Romanians on the Italian Front 1915-1918

For Klemen (reply to his message dd. Jan 16, 2008

Re: EMIL REBREANU

E.R. was drafted in 1914 as an underlieutenant in a hussar (dragoon) regiment.

Source: VALER POP's memoirs (one of the 2 Romanian officials who signed Vienna Diktat in 1940, awarding one third of Transylvania to Horthy's Hungary). VALER POP and E.R. were schoolmates and drafted at the same time. However, VALER POP does not specify number of REBREANU's regiment. Probably easier to find more details in LIVIU REBREANU's memorial house.

Romanians ex-AH soldiers, POW at italians, raised a romanian regiment called "Horea" in order to fight as volunteers against AH monarchy. They fought on italian front.
They came in Romania in 1919 and in 10 may 1919 they changed name in 97 Infantry Regiment "Odorhei", after their later teritory of recruitment.

Hello Mateias,

Thank you for this information, Mateias. It strikes me a suprise that Rebreanu was a cavalry officer. I was always under impressioned that he was an infantry officer. The cavalry has namely not seen much of the action on the Italian Front between 1915 and 1916, when Rebreanu escaped to Romania. Still, it's good to know. At least we know now where to look.

Interesting... What about Valer Pop's memoirs? Does he dedicate a chapter in them to his service in World War I? In the Austro-Hungarian Army? Which regiment did he go to??? Speaking of memoires did you have perhaps any luck with Dominic Stanca's or Zaharia Boila's memoires?
---------------------------------
Hello 21 inf,

Where on the Italian Front? I know that Czechoslovak and Yugoslav Legions saw service on the Italian Front and I know that some Polish officers were also used for propaganda role by the Italians, but I have never come upon any information confirming that any of the companies of the Romanian Legion took part in the actual fighting. Can you therefore shed any light on this subject???

Best regards to both of you.

Klemen

Klemen, as soon as I'll found that info, I'll share.
The subject is still under my research, so I cant say more now.

For Klemen,

One of the most important Transylvanian-born officer who fought for A-H army (WW1) and German army (WW2) is ARTUR PHLEPS (probably ARTHUR). His best references helped him in getting a chair at the Romanian military academy in inter-war period. Plenty of info on him in English, French, German, Romanian.

For a start
URL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artur_Phleps

Mateias

This post has been edited by mateias on November 26, 2008 06:54 pm

For Klemen,

Some details on VALERIU POP, former officer in A-H army and later in a new Romanian regiment (in 1919).
Data taken from his memoirs "AMINTIRI POLITICE. 1936-1945", Vestala Publishing House, Bucharest, 1999, 238 pages (no pictures, no maps).

His participation to WW1 in pages 178-187 as an artillery officer.

Interesting literary style (very short phrases), combining personal life with events on all fronts. Thus you have a better image on everything.

Drafted to Vienna on July 27, 1914 (the Arsenal, heavy artillery regiment - sedentary section). Moved to 7th Batallion (Komarom) - cpt. Schneider. 2 months training in the fortress. Promoted to Vormeister. NCO school in Komarom at 6ht Regiment - heavy artillery. Promoted to corporal. Selected as a trainer. Promoted to Feuerwerker Kadettaspirant (In parallel, IULIAN POP, his brother, was drafted in IR63).
30 May 1916 - departure to Italy (Vienna-Innsbruck-Trient). Tione, Pinzolo. Col. Seyfried's sector (alignment Care Alto-Ospedale-Stava-Roca-Ragada-Tresanella. Glaciers beyond Como di Lares, retreat thru Furgiroda pass (2800m), Val Lares, Seniciaga. Small detachment commanded by underlieutenant Mates (Czech). Dismantled cannons carried to 2100m (helped by Russian POWs and villagers from Carisolo).
ROMANIAN ENTERS THE WAR (Aug. 1916)
Promoted to underlieutenant (Faenrich). Observation post on Gruberspitze. Winter.
Italian attack against Como di Cavento outpost (3450m). No losses, 0ver 2000 Italian attackers captured. Award for bravery Signum Laudis. Sent to Trient to attend telephone communications course. Charged with telephone communications for the whole front sector, attached to artillery Gruppenkommando located on Stavel.
1918 - Brest Litovsk
Dispatched to Vienna to attend course on toxic gas protection (great misery, famine and moral destitution in Vienna; luxury in Budapest).
Administrative adjutant to major Humbold, artillery commander. Informed on setting up a Romanian Legion in Italy (POWs). Fieldmarshal Koves charged with defence of Danube alignment. No moves on Italian front. Italian offensive on Piave and toward Vittorio Veneto. Breakthru in Tonale pass. Forced march to Bozen. Captured by Italians and led to Tonale. Prisoner in Ponte di Legno. Propagandists sent by the Czech Legion. Sent to Cittaducale where Romanian officer POWs are concentrated into a Romanian Legion commanded by Gen. Ferigo, former Italian military attache to Romania.
Problems within the Italian army (lack of discipline and respect paid to officers). Repatriation is accelerated. March to Tarranto harbour. Aboard the Italian S/S is col. THOMPSON (later Lord Thompson, War Minister), former British military attache to Romania. In Constantza harbour on 17 April (Good Friday). After holiday, his battalion assigned mission in campaign against the Hungarian Red Army. 9 May 1919 - in Cluj (Koloszvar), assigned to Artillery Regiment 32 (col. Vladescu). Early July 1919 - demobilized.

CONCLUSION: VALERIU POP saw action only in Italy (conscripted from 1914-1918 in A-H army). In the Romanian Royal army conscripted, but did not actually go to the front areas.

Mateias

This post has been edited by mateias on November 29, 2008 08:58 pm

For Klemen,

IOAN BOERIU (1859-1949) is the Romanian-born officer who reached the highest rank in both A-H army and Romanian Royal army.
He commanded IR76 (Esztergom, Hungary) and for his exploits was awarded several military orders (Theresian, Leopold), including the title of Baron von Polichna (colonel David Urs was also Baron, von Margina/Marginea/correct is Margineni near Fagaras: 1816-1897).
BOERIU commanded all Romanian regiments (60,000 troops) stationed in Vienna and outskirts, being charged by the last Imperial War Minister to crush the Bolshevik rebellion in Vienna (1918) and he also helped the Czech to become independent, sending there a Romanian regiment.
In the Romanian Royal army BOERIU was the first commander of the newly set-up 7th Army Corps (1920-1921). At retirement age was replaced by gen. HENRI CIHOSKY. He also served as the commander of the Sibiu garrison (Hermanstadt).
BOERIU died in 1949.
There are several links in Romanian dealing with BOERIU and DAVID URS bios (including pictures).
The most detailed ones :
http://www.asociatiunea-astra.ro/site/fp/d18nr8182.doc

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Urs_de_Margina



Mateias

This post has been edited by mateias on November 29, 2008 09:35 pm

My friends, it seems that slowly things are changing....

On Monday, 1st December 2008, Mrs. Dana Manuela Constantinescu, the current Romanian ambassador in Slovenia, unveiled a monument dedicated to the Romanian soldiers who were killed on the Isonzo Front from 1915 to 1917. The ceremony took place on the military cemetery in Branik in the Vipava Valley, where many Romanians, who fought during the conflict mostly on the Carso sector of the front, were laid to their final rest.



A monument unveiled in honour of the fallen Romanians on the Isonzo Front

Hello Mateias,

Thank you mateias for this brief but very useful synopsis of Valeriu Pop's memoires. So if I am understanding you right the chapter where he speaks about his experiences in World War I is a mixture of extracts from his personal life combined with the events worldwide and other front, meaning that he doesn't write in the first person while expressing his feelings and observations while stationed on the front? Correct?

Would it be possible somehow for you to scan these nine pages from his memoir, where he describes his odssey in World War I?

Still, it is interesting to read here the life story of a man who later became a famous character in the political life in Romania and who served during the war in the k.u.k. Austro-Hungarian Army. It would be nice if you would keep watch for any further such memoires... I think I have already mentioned this to you, but one of the last good source about Romanians in the A-H army could be the memoires of Romanians from Transilyania, like Valeriu Pop, who might have included a chapter or two about their war experiences in their memoires. By searching for such books we sometimes actually get lucky... I know for myself that I did discover some great books by this method.

Speaking of them Mateias is there any chance you could also somehow obtain copies of Dominic Stanca's memoires "Intre doua fronturi" (Cluj, Editura Patria, 1935) and Zaharia Boila's memoires "Memorii" (Cluj, Biblioteca Apostrof, 2007) - see the link:



Link: http://www.ne-cenzurat.ro/arhiva/necenzura...19_cultura.html

Zaharia Boila was 21 when the war started. This was also the age when men were drafted for service.

best regards,

Klemen

By the way: I have finally been able to find a website which provided some details about Dominic Stanca's military service in World War I - he served as a regimental surgeon with the 3rd Honved Hussar Regiment in Bukowina and Montello (Piave). Here is the link:

Link: http://ro-gateway.ro/node/195193/comnews/item?item_id=198997

This post has been edited by Klemen on December 03, 2008 06:46 pm

Hello Mateias,

Thank you for this wonderful material about General Boeria. He is already a known man in my book. Rest assure. here are some material about him and the action which won him the highest military decoration of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy - the MMThO.

Johann BOERIU




and here is another Romanian MMThO recipient - Major Konstantin POPOVICI


Happen to know his place and date of death???

best regards,

Klemen

A friend of mine sent me this morning a couple of photographs from the Romanian memorial service in Rihemberk in early December last year, so I thought to post here a couple of them for you to see them... And to see the monument, of course.

















Klemen

Klemen, thank you and your friend for this images from the comemoration of romanian soldiers who died in your country.

I saw a few men wearing ww1 uniforms participating to the comemoration. Are they reenactors? Can you give me some info about them or put in contact with them as I am myself a reenactor from 3rd transylvanian volunteer regiment Avram Iancu who fought in ww1?

It's a small world...

The AH reenactors belong to a slovenian historical assciation that commemorates the traditions of the 87th KuK Infantry Regiment (see: http://www.drustvo-ir87.si/e_i.htm ).

We have met them during the historical show of Komarom, Hungary, of September 2004. ( http://www.6dorobanti.ro/img/articles/11b8659833.jpg ). Even if they wore austro-hungarian uniforms, they "fought" beside us because the romanian detachment was too small.

It was nice they have commemorate the ethnic romanian soldiers who died in Slovenia during WW1. It would be great if a group of romanian volunteers of the 3rd Regiment "Avram Iancu", would also attend that event...

Maybe next time...



This post has been edited by Kepi on January 04, 2009 07:43 pm

Monument dedicat eroilor români

Luni 1 decembrie 2008, Oficiul Naţional pentru Cultul Eroilor împreună cu Ambasada României in Republica Slovenia a oganizat ceremonia dezvelirii Monumentul eroilor romani ridicat în localitatea Branik, situată la circa 100 km de Ljubljana.

Monumentul marcheaza locurile de înhumare ale celor 47 de militari români din cimitirul local şi va fi un simbol în amintirea celor peste 500 prizonieri români precum şi a miilor de eroi români morţi pe câmpurile de luptă din Slovenia (1915-1918), ca soldaţi k.u.k. (trupe cezaro-crăieşti).

În Primul Război Mondial, teritorii slovene şi româneşti făceau parte din Imperiul Austro-Ungar astfel încât peste 20 000 români au fost înrolaţi în armata imperială şi trimişi pe frontul din Slovenia, numărul celor căzuţi în luptă fiind necunoscut până în prezent.

Pentru materializarea acestui proiect, Ambasada Romaniei la Ljubljana a desfasurat, pe intreg teritoriul Sloveniei, o bogata activitate de documentare prin vizitarea a numeroase locuri de inhumare, contactatea autoritatilor locale, consultarea surselor referitoare la Primul Razboi Mondial la dispozitie in Muzeele din Nova Gorica si Kobarid.

Unul din motivele pentru care a fost ales ca loc de amplasare al monumentului Cimitirul militar Branik I este acela ca in acest cimitir se gaseste crucea originala ridicata de familie, imediat dupa terminarea razboiului, pentru soldatul Vasile Bona din satul Ilova, judetul Caras Severin.

Pe tot parcursul derularii acestui proiect, Ambasada Romaniei s-a bucurat de sprijinul Oficiului National pentru Cultul Eroilor – O.N.C.E. iar Regia Autonoma a Serviciilor de Trafic Aerian – ROMATSA R.A. si Fundatia „Tender” au contribuit alaturi de O.N.C.E la finantarea lui.

URL: http://ljubljana.mae.ro/index.php?lang=ro&id=75434 (the link includes some additional photographs)