Romanian army peacetime organization

[CNE503]

Hi CNE503,

It certainly would be.

I am a bit old school. I can post photocopies to you, if you are prepared to send me a postal address by PM.

Cheers,

Sid.

Sid, of course. I'm doing this immediatly.
CNE503

[CNE503]

As you can see, as in the French (and German...) system, there is an arithmetic logic to the numbering of the unit related to a corps.
First of all, every units were numbered in the 20 and 30 series, because the previous ones were attributed to the active divisions (from 1 to 21).
- I Corps had a 31st Reserve Division;
- II Corps had a 32nd Reserve Division;
- V Corps had a 25th and a 35th Reserve Divisions.
Nevertheless, the 30th Reserve Division (I Corps) and the 27th Reserve Division (VI Corps) didn't fit to this scheme. But since there was no X Corps, the number 30 was vacant and could be used. Moreover, the 27th could have been previously in VII Corps area and changed its subordination at one time or another.
So it is not impossible at all that III Corps had one or two reserve divisions numbered 23 or 33, IV Corps 24 or 34, and even VII Corps could have had either a 37 or a 26 or 36.

Additional thinking about the numerotation system of the Romanian reserve artillery:
- I Corps: 51st and 52nd Artillery Regiments (30th Reserve Division, derivated from 2nd Infantry Division), 53th and 54th Artillery Regiments (31st Reserve Division, derivated from 11th Infantry Division);
- II Corps: 55th and 56th Artillery Regiments (32nd Reserve Division, derivated from 10th Infantry Division);
- III Corps: no regiment;
- IV Corps: no regiment;
- V Corps: 61st and 62nd Artillery Regiments (25th Reserve Division, derivated from 5th Infantry Division), 63rd and 64th Artillery Regiments (35th Reserve Division, derivated from 6th Infantry Division);
- VI Corps: 67th and 68th Artillery Regiments (27th Reserve Division, derivated from 18th Infantry Division).

As you can see, the exact numbers for the III and IV Corps are empty (it should have been 57 and 58 for III Corps, 59 and 60 for IV Corps), as well as those for VII Corps (69 and 70).

My assessment is that there were at least three other reserve divisions, hypothetically a 23rd or 33rd Reserve Division derivated from 12nd, 15th or 21st Infantry Divisions; a 24th or 34th derivated from 7th, 8th or 14th Infantry Divisions; a 37th (?) derivated from 1st, 4th or 19th Infantry Divisions.
The blind spot of this thinking is that a reserve division numbered in 27 was deployed in the VI Corps area, whereas it should have been a 26 or a 36.

Last but not least, during my researches, evidences pointed out that at least 26th*, 33rd** and 34th*** Reserve Divisions existed for a time. It should fill the gaps for at least III (33rd) and IV (34th) Corps (and probably VII Corps).

Regards,
CNE503

* For 26th Reserve Division, see here: http://www.geocities.ws/dangrecu/D26I.html
1939.
3.9.39: formed ?
1940.
9.40: grouped around ROMAN.
1.11.40: disbanded.

** For 33rd Reserve Division, see here: http://www.geocities.ws/dangrecu/D33I.html
1939.
3.9.39: formed as reserve division.
as of 15.11.1939: grouped in the second line, in VASLUI area.
1940.
as in 6.40: deployed on the Nistru, in Rezina area (S of SOROCA).
9.40: following Bessarabia's occupation by USSR, the division withdrew and was redeployed in Răducăneni area (SE of IAŞI)
1.11.40: disbanded.

*** For 34th Reserve Division, see here: http://www.geocities.ws/dangrecu/D34I.html
1939.
3.9.39: formed as reserve division.
as of 15.11.1939: grouped in Bucovina the second line, in Cârlibaba area (as Detaşamentul ''Special'').
1940.
as in 8.40: always grouped in Bucovina, NE of RĂDĂUŢI.
9.40: grouped SW of FĂLTICENI, with the Detaşament 34 Inf. deployed on the new Bucovinian frontier, NE of RĂDĂUŢI.
1.11.40: disbanded.

Even though there are evidences that these reserve divisions weren't disbanded until January 1941.

[Sid Guttridge]

HI CNE503,

I have got your address. I will send the material as soon as possible. Due to Covid-19 lockdown, I don't know where the nearest available photocopier is, so it might take a couple of days. I'll let you know when it is posted.

The material I am sending is apparently from three German military magazine articles entitled, "Die Rumänische Wehrmacht im Jähre 1941" written by "St. Martin". Unfortunately, I don't have the magazine title or year.

I see I have other material as well. Is there anything else you are still looking for?

I presume you have a copy of Third Axis, Fourth Ally?

Certainly, I would very much like to see your work when finished.

My suspicion is that the missing Reserve divisions may be the result of the territorial losses of 1940.

Cheers,

Sid

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi CNE503,

Google is a wonderful thing. I have found the source:

http://www.heereskunde.de/fileadmin/Bil ... 19-Web.pdf

It is in issues 140, 141 and 142 of 1955. I was born right in the middle of them coming out!

Cheers,

Sid

[CNE503]

Hello Sid,

Yes, of course, I have the excellent Axworthy's Third Axis, Fourth Ally. And several other books about Romania in WWII.
I'm not looking for that much about the Romanian royal army, I found what I've long searched about the 2nd mixed Guards Brigade, for instance. I'm currently working on the campaign from the "static war" to the fall of Odessa (June 22nd-October 16th, 1941), regarding the general performance of the Romanian units and the particular support that German training (for the armored division, 5th, 6th and 13th Infantry Divisions) and liaison and mentoring teams (deutsches Verbindungskommandos) provided.

This part will highlight the good performance of the mountain and cavalry units in the liberation of Bucovina, the failure of 35th Reserve Division in July 1941, the major role of Divizia 1 Blindata in the liberation of Chisinau, the Romanian implication in Crimea alongside the 11. Armee, the major Romanian setback in Odessa and the German contribution (Kampfgruppe von Courbière), the role played by the Romanian 3rd Army in the battle of the Sea of Azov. Probably I will add something on the air and naval campaigns.
If you have something relevant to these topics, please feel free to send it too!

You're quite right about your suspicion, because lost territories were on III and VI Corps areas - so it fits for 26th and 33rd Reserve Divisions. It doesn't fit for the IV Corps area and the 34th Reserve Division though, which was the Moldavian corps just aside the new border with USSR in July 1940.

CNE503

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi CNE503,

The article has 2nd Guard Brigade as:

2nd Guard Infantry Regiment (Caransebes) (ex-6th Infantry Regt.)
3rd Guard Infantry Regiment (Sibiu) (ex-2nd Jaeger Regt.)
4th Guard Infantry Regiment (Medgidia) (ex-9th Jaeger Regt.)

I think, from memory, that it may have provided the infantry for the Frontier Division. The division's two artillery regiments were based in Bucharest.

Cheers,

Sid.

[CNE503]

Concerning the Brigade 2 Mixta Garda, it was raised on October 20th, 1940 from the disbanded Divizia 2 Garda and other elements, with the specific task of maintaining order in and protecting the strategic counties of the Prahova river (Prahova and Dambovita, where the Romanian oil was mainly extracted). It was set up with three borderguard regiments (Regimente 2, 3 and 4 Graniceresc) and one artillery regiment (Regimentul 1 Artilerie Garda).
It may have changed its organization after June 1941. It was expanded on March 15th, 1942 to a full division (Divizia 2 Garda), with the same infantry regiments but two artillery regiments (Regimente 3 and 4 Artilerie Garda). On May 5th, 1943, the division was merged with the depleted Divizia 18 Infanterie as Divizia 18 Munte (18th Mountain Division).

The regiments you mentioned may have been the regiments that were in the pre-1940 Divizia 2 Garda (which had an organic infantry brigade) but more probably it was the regiments belonging to the Divizia 1 Garda (which infantry was organized with the crack Regiment Garda "Mihai Bravul", Regiment 1 Vânători Gardă no.2 "Regina Elisabeta" and Regiment 2 Vânători Gardă no.9 "Regele Alexandru", which became on June 12th, 1942 Regiment 6 Dorobanţi de Gardă "Mihai Viteazu", Regimente 2 and 9 Vânători Gardă - Vanatori is the Romanian term for "hunters"/"Jägers", Dorobanti for regular infantry).

CNE503

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi CNE503,

I have copied the article.

I have also found a very faded list of the commanders and "Comand.Sec." of each Romanian formation that seems to date from late 1940 or early 1941. As Dumitrescu is given as commander of 1st Army, it is presumably a bit before the outbreak of Romania's war. It is in Romanian but probably reached me via microfilmed German documents I photocopied in the Imperial War Museum. Do you want a copy?

Cheers,

Sid.

[CNE503]

Yes, I do, of course. Thank you very much, Sid.
My knowledge of Romanian "Generalat" (generals) is improveable for 1940 and the first semester of 1941...

Regards,
CNE503

[CNE503]

One of my gap concerns the name of the general who commanded the 21st Infantry Division in late June 1940, when the Soviets invaded Bessarabia and northern Bucovina. He was relieved for incompetence, but I didn't succeed in finding who he was.
CNE503

[CNE503]

Divizia 25 Infanterie Rezerva saw (very limited) action during the evacuation of Bessarabia, late June and early July 1940.
Its recon battalion and the recon coy of its 48th Infantry Regiment under capitan Ioan Toba pushed back a Soviet penetration in Putna on July 6th, 1940.
See: https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidentu ... iulie_1940

CNE503

[tigre]

Hello to all ; a query........................

Sibiu-Hermannstadt 1941.

Pictured here is General Hube,16. Pz Div, talking to a senior Romanian officer (general?) in Sibiu-Hermannstadt in early 1941. Any chance of identifying the Romanian officer?

Source: http://www.ebay.ch/itm/Div-Grosdeutschl ... SwJQdW~mNs

Cheers. Raúl M .