In the 1978 Romanian war movie "Ecaterina Teodoroiu", there is a scene after she escapes from the Germans when the Romanians are involved in destroying a German rail artillery piece that was threatening Târgu Jiu. Same story appears in our 4th class history books at school, being cosidered the source of her nickname "The Jiu Heroine", but there is no mention about this episode in any of her official biography, also being no mention about any German or Austro-Hungarian rail artillery used on this specific section of the front, neither in 1916 or 1917. Unfortunately, I can not remember the minute in the movie where that appears, but I want to know how real is that episode, shredded in mistery and Communist propaganda? Does it have anything true as an origin, or was inspired from? I searched on a list of German rail guns from WW1, but none looks to be used on the Romanian front.

Or, dear Andrei, you were looking for a wrong "nationality" in the case of the said armored train.

In an academic military history series ("Istoria militara a poporului roman", Ed. Militara, 6 volumes) published before 1989, in the 5th volume (dedicated to WW 1) there was a picture with AN AUSTRIAN(HUNGARIAN) ARMORED TRAIN on the Transylvanian front, in 1916. It might also fit the story involving E. Teodoroiu and the actions on tha Jiu Valley.

This post has been edited by Agarici on November 26, 2017 10:30 pm

In 1978 the socialist Hungary was still "friend" with socialist Romania, so everywhere in the Romanian socialist propaganda of the moment, from Romanian movies to the comics of "Cutezătorii" magazine, the Romanian soldiers were fighting with German soldiers only.
This addresses both previous comments.

Indeed, the Austro-Hungarian army used at least one armoured train during the counter-offensive from the autumn of 1916. But both in the movie and the story, the owners of the armoured train were the Germans. So, this may be a bit a bit puzzleing. More than that, in the biographies of the "Jiu Heroine" there is no mention of destroyung such a weapon, which would lead to the question if that episode actually happened, was a product of the communist propaganda or had a truth as origin. Here is a fragment from Dumitru Almaș' story:

Dear Sirs,
I'm put forward a couple of links.

Photo Gallery - Imperial War Museum
Photo of Austro-Hungarian Armored Trains not found.

The German Army in the Romanian campaign, 1916-1918
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205081469
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205081470
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205081471

Photo collection - Das Bundesarchiv, Germany
Photo of Austro-Hungarian Armored Trains in Romania not found.

Im Osten, Karpaten.- Ein mit Astwerk getarnter Panzerzug an einer Bahnstation. 1915 Frühling (In the east, Carpathians.- An armored train, camouflaged with branches, at a railway station. 1915 spring)
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dev01/barc...k3ud_layout.jpg


Photo collection - Austrian Kriegsarchiv in Vienna

Panzerzug IV, der beim rumänischen Einfall in Brasso gute Dienste leistete, auf der Station in Schäßburg. 30.09.1916 (Armoured Train No. IV, which served well during the Romanian invasion of Brasso, at the station in Schässburg. 30.09.1916)
http://www.archivinformationssystem.at/det...aspx?ID=2014687

Few days ago, on a TV program, was a little story about the first pieces of National Mil. Museum. An Austro-Hungarian " Mortar - train " ... who threatened Tg. Jiu rail-station. This big weapon is somewhere at The Nat.Mil.Museum, in good condition, nice paint ...
So, ask at the Museum.

http://smap.mapn.ro/muzeumilitar/expozitii/325.html

Indeed, this was the photo from the book I was talking about. The train was labeled as being in action in Transylvania in 1916. Thank you, Jiri!

http://www.archivinformationssystem.at/det...aspx?ID=2014687

Can you please give me a link to that certain TV program? I know there are 2 rail pieces at the National Military Museun: a 380mm Skoda Howitzer Nr.2 "Godrun" and a 420mm Haubitze. Both have been captured by the Romanian Army at Gyor in 1919 during the Hungarian-Romanian War. I know these two have been used on the Italian front, not in Romania.

I don't remember exactly what TV chanel was. A news one. But the programs come and ... go. I remember it was an interview whit somebody in the garden at Nat. Mil. Museum ... and at first search I found the gun, except for the story. That's all.

Finally got an image from the movie. Sorry for bad resolution...

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_2017_12/...84088e8ce9b.png

Well...is this the end of the story?

Finally, something that can make this story more clear:

If there was no armoured train I used during the battle for Târgu Jiu, was the story invented by the communist propaganda machine in order to create character development for Ecaterina? Because, as I already mentioned, only just in the movie from 1978 and the the story "Ecaterina Teodoroiu, the Jiu Heroine" from the novels book "Historic Tales" - which is a large source of historucal innacuracies, overglorified characters and communist propaganda (last stories in the series were even talking about how mighty were the "soviet liberators" and dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu). The truth is that, during the communist regime, there was a large heroes' coult and accent put on nationalism, the Jiu Heroine being one of the main characters who got a lot of mysticism during this era.

I also got a photo of the armoured train and rail gun as they are depicted in the 1978 movie (sorry forow quality, it was hard to get), together with images from "Historic Tales":