Prunaru Charge
Encyclopedia
The Prunaru Charge was one of the most daring actions of the Romanian Armed Forces
in World War I
. The cavalry
charge took place on in Prunaru (today part of Bujoreni
commune
, Teleorman County
), and was a component operation of the Battle of Bucharest
.
After the Danube
was breached by German
, Bulgaria
n and Ottoman
troops under the command of General August von Mackensen
, and after German-Austro-Hungarian
forces under the command of General Erich von Falkenhayn
crossed the Carpathians
, the Central Powers
planned to trap and annihilate the Romanian
forces between these two natural barriers and, by implication, remove Romania from the war. In the autumn of 1916, the most complex operation of the Romanian Fourth Army
, under the command of General Constantin Prezan
, took place in the Argeş
–Neajlov
sector, in what has come to be known as the Battle of Bucharest
.
On November 14/27, the Kosch Group (217th German infantry
division, 26th Turkish infantry division and the von der Goltz
cavalry division), led by Robert Kosch, vigorously advanced along the Zimnicea
–Drăgăneşti-Vlaşca
–Bucharest
line, while a secondary group (1st and 12th Bulgarian infantry division) advanced along the Zimnicea–Giurgiu
line, occupying the latter city that evening. On the main line, the attack was stopped by the 18th Romanian infantry division along the line formed by the Teleorman River
valley. Intending to continue the defence of the division, an Alpenkorps
battalion from the vanguard of the 217th German infantry division occupied the village of Prunaru on the afternoon of November 14/27. In order to avoid being encircled and the forces having to retreat to a new position, General Alexandru Referandru, commander of the 18th infantry division, decided to attack the enemy in the vicinity of Drăgăneşti-Vlaşca, using the 43rd mixed brigade and the 2nd Roşiori cavalry regiment.
On the morning of November 15/28, unusually fierce fighting took place at the edge of Prunaru involving the vanguard of the 43rd mixed brigade and the occupying forces. The fog lifted, and taking advantage of this, the Germans began a manoeuvre to surround the 43rd brigade using units situated outside the village. At that moment, General Referandru ordered the 2nd Roşiori regiment to enter the battle. Thus began the Prunaru Charge. Constantin Kiriţescu described it as follows: "Behind fences, in brambles, in the windows of the houses and on the bridges, the enemy hid tens of machine-guns, and threw a hail of bullets onto the mighty regiment. Horses and horsemen fell in a jumble over each other. Two hundred people remain on the field of battle, forming, together with the horses' cadavers, masses of bleeding flesh. Among them, all the officers of the regiment, starting with their brave commander".
line and contribute in full to the defensive operations for Bucharest.
Romanian Armed Forces
The Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces of Romania are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces...
in 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...
. The cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
charge took place on in Prunaru (today part of Bujoreni
Bujoreni, Teleorman
Bujoreni is a commune in Teleorman County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Bujoreni, Dărvaş and Prunaru....
commune
Communes of Romania
A commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
, Teleorman County
Teleorman County
Teleorman is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with its capital city at Alexandria.The name Teleorman is of Cumanic origin. It literally means crazy forest and, by extension, "thick and shadowy forest" in the Cuman language...
), and was a component operation of the Battle of Bucharest
Battle of Bucharest
The Battle of Bucharest, also known as the Argeş-Neajlov Defensive Operation in Romania, was an important battle of the Romanian Campaign in World War I, in which the Central Powers occupied the Romanian capital and forced the Romanian Government, as well as the remnants of the Romanian Army to...
.
Background and course
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
was breached by German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
n and Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
troops under the command of General August von Mackensen
August von Mackensen
Anton Ludwig August von Mackensen , born August Mackensen, was a German soldier and field marshal. He commanded with success during the First World War and became one of the German Empire's most prominent military leaders. After the Armistice, Mackensen was interned for a year...
, and after German-Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
forces under the command of General Erich von Falkenhayn
Erich von Falkenhayn
Erich von Falkenhayn was a German soldier and Chief of the General Staff during World War I. He became a military writer after World War I.-Early life:...
crossed the Carpathians
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
, the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
planned to trap and annihilate the Romanian
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
forces between these two natural barriers and, by implication, remove Romania from the war. In the autumn of 1916, the most complex operation of the Romanian Fourth Army
Romanian Fourth Army
The 4th Infantry Division Gemina is one of three major units of the Romanian Land Forces, with its headquarters in Cluj-Napoca. Until June 15, 2008 it was designated as the 4th Territorial Army Corps "Mareşal Constantin Prezan" .-Structure in April 2007 :This structure was in force when the...
, under the command of General Constantin Prezan
Constantin Prezan
Constantin Prezan was a Romanian general during World War I and after the war a Marshal of Romania....
, took place in the Argeş
Arges River
Argeș is a river of Southern Romania. It starts at the junction of headwaters Buda and Capra in the Făgăraș Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians and flows into the Danube at Oltenița.The main city on the Argeş is Piteşti...
–Neajlov
Neajlov River
The Neajlov is a river in Romania. It is a tributary of the Argeş River, which it meets near Comana, Giurgiu County. It rises from the Getic plateau and runs for .- Location :...
sector, in what has come to be known as the Battle of Bucharest
Battle of Bucharest
The Battle of Bucharest, also known as the Argeş-Neajlov Defensive Operation in Romania, was an important battle of the Romanian Campaign in World War I, in which the Central Powers occupied the Romanian capital and forced the Romanian Government, as well as the remnants of the Romanian Army to...
.
On November 14/27, the Kosch Group (217th German infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
division, 26th Turkish infantry division and the von der Goltz
Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz
Wilhelm Leopold Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz also known as Goltz Pasha, was a Prussian Field Marshal and military writer.-Military career:...
cavalry division), led by Robert Kosch, vigorously advanced along the Zimnicea
Zimnicea
Zimnicea is a town in Teleorman county, Romania , a port on the Danube opposite the Bulgarian city of Svishtov.-Geography:...
–Drăgăneşti-Vlaşca
Draganesti-Vlasca
Drăgăneşti-Vlaşca is a commune in Teleorman County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Comoara, Drăgăneşti-Vlaşca and Văceni....
–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....
line, while a secondary group (1st and 12th Bulgarian infantry division) advanced along the Zimnicea–Giurgiu
Giurgiu
Giurgiu is the capital city of Giurgiu County, Romania, in the Greater Wallachia. It is situated amid mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Rousse on the opposite bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port, Smarda...
line, occupying the latter city that evening. On the main line, the attack was stopped by the 18th Romanian infantry division along the line formed by the Teleorman River
Teleorman River
The Teleorman River is a tributary of the Vedea River in Romania.-References:* Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti* Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971...
valley. Intending to continue the defence of the division, an Alpenkorps
Alpenkorps (German Empire)
The Alpenkorps was a provisional mountain unit of division size formed by the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was considered by the Allies to be one of the best units of the German Army.-Formation:...
battalion from the vanguard of the 217th German infantry division occupied the village of Prunaru on the afternoon of November 14/27. In order to avoid being encircled and the forces having to retreat to a new position, General Alexandru Referandru, commander of the 18th infantry division, decided to attack the enemy in the vicinity of Drăgăneşti-Vlaşca, using the 43rd mixed brigade and the 2nd Roşiori cavalry regiment.
On the morning of November 15/28, unusually fierce fighting took place at the edge of Prunaru involving the vanguard of the 43rd mixed brigade and the occupying forces. The fog lifted, and taking advantage of this, the Germans began a manoeuvre to surround the 43rd brigade using units situated outside the village. At that moment, General Referandru ordered the 2nd Roşiori regiment to enter the battle. Thus began the Prunaru Charge. Constantin Kiriţescu described it as follows: "Behind fences, in brambles, in the windows of the houses and on the bridges, the enemy hid tens of machine-guns, and threw a hail of bullets onto the mighty regiment. Horses and horsemen fell in a jumble over each other. Two hundred people remain on the field of battle, forming, together with the horses' cadavers, masses of bleeding flesh. Among them, all the officers of the regiment, starting with their brave commander".
Aftermath
The 2nd Roşiori cavalry regiment perished almost in full (just 134 of 5,000 survived), but due to its actions at Prunaru, the 18th Romanian infantry division was able to regroup along the Letca Veche–JilavaJilava
Jilava is a commune in Ilfov county, Romania, near Bucharest. It is composed of a single village, Jilava.The name derives from a Romanian word of Slavic origin meaning "humid place". Jilava was the location of a fort built by King Carol I of Romania, as part of the capital's defense system...
line and contribute in full to the defensive operations for Bucharest.