Petre Dumitrescu
Encyclopedia
Petre Dumitrescu (ˈpetre dumiˈtresku; February 18, 1882 – January 15, 1950) was a Romania
n general
during World War II
, who led the Romanian Third Army
on its campaign against the Red Army
in the eastern front
.
training at the Artillery and Engineers Officers' School in 1901, graduating in 1903 with the rank of second lieutenant
. Dumitrescu was promoted to lieutenant
in 1906 and, five years later, to captain. That year, he was admitted into the Military Academy at Bucharest
, graduating in 1913.
When World War I
started, Dumitrescu was a major
. Following the war, he climbed higher and higher in the military hierarchy
, become a lieutenant colonel
in 1920, a brigadier
in 1930 and a major general
in 1937. Between 1937 and the beginning of World War II, Dumitrescu served as a military attaché in both Paris
and Brussels
. After returning to Romania from these postings, he was given command of the First Army
.
and took Cernăuţi (Chernauts), reclaiming territory occupied by Soviet troops since June 28, 1940. He then crossed the Prut
to recover northern Bessarabia
. The German Eleventh Army covered Dumitrescu's right flank while he advanced towards the Dnister. At that point his army and the German 11th army switched places, with Italians continuing advancement over the Dniester towards the South Bug river, and Dumitrescu remaining on recovered Romanian territory. In September of that year, Dumitrescu repulsed a Soviet attempt to cross the Dniestr in the east, behind the Eleventh Army.
After Hitler has convinced Ion Antonescu
to continue war beyond Romania's pre-1940 borders, Dumitrescu then led the Third Army to the Crimea
, taking part in the Battle of the Sea of Azov. By October 10, the Third Army had marched 1,700 kilometres from Romania, fought four major battle
s and 42 minor engagements.
By this time, Dumitrescu's Third Army had captured 15,565 prisoners of war
, 149 tank
s, 128 artillery
pieces, and more than 700 machine gun
s, while suffering 10,541 casualties
(2,555 dead, 6,201 wounded and 1,785 missing in action
.)
For his effort in this campaign, Dumitrescu was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, the second Romanian to receive the award after Ion Antonescu
. Later on he was even given the Oak Leaves
. In October, he was awarded the Order of Michael the Brave
, 3rd class.
On July 18, 1942 he was made a general, thus becoming Antonescu's second in command. Shortly after his promotion, Dumitrescu advanced towards the Taman Peninsula
between the Sea of Azov
and the Black Sea
, creating a vital bridge between Axis
forces in Europe
and those deeper inside the Soviet Union.
forces within Stalingrad were in dire need of assistance, and German High Command transferred many of Dumitrescu's troops to the besieged city, meaning that the Third Army now had fewer troops to defend an increasingly large front with. This was ameliorated, to a certain degree, by High Command's decision to incorporate all Romanian forces in the southwest of the Soviet Union into the Third Army. High Command, however, chose to ignore Dumitrescu's reports about Soviet buildup in the southwest, as they did with his repeated suggestions to attack the Soviet bridgehead
at Kletskaya.
In November 1942 the Red Army
launched a devastating attack in the southwest, breaking through the Romanian line and forcing Dumitrescu into retreat
.
For a brief period, the Third Army dug in near the Chir river, but Soviet troops pushed them back. In December, 1943, the decision was made to strategically retreat westwards.
After the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, Dumitrescu's plan was to reach Bucharest
and avoid any engagements with the Red Army along the way. However, Red Army troops ambush
ed Dumitrescu. When what remained of the Third Army arrived in Bucharest, the Soviets had captured more than 130.000 Romanian soldiers.
By this time, however, as with the rest of Romania, Dumitrescu had turned against Nazi Germany and had captured more than 6,000 German prisoners of war.
s by the new communist government, but was eventually acquitted
because of a lack of evidence
. He died of natural causes at his Bucharest home in 1950.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, who led the Romanian Third Army
Romanian Third Army
The 3rd Army was a field army of the Romanian Land Forces active from the 19th century to the 1990s. It that fought as part of the German Army Group B during World War II, in Ukraine, Crimea, and the Caucasus...
on its campaign against the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in the eastern front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
.
Early life and military career
Dumitrescu was born in Dobridor, Dolj. He began his militaryMilitary
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
training at the Artillery and Engineers Officers' School in 1901, graduating in 1903 with the rank of second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
. Dumitrescu was promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1906 and, five years later, to captain. That year, he was admitted into the Military Academy at Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, graduating in 1913.
When World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
started, Dumitrescu was a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. Following the war, he climbed higher and higher in the military hierarchy
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
, become a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in 1920, a brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
in 1930 and a major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in 1937. Between 1937 and the beginning of World War II, Dumitrescu served as a military attaché in both Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. After returning to Romania from these postings, he was given command of the First Army
Romanian First Army
The 1st Infantry Division Dacica is one of the three major units of the Romanian Land Forces with its headquarters in Bucharest. Until June 15, 2008, it was designated as the 1st Territorial Army Corps "General Ioan Culcer" .On 22 June 1941, the 1st Infantry Division, under BG Emanoil Bârzotescu...
.
Initial successes
However, on March 25, 1941, he was made commander of the Third Army, a post which he would hold for the duration of the war. Dumitrescu July 5, 1941 attacked northern BukovinaBukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
and took Cernăuţi (Chernauts), reclaiming territory occupied by Soviet troops since June 28, 1940. He then crossed the Prut
Prut
The Prut is a long river in Eastern Europe. In part of its course it forms the border between Romania and Moldova.-Overview:...
to recover northern Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
. The German Eleventh Army covered Dumitrescu's right flank while he advanced towards the Dnister. At that point his army and the German 11th army switched places, with Italians continuing advancement over the Dniester towards the South Bug river, and Dumitrescu remaining on recovered Romanian territory. In September of that year, Dumitrescu repulsed a Soviet attempt to cross the Dniestr in the east, behind the Eleventh Army.
After Hitler has convinced Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
to continue war beyond Romania's pre-1940 borders, Dumitrescu then led the Third Army to the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, taking part in the Battle of the Sea of Azov. By October 10, the Third Army had marched 1,700 kilometres from Romania, fought four major battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
s and 42 minor engagements.
By this time, Dumitrescu's Third Army had captured 15,565 prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, 149 tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s, 128 artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces, and more than 700 machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, while suffering 10,541 casualties
Casualty (person)
A casualty is a person who is the victim of an accident, injury, or trauma. The word casualties is most often used by the news media to describe deaths and injuries resulting from wars or disasters...
(2,555 dead, 6,201 wounded and 1,785 missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
.)
For his effort in this campaign, Dumitrescu was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
, the second Romanian to receive the award after Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
. Later on he was even given the Oak Leaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. In October, he was awarded the Order of Michael the Brave
Order of Michael the Brave
The Order of Michael the Brave is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of World War I, and was again awarded in World War II...
, 3rd class.
On July 18, 1942 he was made a general, thus becoming Antonescu's second in command. Shortly after his promotion, Dumitrescu advanced towards the Taman Peninsula
Taman peninsula
The Taman Peninsula is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia. It is bounded on the north by the Sea of Azov, on the west by the Strait of Kerch and on the south by the Black Sea. The peninsula has evolved over the past two millennia from a chain of islands into the peninsula it is...
between the Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
and the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, creating a vital bridge between Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
forces in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and those deeper inside the Soviet Union.
The beginning of the end
The GermanNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
forces within Stalingrad were in dire need of assistance, and German High Command transferred many of Dumitrescu's troops to the besieged city, meaning that the Third Army now had fewer troops to defend an increasingly large front with. This was ameliorated, to a certain degree, by High Command's decision to incorporate all Romanian forces in the southwest of the Soviet Union into the Third Army. High Command, however, chose to ignore Dumitrescu's reports about Soviet buildup in the southwest, as they did with his repeated suggestions to attack the Soviet bridgehead
Bridgehead
A bridgehead is a High Middle Ages military term, which antedating the invention of cannons was in the original meaning expressly a referent term to the military fortification that protects the end of a bridge...
at Kletskaya.
In November 1942 the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
launched a devastating attack in the southwest, breaking through the Romanian line and forcing Dumitrescu into retreat
Withdrawal (military)
A withdrawal is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush...
.
For a brief period, the Third Army dug in near the Chir river, but Soviet troops pushed them back. In December, 1943, the decision was made to strategically retreat westwards.
After the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, Dumitrescu's plan was to reach Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and avoid any engagements with the Red Army along the way. However, Red Army troops ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed Dumitrescu. When what remained of the Third Army arrived in Bucharest, the Soviets had captured more than 130.000 Romanian soldiers.
By this time, however, as with the rest of Romania, Dumitrescu had turned against Nazi Germany and had captured more than 6,000 German prisoners of war.
After the war
Dumitrescu was put on trial for war crimeWar crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s by the new communist government, but was eventually acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
because of a lack of evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
. He died of natural causes at his Bucharest home in 1950.
External links
- "General Petre Dumitrescu", at WorldWar2.ro
- "Romanian Knights Cross Holders of WWII", by Greg Kelley from the works of Mark Axworthy, at feldgrau.com