ww2 battlefields in Romania

[Dragos1984]

can any one tell some ww2 battlfields in Romania where they took place.

[Florin]

QUOTE

can any one tell some ww2 battlfields in Romania where they took place.

Moldavia and Transylvania witnessed most of the ground fights.
Muntenia (Wallachia) was "just" bombed, and got few days of fights in August 1944.
Oltenia and Dobrogea were not bombed, and saw few days of fights in August 1944.

It is interesting to remember that the heavy Russian tank Josef Stalin was used for the first time in front of Iasi city, where it encountered the Tiger I's of GrosseDeutchland regiment.

It was a bad surprise for the Germans fighting in front of Iasi that the frontal armor of their Tiger I's was penetrated by the Josef Stalin tank. This made them even more determined to replace Tiger I with Tiger II. Tiger II saw first combat in the beginning of August 1944 in Poland, and in Normandy in July 1944 (those in France had Porsche turret).

Also it is interesting to remember that the first raid ever to be performed by the USAF over Europe was not against Germany, but against Ploesti in Romania, in 1942.

[Dragos1984]

hi thanks for the information
I would like to know more on the exact location and pin point some battle fields.

[ioni]

Some time ago, I read an article about the Targu Frumos battle. It is one of the most famous battles fought on Romanian soil, mainly due to the German commander skills. It is part of the strategy and tactics course at West Point, USA. It seems that the German Commander managed to destroy a huge number of russian tanks, which stop the russian advanced for a while. I wonder if one has the details on this action to make them public.

[PanzerKing]

Sorry for the off topic, but I have a question "ioni", are you a Black Sabbath fan?

[Florin]

QUOTE

...I would like to know more on the exact location and pin point some battle fields.

Heavy fights were around Paulis, in Transylvania, and along the valley of the Mures river. At "Oarba de Mures" thousands and thousands of Romanian soldiers died in something resembling more with a massacre than with a battle.
At Paulis the losses of the Romanian troops were substantial, mostly because many of the troops saw combat for the first time in that place, and some of them were actually students from universities, mobilized to become in time reservist officers, but they were not ready for what expected them at Paulis.

Near Arad, strong German enforcements, coming from Yugoslavia and other areas, kept to halt the Romanian-Russian advance for about 2 months, up to October 1944. A part of Arad, including the center, was occupied by the Germans for some days in September, during those heavy fights.

Well, about Tirgu-Frumos you were already told. At the eve of the coupe d'etait from August 23, all Moldova along the Prut river was already a bloody battlefield, and there was an order of general retreat along Siret.

[DevanG]

[quote]The first known operation which saw the IS-IIs took place in Romania in April 1944 were the newly formed 11th Separate Guards Heavy tank Regiments fought several skirmishes against the s.Pz.Abt. 503. A Soviet tank was knocked out but the Germans could only take a brief look at it before being forced to retreat. A month later, ever in Rumania, near the town of Tirgu Frumos, another engagement along the line of the Soviet strategic trust in the Southern front took place. Tigers from the Gross Deautschland Panzergrenadierdivision engaged the IS-2s on long ranges.

General Hasso von Manteuffel, commander of the German Korps in the area, said: "It was a surprise discovering that, while my Tigers started to hit them from a 2,200 metres range, our projectiles were not able to pierce them until we got to about half of such a distance. But I was able to counter their technical superiority by manouvering to use in the best possible way the ground cover."

He intended that the Russians failed to hit small targets over the 1,200 metres: this was undoubtely due to the IS' poor aiming system and the usual difficulties to lock the target on long ranges. But it was certainly a bad surprise for the Tigers' crews (and for that handful of Tiger IIs just entered in service) to receive a 122mm 56 pounds projectiles fired by an IS-2. On 2,000 metres the 122mm was able to pierce the Tiger's front armor. The Germans could not fire anymore while standing up on their tanks.

[/quote]

the adress is :
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters...is/is_serie.htm

i just read it a month ago too ...

[dragos03]

Oltenia was also bombed. A large part of Craiova was destroyed.

[Carol I]

Iasi could qualify as a WWII battlefield in Romania because fierce street fights took place there in August 1944.

Looking at the location of WWII cemeteries in northern Moldavia, battles also took place in the Slovaci area (near Solca), northwest of Pascani and close to Letcani.