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WorldWar2.ro Forum > WW1 and Regional Wars (1912-1919) > The Battle of Marasesti

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 11:12 am

So I try to translate the Marasesti Battle…. from the book” The History of the War for Re-Whole Romania” by Constantin Kiritescu.......It also has to be sayd That our Queen,Queen-Marie of Romania is of the British Royal Family and our King,King Ferdinad is of the German Royal Family.Also the capital Bucharest was occupied by the Germans,in which time Romania was made out only by Moldavia ,where this battle takes place.So breaking this Front was of great importance for the Germano-Austro-Hungarian Armies. The Battle of Marasesti (8th -9th of August) The Germans are planning to conquer Moldavia. The two Romanian armies were not mastering their movements;they were caught in the big Russian front,which was streched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea,like two components of a long chain.The wave movements of the chain were pulling forth and back the two parts of the said chain,without in our power to stop them or change their movement,nomatter how strong was the local impuls.So,the earthqake like shaking of the Russian front,produced by the defeat they suffered in Galitia,stopped the advance of The Second Army at Marast(romanian)i and suffocated at birth The First Army(romanian) at Namoloasa. In the mean time,the defeat of the Russians has transformed itself in a dezaster.At 19th of July,the russian front in Galitia was broken at Zloczew,and afer five days,at 24th of July,at the day of Marasti,Tarnopol was falling in conditions that were throwing for the first time a veil of shame over the russian revolutionary army.It was not just a simple military defeat:it was a revealing phenomenon of a state of spirit very concerning.The Russian army was touched in her fundation by the revolutionary propaganda:it was in full decomposition.The Russian military power was falling.Many regiments refused,after long hours of discussions,to execute orders.They were leaving the trenches without putting up a fight,and sometimes even without being attacked by the enemy.The contageousness of disorder was spreading like a disease;in front of the Austro-Hungar army which was no longer an army to fight for victory. Following their easy victory, the Austro - Hungarian front from Galitia was spreading its advance to the right wing. At third of August ,Bucovina was again-almost entirely in the hands of the Austro-Hungarians, and archduke Iosif was paying for the cheap triumphal entering to Cernauti. The most advanced enemy line was touching the russian and romanian borders.One moment the russian army seemed to recollect itself.Kornilov was named general and was taking drastic measures. He supressed the soldiers comities,forbiding the meetings,reestablished the death punishment,thus introducing an iron discipline. On the other hand following the enemy was getting harder.The Austro –Hungarians were not expecting the extraordinary success they had,and they had not gathered in time all the means as to exploit it.The complete distruction of the roads and railways,operated by the Russians in retreat,was making difficult for the enemy to advance. In the end,after occupying Cernauti,the enemy had to stop,exhausted,in front of the border of Basarabia and Moldavia,looking with a hungry eye,but powerless,at the reachness of those lands of plenty.The russian resistance managed to reorganize itself on the old frontier between Galitia and Russia. More than the formidable advance ,on a depth of 120km,the result Austro-German counteroffensive n the Galitian front it was the decomposition of the Russian army.this state of facts was opening to the enemy new and glorious strategig perspectives.Ludendorff was not the kind of man as to not take advantage of the situation.Conquering Basarabia and Moldavia,occupation of Odessa,where some of the most cherished of goals.To crush one of the fighting states,to unbirth an army,to put another sovereign on the road of mercy,to get hold of the rich grains of Moldavia and Basarabia, to dominate the Black Sea from Odessa,all of these things accomplished with risks and losses not important,meant not only a rentabil enterprise,but one of the most powerful blows given to the cohesion and its prestigeOfcourse it also meant to take out Russia from the alliance and pushing her to separate peace, an idea which has always had in Hindenburg and Ludendorff the most convinced partisans.The state of facts in Russia,deeply shaken by the revolution,could not bear ofcours another catastrofy. Taken out of the fight of Russia,followed then by Romania,meant also the freeing of the Austro –Hungarian forces which could get back to the headquarter of the Central Powers,to be used on the western fronts from where the decisive victory in The Great War was expected.That is why even when the Austro-Hungarian armies victorious at Zloczew,were beginning the march towards the Galitian frontier in pursuit of the Russian troops,which wereretreating in disorder,the Chief of German Staff ,fidel to their classic doctrine of enterprizing convergent actions on the two wings of the advers fron,started the plan to rebegin the offensive on the Romanian front.Moldavia was supposed to be attacked from two sides:from the north through Bucovina,and from South through the inferior valley of Siret River.Archduke Iosif was supposed to continue the offensive through Bucovina to the north of Moldavia,and Mackensen was ordered to prepeare the great offensive at Sire River,which was supposed to blow to pieces what was left of the Romanian independent state.Important military forces were moved from the western front to be sent to the marshal.The austrians brought two divisions from the Italian front,and the Germans brought from France,the French front,from Vosgi,the Alpine Bavarian Corps which,in 1916 campaign,was at the front of the german attack columns ,from Sibiu to Magura Odobestilor.Ludendorff was bringing again the elite of his army to Romania.a clear sign of the importance of the action which was to follow. .....

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 11:24 am

Changing roles and positions The German attack was supposed to take place in the region Fundeni-Namoloasa. Morgen was to force the pass ing over Siret River with five divisions, to to draw a veil from south to north,over our troops.we know the faith of such a plan. the Romanian offensive from Marasti, unleashed unexpectedly for the Germans, has smashed the enemy plan. He had then to renounce to the planned offensive and to proceed to a new grouping of his troops,for his own defense.In turn,our offensive at Marasti so brightly started and the one planned by us at Namoloasa had to be suspended,because of the threatening situation which was beginning to draw in the back of our front. The Austro-Hungarian armies were advancing in Galitia, without any serious obstacle. Bucovina and Basarabia were threatened. If the disorganization of the Russians would have continued,the north of Moldavia was to be without serious defence and exposed to the enemy invasion.The whole line of defence in the mountains region was threatened with retreat.In front of this tragic perspective, the commanding of thr Russian –Romanian troops decided to regroup the forces so that they could face an eventual attack which could come from Bucovina, threatening thus the north of Moldavia.It was decided to form an army of manuouver, which was to gather in the north of Moldavia and be able to attack on the flank the enemy which would advance from Bucovina, like a big punch in the rib of the enemy.this army would had to be formed of three Russian army corps such as: a)the XL Army Corps ,taken from the IX Russian Army,to which it formed the left wing,in the region of Oituz. It was taken out of its position and replaced by the II –nd Romanian Army , which elongated its right wing from Magura-Casinului to Doftana Valley,bringing to his front the 7th and 12th Divisions, from the reserve of the I-st Romanian Army.The replacement of those troops was made until 2nd of August. b)The Corps VII-th and XXX-th ,taken from IV-th Russian Army, to which it formed the left wing and center at Clipicesti,on Putna, till Movileni , on Siret River.For reoccupying this front,it was supposed that the most of the whole part of I-st Romanian Army ,which was on the eastern side of the Siret River, to be transported on the right one, replacing thus the two Russian Corps. The place of the I army will be replaced by elongating the right wing of the VI-th Russian Army which was occupying the lower Siret and Danube River front. From the VI- th Russian Army it was to remain only the VIII –th Russian Corps (three divisions),between the two Romanian armies ,from Clipicesti to Sarii Valley. Important movements of troops had to be made thus,in the region of Siret and Putna. The VI-th Russian Army ,started at 3rd of August to prolongue her front to the right,to replace I-st Romanian Army,til Liesti.At 5th of August,the operation was finished.Of the troops of the I-st Romanian Army ,was left to keep the front on the left side of the Siret River only 2nd Cavalry Division, from Liesti till near Biliesti. Divisions 5th ,9th ,13th and 14th which became available were withdrawn from the front and cantoned in the villages behind the front.From here they were to cross the river Siret on the four bridges thrown over the river, between Movileni and Cosmesti,to change the Russian divisions of the IV-th Russian Army ,one by one from left to right.This operation was to start in the night of 6th of August and to be finished by 10th of August, executed only during the night as to not be observed by the enemy. The six Divisions of the IV-th Russian Army ,taken out of the front together with three Divisions, taken out from the front of the IX-th Russian Army, completed also with two Cavalry Divisions, one Russian and one Romanian,will constitute the manouve army ,which was gathered at Roman for operations in the north of Moldavia. .....

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 11:37 am

The Double Austro- German offensive While the Russian-Romanian commandment was taking the measures shown above,to face the threat menacing from the north ,the German commandment was feverishly working prepearing its great offensive. The idea of the attack over Siret River, at Namploasa,which was supposed to clash with offensive started by the Romanians in the same point,was renounced because the our victory at Marasti.The new situation was suggesting to Ludendorff a new idea.The advancing of the II-nd Romanian Army until Putna Valley,was giving to the Romanian front,the shape of an very pronounced outward. Ludendorff thought that he can exploit the risky situation of this bag, with exposed flanks, by attacking it in the right and in the left, by a double movment of surrounding.Mackensen and Rohr were given the order to execute this double convergent offensive. The casts were given as follows: Mackensen will attack with the IX-th German Army at west of Siret River and will push straight forward ,from south to north ,following the right shore of Siret River, with the direction of Adjud. He will then turn the wing of the eastern IV –th Russian Army,which will throw to west,in the back of the II-nd Romanian Army,situated in the dangerous position, in Putna Valley. Rohr, the commander of the I- st Austro-Hungarian army in the mountains of Moldavia,will then attack with his right wing-Gerock Army –in the region of Oituz,to push in Trotus valley ,with the direction Est-West,towards Adjud,wher he will shake hand with Mackensen.There were two arms of a giant patent ,which moving convergent, one along Siret river,the other one along Trotus River ,where supposed to meet at Adjud ,where Trotus flows into Siret,thus closing between them II-nd Romanian Army and IV- th Russian Army. There was nothing left to do by the two armies then, with their communications and retreat lines along Putna valley and Susita Valley,intercepted by the enemy, only to try a disorderly retreat over the Mountain-massiv Zabrautu, which was heavy forested without roads and so on,under the pressure of the iron circle of the enemy,which was tightening more and more from west ,from south and from east.To capture these unorganiszed armies leftovers was a sure thing. The big offensive ,engineered by the Germans,will take place,so,in two battles.one along Siret River,the attack of Mackensen will unleash ,the memorabil battle named by the romaians “The Battle of Marasesti”,and by the germans ,named”The Battle of Runthrough of Putna and Susita”.In the mountaineous region, of the Slanic Valley,Oituz Valley and Casin Valley,Rohr will give the bloody battle named by the Romanians the “Battle of Oituz”,and named by the germans “the Battle for The Passes of Western Moldavia”**.Two main battles,given on fronts of tens of kilometers,with impozant enemy forces,which will be the most important military actions on our (Romanian )front in the second period of the Romanian war.Of their result will hang the faith of the war and of the country(Romania). The great German Hedquarter has done good mathematics on the map.Still thus making two mistakes of estimation.First,the Russian army was not in Moldavia ,by itself(alone),as they did in Galitia,and the second mistake,The Romanian army was not the same as at the end of 1916. .....

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 11:53 am

Prepearing the Battle of Marasesti At 3rd of August ,commandment of IXt-h German Army gave the order of operations for beginning “the battle for runthrough on Putna and Susita”,which had to throw back the enemy situated between Siret River and the mountains. A divergence of opinions has arose in the beginning between the German Headquarter and the local Commandment ,over the direction of attack .The Germaan Headquarter said to take the direction south-north ,over the right side of Siret River shore ,with the base at Focsani and with the direction to Adjud. The local German commandment wanted on the other hand to keep the first project, attack over Siret in the region Fundeni-Namoloasa ,plan which had been left behind over our victory(Romanian) at Marasti.This kind of attack made in the depth over the Romanian –Russian troops would have been more effective.It would have veiled completely the right wing of the VI-th Russian Army and would have opened the gate for the advancing of the German-Turkish-Bulgarian group ,between the mouth of Rimnicu and Danube River .The attack on the right shore of Siret River presented ,on the contrary ,the disadvantage of being flanked from the eastern shore of the river , dominant with artillery, and there was also bad terrain.it was however unsure that it could be obtainet in this way a retreat of the enemy.The Great German Hedquarter wasn’t going to give up. They admitted only a partial modification of their initial plan ,wanting to cross the Siret River at Cosmesti and also to create a defensive head of a bridge at Tecuci, but maintained the idea of an attack between Siret river and the mountains.The Great German Hedquarter had their calculus. They knew that an attack over Siret River will clush with the Romanian troops , of whose capacity of fight and high moral they already encountered at the offensive at Marasti.On the contrary attacking towards Marasesti ,the germans will only had to deal with the Russians.And of the way the Russians would fight ,Tarnopol was a fresh memory,with its shameful impressions. But wasn t the case that over the front which had to be attacked,there were the symptoms to make the Germans expect the best to come? Wasn’ t established between the German Army and the IV-th Russian Army ,that kind of correspondence exchange ,in which the slickness of the Germans had managed to seed the anarchy seeds in the columns of the Russian Army? And of those wern’ t two Russian Divisions,34th and 13th,which have obliged formally to 12th Bavarian Division ,not to fight between them anymore and to propagate the same kind of movment to the neighbouring divisions, in the favour of ending hostilities ?It was not known however that the negotiations between the Russian infantry and the German delegation , had gone so far as to the point to which the Russian infantry was firing on their own artillery(they were shooting their own artillery).,when the last one was maintaining a kind of discipline was by artillery baraj firing ,trying to stop the brothering of the two armies(German and Russian).The negotiations went so far that at 1st of July that the Germans had printed a project to end hostilities with the 34th Russian Division.”At article 2 of this convention , Russian infantry was employing to signal to the Germans when the Russian or Romanian cannons will open fire ,so that the German response will be twice the number of projectiles(shells)”. At 19th of July the commander of the first reserve German Army Corps ,General von Morgen , was officially enpowered by Ludendorff “to end the suspension of hostilities with the 34th and 13th Russian Divisions ”.The great German Headquarter prefered to begin the offensive in a Russian sector .And it wasn’t chance ,neither the effect of some savant strategic combinations when the German commandment choose ,for beginning ,to break the enemy front ,exactly the sector defended by the 34th Russian Division. ……

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 12:47 pm

The fighting forces of the two adversaries Corresponding to the important strategic goal ,followed by the big batlle planed,it was put to Mackensen disposal an impozant military force.The Mackensen army groups was made,from west to east,of three armies:IX –th Army,Rimnic Group and Danube(river) Group.The army which was to start the offensive was the IX-th german.Until May,it was commanded by Falkehayn; he was then send to Asia Minor, to organize the Turkish-German Armies “Yildirim”(spelling ilthrm?).His successor was General von Eben, ex-Commander on the Galitian front. The front of the German IXth Army started,considered from east to west,at Suraia on Siret River,10 km lower than the place where Putna flows into Siret.This front was following the Siret, until Biliesti,in front of Movileni de Jos(lower Movileni),then it was faring Siret, taken the north-east direction, going through Siret field,meeting at Paraipan-Balta Ratei(Duck Pond) the Putna Valley,following then all the time the southern shore of this valley,cutting the road Focsani-Marasesti at the 10th kilometer ,north of Faureni,then cutting the railway south of railwaystation Putna Seaca,all the way to Iresti.Here in the point where putna valley makes an angle ,towards south –west to enter Vrancea,the IXth Army was connecting with Gerock Army.the German front was itself cutting itself towards south-west,to draw the curve line,to which it has been pushed by our(Romanian) victory at Marasti.On this opening of 60km the German front was split into two sectors: a)Sector I -streserve Corps,stretching from Suraia to a line wich would cut Putna valley and Susita,with south-north direction,between Ivancesti village and Satu Nou village.The terrain is flat with gorges,some of them with water some of them dry, with the west –east direction and and cut across by the road and railway Focsani –Marasesti, of which direction is north-south. General von Morgen ,the Commander of the I-st reserve Corps,had in this sector,without counting the Divisions,89th Prusian, 12th Bavarianand 216th Saxon, which were making the I-st Corps, of two more Divisions:reserve76th and 115th .To have the troops concentrated in the attack zone itself, Division 12th Bavarian, which previously occupied the shore of Siret,between Biliesti and Suraia, was withdrew and taken south of Padurea Neagra(Black Forest),between Paraipan and Biliesti. In the place of this division was created a new one ,Divission 303rd commanded by General Wehmer-made out of seven infantry battalions de Landsturm, taken from the occupation force of Muntenia.this subsector will have a pure defensive and observation role. b)the sector of the XVIII –th Army Corps, spread from line Ivancesti-Satu Nou,till Iresti.It is a terrain of hills covered with orchards of wine grapes towards east and withforests toward west which,starting from the valleys of Putna and Susita are rising in higher and higher, mountainridges toward west.At south, Magura Odobestilor dominates with its crenelated canopy the whole region.XVIII-th Corps was constituted by 62nd Austro-Hungarian Division,of 217th German Division and by Detachments Stange and Vogel,of the value of a division,made out of troops taken from Divisions 101st and 69th:Regiments 29th ,59th ,3rd grenadieri and of three German infantry battalions. Together with 217th Division these detachments made Gallwitz Group.The command of XVIII-th was given to Bavarian General von Wenninger,brought in the eve of the battle from the French front. As a reserve for the IX-th Army there were:German Division 12th at Focsani,13th Austrian Division a liitle south of Plainesti,and from the French front arrived Bavarian Alpine Corps.The units and the weaponry-especialy the artillery-have been completed with elements brought from the neighbouring units from the quiet sectors and from the deposits situated in Muntenia(central +south+east part of Romania,also called Wallachia).With this face ,von Eben Army,destined to force the crossing over Adjud,was made of 12 fighting Divisions.Numericaly,was constituted of 102 Infantry Battalions,24 Pioneers Companies and 10 Cavalry Escadrons.The weapons were very strong:1135 machineguns and an artillery made out of 865 fire mouths of different calibers.The IX-th Army was prolonging, in the eastern direction with the other units of the general Mackensen Army Group.-von Bahr-The Danube Army-Kosch-constituted of german units,Austro-Hungarian units,Bulgarians and Turkish units, which occupied the southern shore of Siret River, till the flowing point of this into Danube River, between Galati and Braila; from this point it was the Bulgarian Army of Dobrogea –General Nerezov. The role of the Armies on the lower Siret was,that after the runthrough of the enemy front(Romanian-Russian) has been made and the I-st reserve Corps would have hit in Tecuci direction, if the enemy front will surrender in the face of the German front, they will cross Siret and pursue;the right wing to climb Prut River and cover Galati towards East. As the Germans were finishing their attack preparatives,the northern shore of Putna River was occupied,in front of the sector of the IX-th German Army,of units from IVth Russian Army-Comanded by Prince General Ragoza.The Russian IV th Army was made organically of three Army Corpses:VII-th,VIII -thand XXX-th,of three divisions each. Of those only three divisions were keeping the front line in the face if the IX-th German Army and namely:34th Division ,from Movilenii de Jos,and at the right wing,103rd Division,from Sirbi to Iresti.Another two Divisions ,14th and 15th of the VIII- th Corps-were outside the front of the IX- th German Army ,having in front Gerock- Group,from Irest to Sarii Valley,in the positions earned by the victory of Marasti.In reserve they had:71th Division in Zabrautu Valley and Cavalry Division Zamurskaia on the left of Siret River at Nicoresti.Other units of the IVth army have been retreated previously from the fighting zone. The whole of the I-st Romanain Army was on the left of Siret River.From Liesti-the right flank of the VI-th Russian Army-till Biliesti,were spread over the shore of Siret the troops of the 2nd Romanian Cavalry Division,unmounted (off their horses ),at the right of which took position a brigade of the 5th Romanian Division,at Movileni,replacing thus the troops of 80th Russian Division, which left northern. All the other troops were in the villages,behind the frontline:Ivesti,Barcea,Umbraresti,Matca,Dorasti Forest,waiting to be transported on the right shore of Siret,to replace there the Russian divisions,which had to start to the North of Moldavia.The Movement had to start in the night of 6th-7th of August. After examining the situation described one can see that,in the eve of the battle,the Germans disposed in the first line of the fighting sector itself,of seven divisions,against three Russian divisions,thus a crushing disproportion of forces.The unleashing of the German offensive,in the morning of 6th of August,had surprised the Romanian-Russian Army during their manouvering movements.Thus ,the enemy(Germans) ,having in the beginning great numerical superiority and tactical, starting their offensive with a solid articulated front,has hit a front which was transforming,unorganized,made of Russian troops which were prepearing to leave and of Romanian troops which had to arrive in a hurry,to replace the Russian ones.From here,a very critical situation,for the Romanian –Russian army ,almost without prior example in the History of Warfare:the battle of Marasesti was started by the Germans against the Russians and was finished,fighting on the same front with the Romanians. ......

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 01:07 pm

In the Eve of the Battle The commanders of the enemy armies knew perfectly the material and moral situation of the Russian armies in front of them.They knew they combative value weakened by the revolutionary activities and by the German propaganda.They knew that some units were ready to committee supreme treason of their own country.To runthrough this decomposing army with the plough of the 12th Austro-German Divisions seemed look a simple game.The success of the great offensive was beyond doubt.Moldavia given to the Russians to guard will soon be at the feet of the conquerors. In the evening of 5th of August,Mackensen left Bucharest(which was occupied by the Germans at the time),to ,personaly take charge of the battle which will give him Moldavia and Basarabia. Shaking hands of the high officers and the Germane-romanian demnitaries gathered on the walk of Bucharest-North-Railway-Station,to wish him good luck,the marshall said good bye with the words:Good Bye! two weeks from now in Iasi!(biggest city and capital of Moldavia and also capital of Romania since Bucharest ,the capital was occupied by Mackensen).And for two weeks the coffee shops of Bucharest sounded with the words of the marshal Mackensen,and the pro- german romanians saluted with joy “the Re-whole of Romania” through the chains of German occupation. It is not nevertheless true that in the knowledge of the perilous situation,the Romanian Government and Romanian army hedquarter were concerned.At Iasi were kept sessions presided by the King Ferdinand with the members of government and Generals Averescu,Prezan(Romanians) and Scerbacev(Russian),to discuss the eventuality of evacuating Moldavia and the retreat of the Romanian Government and the Army in southern Russia.But it was taken into account of the haotic disorderly situation in Russia,of discipline,of the high moral of the Romanian troops which had the desire to fight,patrioticly,of different strategic considerations,of the political and military perspectives of an evacuation,and so they agreed that this grave step is not indispensabil,that the country can wait with trust the passing of this dangerous momentThe program of evacuation of the country was limited to the preliminary measure of putting in safe of some institutions and goods. .....

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 01:17 pm

The first day,6th of August. The Breakthrough of the Russian Front. In the night of 5-6 August the German artillery started a strong bombardment over the line Faurei-Siret and over the eastern shore of Siret river,south of Movileni.Shells of different calibers,grenades,shrapnel,machinguning, they were all falling like the rain over the Russian lines between the railway and Siret river,and also over the Romanian positions across the river.Towards morning ,waves of axfixiant gass emerged from the enemy lines especially over Padurea Neagra(Black Forest),chocking the air into a dense fog.Between the clocks 4 and 7 in the morning t,he bombardment reached an extreme of violence. General von Morgen had the order to execute with the I-st german Corps the breakthrough of the Russian front. He had thus aligned on the first line of the front three divisions:12th Division on the right side leaned over Siret River,89th Division on the left,at Faureni;76th Division in the middle,between the other two.Behind 12th Division he sat 216th Division,and in the reserve he kept the 115th Division. Like a restrained resort,which unstrains instantly, he then started the attack at 7:30 in the morning,the infantery of the three German divisions against the Russian lines .It wasn’t even needed so much power.The Russians are leaving ,one by one their strong positions.Till midday they lose three lines of defence, which was one in front of the other. The Germans cross Putna River on the northern shore,then they cross Sovarga valley and finally Putna-Seaca valley.The 12-th German Division occupied the village Radulesti,Padurea-Neagra,and then Ciuslea village. Some part of the Russian infantry crosses the boat bridge thrown over Siret river at Ciuslea village,and they refuge on the eastern shore of Siret River.At the order of the Russian commander they proceed at burning the bridge.Following the Russians,the Germans turn to the right and try to cross the bridge by surprise: they stand now in front of the burning bridge and they are received by a rain of projectiles thrown by the Romanian artillery from the front shore of the river. Forced to retreat, the Germans give up the crossing of the bridge over Siret River and organize,for the night to come,to force the crossing over:the bridge parts are brought behind enemy lines and sheltered in Padurea Neagra(The Black Forest). At the left wing of the I-st German Corps,the 76th Division and the left wing of the 89th Division conquered the Forest Balta-Ratei(The Duck_Pond),pushing the left wing of the 13th Russian Division,neighbor with the 34th Russian Division, captured thus ten cannons positioning themselves in the front of Bizighesti village.Between the two wings which were going to left and right,Morgen pushed the 216th Division,which was in reserve till then ,and by nightfall occupied Strajescu village without fight.The village has been evacuated by the Russians in their hasty run-away. In the night of that day,the German victory seemed complete.T he Russian front has been broken on a length of 10km at right,along the Siret River and with 3km along the railway Focsani-Marasesti. The Russian forces were blown away ,some of them crossed on the left side of the Siret shore, under the protection of the Romanian artillery ,and the big chunk was running disorderly to the north ,leaving their strongholds one after the other,without putting up the slightest of fights. It was after the expression of a Russian historyograph “the first act of cowardice made by the Russians on the Romanian front”. Many will follow. .....

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 02:06 pm

The Romanian intervention Alarmed by the disaster of the 34th Division and the danger of the situation created,the Russians commanders ask for the help of the neighbouring Romanian army.The Romanian Headquarter did not hesitate.It was a question of defending Romanian land.Urgent orders are sent to from the Romanian Headquarter to General Christescu, Commander of I-st romanian Army,to quicken up the pace of crossing the Romanian troops from the left shore of Siret River to the right one.General Christescu tightened the deffensive front of Siret river,which was kept from Liesti till Movileni by the 2nd cavalry Division, with infantry and artillery troops,making a group under the command of General Greceanu.On the eastern shore of Siret,from Movileni to Cosmesti,were gathered the troops of the VI-th Romanian Army Corps-Divisions 5th and 9th-waiting to be crossed over Siret,to change ,as planned,the Rusian troops.Under the pressure of the bad event of that day ,the operation could not be done with the time needed.The 5th Division was ordered to quick up the pace and to cross their trops in the same afternoon,6th of August,on the right shore of Siret river,to fill up the hole left by the 34th Russian Division The soldiers of the 5th Division start marching at 4 in the afternoon.The 32nd Mircea Regiment crosses the bridge at Cosmesti at 8th in the evening,between the Russian groups which were running in disorder,without weapons,with their heads uncovered, some pedestrians, others on horses or in the carriages which were running in the horses gallop.A cazac military police ,with bayonets mounted on their weapons,was trying to mentain order,stopping the runners to get onto the bridge.To open up the way to the Romanian Regiment to cross to the front,they had to put a machinegun in firing position on the bridge and fire a few shots in the wind. Through the darkness which was falling stronger by the minute ,guided only by the rockets thrown by the enemy, which draw the night sky with traces of different colours, the soldiers of 32nd Mircea Regiment arrive on the frontline indicated –Girla Morilor-and assume position between Moara Alba and the western border of the Strajescu village.In the power of the night ,between the clocks 1 and 4,they organize their position, digging trenches, disturbed at every minute by the machineguns and patrols of the enemy. On the boat bridge from Furceni,the 8th Buzau Regiment crosses the Siret river occupying Doaga.The whole of Siret shores are full of unorganized Russians.the regiment receives fire from the left,from the direction of Strajescu forrest.The Romanians have no artillery ,which has been left on the left shore of Siret river,they advance as to occupy Strajescu village which they thought is still in Russian hands.To their big surprise ,the romanians see themselves ,all of a sudden,attacked by a violent machinegun fire,which was coming from the outskirts of the village but mostly from the north-east line of Strajescu forrest the Russians evacuated the position and run away,without announcing the Romanians,and behind them the Germans occupied ,withot a fight the village and the forest.The soldiers of 8th Buzau regiment are not intimidated and attacks the enemy.A live fight of rifles ,grenades and machine guns is cooking in the middle of the night.The Germans are pushed back a few hundred meters;they climb the machineguns up into the trees and start a killing machine gun fire over our troops which were advancing and over the reserve troops. Towards dawns the fight is burning down; our losses are felt. The soldiers dig trenches for cover and fix their position on a line between Doaga and Strajescu,in next to 32nd Regiment,which occupies at the right, Girla Morilor. All night the Romanian artillery on the eastern shore of Siret river,high and steep ,has bombarded the German positions on the front shore ,downstream, causing losses in both men and material to the Germans. In the same time the other Romanian Divisions started to move,going in the direction of the forsaken placeThe 9th Division was gathering at Cosmesti,14th Division at Umbraresti and Dorasti,the 13th Division concentrated at Matca;the smaller units were through the intermediary villages.Other divisions were marching from Northern Moldavia towards south.The whole Siret valley was filled with marching Romanian troops;a breach was made in the barrier which defended for six months the piece of land in which unchaining,virtue,and the life of the country was concentrated.Who was to fill the breach with more heart,then the Romanian’s chests? .......

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 02:25 pm

Second day,7th of August. The Battle from Doaga. The dawns of 7th of August finds the 5th Romanian Division in position,in the center of the offensive sector of I-st German Corps,occupying the front on Girla Morilor.The right wing of the division connects with the remains of the 34th Russian Division ,at Moara Alba,and at the left prolonges between Doaga and Strajescu villages,leaning thus over Siret river,at Furcenilor.The 9th Romanian Division is spread on the left shor of Siret river:their artillery fires in the ribs,from dominant position,the german troops on the right shore. Mackensen renounces at the plan of crossing Siret.After not being able to do “the surprise crossing”,von Eben reports that neither the plan of “crossing the river by force”has more of a chance. The front shore of the river is well fortified with Romanian troops and artillery,and this artillery is wonderfully shooting ,making heavy losses in the day to 12th Bavarian Division. Today the german attack would have in the ribs also the 5th Romanian Division, which is on the right shore of Siret.This enterprise will be risky and exposed to a bloody failure.So the plan of crossing the SIret is renounced altogether: the 12th Bavarian Division is let to rest and observe on the shore of the river,and Morgen receives the order to push with full strength the other three Divisions-216th ,76th ,8th -and to put in to the fighting line also the 115th Division,which was kept in reserve.Morgen attacks with full power the front of the 5th Romanian Division.The German artillery starts to bobard the Russian-Romanian lines,mostly the points Bizichesti, Moara-Alba ,Moara –Rosie and Doaga village;the artillery of the 5th Romanian divisions responds with”shot by shot”The germans have discovered the vulnerable point of the Romanian frontAt the right wing of the Romanians are the leftovers of the 34th Russian Division.One column of the 89th German Division attacks this very spot.The russians don’t hesitate much and run off their positions,leaving the right Romanian flank uncovered.Through this breach ,storms the thick of the 76th German division,to turn the Romanian position.It is a critical moment.General Aristide Razu ,the commander of the 5th Romanian Division,sends two battalions of the 7th Regiment,which he kept till then in reserve,behind the 32th Regiment. The romanians arrive in a hurry, they attack in point 77 the enemy, which was coming from Bizighesti, managing to stop the “stream of Germans “and to fill the breach. The preparations for the final German attack are finished around 11 o’clock.All the artillery has been brought near the new front,and the troops of the three German Divisions:89th ,76th and 216th are ready to throw themselves over the line occupied by the for Romanian Regiments:7th ,32nd ,3rd and 8th.At half past eleven,the German bombardment,ignited from cannons of all kind of calibers, especially 105 caliber and 150,becomes frightening. Our positions(Romanian) organized in haste, during the night,by the troops tiered by marching all day, are carefully distroied. The German artillery aimings,goes over and beyond our lines to the reserves.In Jugastru valley,a company of 32 Regiment, gathered here, without trenches is completely destroyed-amongst the dead is also their commander, Captain Andreescu.The bridge over Siret,from Cosmest i, is bombed with 210mm shells. …. At noon,the enemy center begins to roll the waves of the 76th German Division against 32nd Mircea Regiment,between Moara Alba and Strajescu.All afternoon,till late into the night,the enemy attacked furiously,without stop,only for brief moments just as to remake the rare lines,in which time the artillery was restarting the bombardment over our lines well sighted.It is a frontal attack but full of violence,of overwhelming power.The first enemy troop waves are rejected over the whole front line by our macinegun fires;but they renew themselves and come in greater numbers all the time.Our fires cuts them,but also the rows of Romanians are macerated...The reserve troops are running in haste to fill up the gaps on one side and the other. Between the two belligerant front lines ,the continous bombardment has rose a cloud of smoke and dust,so thick that the eyesight is obstructed ,so the fight stops for a few moments. The Germans are using it to dig trenches and to form up for advance their reserves.The fight begins .The heat is overwhelming. The August rays of sun burns the fighters.Raws of sweat plough the blackened faces.Teargasses blinds the eyes and chocke the breathing.The Romanian soldiers throw away their blouses and their metal helmets.In their shirts with folded sleaves, heads uncovered, they rush to the counterattacks with their bayonets .The Germans are stunned by the unexpected apparitions:veterans which have fought in colonies,clarifie their camarads that they benn attacked by” african soldiers”… A little to the right,the enemy artillery concentrates their power over Doaga village.The hunters of the 3rd Regiment have serious losses, between officers and soldiers.Captain Dumitru Florea deadly wounded by a shell,is climbed upon a brancard,when a second shell breaks him to pieces.His soldiers burry him just there ,on the battlefield in the infernal noise of 300 or 400 cannons,which salute him with honour.The attack of the enemy infantry against Doaga starts at 12 o’clock,but as thei reach our lines,they are attacked by hunters(Regiment of mountain hunters,which is an infantry regiment) with their bayonets and thrown in Strajescu village. But Morgen is renewing all the time the waves of attackfrom the reserves of his three divisions.The Romanian raws of soldiers are decimated by the concentrated fire of the enemy.The Officers fall one after the other,commanders of platoons,companies,battalions.The romanian Front is breaking .Battalions 2nd and 3rd of Mircea Regiment are crushed,their remaining troops are retreating to the bridge at Cosmesti .The Commander of the Regiment,Col.Stamate,is trying to form at the command center a point of resistance with a hand of machine guns,but fells wounded by a bullet in the stomach.A handful of officers of which the French Captain Soubilleau , manages to gather some hundreds of men,the remains of the regiment,and brings them to Prisaca Forrest (Padurea Prisaca),on the shore of Siret,constituting them in reserve. Through the breach of the front line,the Germans are advancing till 500 m south of Susita corner and Jugastru valley.The troops of the 76th german Division are executing now a surrounding to the left,to fall in the back of 7th Romanian Regiment,heavily attacked frontal by the 89th German Division.One company of the Romanian Regiment sacrifices staying on the spot,remaining behind,until is completely destroyed.Under her protection,the thick of the other battalions retreat to gather on the outskirts of Calini wood,in the angle of the railway Marasesti-Cosmesti. Abig gap has produced now at the right wing of the 5th Romanian Infantry Division;the Russian troops from here ,the remains of the 34th Division have left a long time ago.A Russian battalion is send to patch the opening,but it is altogether insufficient and unsure.From Cosmesti nears in forced march a new Romanian unit :the 9th Romanian Division had crossed one of its brigades on the right side of Siret river wit an artillery division.By nightfall,few battalions arrive on the battlefield front,and took position at the righr side of the 5th Romanian Division,closing again the Romanian front. At half four,Morgen throws into battle the whole 216th Division against Doaga village.Four strong columns begin their attack against the Romanian positions ,defended by 8th Buzau Regiment and by a battalion of the 3rd Hunters Regiment.In the field razed and without shelters ,between Strajescu village and Doaga village,a real firing polygon,the enemy columns are blownaway by the machine guns and artillery baraj fire of the romanians.The Bayonet completes the masterpiece .The field is filled with enemy dead bodies:353rd and 354th enemy regiments have severe losses.The attack is crushed in the blood of the attacker. But the Germans don’t give up.Furious by the bloody failure,they begin at five o’clock a new bombardment which reaches ,after one hour a horrifying violence.For three hours,cannons of all calibers beat with furry.The fronline of the 8th Romanian Regiment is covered by a thick black ashed smoke of gunpowder,dust and toxic gas es,which chokes and blinds.At quarter past nine,through the blackness of night which was falling and of the smoke that veiled everything,an enemy column approaches unseen by anyone at Doaga,goes through a cornfield unoccupied by the Romanian hunters battalion and turns the Romanian position which attacks frontal and in flank.A savage battle body against body begins.Taken by surprise,the Romanians cannot recollect themselves immediately;they have to leave Doaga village and retreat,with heavy losses,on the south edge and west edge of Prisaca Forest(Padurea Prisaca),behind the reserve troops.The soldiers are finished withexhaust.They haven’t slept in the last three days and nights,always marching and heavy fighting.Some of them cannot articulate a word .In the forrest they fell to the ground taken by a deep sleep.Still the new line of resistance organizes solid;The officers are between the men,encouraging them.The enemy is also tierd and has given up attacks. The day have been a bloodbath.The losse were big,both sides.The 5th Romanian Division had 44 officers and 1770 soldiers dead,wounded or missing.The calculus for victory was weak for the Germans:it was well disproportional with the sacrifaces made.The Romanian Front hasn’t benn broken in any place;it managed to iremediate with 2-3km backwards,along a line which passed from west to east,1,5 km north of Bizighesti- Susits elbow-Jugastru valley-the nortern edge of Doaga village.But the most important discovery made by the German commander was-with a lot of unpleasantness –that in the place of the Russians the Romanians yelded,and these are serious adversaries.An official German description of the day:”at 7th of August the enemy front strengthens.Powerful enemy forces were brought in fast marches to the point of breakthrough,to stop our advance and strengthen the Russian resistance.In strong counterattacks,executed-in the opinion of our infantry-with a brilliant air,are the Romanians trying to repair the Russian failure in the eve…” .....

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 02:46 pm

The third day,8th of August, The Battle of Patrascani Having the consequences imposed by the unfolding of Doaga battle,Makensen decided to change the initial direction of his attack plan.Looking for the sector occupied by the Russians,he moved a bit to the left the direction of the attack. In the eve he renounced the idea of forcing the Siret,to attack towards north. Today he gave up the attack to north and choose as attack zone the sector which was beyond the railway ,with the center in Patrascani.In the raport to the army ,von Eben said:”The strong resistance overcome by the I-st Army Corps in the battle days till today,from the forces strengthened hard,of the enemy,has made the necessity of a new decision “.Mackensen has found the tactic formulae :avoiding Romanians ,attacking the Russians. The attack of the 8th of August was combined with the attack of the Gerock Group,on the mountaineous front of the west. The battle of Oituz was starting ,this day, for the encercling the II-nd Romanian Army.The mission given to von Eben was conquering Clipicesti- Diocheti, stretched obliquely from south-west to north –east;to close Putna Valleys ,of Susita and Zabautu,making thus a baraj on the roads, cutting the way of retrat of the troops of the II-nd Romanian Army ,which had then to be thrown towards east by Gerock offensive.The attac k wil be commenced by the 115th German Division,which was kept in reserve,at Faurei;she was elongated by 89th and 76th Divisions,on a line from Ivancesti,on Putna-the south of Calin forrest,in the Susita elbow.The right flank of the German attack front was defended by the 212th Division along Siret,in the region Ciuslea-Radulesti,replacing thus the 12th Bavarian Division which was taken out and brought back to Faureni. On the Romanian Front they continued to gather troops into the fighting zone.Three Regiments of the 9th Division,togheter with the artillery of the Division,were marching as to occupy their positions on the front;the 40th Regiment was overimposed over the troops of the 5th Romanian Division;only one regiment was still on the left shore..In the place of the 9th Romania Division came the troops of the 14th Romanian Division,on the left shore of Siret,ready at a sign to cross the river.A very powerful heavy Romanian artillery was now stretched on this shore ,from Cosmesti from the hill to Movileni:17 batteries of caliber 105-155mm;she kept under her fire Girla Morilor,Doaga,Strajescu,Ciuslea and Padurea Neagra.At the right of the Romanian sector,between 9th Romanian Division and 13th Russian Division,it was overimposed the 71st Russian Division,brought from reserve. All morning till noon, the Germans and the Romanians have bombarded eachother ’s positions. The German bombardment was made with an extraordinary waste of ammunition, which made our soldiers to say that they installed near each battery an ammunition factory. On the Romanian front of the 5th Romanian Division, the Germans have tried several attacks, some of them reaching our barb wire fence .All of them have been easily rejected by the baraj artillery fire and by the machin guns.Especialy has suffered heavy losses the infantry of the 76th German Division ,which was surprised in open field by the fire of machineguns of the 5th Romanian Division, redrew on the edge of the Calin Forrest. The main attack was made by the Germans over the Russian Front, kept by the 71st and 13th Divisions.The attack given with powerful forces and with a violence beyond say,has defeated the Russians, producing them considerable losses.One Russian regiment was almost wiped out.The Germans said that only one sanitary company has buried at Patrascani 800 Russian dead bodies.The Russians have lost the villages Patrascani and Batinesti and have disorderly retreated to Susita.The German front has advanced on a line to the north of those villages,connecting them to the right,over the railway and driveway ,with the front of the 76th Austrian Division, from the XVIII-th Corps,brought forth by the advancing of the I-st german Corps,she has done progress to Olesesti.With this face,the fighting action was progressing step by step from east to west,transmitted to the sector Wenninger Corps,quiet till then. All night between 8th-9th of August,the artillery bombardment was very violent forseeing a hard day. ……

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 03:02 pm

The fourth day,9th of August. The 9th Romanian Division in the attack sector. With all the yesterday’s succes on the Russian Front, the German commandment has no reason to be pleased:the target proposed by the new offensive to north-west has not been touched and the line Clipicesti-Diocheti was still far away.So the action wil continue doday with power in the same direction and by the same units,as yesterday ,by the 115th,89th and 78th Divisions, from east to west.In the left of the german attack sector ,the 62nd Austro-Hungarian Division will join the fight, as far as the circumstances will permit, and on the right side ,the 216th German division will attack the positon occupied by the 5th Romanian Division.Along Siret, in Ciuslea sector, the 212th and 303rd German divisions will maintain their resistance positions, facing east.The main blow will be received by the 71th Russian Division, seated in front of 76th and 89th German divisions,as well as the 13th Russian Division,disposed in font of the 115th German Division and 62nd Austrian.The Germans were following consecvent their tactic program :attacking only the Russian troops.But again the saying”the money count you make at home is different from how much you’ll spend in the market”-Romanian saying.The 9th Romanian Division has reached the front.In the night 8th-9th of August it has replaced the 71st Russian Division, elongating the right wing of the 5th Romanian Division,on a line which was the same as the driveway Panciu-Tecuci., til the south –west corner of Calini forrest(Padurea Calini).In the sector of the 9th Division,two battalions of the Regiments 34th and 36th ,on from each regiment, were in the first line,another three in the second line.The 9th Hunters Regiment was in the reserve of the division, north of Marasesti. The rest of the division in the army reserve. The first front line ,inherited from the Russians had no organization whatsoever of defence.Over the whole stretch was only the south trench of the driveway, dug here and there to shelter the shooters standing on their knees.It was the line on which the 71st Russian Division has stopped on 8th of August, unorganized by defeat and anarchy.On the stretch of a sector,which a Romanians battalion came to , there were in the first line as Russian defense troops, one soldier every big distance.,and in the second line ,companies of 20 or 30 soldiers! On the other hand, through the corn field, in the back of this position ,it was found in the morning, more thn a thousand Russian weapons,trown away;over the day …around 10 soldiers came ,looking for their weapon for fear of being shot. In this open field ,without threnches and defense, the troops of the 9th Romanian Division had to receive the fight. At the left of the 9th Division, from Calini forrest to Siret, the 5th Division was disposed with four Battalions in the frontline, another three in the second line and in the third line with the 9th Rimnicu Sarat Regiment,in the reserve of the division.On the eastern shore of Siret, the place of the 9th Division was taken by the 14th Romanian Division,and the field artillery of this division was strenghtening the 17th batteries(four cannons) of the heavy artilleryIn this way the Romanian front stretched in a transversal line continues between Siret and and Focsani-Marasesti dreiveway, it was very well flanked on the left leaning on the Siret.The critical point was at the right in the Russian sector,west of the driveway, where the 71st Russian Division has shaken the front. The two Romanian divisions were commanded by two trialed armymen:General Razu and General Scarisoreanu ,which have given the proof of their military skills in the 1916 campaign.These divisions constituted together with the VI-th Romanian Army Corps, Commanded by General Eremia Grigorescu, the famous “Defender of Oituz”.General Christescu, Commander of the I-st Romanian Army, was aquainted with “the troop” and their commanders. He knew that, in the pretious moments, grave, that they were living and of the danger which was well realized, the soldiers, the officers and the commanders ,are all decided to the Last Effort ,for facing the enemy menacing to conquer the last piece of land on which the Independent Romanian Flag was still upheld. And also to revenge tha shameful and humiliating campaign of 1916.The Commandment of the I-st Army was sure of its men,he was only waiting for the initial crisis, rivered from the surprise of the German attack, by the desertion of the Russian troops and by the need of transporting the Romanian troops,,to come to an end,so that they coud step to the best means that an attacked troop has, which is the counteroffensive over the enemy.For one moment,Christescu,thought that the enter in the front of VI-th Army Corps,will give him this will.In understanding with General Ragoza, the commander of the IV-th Russian Army-which has arrived in the third day since of the Battle of Marasesti has started,,to take control of his armies,has decided to retake the counteroffensive to win the frontlines Bizighesti-Strajescu.Many things made that the planned counteroffensive not to start that very day,and be postponed for the next day.The artillery brought into position ,had not the time to make sufficient preparation.The 9th Division was tierd by the last days marches;she had on the frontline only one of her brigades ,and in the first line there have been installed only three battalions,which have been hard working to deepen the trenches and organize the fighting position.The 5th Romanian Division and 71st Russian Division, weakened by the previous fights, were not yet capable of offensive.All these made that an attack over the enemy, which had four divisions in the first line, to seem rather risky. So ,in the day of 9th of August, the Romanian-Russian troops will maintain defensive on the front of the three divisions:5th and 9th Romanians,71st Russian. …..

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 03:24 pm

The heroic fight of the 9th Division. The Germans have prepeared the today attack, by a long(time) bombardment of the Romanian-Russian positions.In the afternoon of the day,the bombardment has reached its paroxysm.The Romanian and Russian artillery answers with equal strength on the whole line of Siret shores and valley,way up to Panciu hills.The wholw battlefield is covered by the projectiles smoke which explode over friendly and unfriendly positions.Shells of different calibers, shrapnels , brizants ,asfixiants,with smokes of different colours,are intersecting their trajectories in all directions, and the thick clouds, yellow-redish, of the choking gasses ,are crawling the Earth, veiling the trenches with their poisonous myst.At 6:30 in the evening ,the German artillery is extending its aiming,and the attack waves of the 76th German Division starts towards the positions occupied by Russians in the eve.To their surprise,instead of Russians,ready to run away,the Germans are greeted by the Romanians,which resist with manhood and counterattack with vigour. The Romanian artillery opens ,to its turn, a baraj fire very well aimed ,and the machineguns crops the terrain in front of the lines. The upwind of the enemy is drowned in its own blood and the broken and rared raws are getting to a stop.The Germans are always changing the palce of the attack.Wherever they make the attempt of breaking,at the edge of Calin forrest,at the point of union of the 5th Division with the 9th,on the sectors of front ,of regiments 36 and 34,to the right wing of the 9th Division,everywhere the resistance is stubborn and the enemy has to withdraw ,seeding the terrain with dead bodies and the wounded. Arround seven in the evening the battle is at its apogee.Big attacks ,in successive waves,are given on the whole front of the 9th Division,which has only two battalions in the first line.An enemy column ,of three battalions,starts furiously over our left wing,which is made out of a single battalion of 36th Regiment,they attack him in front and on the flankand they infiltrate between him and the right wing of the 5th neighbor Division ,to the north of the driveway Susita.The Romanians are decimated and forced to withdraw from their positions with heavy losses;their neghbours on the left have to retreat as well.The two battalions,with the help received from reserves,are stopping few hundred meters behind railway Marasesti-Tecuci and they a strengthen themselves on the terrain. In the same time,to the right wing of the 9th Division, the Russians are stopping their resistance and start to retreat in chaos,uncovering the flank ,of the Romanian battalion, to their right(The II-nd Romanian Army,34th Regiment). The situation has become extremely critical.Two breaches have been made in the defense front,at the two flanks of the 9th Division,between them the enemy flows have started to make way.But the critical moment is not long.The Commander of the brigade is in place of the peril and he is named Colonel Stan Poetas ;he is the commander from Amzacea,Topraisar and Neajlov.Mounted on a giant horse, much like himself,the commander is always in the middle of his troops,passing from one group to the other ,giving orders with a cold blood.His presence and his courage is rising the moral of the officers and the troop.The attacked battalions are keeping their positions with heroism; they stay now like two unmovable pillars under the powerful enemy blows. And between the neighbouring empty spaces,reserve troops,placed in rows in depth,are thrown to lightning counterattacks against the enemy which was advancing triumvial.The commanders of the counterattacking units are at the honour and danger place, in front of their troops. On each side of the battalion of the 34th Constanta Regiment, isolated in advanced position,are hasting to counterattack the two reserve battalions.At the right side ,beyond the railway ,the 1st Battalion of the 34th Constanta Regiment, attacks with machinegun,with grenade and bayonet. Captain Stefanescu, the commander of the battalion, falls dead,pierced by bullets,in front of his troops ,but his soldiers have started as a tornade, drawing back to the fight also the Russians ,who left the front ,reject the Germans,they advance all the time ,without being impressed by the enemy artillery ,they take 60 prissoners together with their commanding officer,never to stop till they reach the German trenches on the shore of Susita Seaca(the Dry Susita). At the left,in the emty space between Regiments 34th and 36th,throws the other battalion from reserve of the 34th Regiment.Just like their mates on the right side,the soldiers are advancing with strength through the rain of bullets and grenades. The officers are in the firsts of the front lines, giving a good example to the troops, by their enthusiasm and despise for death. They fall one after the other. From the whole battalion ther’s only one officer left;the commander himself, Major Gheorghiu, fells ,wounded.All three battalions of the Regiment are now on a line, that advances on a tough fight.The enemy is taken out ,of our positions, where he had installed, and send beyond the trenches from which he has attacked. To the left side of the division front, where the danger is greater, the Battalion in the second line of 36th Regiment,is running to help the mates of the same regiment ,which holds with difficulty the railway Marasesti-Cosmesti.The fight is furious,cause the enemy is superior by force and encouraged by the small initial success. The two Romanian Battalions of the 36th Regiment are engulfed in the death current.Both commanders of the said battalions,Majors Barozzi and Georgescu Dumitru, fell dead.The commander of the regiment,Colonel Georgescu Ioan, was personally driving the troops. Wounded twice,in the arm and knee,he doesen’t leave the fight, commanding the counterattack when a bullet goes through his chest from one side to the other…The command of the regiment is taken by a captain ;one after the other fell the officers; the French Lieutenant Binsse takes the command of a company, of which commander fell, encouraging the men and keeps them on fighting. The “price” is not in vain ;the enemy is thrown out from here as well,from the positions he has conquered,and send with big losses to Suta Seaca valley. All the gain made by the Germns ,with heavy losses,is now lost.Towards east,the artillery on the left shore of Siret violently bombards in flank the german lines,making big losses to 216th,212th and 303rd Divisions.At the center,in the middle of the duel of the two artilleries adversary , which does not weakens the strength ,German troops attack the front of the 9th Division,without being able to take out of their positions the heroic troops of 34th and 36th Regiments.The 5th Division takes part in the fight with troops of the 32nd Mircea Regiment .The Romanian troops have had very big casualties and cannot occupy the line on the whole stretch.Empty spaces appear in which the enemy tries to infiltrate. In the emty space of 2km at the right side of 34th Regiment,by retreating the right wing of the 36th Regiment ,the enemy has established itself in the trench of the driveway, next to the Romanian line, but facing north, towards Marasesti. He is trying to turn the Romanian wing.The commander of the Romanian battalion takes measures for defence,by rising a wall of dead bodies in the driveway trench;the germans are doing the same on the other side and, sheltered by this double dead bodies wall ,the two enemies are watching and attacking eachother. Only in the morning of the next day, a Romanian platton attacks and by body to body fight they manage to away the enemy and to evacuate the trench. The enemy attack was defeated. We won. But so dear we had to pay!The 34th Regiment had lost 35 officers :eight dead,27 wounded; the troop 309 dead,1242 wounded .Almost all battalions commanders were dead or wounded. From the rest of the three battalions of 34th Regiment ,Constanta,(Commander Colonel Dumbrava),of which behavior was one of deepest admiration, they could reconstitute during the night only one battalion. From the rests of the two battalions of 36th Regiment, very cruel trialed, they could reconstitute only one unit of 200 men, with eight officers. A hard day had passed. Bloody and full of life-gaving, but of courage giving, of trust and proud. The Romanian troops have made the probe of a beautiful soldiery qualities and solid war knowledge. The undefeated power of resistance whit which they endured the violent bombardment,with all the isuficency of the trenches, dug in haste, the splendid coat of the division artillery, which sustained ith energy at all times the action of infantry, with which whom cooperated most tightly ,the judicious set of the division units in depth, which made capable the throwing of the reserve troops to counterattack in the critical moment, the devotion, abnegation, and the spirit of life-giving shown by the commanders, which have been in front of the troops, giving the highest example,and above all the incomparable braveness and heroism of the soldiers, which followed their officers into the death spin,gave us the victory. The 9th Division has made the blood baptize in the battle of Marasesti, in circumstances which were up to the fame earned in Dobrogea and on Neajlov. In the Russian sector,the right wing of the 89th German Division, aken in to flank by the artillery of the 9th Romanian Division, had big losses and realized small progress.To the west ,the Germans, encountering a less resistance, have advanced in the interior angle of the divisions 71st and 13th Russian. Their offensife here is in full development. ......

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 04:02 pm

The fith day,10th of August The tragic counteroffensive To reconstitute the fighting front after the bloody day in the eve,General Scarisoreanu puts in the line the 9th Hunters Regiment. By doing this he manages to make hardly seven battalions of which he sets three in the first line, two in the sector reserves and two in the division reserve.The 35th Regiment it is at the disposal of the Army Corps, as general reserve.The artillery of the 9th Division is all in position.At the left of the 9th Division,the 5th Division was decimated more,after three days of bloody fights.Men are send to complete it, from the regiments of march, so General Razu can place five Battalions in the first line and five in reserve. The 9th Regiment stays in the reserve of the division.The 13th Romanian Division has crossed the Siret and finds herself between Marasesti and Padureni,ready to enter the fight. With all the exhaust and shortening of his troops,General Christescu persists in his opinion that the best defense is the counteroffensive. In understanding with Ragoza, they set for 5 in the evening the attack against the enemy front,having as first objective pushing the front on the line Bizighesti-Strajescu, and as a second objective, to occupy Girla Morilor. All day, the two artilleries have bombarded the adverse positions with unstoppable fury.Our airplanes glide over enemy positions, throwing bombs,or shoot with machinegun from small heights .Dogfights are beginning; from time to time a giant bird ,hit by death, can be seen falling onto the ground. At the set hour for the attack ,the artillery targets her fire further, throwing shrapnels behind enemy lines. The attack of the infantry unleashes on the whole line of the driveway Focsani-Marasesti, up to Siret river. The soldiers get out of their trenches and start with an astonishing enthusiasm and despite for death in the flat terrain , uncovered, without the slightest of shelter. From the intact German lines,undestroyed by the artillery fires,which was not enough,the enemy prepeared for attack,waves down fires over the braves that are advancing to attack. At the extreme right line of the 9th Division,the soldiers of the single battalion left of 34th Regiment,get out of the trenches and haste themselves to attack between the bullets falling like rain over them.They are alone: at the right side the Russians are not getting out of the trenches ,and at the left side their mates ,from 36th Romanian Regiment, are pinned down by the machinegun fire of the enemy from the trench of the driveway. Under the sheet of bullets and machinegunings,,the soldiers of the 34th Constanta Regiment advance;in ahead of the battalion,falls firstly the commander,Major Mihail,then one by one the other officers.The French Captain,Pierre Bart,which has taken place in the first raws of the heroic constanters(soldiers from Constanta),fells down wounded.The battalion has reached its first objective; he is reduced to less than half , though. From the back reserves ,arrives a battalion from the 30th Romanian Regiment, which replaces him. At the left of the 9th Division, the 9th Hunters Regiment is waiting apprehensively the moment of the attack.;the hunters will fulfill their duty with the legendary heroism of Amzacea,Topraisar and Neajlov .But the Commander of the brave regiment,the unfearful Rasoviceanu foresees that the attack wil be premature,that the bridge over Suta Seaca, which has cost till now hundreds of Romanian lives ,is filled with enemy machineguns, over which, our artillery, not adjusted enough, had no effect whatsoever. Rasoviceanu asks for postponing of the attack. The commander of the army corps takes this remark as one of fear and exclaims:”the infantry must not know what machinguns are”, he repeats the attack order immediately. The trumpet man ,sirens the attack; the battalion of Major Virtejeanu starts with enthusiasm, throwing himself in the middle of a shattering artillery baraj, bombards and machinegun fire. The soldiers of two plattons ,just as they stood up from their trenches, and were thrown to the ground ,by the cutting machine gun fires installed in the trees of the driveway ;the rest of the battalion advances wave after wave and disappears in the spin of the fire,covered by the thick cloud of smoke risen by the explosion. The commander of the regiment kneeled down ,and shouted:”Forgive me my brothers!”… After two hours,the rays of the setting sun, lightened the total catastrophe of the Heroic Battalion: sixteen officers and five hundred soldiers lay dead on the battlefield, at 50 meters from their point of start. Atop of them ,fell dead the commander ,Major Virtejeanu, one of the elite army officers, and so much many neared him! The result of the bloody attack was that the right wing of 9th Division managed to reach Susita Seaca,which could not cross; the rest was all on the starting line. Regiments 34th and 36th are almost completely wiped out .Regiment 34th Constanta had to be withdrew from front:of 3000 men which has started the fight in the eve,had remained 200 with seven officers. The remains of the 36th Regiment have been also withdrew from the fight.The 9th Hunters Regiment was also halfed.The Front of the 9th Division has been left only with 40th Regiment,and the commander of the division has obtained, finally to obtain the 35th Regiment which has been kept in army reserve. On the Front of the 5th Division the Romanian attack is given in almost the same circumstances.In the right sector of the division, the soldiers of the 7th Regiment and with the remains of the 32nd Regiment are advancing in Jugastru valley,in the middle of a storm of bullets and shrapnels.At the edge of the 59 point small forest,ther is a nest of machineguns, which will make a baraj of fires,which cannot be crossed.The first three waves of Romanian attack are decimated. One company of the II-nd Battalion/7 is exterminated:the commander of the battalion,Captain Constantinescu,fells dead ahead of his troops.Even the commander of the brigade,Colonel Caracas is wounded and evacuated. In the left sector of the 5th Division,3rd Hunters Regiment and 8th Buzau Regiment attacks the village Doaga.The enemy has fortified the village very strong,surrounding it with trenches and barb wire and filled it with machinegun nests ,hidden in the houses and in the trees at the outskirts of the village.The enemy artillery set at the south of the village,has beaten with gret precision all day the troops in Prisaca forest(Padurea Prisaca),but because of the sandy terrain has not made great damage to them.At five o clock unleashes the Romanians attack.The 8th Regiment attacks the sat by the front,and the hunters from the west.The soldiers of the Assault Battalion of Buzau Regiment,advance under the rain of bullets which flows over them from the edge of the village.The men have to hit the ground and crawl forward,for advance, crawling one after the other, till they reach 150 meters to the village. Here the attack is stopped by the machinegun nests,intact, undestroyed by our artillery.Our 53mm canons fire upon enemy strongholds, destroying few machinegun nests, but there are plenty left to forbid our advance.our assaults are in vain.The raws of the heroic soldiers are crushed helplessly ,before the barb wire net, by the machineguns killing fires.Wave after wave is destroyed ;all companies commanders fell wounded. At the right side of the buzauers(men from Buzau),the hunters startup from their trenches,to surround and attack the village frome the west.The waves of assault are advancing ,running fast, but in a complete order.The enemy fires a very precise baraj shooting,behind the attackers,on the edge of Prisaca Forest,while the front lines of soldiers get into the killing flood of the machinegun fire at the outskirts of the village.The hunters do not weaken their elan,they annihilate the advanced enemy posts ,which they meet through the cornfield ,they advance all the time,although their lines are raring and get 50- 150 meters to the edge of the village; small plattons have even managed to get into the village,from where they been driven back. But the fatal cutting puts to the ground officers and soldiers. The commander of the battalion is wounded and evacuated. The French Captain Raymond Gras throws himself ahead of his soldiers, and leads them till he is also wounded and evacuated. The chiefs of units are falling one after the other; company command is taken now by sub-lieutenants, of the sergents platoons.Some companies are without a single officer;the 7th Company has reached the village entrance ,but has lost all officers and re employees and ther ‘s no one in command; their remains have to stop 50 meters from the edge of the village.The machine gun company remains with only one man a piece of gun,;they keep firing thus permitting to the warriors to dug themselves in shelters on the very spots. The reserve companies are trying heroic attacks in the sound of trumpets ,but they also have to stop in front of the deadly curtain. From the stopping line the soldiers at all times, over to the hidden enemy, machinegun fires, of rifle-machineguns and grenades. From the direction of Strajescu enemy columns are advancing ,prepearing to counterattack.Our artillery ,on the left shore of the Siret, catches them in the middle of a very violent and precise firing range, and covers the field between Strajescu and Doaga with enemy dead bodies.Clouds of dust and smoke covers the village, on which the shadow of the night begins to fall. At the aid post of 3rd Hunters Regiment ,it is a big crowd.The medical stuff cannot face up with so many wounded, which have to wait lomg hours till their turn. Then, the wounded officers ,with their heads and arms badaged,stand up on the edges of their stretchers ,and speak with soul to the soldiers. And thus,the mass of people have forgotten their misery and the agony of their full with holes bodies or torn ,the moanings and groaning have ceased,for enthusiastig cheers to cover the words of speakers which brings the full of admiration and gratitude of the country for which they have martyr. Lately ,the regiment makes count of the whole regiment,t here are left 400 warriors with seven officers. …The night begins to stretch its shadows over the field spread with dead bodies and soaked with blood.The forcing ,made with so much elan,starts to fade. The noise lowers slowly. From time to time, a cannon ,or a late rattle machine gun, a moan of a muribund. Doaga village could not be taken by Romanians.The commander of the sector gives the order for retreat to the start positions.In front of the enemy lines the first raws of Romanian soldiers does not move. The retreat order is renewed. The same immobility. The shooters lay on the ground with the weapon reaching towards the enemy, unmoved,I n the position they assumed under the stone rain of bullets over the day.A few times,the commander repeats the order by signailling, by agents but the raws stay unmoved. In the end the commander understood what distance impede him to see. Entire lines of shooters could not listen to his retreat orders anymore, as they listened the attack orders. They died without even trying a gesture of step aside, with their hands clutched on their weapons aimed as a sign of threat, towards the perimeters which will not let them to catch, in fair fight, brave fight, the enemy. The assault troop has remained all night to guard before the enemy nets, as a symbol of fulfilling the duty, beyond death….West of the railway, in the Russian sector, the Germans continued to unfold their offensive action started in the eve. They have rejected on a large front the troops of the 71st Russian Division-which have fought badly-and they pushed the front line,in the shape of an angle, in the depth of the Russian positions.,crossing over Susita.Hung by the German advance,the 62nd Austro-Hungaran Division was advancing as well,almost without will,thus occupying the villages Oltesti and Tifesti,left by the Russians.In the afternoon however, the Russians started a counterattack from the direction of Poiana,with four battalions of the 13th Division.The Austrians have given thus to the Russians the possibility of a cheap success; they quickly withdrew from the conquered positions ;a whole regiment have given up their weapons double-crossing thus to the enemy, together with all their material(military gear).The German troops of the Alpine Corps ,situated in reserve near the front line,together with the left wing of the 115th German neighbor Division,intervine into the fight and retake the position lost by the Austrians. The fifth day of the great battle was one of the bloodiest.On the Romanian battlefield,a small success,payed dearly with great martyr.But also the adversary had to pay expensive for his resistance :the 89th German Division,which was in front of the 5th romanian Division,had big casualties.Overcome with exhaust,driven to half of its effectives ,had to be drawn out of the fight and brought behind the front,at Ivancesti,for rest and recovery. On the Russian front however,the Germans have made a felt success;they have pushed north the frontline, constituting a serious threat for the Romanian flank and a joyful hope for the Germans.The unfolding of the next day action will be made by exploiting this situation. ....

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 04:23 pm

The Six-th day,11th of August The reciprocal offensive The painful sacrifices made by the 5th and 9th Divisions in the eve,have not been able to fulfill to a certain extent, the proposed objectives of the Romanian Headquarter.The advance of the Romanian front has been made at the left wing of the 5th Romanain Division,along Siret river,with 2km, up to Doaga village ,and at the right wing of the 9th Romanian Division with only few hundred meters,touching in this point the Susita Seaca valley.Between these two extreme points,the advance has been made little and unregulated ;the front was not continuous.General Christescu fixed as goal of today offensive action ,to reach the whole line Susita Seaca-Paduricea(small forest) at point 59-Jugastru valley-Doaga village,for to have on it the base for further attack of the line Bizighesti-Strajescu.For to reconstitute the fighting front of the 9th Division, General Scarisoreanu brought to the line the 40th Calugareni Regiment,of which only one has had gret casualties,but the other two were intact,as well as the 35th regiment,which was kept till then in reserve.In the first line there were two battalions from 40th Regiment and one from 35th Regiment;in the second line was one battalion from the 49th Regimentand two from the 35th Regiment.As a reserve of division,were gathering north of Marasesti the remains of brave and unfortunate regiments,9th Hunters and 36th Infantry,which were completed by men from the march battalions.Thus was reconstituted the 9th Hunters Regiment, with two battalions .The front of the 5th Romanian Division was remade by taking out of the fight the 3rd Hunters Regiment-which was decimated in thr eve attack-and bringing in his stead the 9th Rimnicu Sarat Regiment,which was kept in the reserve corps.The raws of the 8th Buzau Regiment were completed by men from March-ing Battalion. The 5th Division was in this way maintaining the front ,with three battalions in the first line,two in the second line and three in the third line; the 9th Regiment with three battalions was in the division reserve. At Baltareti, on the left shore of Siret,it was a regiment of the 13th Romanian Division, as a reserve of the VI-th Army Corps,and the rest of the division was crossed on the right shore, between Marasesti and Padureni as a reserve of the I-st Army.Along the left shore of Siret,the 14th Division and the Cavalry Division, were maintaining the positions they had in the eve. The offensive action wil be given on the whole front of 5th and 9th Divisions, with the involvement of the Russian divisions from the right. As the Romanian command was taking measures,the german commandment, was measuring himself for a great offensive which he has also planned for the same day. Under the impression of the success obtained yesterday on the Russian front ,Mackensen was sure that he will be able to give today a major blow. This was supposed to be made out of two attacks:one attack wil be given at the left side of the IX-th german Army, in the sector of XVIII-th Wenninger Corps, which was inactive up until now. The concentrations of forces of this Corps was now complete.The Alpine Corps was now in position,overimposed between 62nd Austrian Division,which has gathered her front-and 115th German Division. The 13th Austrian Division was in the Corps reserve,and the 217th Division was taken from Gallawitz Army,and passed under the orders of XVIII-th Corps.Wenninger wil attack with the Alpine Corps,leaned on the right ,by ist Aerman Corps:Morgen will attack wit 76th and 12th Bavarian Divisions-the last one taken again into front,after rest and recovery. He will hit the Russian troops, made out from the remains of the 71st and 34th Divisions, along the driveway and railway Focsani-Marasesti-Adjud,in the right flank of the 9th Romanian Division. So ,a double offensive ,both hitting the Russian troops.The day of 11th August was announced to be a bloody one,filled with high hopes ,both sides. The German offensive has started in the morning in Wenninger’s sector.The Alpine Corps attacks with full strength the 15th Russian Division,assaulting Poiana village,advancing all the way in to Susita Valley.At the left the Austrians have occupied the village Sirb.The German front has made in this way an important advance;he mastered Susita Valley,Putna Valley up to Vitanesti. .....

Posted by: razu February 14, 2009 04:43 pm

The Russian defection and Romanian sacrifice On the Romanian front ,the artillery fight lasted all day,taking part to it also the 14th Romanian Division artillery from the left of Siret River.The Romanian infantry attack was set for 4:30 in the evening,to give more time to the exhausted troops for rest.All the preparations were made.The show of the Russian cavalry troops going martial towards the battle line,where the German attack has started not long ago, was filling with hope the Romanian’s hearts. It seemed that this time the Russians will put up a fight. While the artillery was thundering ,both sides, and the Romanians troops were waiting with apprehension the signal for beginning the attack, all of a sudden an event took place,as upsetting as it was unexpected. Eight minutes befor the set hour for attack,the commander of the 9th Romanian Division received the news that the Russians at his right side-71st Russian Division-had broke the fight and are retreating! From the command post of the division , one could see ,herds and herds of Russians ,running in precipitation to the north,t hrough the wine- grapes yards ,at the left of the driveway. This retreat was inexplicable ;the German attack has just started a short while ago. The runaway ,thus,was not the effect of the fight ,but to the decission of the revolutionary committees of the army. The coincidence of the fixed attack hour for the Romanians with the said Russian retreat gave character of unsaid gravity to the attack. There was not time for reflections or comments though. The situation becomes critic. On the tracks of the runaway Russians ,appeared the German infantry in pursuit ,and on the other hand, the set hour for the attack was signaled ,and the whole front of the two divisions, not knowing what is going on at their right side, started to move. According to the orders , the attack will be given powerful at the left , by the 5th Romanian Division; and in connection,the left of the 9th Romanian Division has to advance itself, pivot- ing around 9th Division,which had to remain firmly on her place. On the front of the 5th Division, the 7th Regiment has started the attack at 5:30;the same enemy machinegun nests, undestroyed by artillery, have stopped its advance. In front of Doaga village, the front of the 8th Buzau Regiment was drawing a curved line, nearing the village in its advance at around 30-200 meters. Crouched in their individual masks, dug in the eve and over night, the soldiers could not move at all, without being cut by the enemy fire ,re-trenched in front of them. At the set hour ,the Romanians get out of their trenches and haste to attack. The enemy receives them with a rain of weapon- fires and machineguns, fired from the houses attics,from the windows, from the trees.The lines of the Romanians are slept to the ground; the first attack company is completely wiped uot. From the direction of Strajescu,the Germans start a flank attack,the Romanian left retreats.The attack has failed. The division commander orders general retreat back to the start positions. The retreat is executed over the night ,in order,unobserved by the enemy which, happy that he went cheap,does not pursue. On the front of the 9th Division, the battalion of the 35th Regiment from the left, attacks in the same place in which in the eve became grave of the 9th Hunters Regiment, manages to pass the railway, but going over the same undestroyed strongholds of artillery ,and over the same machinegun nests, he remains at the edge of the driveway. The center of division-one battalion out of 40th Regiment-gives the assault with enthusiasm ,advances without counting the heavy losses and gets into the first enemy line, in the valley of Susita Seaca.He remains isolated though, to advanced from its left side and its right side,which stayed unmoved because of the neighbor Russian’s defection .In the face of the peril of remaining with the flank of the division uncovered, General Scarisoreanu elongates the front at the right side with one of the battalions from the sector reserve, which manages to hold for a moment in place the Russians, also. As General Scarisoreanu was taking measures to face up the desperate situation, General Christescu received o news, which has given the present situation an even more dangerous turn. General Ragoza, t he commander of the IV-th Russian Army, without consulting or at least let know his ally,the commander of the Romanian army, with whom he was sharing the fight ,has given the order to suspend the attack. Under the impression of this order,a general state of panic spreads through the mass of 71st and 34th Russian Divisions,which were situated to our right.A precipitated and unorganized retrat has started on the whole front of these divisions .Big masses of troops have left their positions and retreat on a depth of 4-5 km,stopping only along the railway and driveway Marasesti-Panciu,west of Marasesti. Through the large breach made in the Russian front the Germans advance now in big masses ,like the waves of a furious water which has just broke the walls holding her. Morgen took advantage of the occasion which appeared and pushed forward with strength the concentrated troops of the 12th Bavarian Division and those ob the left wing of the 76th Division. It was the decisive attack which will decide the fate of the battle.In front of his numerous forces,the terrain was free,an on the right were the poor and fewed troops of the 9th Romanian Division with her flank completely uncovered.The German flow .advancing fast along the driveway and of the railway,in the flank of the Romanian troops,occupies the trainstop(a smaller railway station) Tisita ,crosses further the Sugar Factory,,pivoting to the right,fells behind the 9th Division, attacking Marasesti village and Marasesti Railway Station.The situation of the 9th Division is almost critical.Her front is turned in a 90 degree angle and violently attacked by superior forces from the south and from west as well. The telephone is sending quick appeals .But the army corps has no reserve troops available in the vicinity, which could send in help. From the Russian hedquarter the liaison officer transmits that there is a complete mess ,there; their commanders have no authority over the troops and do not know where they are also.So the Romanian division has to fight with her own means.It is the same fatality as at Topraisar and Neajlov ,which follows the heroic troops. Scarisoreanu bends his right, making front towards south-west.The three battalions of the 40th Regiment find themselves in this dangerous corner.,bend in 90 degree angle,surrounded from three parts by the enemy,facing towards south, towards southwest and towards west, covering Marasesti. The Germans attack with violence. Their troops are many,rested and drunk with the easy success ,obtained against the Russians. The battalions of the 40th regiment are surrounded and decimated by the enemy machinegunfires. The officers and soldiers fell one after the other and their resistance holds till they fire the last bullets.The regiment is like closed-down. The enemy has caught seven officers and 120 men; the rest has stayed to darken the battlefield,dead and wounded.It is the third regiment of the Division destroyed in two days.The martyr of 40th Regiment,latens the enemy giving time to Romanian units to reach the front.T he 35th Regiment runs to connect with the shaken Romanian front.He is received in fire of salve ,and cannot ease the situation of the 40th Regiment,but assumes positions between Calini Forest and the sugar factory(Fabrica de Zahar),north of Marasesti –Tecuci railway, forming a new front with the oblique direction,north-west-south-east. At the right wing the danger is very big;the enemy infantry approaches Marasesti. The bullets begins to fall in the village batteries(four cannons) ,south of the village and even in the village ;one part of the artillery has to change position .To baraj the advancing of the enemy and to fill the gap, Scarisoreanu puts into the fight the last reservr:9th Hunters Regiment(mountain hunters regiment).The hunters are running,meets the German troops that where advancing between the sugar factory and Marasesti railway,throws them back beyond the junction of the railway through the wine grape yards Negroponte,and reconstitute the frontline ;facing south-west connecting with the left side of the 35th Regiment. Surprised by this new attack ,just when they thought they definitely won the game, struck in flank by the machineguns installed in the buildings of the sugar factory ,hit in front by the fires of the troop that occupied the lines of the railway station and attacks facing southwest,the Germans stop and give up the fight.It was night and the darkness obstructed the operations .The fight was over. Marasesti village,the railway and the sugar factory(Fabrica de Zahar) ,were ours. Before them was formed a new Romanian front.The intervention of the 9th Hunters Regiment has saved the famous village.By night arrives an infantry regiment with an artillery division from the 13th Division, which the commander of the army corps has send to help the division; he unfolds immediately at the right side of the hunters extending the new front ,searching for the connection with the Russians. The crisis has passed The 5th Division has to withdraw a little the right flank,to align it with the left one of the new front of the 9th Division .A regiment of the 13th Division has benn brought here during the night,to consolidate the connection. The Germans confess that their divisions,216th and 76th have sufferd this day great losses, because of the Romanian artillery fire on the eastern shore of Siret river; amongst other things, three heavy morttiers and two cannons of 105mm have been damaged by our bombardment.The airplanes bombers have caused, also felt casualties. In this way ends this great day, in which all the reserve power of the Germans and the unorganizing of the Russian troops have united, for making the catastophy of the Romanian army and Moldavia.It was given that the cleverness and cold blood of the Romanian commanders, the iron arm and martyr of the soldier ,to rise again a barrier against the unleashed storming un-well-comers. The 9th Division has closed the counting of three days of fighting ,of one of the greatest fights of Marasesti, in which she stood always in the middle of the rowing. She had the pain to number, 143 officers and 6300 soldiers lost, 135 machineguns and ten cannons out of service, but she coud affirm, that through this martyr ,she has closed the way of the enemy to Marasesti . The 9th,10th and 11th of August ,are the glory days of the 9th Romanian Division. .....

Posted by: Tyke February 14, 2009 11:44 pm

Bravo razu. Well done. Thank you. Alan in Bradford

Posted by: razu February 15, 2009 12:28 pm

The 7th and the 8th days of battle 12th -13th of August. Changes in the Romanian Command. During the night of 11th -12th of August ,an important move in the commanding of the fighting forces of SiretRriver ,has been decided at the big Romanian Headquarter and communicated to the I-st Army. Between the commandments of the two armies, Russian and Romanian, which were fighting together at Marasesti, there wasn’t quite the harmony necessary in difficult situations ,like this one. Differences of conceptions and temperament created thus,a state of tension ,which became worse, between the two commanders.The actions of General Ragoza, sometimes without energy, othertimes without good will,,most of the times without the exact knowledge of the real situations,and without the love for the land which he was put to defend, have risen from the part of General Christescu energic protests.At his turn,the Russian general accused his Romanian comrade ,of delays an inconsecvence in taking measures in fulfilling the duties of the commune decisions .It is without doubt that the Romanian commander has received a task which was heavy on his shoulders and full of responsibilities. At the beginning of the battle he was all of a sudden in front of a totally unexpected situation and dangerous.Forced to take part to a great battle unleashed outside the sector of where his troops were forced to send these troops in the spin of the battle ,one by one,without knowing precisely the line of the front which he had to occupy,nor the strength of the enemy with which he will have to measure, missing above all,the trust in the ally which was always leaving the inheritance of most desperate situations,Christescu managed to fill in time the gaps left by the Russians and reconstitute ,even under the biggest pressures made by the enemy,a new Romanian front line,which was replacing the blown away Russian front line.Thanks to his measures and the heroism of 5th and 9th Romanian Divisions, which ave taken the hard, of the first two days of the battle ,the danger was past for the time being.It is the great uncontested merit of General Christescu. But the actions of General Christescu rose up discontent not only from the commandment of the IV-th Russian Army,but also from the Big Romanian Headquarter.It was imputed to the general some hesitations in the measures he has taken by Him…..;they did not correspond to the intentions and instructions of the Romanian Headquarter.At 7th of August, evening,t he Hedquarter asked the Commander of the I-st Romanian Army,to transport the army troops on the right shore of Siret and form there a manouver mass, whit which could proceed to attack But the movments of the army would be executed slowly. From this point of view,the defensive action as the offensive one from the first days of the battle,in its principal sector, were gave to or given by the Romanians ,with weak forces: only two divisions. In the critical and full of responsibilities ,in which Christescu was,he thought feet to proceed with extreme caution, and not to empty the right shore of Siret, moving all the troops on the right one,But the shortening of the effectives of the I-st Romanian Army ,in numerous small counterattacks ,given with weak units, without the perspective of decisive successes, was not well sighted by the Big Hedquarter;to continue in this way will peril the favorable unfolding of the battle. The untrust in the most precautious spirit of General Christescu and the worsening disaccord between him and his Russian counterpart ,made the High Romanian Commandment to take a dangerous decision: To sacrifice the commander of the I-st Romanian Army.The “thing” of the Romanian commandment of the I-st Army, kept till now in suspense ,was given the defensive solution. General Christescu wich held this commandment by delegation was given another assignment and the command of the I-st Army was given to General Eremia Grigorescu. In the Officer’s Corps and to the public in general, in which General Christescu was enjoying a good reputation, have had a bad impression .Especially ,that he was ,erroneous, as cause ,a violent conflict with the Russians and was considered as a satisfaction imposed by the Russian commandment. The impression ,became even more unpleasant when found out that ”to ensure the coordination of the efforts of the IV-th Russian Army with I-st Romanian Army”, the two armies commandments have been united under one,given to the Russian General, Ragoza. Fortunately ,naming General Eremia Grigorescu ahead the I-st Army produced a calm effect ,though; the personality of the Oituz defender was inspiring. Important movement of units,have changed the Romanian-Russian front line.The VII-th Russian corps, made out of Divisions:34th,71st and 13th,was incapable of fight any more;his divisions were reduced to effectives of 1000 bayonets each. The 13th Romanian Division took its place, elongating to the west the right wing of the 9th Romanian Division. Further to the right, Russian Divisions 14th and 15th,which have been till then on Vrancea front,were taken from there and intercalated with the Cavalry Division Zamurskaia, between Russian Division 103rd and 13th Romanian Division, reconstiting thus the VIII-th Russian Corps,from Iresti to Panciu.The place of the Russians on Vrancea front has been occupied by elongating the Romanian Dovisions, 12th and 3rd.Other Romanian divisions were on the point of taking place on the fighting front. The 10th Romanian Division was marching from Tecuci to Nicoresti;the next day she was supposed to cross the Siret onto the right shore. The 15th Division was at Negrilesti,10 km north of tecuciThe 14th Infantry and Cavalry Division were maintaining their positions on the left shore of Siret river,in front of the 212th and 303rd German Divisions. With this face ,the composition of the Russian- Romanian front was,as follows(at the end of July):to the right, from Iresti till east of Panciu,the VIII-th Russian corps(General Ielciaminev) made out of Divissions 103rd,15th, 14th and Cavalry Division Zamurskaia.At the center,the V-th Romanian Corps(General Istrati),made of Divissions 13th,9th and 10th-the last one in reserve.At the left side the VI-th Romanian Corps(General Aristide Razu),made out of Divissions 5th,14th and Greceanu Cavalry Group(one Division and three Brigades),the last two ,of them, on the left of Siret river.It has started to arrive in the army area , 15th Romanian Division, as army reserve. ......

Posted by: razu February 15, 2009 12:35 pm

Panciu Battle The German Commander took fight dispositions for the day of 12th of August.In the wave of the heavy fights in the eve, the offensive force of Morgen’s Corps has weakened. On the other hand, the idea that only on the Russian front it is possible to obtain an important success, was stronger.Von Eben was ordered to suspentd the action against the Romanians and to aim his attacks with full strength against VIII-th Russian Corps ,moving the action west, in the region of Panciu. The Alpine Corps, new elite and fresh unit, has ben intercalated in the VIII-th German Corps .General von Wenninger will retake the offensive with a group made out in the center by the Bavarian Alpine Corps, ustained on the right by 115th German Division, and on the left by the 62nd Austrian Division and by the Galwitz Group.The action will evolve together with Gerock Group, from the Rohr Army,I n Oituz Valley. In two days of fights, the Germans, attacking the Russian forces which were weak resisting,have made quick progresses and conquered one after the other a multitude of localities.Satu Nou(The New Village),Crucea de Jos(The Lower Cross),Dumbrava(Smallforest),Valeni(like valley but masculine gender…),Clipicesti(wink-ing), Burca, have been occupied at 12th of August. Tirgusorul –Panciu,Crucea de Sus and Serbesti have been occupied in the morning of 13th of August. The 115th German Division, looking to enlarge her front,at the right wing,came into contact with the 13th Romanian Division, which occupied the ex-sector of the VII-th Russian Corps, and had to stop there. In this way, the Germans have managed to conquer the lines of the heights which domminate Susita Valley.from the north. The whole Russian front ,till Iresti was shaken and pushed back. The Germans were in front of the hills of Iresti, Muncelului, Straoanelor and Minastioarei, making in the depth of the Russian positions a big entering angle. From here,they were threatening the whole flank of the Romanian line from the east, to Siret river. On the Romanian front of the V-th Army Corps,the counteroffensive given on days 10th and 11th of August, have not been pursued because, if the 13th Division, fresh and intact unit,was able to fight the enemy, the 9th Division was completely exhaustedand incapable to make an offensive gesture. Thus ,it was renounced whatever velleity of counteroffensive and was decided to proceed to fill in the blanks and and organize the defensive of the new positions.T he Germans have given in these days ,small attack of fixation, sometimes with big patrols ,sustained by artillery, to distract one’s attention from the principal action given on the front of the VIII-th Russian Corps. They have all been rejected by artillery fire and machineguns. The strongest attack was made on 12th of August on the front of the 13th Division; it was brilliantly rejected by a counterattack of the 50th Infantry Regiment ,which made the enemy run away making bloody losses, of around 200-300 men, gaining 200 meters of terrain in depth. ......

Posted by: razu February 15, 2009 03:10 pm

General Eremia Grigorescu In the morning of 13th of August,General Ragoza, alarmed by the defeat suffered at Panciu and by the perilous situation of his Russian front,has decided to proceed to a great movement of retreat,which will bring the Romanian front at the same level with the Russian one.He has given thus the order to General Eremia Grigorescu to retreat immediately his troops with 6 km ,behind Marasesti,such that the new Russian-Romanian front would be established on the line Iresti-Diocheti-Modruzeni-Ionasesti.But the Romanian Commander could not go under such an order with an easy heart .Especially that this commander was named Eremia Grigorescu. The general was a great and impressive figure of our war.He was the embodiment of the classic type of soldier of pure rase,proud as a musketeer,brave as a medieval knight.To allthese,a solid military education and technical,a sharp eye and an iron energy.His robust optimism was finding the expression in romantic formulaes,which became popular,impressing the officer corps and the soldiers,rising thus their moral.His devise “you shall not pass through here!”became famous:with this fame has passed the General from the Oituz front to Marasesti front.He was domminating the most desperate situation by an undisturbed trust in himself and in the power of the circumstances. Once ,a shell of great caliber exploded near him,frightening the officers around him.The General have put them at ease with the words:”Do not fear when you are near me;it hasn’t yet been cast a shell to kil General Grigorescu!”.The Romanian commander has received with indignation the order of the Russian commander. The disposition was inexplicable:a retreat in bright day light,during heavy fighting with the enemy ,could have caused a real disaster.It also meant abandoning without fight a terrain of 3-6km wide,and above all leaving the Marasesti village which,after six days of most heroic fights,became the symbol of Romanian bravery and of defending by martyr the Romanian land. General Eremia Grigorescu respounded to Ragoza ,that he thinks that the retreat order is given as by inadvertence and he asks him to mentain the Russian troops at the right of the Romanians,at least till nightfall.An agitated conversations is made thus , through the Hugues apparatus ,between Grigorescu and the Headquarter.Grigorescu shows that the retreat would mean a disaster and must be stopped .Stopping the evolution of the enemy success on the front of the VIII-th Russian front,cannot be made by retreat,but by manouver.The Germans are also exhausted and their fighting resistance is not superior to our troops.General Prezan and General Serbacev are of the same opinion with Grigorescu.Their decisions are the result of this convince:if the Russian general does not count on the fighting force of his troops,then the Romanian troops will take over some of the Russian sector as well,stretching with the 13th and 10th Romanian Division to the height 334(a poin on the map ,and on a scale from 0 to 334 meters) north of Panciu.In the same time,the 14th Romanian Division will have to cross Siret River,on the right side,in the back of the 5th Romanian Division. These movements will occur in the night of 13th-14th of August. The retreat order is canceled,and the line of the Romanian front,together with Marasesti village,kept.In the same day,at the request of General Prezan(Romanian),,Serbacev(Russian),takes from Ragoza(Russian)the Command of the Russian troops on the battlefield of Marasesti, and gives the Command to General Grigorescu . By entering in the fight of the Divisions 13th ,10th and 14th,the biggest and most important sector of the Marasesti battlefield is taken by the Romanian Army.The Russians are only keeping the three Divisions of the VIII-th Corps.The Commander of the Russian –Romanian forces is now General Grigorescu.Romania could breath easily now;defending the ancestor’s land was in safe- hands. .......

Posted by: razu February 15, 2009 04:49 pm

The 9th day,14th of August Chicera Fight Mackensen continues the offensive started with the XVIII-th Corps,at his right wing, against the Russians. The successes of the last two days ,made him master over the Valleys of Putna and Susita.In the day of 14th of August,the offensive will continue north,to conquer also the hills between Susita and Zabrautu Valley and then will descend in the valley of this river, on the line Fitionesti-Movilita-Diocheti.Conquering this new line and stretching over Susita Valley, towards Racoasa, it will be of outmost use for the offensive enterprise by Gerock Army ,at Tirgu Ocna and Vrancea,with which it had to go convergent. Makensen has also brought the 13th Austrian Division, kept till now in reserve behind the right flank of theAlpine Corps ,which will be today , also, in the center of the attack sector. A powerful heavy artillery has been brought on the hills of Panciu , to hit in flank the Romanian troops neighbouring the Russian troops. The attack of the XVIII-th German Corps was given against the sector occupied by the VIII-th Russian Corps, in the Panciu region.In the center of the Russian sector were, the 14th Division and elements of infantry ,glued to the Cavalry Division Zamurskaia.The Russian sector was stretching east with the 13th Romanian Division,disposed oblique,from the north –west corner of the forest”La Razoare” till 18th kilometer of the driveway Focsani-Marasesti. Behind theVIII-th Russian Corps,arrived 10th Romanian Division .The troops arrived in the fighting zone in bright daylight, could not exchange the Russian troops, during the day. The operation has been postponed for the following night; this day, the 10th Division will form up as a reserve for the 14th Russian Division. The Russian commander could not give to the Romanian commander any information on the situation and forces of the enemy; moreover, he did not even knew the placement of his own troops! General Cihosky disposed the two brigades of the 10th Division, between Movilita and Diocheti, on the northern shore of Zabrautu. Beyond the valley, in a gorge has been massed the 10 Hunters Regiment .The artillery of the Division has not yet arrived on the fighting positions. At seven clocks in the morning, the enemy artillery has started the bombardment with all the cannons of all calibers, over the Russian front ,especially between points height 334 Chicera and height 283 at Pirlita.The shells , shrapnels and grenades were falling not only over the ridges of the hill Chicera and the slopes which descend over the Zabrautu Valley,occupied by the 14th Russian Division troops,bot also over the villages north of tha said Valley, where the Romanian troops were.The incendiary bombs have set afire many houses from Diocheti and Movilita,and the toxic gasses have killed many innocent inhabitants,women ,children,of which the orgy of war could not inch them of their places .At three in the afternoon, the bombardment has became extremely violent. The Russian artillery of the 14th Division, hidden in the cornfields of the north shore of Zabrautu, answered with equal strength. The ridge and the slopes of the hills were covered by waves of smoke and gasses which were fantastically vibrating and dancing in the boiled atmosphere by the flames of the explosions and by the heat of this hot summer August day. The German Alpine-ers ,starting from Straoane de Jos,Crucea de Sus, Panciu si Crucea de Jos, haste to attack at the Russian troops on Chicera Hill.The Russians are not resisting at all.they break the front,and start to run away in disorder, between grape-growings ,they downhill the slopes of the hill, towards Zabrautu Valley.The whole front line occupied till now by the 56 Russian Regiment ,with dominant high 334 point,is now emptied by the defenders and on the ridge start to show the German Alpine-ers, advancing in pursue of the Russians. The consternation is profound in the lines of the Romanians, which were gazing at the depressive show”The Russians are running away! The Russians are running away! Were shouting the soldiers of the 10th Romanian Division,just as they shouted few days ago, the soldiers of the 5th and 9th Romanian Divisions. Fatal shout, characteristic of the strange brotherly collaboration of the Russians with the Romanians, which has become the repetition-motive of the Marasesti battle. There was no time for thinking ,though.The situation was grave. In the gorge, where the 10th Romanian Hunters Regiment was crowded,were beginning to arrive in run the Russian soldiers, unbanded, threatening to panic the Romanians .This was not supposed to happen. the Hunters unfold, for the time being ,only one battalion, and with the shining bayonets in the sun start to assault the ridge of the hill. ……

Posted by: razu February 15, 2009 06:42 pm

…… But the Russians retreat becomes generalized; a breach is made to the right of the Hunters Battalion.The second Battalion joins the fight and now the whole Regiment is forming up for advance in line,which advances ,impetuous and brave, dragging with her the remains of the Russians, which did not catch to spread into the valley ,yet. Surprised by the unexpected apparition of the Hunters,the Germans,which thought they have in front only runaway Russians ,are folling back,followed zealously by the Romanian troops ,till the ridge of the hill. A violent fight is beginning on the whole stretch of the ridge.The brave Hunters are received by enemy machine gun fires, which garnished the the high 334 and the neighbouring heights. The enemy artillery ,having the distance already calculated, opens a crushing fire with all calibers cannons over the Hunters.From behind, the Russian artillery continues the baraj fire, without stretching the aiming ,so their projectiles fell also over the Romanian Hunters. Confused, with the raring lines, bombed in front by the enemy and in the back by the friend ,the hunters are attacked by fresh enemy troops with the bayonet and grenades.The elan of the hunters is broken by these attacks, and their raws begin to withdraw, leaving the ridge filled with dead and wounded. The Commander is asking for the help of the 20th Brigade which was formed up in reserve. The 38th Regiment unfolds with two battalions in the first line and with one in reserve, crossing in running Zabrautu and begins to climb the hill. Manhooded by the received help, the Hunters are returning and mixed with soldiers of the 38th Regiment,together with few Russians, left between Romanians ,they start for the second time to counterattack. The fight is given with great violence , both sides; the two artilleries are throwing torents of fires, to one another, over lines and reserve lines. The Romanian commander gets into the first line of fight the reserve battalion. To our right a new German attack, from Stranoare de Sus,towards height 322(the south-west corner of Lipitoarea Forest) ,runs away the Russians. One battalion of the 33rd Romanian Regiment is sent over. He reoccupies the position,stretching the front of 38th Regiment.The fight is now general on the whole line of heights from Pirlita-Chircea(Crucea de Sus),till over Straoane de Sus. Elbow to elbow , the officers and soldiers are heroic fighting.Captain Vasile Serbanescu,the Commander of a machinegun company of the 38th Regiment, is personally leading a section which is advancing in the first line of the assault wave ,cutting the enemy raws and gets on to the ridge. The servants of his guns are falling one after the other, and the last one to fall is the Captain himself, with his finger on the trigger of machinegun. All the vigorous assault of the German Alpine-ers are ,sustained by the fires of their artillery have been in vain.The Romanian lines could not have been rejected anymore. But neither the 334 height ,the dominant height ,strongly retrenched and solid occupied by the Germans with machinegun nests, could not be conquered by our soldiers, which have fixed their position within 300 meters before the height;in exchange, the height 302,is still in our hands. Arround eight in the evening,with the eve of the darkness, the fight is over. The 10th Division was baptized with honour on the battlefield of Marasesti. The 20th Brigade,the only brigade to take part in the bloody fight at Chicera,as managed to save the situation, compromised by the Russians and to fix a strong front on the heights with grapes growings and forests between Susita Valley and Zabrautu Valley, not letting the enemy to pass into the last one. Replacing the 14th Russian Division by the 10th Romanian Division,set for the night of 14th-15th of August,was made in this way,in the day of 14th,under the fire of the enemy and in fight with himself.During the night,have occupied positions,replacing the Russians,the 19th brigade as well as the artillery of 10th Division .So at 15th of August, in the morning,the 19th Division was all on the front, with the 20th Brigade from Chicera all the way to Dumbrava and with the 19th Brigade from Dumbrava to razoare, where it connected with the 13th Division. The 10th Hunters Regiment ,heavily trialed in the fight of Chicera ,was put to division’s reserve.The positions inherited from the Russians had no serious defensive organization; one single line of individual masks(trenches), of half s meter deep,without any flanking or a band of barb wire fence. Thus ,all night and the next nights have had to work hard to deepen the trenches and to the stretching of the nets of wire, rectifying the front wherever was needed. .....

Posted by: razu February 16, 2009 02:32 pm

The Attack of Prisaca Forest In the same time,as the advance of Weninger was stopped by the Romanian troops,which rose up like from the ground ahead of him, to the right of the IX-th Army,I n Morgen’s sector, the action was retaken after two days of relative repaus. The 5th Romanian Division strengthened in Prisaca Forest ,was sitting like a spin in the rib of the I-st German Army Corps ,producing them losses by continuous bombardments and attacks ;she constituted thus a threat to any attempt of advance made by the I-st German Corps. So it was decided for the day of 14th of August, the conquering of Priaca Forest, named in a pompous mode the bridge head of Baltareti. The railway Marasesti -Tecuci and the driveway Panciu-Tecuci,going together to cross the big bridge south of Cosmesti, were making together with Siret River a sharp angle ,which was edging from the north and from the west Prisaca Forest.The angle was closed from south-west by three lines of trenches with barb wire fence,making a deffensive system, which defends the bridge over Siret in front of Baltaret Village of the other shore. On this position were the hard trialed troops of the 5th Romanian Division:8th Buzau Regiment at the left near Siret and the 9th Rimnicu –Sarat Regiment on the right side up to the railway, were connected with 7th Prahova Regiment .Beyond Siret, on the left shore, were the troops of the 14th Romanian Division ,of which four battalionsof Regiments 55th and 54th have been crossed this way ,as reserve of the III-rd Corps. The Germans have concentrated against the Romanian position of Prisaca Forest the whole 216th Division, which has been given to dispose of a very powerful artillery of all calibers, especially a lot of heavy artillery. The bombardment have started during the previous night and continued all morning. In the afternoon it has reached an intensity almost unknown till then. Shells of big caliber ,especially 150 mm, explosives mines, bombards, grenades, shrapnels, are beating like stonerain over the defensive workings. The terrain being weak in this sandy field of Siret River, the works are easily destroyed. The sticks of the wire nets are pulled altogether, the trenches are undone, burring alive the defenders. Clouds of smoke, of axfixiant gas and tear gas unfolds then everything in thick veil black-redish. It is complete blackness. It is an Inferno. At 5 in the afternoon the bombardment has reached paroxysm.Their effects are crushing.The entires of the first and the second Romanian defensive lines does not exist anymore; the strongholds of the third line are turned over as well. The phone lines, between battalions, artillery and commandments are destroyed. The soldiers in the trenches are killed by bombardment or axfixiated by gas and covered by the blowing Earth. The enemy artillery is elongating its aiming; She hits Cosmesti village, the bridge over Siret and the opposite shore, to stop any attempt of help. A cloud of axfixiant gas is waved down over the artillery of the 14th Division; all servants of a battery(four cannons) are out of service. At 7:45 in the evening ,under the protection of a cloud of dust and smoke, the Germans are beginning their attack.One column, in the power of almost two regiments, attacks in the connection point of 8th and 9th Romanian Regiments.The defenders are few and weak. It is the 9th day since the 5th Romanian Division is in the first line of fire, receiving blow after blow; the effectives of the Division are reduced at one third of what was in the beginning, and the man ,unexchanged, are torn with exhaust at body and soul. The strongholds workings, destroyed cannot oppose any resistance; the soldiers of the Ist Battalion of the 8yh Regiment are pushed back and the front is broken. The enemy flow is pouring mor e and more and the breach is widened .The Germans open in three columns: one towards the left ,behind 9th Regiment; a cental column, which pushes forward to enlarge and deepen the breach, aiming for the bridge. Unfortunately the 5th Division has not disposed of reserve troops sided in depth.The shortened effectives ,are disposead almost on a single line and the few troops, situated behind, are to weak to reject the enemy with a serious counterattack. The 3rd Hunters Regiment ,which was at Cosmesti - Noi,for rest and recovery, in the follow of the bloody fights of 11th and 12th of AAuugust, is brought up in haste and occupies the trenches on the left side of Siret, to stop the advance of the enemy over the bridge. The enemy column in the right side has reached within 5 minutes the shore of Siret. Both Battalions of 8-th Buzau Regiment are surrounded and attacked from behind. The Command Post of the Regiment is surprised. One platoon with a machine gun section is trying a deffense, but is destroyed by the overwhelming forces of the enemy. A savage body against body fight and with grenades is ironing. The officers are making way through with the revolver; many are jumping in the Siret water.The French Captain Vernay dies touched by shell splinters ,when he was swimming across the Siret water; his body is thrown by the waves on the left shore ,together with his Romanian brothers , united forever by the indestructible connection of death for the same ideal .From the whole Regiment escapes a group of eighty men with eight officers which walk the enemy line and retreat 300-500 meters, positioning themselves in front of the bridge, on a line stretched between Siret and the railway. The enemy column on the left side have made a surrounding move, turning the flank of regiments 7th and 9th-9th Brigade-reached Siret Train Station;in the same time the enemy attacks the right side of the 9th Brigade, searching thus to veil the Brigade on both flanks. The enemy artillery is firing violently behind our line, to stop the reserves troops intervention and trows waves of axfixiant gas ; our artillery respond with equal violence. One cannot hear or see anything anymore; everything is covered in black clouds of smoke, of gases and dust.The enemy columns have reached the back of our positions.The Battalion of 32nd Regiment, which was in reserve, intervines in the fight, but is overwhelmed, surrounded and taken prisoner almost in totality ,with his commander. Of Regiments 9th and 7th ,some units are captured others retreat fighting. The enemy throws himself towards the great bridge,of which conquer is a certain thing.Two artillery divisions of the 7th regiment, placed on the right side of Siret River, have sustained the fight till they start to receive rockets on to the batteries(four cannons);then they received the order to retreat over the bridge of Ionasesti,to put into battery on the left of Siret, at Cosmesti Hill. The situation is critical. It is saved thanks to the Units of the 14th Division, situated on the shore of Siret, in the reserve of the IIIrd Corps. The 55th Regiment is sent on the right ;he attacks the heads of enemy columns, which are stopped, manages the retreat of the rest of the 9th Brigade and establishes himself on position along Siret River-the west arm of Siret-reestablishing the connection on the right with the 9th Division.One Battalion of the 54 Regiment stops the enemy on a line between the Siret elbow and the driveway.The Romanian line is remaking itself, with this face, in front of the bridge. This resistance, united with the cover of darkness which was falling in the mean time, on the battlefields stops the Germans on the spot. They try during the night three attacks, which are rejected and the fight ends. The big attack enterprised by the Germans against the “bridge head” at Baltareti-Cosmesti, has succeded in part. The Prisaca Forest has fallen into their hands; the 5th Division was destroyed. The Germans say they have captured almost 3000 prisoners,16 cannons and 40 machine guns. Avoiding a felt defeat ,for us ,in this point ,given the weakness of the troops of the 5th Division, decimated in the follow of many fights and demoralized by the strong artillery attack, but with a waste of ammunition unprecedented ,on the front of Marasesti. But the principal objective, aimed by the enemy, have not been accomplished. The bridge over Siret is stil in our hands. And the front, broken for a brief moment ,has remade itself thus forbidding the advance of the enemy. The next day ,the 14th Division is altogether crossed onto right shore of the Siret River, and the great Bridge of Cosmesti-Baltareti is Blown into the air by our troops, cutting in this way the appetite of the enemy of ever setting his foot on to it,ever. ……

Posted by: razu February 17, 2009 01:30 pm

From the 10th till the 13th day, 15th-18th of August. The fights on Muncelu Plateau . Inssured to the right wing by pushing the front to Baltaret-Cosmesti and the arm of Siret, Mackensen has continued in the following days the attacks at the left wing against the Russian front.In this direction was Mackensen hoping to find the decisive success which till no it escaped him,wit all the long,tough and bloody battle. Four days ,from 15 to 18th of August, the action stagnated on Morgen’s front, which had ahead of him only Romanian troops and needed” to put in order his units”;she evolved on the contrary with a lot of strength on the Weninger’s front, from Iresti to Panciu. In the day of 15th of August, Weninger attacks with his left the VIII-th Russian Corps,at the union point of Divisions 15th and 103rd,south –est of Muncelu,after preparations of artillery and axfixiant gas.The 411th Russian Regiment gives up, after a weak resistance, and the Russian front is broken; the neigbouring Regiment,410th is also the 403 height point. The two Russian Divisions are thrown to the right side and to the left side ;the soldiers disbanded are running away and are brought , hard, back to the new positions, one kilometer north, by the cazacs of the 4th Cavalry Regiment of Zamurskaia ,with lance hits and nagaica. The German Alpiners have occupied Stranoare ,Muncelul and are advancing towardsMingalaicu. he German front has taken here the form of a great angle, which enters deep into the line of the Russian front and is menacing by the flank the front of the II-nd Romanian Army and Varnita. Village.Under the influence of this favorable situation, the neighbouring Gallwitz Group attacks with the 217th Division the Russian troops of the 103rd Division, rejects them thus occupying the line Serbesti-Voloscani,at the edge of Iresti. These operations have a grave repercussions over the II-nd Romanian Army.By her advance to Putna Valley,in the wake of the Marasti victory,the front of this army was exposed to flank blows. The advance of the Germans in Muncelul region have extended the left flank exposed of the II-nd Romanian Army thus growing the danger. As to not be surrounded in the bootom of the bag Vrancea, General Averescu retraced the too advanced line of his front. In the night of 13th-14th of August,the II-nd Army has left Putna Valley establish hing herself on a shorter line of Vizantea Stream. Not being able to count on the Russian VIIIth Corps,to go over his flank, General Averescu has seen himself forced to take care of this defense by his own means.He constituted thus from the reserve of the 3rd Division and other troops available,the Flank Detachment Alexiu,which he pushed to the left,behind the Russian troops of the neighbouring 103th Russian Division.The advance of the German troops in Muncelul region has worsen things further.They were threatening with advancing along Susita Valley towards Racoasa.To put a stop to this dangerous advancing,the Alexiu detachment has occupied varnita and assumed position over Susita Valley,between Divisions 103rd and 15th Russians,which have shortened their front.The Romanian detachment is made out by 2nd Regiments and 4th Hunters,30th Muscel Infantry , a mountain battery(four cannons) and two shell-ers;he is thus intercepting the direction of advancing of the Germans towards north-west,along Susita. At 15th of August,Alexiu attacks vigurously the Germans,which are surprised by the apparition of the Romanians in this sector.The Romanians are rejecting the Germans from the platou ,reoccupy Muncel then Podisu Hill and the height point 395.Towards evening ,they bigin the attack over Stranoare Village ,they occupy the west side of the village reestablishing the connection with the 410th Russian Regiment.The Romanian intervention produces a wonderful effect.Apart from the fact that they reestablish the situation on the terrain,thei high the moral of the Russian troops,souling them and dragging them back to the fight.Unfortunately,the Romanian detachment has to unorganise himself.The powerful pressure of Oituz makes necessary to organize a strong defensive at Onesti.Thus it is taken from Alexiu detachment the great part of te troops,and is left only enough for athin line atMingalaciu,as the Russians replace them at Muncelu.Just as they started these operations,on the day of 16th,when the germans,informed about what goes on,attack again reconquer Podisu Hill and the southern side of Muncelu Village,threatening thus with the advance,again.It is clear that one cannot count on the Russians.Given orders are anulated,the 4th Hunters regiment which was on its way to Onesti,is turned from its way,back,and Alexiu reattacks the Germans,as strong Romanian patrols are gathering back from the forest the run-away Russians of regiment 411th and 412th ,which were pulling behind our troops.A big artillery fight is given between the two adverse armies.Podisu Hill is strongly bombarded and cannot be defended by neither on of tehtwoo troops.The fight continues all night ending only in the morning,without a clear result,the two adversaries maintaining their positions.Muncelu is still in or hands. Alarmed by the danger of braking of the front in this region,general Averescu prepeared an attack with the I-st Romanian Division in the flank of the enemy, towards the line Straoane –Muncelu.The big Romanian Hedquarter,sending in help the 214th Russian Division,fresh and strong unit,which was thought as reliable ,the ploted intervention was not neded and the troops of the I-st Division had been retained for other urgent needs. The trying of the Germans to break the front in Muncelu region,to climb up to Suta Valley,did not work out;the intervention of the Romanians,energic and in time,has come acroos ,this time as weel,the german advance ......

Posted by: razu February 17, 2009 05:51 pm

On Panciu Hil As the left of the XVIII-th German Corps was trying to conquer Muncelu Hill, and was stopped by Romanians like rose from the ground, The right wing of the same corp was fingering the in front terrain,to consolidate its positions and eventually push them on the Hills of Panciu and Chicera,with the direction,Zabrautu Valley. In the night of 15th of August the artillery of the Alpine Corps have started a violent bombardment over the right wing of the 15th Russian Division, stretching then, more and more to the east ,over to the right wing of the 10th Romanian Division ,up tol Panciu Hill ,height point 283.The infantry attack followed then over the two internal flanks, Russian and Romanian .Under the impetuous flow the troops, dizzied by the bombardmend, start to reel. Pretexting that no one came to exchange them from their positions, the Russians at north west are getting out of their trenches and run away. The platoon ,at the edge of 33rd Romanian Regiment remaining thus without cover, retreats from its positions well. A gap is thus produced between the Romanians and the Russians, in which the Germans begin an attack from the direction of Minastioara, threatening to turn the Romanian right wing. The German attack is sustained by an artillery bombardment, very violent, which drowns everything under spins of smoke, dust and gases. The 33rd Romanian Regiment resists with manhood, elongating his right wing. Behind him was the 10th Hunters Regiment, gathered for rest and recovery after the yesterday bloodbath. Their rest was not long. In the face of danger, the Hunters leave their covers and haste again in the shrapnel fires and of machineguns of the enemy, from which they have just got out. Their raws are scissored .In half an hour six officers fell down dead and eleven wounded; between them the French captain Daru. A great help yelds. Seven batteries of the 3rd Artillery Regiment and two shells batteries(obuse) ,at which three more batteries of the Russian front associates, they all concentrate an infernal fire on a stretch of almost 2 kilometers. The projectiles fall with a frightening precision. The French cannon 75mm is making ravages ,not only between the enemy infantry but also behind enemy lines, towards Stranoare and Chicera de Sus. In four hours of bombardment only the seven Romanian batteries have thrown 3200 projectiles. The enemy attack is thus stopped and drowned in blood. At nine o clock in the evening there was not one single enemy soldier in front of our lines, and the enemy artillery was completely dizzy.Even the enemy trenches at height point 334 were abandoned; the enemy reoccupies them over the night .The heroism of the brave Hunters and the energy of the artillery intervention have reestablished completely the situation. The Bavarian Alpiners have payed their deer with heavy losses. Unlucky,in the evening of 15th of August the Germans are trying again their luck in the night of 16th.Taking advantage of the torrential rain, which was falling, covered by storm with thunders and lightnings, the enemy attacks by surprise, without artillery prepear ness ,at the center and at the left wing of the 10th Romanian Division. Once the attack have started unleashes also the bombardment of the artillery.The intervention of our reserves and the artillery baraj we make ,rejects the attack, reestablishing the situation. A new attempt, made a little to the west, between Chicera and Panciu, helped by the retreat of the Russians in the neighbouring sector, which has become by now an usual number of the German attack program, has put once again in peril the right wing of the 10th Romanian Division. The situation reestablishes itself by the musketeer intervention of the 10th Hunters Regiment and that of the artillery. Our front being kept solidly ,the Germans are not making any serious attack attempts. The days of 17th,18th of August pass by in this way, almost on the entire stretch of the front occupied by the Romanian troops, in a relative quiet, interrupted only by the noise of the reciprocal artillery bombardment and of the patrols battles. The time is used for to consolidate the front line. T he remains of the 5th Romanian Division are all together withdrew from the fighting line, and taken onto the left side of Siret River, to rest and reconstitute. The 14th Division has taken her place, occupying in the night of 17th-18th of August the line Cosmesti din Vale(Valley Cosmesti)-Siret River. Her place on the other side of Siret has thus been taken by the 1st and 6th Rosiori Brigades.The Romanian front is constituted in this way, starting from Siret towards west, by the Divisions 14th,9th,13th and 10th,connecting with with the 15th Division of the VIII-the Russian Corps. Behind the 9th Romanian Division, at Padureni was concentrated the 15th Romanian Division to exchange the trialed troops of General Scarisoreanu. The positions are strengthening, numerous defensive works are executed by the troops. In front of Marasesti, working hard, day and night, have been stretched new lines of barb wire fence. Other lines have been build, of precautious spirit behind Marasesti, at Ratesu of Haret. …….

Posted by: petru April 17, 2009 04:05 pm

Kiritescu's book is indeed an outstanding source given the date when it was published. However he was a great romanian patriot, and some of the descriptions should be taken with a pinch of salt (the romanians never done anything wrong). His WWII book is pretty inaccurate for the standard of information on this site, but given the conditions it was written it is understandable.

Posted by: MMM April 17, 2009 04:53 pm

You should try Kiriţescu's book on WW2, then - just to see how much "salt" should be added there, as well...

Posted by: contras October 03, 2010 06:10 pm

Here is a documentary about ww1: http://filmele-copilariei.blogspot.com/search/label/Razboi?updated-max=2010-05-23T00%3A00%3A00%2B08%3A00&max-results=5 There are other 3 parts, at same adress.

Posted by: C-2 October 04, 2010 05:49 am

NEculai Cernescu,who is interw. in the second one,was a friend of my uncle. I met him several times. HE also wrote a book that I have. Unfortunatly full of pure imagination.

Posted by: contras October 06, 2010 06:36 am

QUOTE HE also wrote a book that I have. Unfortunatly full of pure imagination. What is the title of that book and where it apears?

Posted by: MMM October 29, 2010 02:31 pm

"Destinul unui soldat", by Cernescu Octav Neculai, appeared in 2004. This book seems to exist in the Universitary Library in Iasi. I suppose I'll find the time to look upon it in the near future - not now, because my immediate interest area is WWII, though...

Posted by: contras November 04, 2010 12:40 am

QUOTE "Destinul unui soldat", by Cernescu Octav Neculai, appeared in 2004. This book seems to exist in the Universitary Library in Iasi. I suppose I'll find the time to look upon it in the near future - not now, because my immediate interest area is WWII, though... Thank you, M, I'll look for it.

Posted by: Alexderome January 30, 2011 09:25 pm

Is it possible to include a map with the positions of armies. For a foreigner, the name of places are difficult to locate and it is easier to understand the directions of offensives. Thanks ALEX

Posted by: dragos January 30, 2011 10:31 pm

Have you checked the article on the site about the battle? It includes some maps. http://www.worldwar2.ro/primulrazboi/?article=117

Posted by: Alexderome February 05, 2011 12:37 pm

Thanks, I forget to watch this article. ALEX

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