived the hell of Stalingrad showed good cooperation in arms with the German troops. Lieutenant-Colonel Padureanu, chief of staff of the division, stressed that the relations with Romanian troops from the Army 6 until the last German soldier, squad leader or sentinel, were held very loyal and understanding of the gaps and needs our all. We have always helped with everything they had more than us. "Tataranu general himself reported on December 9, 1942, that the supply of food and ammunition, and discharges are made in the same condition by German units, the Romanian military receive the same rati as German troops.


source : wikipedia.org despre Generalul N.Tataranu

This post has been edited by ocoleanui on January 14, 2010 08:23 pm

Thank you very much, ocolenui, for your effort. I'll try to find this book, and I/ll do may best. I heard about it, but I don't managed to find it, yet. I'll try to anticars and other possibilities.
Thank you again.

You can always check the Order of battle on the website: http://www.worldwar2.ro/oob/?section=11

I forget about it, but thank's to MMM, I come back with some explanations.
My avatar is taken by an old photo of my grandfather elder brother, Nicolae, who served in Reg 83 Inf and he's MIA at Stalingrad. In this photo he was wearing uniform with caporal badges and helmet. I must take just a part of the photo and decrease the contrast, for let that be my avatar. The last word from him was a post card dated 19 September 1942.
A few words about my granfather family. It was a family from Apuseni Mountains, a village called Marisel, from where it was Pelaghia Rosu and his son, Indrei, who fought with bravery in 1949 against Hungarian troops. My grand-grandfather was in AU army in ww1, and fought in Italy and France.
After ww1, his family moved to Marna, a village near Carei, to start a new life. My grand/grandfather died in 1930, and he left 6 boys and a girl, who died in his early life. In 1940, after the Northern part of Transylvania was ceased to Hungary, they must became refugees near Turda. The ww2 begins for Romania, and the elder 4 brothers, including my grandfather, were send to Eastern front. In late 1941, somebody in Army reach at the fact that there were 4 brothers who were on front line, and decided that one must be sent home. This one was my grandfather, because he was the only student from the brothers, in 1st year at the college. He was sent home. Not home, but at the college. All the other brothers were MIA, Nicolae, as I said, at Staligran, Teodor, in 1944 in Moldova, when Red Army broke the front line at 20 August (the last time when one man from his village, who escape, saw him). Ion, was MIA in 1943, but he come back with Horea, Closca si Crisan division. Were some propositions to him, to remain in army, but he refused and come back in his village and become peasant. He died in 1996.
Until the end of the war, the other two little brothers were under arms. They took part at Western campaign, in Hungary and Czeckoslovakia. My grandfather, who was sent home, died in 1997. Today lives just the little one from six brothers. Nicolae, my avatar, left home a wife and one daughter. His daughter passed away in 1996.
I know it is a real story, but can look unbeliaveble. Because, a few years ago, when I traveled by train with an Englishman, we talk a lot about history and ww2. He was very proud that his grandmother knows at that time the only survivor from Hood battleship. After that, I tells him my family story, and he was really impresed. When we descend from the train, a Romanian who pretends himself that he was sleeping in the compartiment, or he pretends that he don't understand English, come to me just to shake my hand. I was very touched.