Fourth Army (Romania)
Encyclopedia
The Fourth Army was a field army
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....

 (a military formation) of the Romanian Land Forces
Romanian Land Forces
The Romanian Land Forces is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the force.The Romanian Land Forces were founded on...

 active from the 19th century to the 1990s.

History

The Fourth Army fought in the Romanian Campaign
Romanian Campaign (World War I)
The Romanian Campaign was part of the Balkan theatre of World War I, with Romania and Russia allied against the armies of the Central Powers. Fighting took place from August 1916 to December 1917, across most of present-day Romania, including Transylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian...

 of World War I, under the command of General Prezan. Units under its command took part in the Prunaru Charge
Prunaru Charge
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 , and was a component operation of the Battle of Bucharest....

 and 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 22 June 1941, according to research by Leo Niehorster, the 4th Army consisted of the 3rd Army Corps (Guards, 15th, and 35th Reserve Divisions), the 5th Army Corps (Border Division and 21st Division), the 11th Army Corps (two fortress brigades), and the 4th Army Cooperation Command. It was under the command of Lieutenant General N. Ciuperca. It fought on the Axis side as part of the German Army Group B
Army Group B
Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II.-Battle for France:The first was involved in the Western Campaign in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands which was to be aimed to conquer the Maas bridges after the German airborne actions in Rotterdam...

. In July 1941 it took part in Operation Munchen
Operation München
Operation München was the codename of a joint German-Romanian offensive in World War II, with the primary objective of re-capturing Bessarabia, ceded by Romania to the Soviet Union a year before. The operation concluded successfully after 24 days of fighting.Axis formations involved included the...

, the recapturing of 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....

 and the Northern Bukovina, which was annexed by the Soviet Union the year before.

By August 1941 during the Siege of Odessa, 4th Army had under command the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 11th Army Corps under its control, with a total of 17 infantry divisions, the 1st Armoured Division (Romania), three cavalry divisions, and a total of 38 artillery regiments.
On November 9, 1941, Constantin Constantinescu-Claps
Constantin Constantinescu-Claps
Constantin Constantinescu-Claps was a Romanian soldier, also known as a political prisoner under the communist regime. He participated in both World War I and World War II, and rose through the ranks in the Romanian Army. On November 9, 1941, he was appointed the commander of the Romanian Fourth...

 was appointed the commander of the Fourth Army, and became a Corps General on January 24, 1942. On February 10, 1943, he was relieved of his assignment and replaced by Constantin Sănătescu
Constantin Sanatescu
Constantin Sănătescu was a Romanian statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Romania after the August 23, 1944 coup, through which Romania left the Axis Powers and joined the Allies....

.

From late 1942 to early 1943, the Fourth Army was almost entirely destroyed during the Battle for Stalingrad. 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...

 suffered a similar fate. During April–May 1944 the Romanian forces led by General Mihai Racoviţǎ
Ioan Mihail Racovita
Ioan Mihail Racoviţă was a Romanian Major General during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.He may have commanded the First Army ...

, together with elements of the German Eighth Army were responsible for defending Northern Romania during the Soviet First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
The First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, named after the two major cities in the area, was fought between 8 April and 6 June 1944 by the Soviets and Axis powers of World War II...

, and took part in the Battles of Târgu Frumos.

In August 1944, 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...

 entered Romania
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...

 after driving back Army Group South
Army Group South
Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...

 from the region. On August 23, Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...

 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...

 was dismissed
King Michael's Coup
King Michael's Coup refers to the coup d'etat led by King Michael of Romania in 1944 against the pro-Nazi Romanian faction of Ion Antonescu, after the Axis front in Northeastern Romania collapsed under the Soviet offensive.-The coup:...

 by King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...

 Michael I
Michael I of Romania
Michael was the last King of Romania. He reigned from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930, and again from 6 September 1940 until 30 December 1947 when he was forced, by the Communist Party of Romania , to abdicate to the Soviet armies of occupation...

, and Romania
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...

 declared war on Germany and Hungary some days later. The Soviets took control of the oilfields in the Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....

 area, and the Romanian Army was used to fight German forces on 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...

.

The Fourth Army became one of the Romania
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 armies fighting for 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...

 on the Eastern Front. In its campaign from August 1944 to May 1945, the Romanian Army lost some 64,000 men killed. The Fourth Army took part in Soviet offensives, notably at Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 in May 1945, which happened to be the last offensive it took part in World War II.

The Fourth Army was involved in the Battle of Turda
Battle of Turda
The Battle of Turda lasted from 5 September to 8 October 1944, in the area around Turda, in present-day Romania, as part of the wider Battle of Romania. Troops from the Hungarian 2nd Army and the German 8th Army fought a defensive action against Romanian and Soviet forces...

 which lasted from 5 September-8 October 1944, in the area around Turda
Turda
Turda is a city and Municipality in Cluj County, Romania, situated on the Arieş River.- Ancient times :The city was founded by Dacians under the name Patavissa or Potaissa...

, present-day Romania
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...

. Troops from the Hungarian 2nd Army
Hungarian Second Army
The Hungarian Second Army was one of three field armies raised by the Kingdom of Hungary which saw action during World War II. All three armies were formed on March 1, 1940...

 and the German 8th Army
German Eighth Army
The 8th Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-World War I:At the outbreak of World War I, the 8. Armee was stationed in East Prussia to defend against the expected Russian attack, Plan XIX. After the scrappy Battle of Gumbinnen, 8. Armee commander Generaloberst Maximilian von...

 fought a defensive action against the Fourth Army and 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...

. The battle was one of the largest fought in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...

 during World War II.

In the Prague Offensive
Prague Offensive
The Prague Offensive was the last major Soviet operation of World War II in Europe. The offensive, and the battle for Prague, was fought on the Eastern Front from 6 May to 11 May 1945. This battle for the city is particularly noteworthy in that it ended after the Third Reich capitulated on 8 May...

, the Fourth Army, together with the Romanian 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...

 and Polish Second Army
Polish Second Army
The Polish Second Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 as part of the People's Army of Poland. The organization begun in August under the command of generals Karol Świerczewski and Stanislav Poplavsky, and the formation under command of general Świerczewski entered active...

, formed part of the Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front. Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...

 Ivan Koniev, the commander of the First Ukrainian Front
1st Ukrainian Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front was a front—a force the size of a Western Army group—of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.-Wartime:...

, was the main Soviet commander in the area. Together with Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...

 Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Zhukov
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...

's First Byelorussian Front
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...

, Koniev had launched the great attack on April 16 that resulted in the fall of Berlin and Soviet victory on the Eastern Front.

The offensive started on May 6, a few days before the end of the war. German resistance in the east was now limited to small pockets scattered across Germany, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

, and Austria. The remnants of Army Group Center held the remaining German-controlled areas in the east. In the attack on Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

, German resistance was defeated in the city, and the Soviet, Romanian, and Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 forces entered the city on May 9. Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...

 partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...

s had been fighting the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 there for a few days.

By May 11 and 12, all remaining German pockets of resistance in the east were defeated.

The army was active after the war until 1947.
In 1945, the Fourth Army comprised two army corps: 2nd Army Corps, 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....

, cu Divizia de Gardă şi 1st "TUDOR VLADIMIRESCU" Volunteer Division
Tudor Vladimirescu Division
The Tudor Vladimirescu Division was a Soviet-organized division of Romanians that fought against Germany and Hungary during the final year of World War II.-Creation:...

, Regimentul 2 Artilerie Grea, Regimentul 2 Pionieri [2nd Pioneer Regiment?], Regimentul 4 Călăraşi, and corps units; 7th Army Corps, at Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...

, cu 2nd Infantry Division
2nd Infantry Division (Romania)
The 2nd Infantry Division is an infantry division of the Romanian Land Forces.It was part of the 1st Army Corps during the mobilisation of 1877, during the Romanian War of Independence. It was at the Battle of Plevna in 1877 as part of the 2nd Operational Corps. During the Second World War it...

, the 2nd "HOREA, CLOŞCA şi CRIŞAN" Volunteer Division
Horia, Closca si Crisan Division
The Horia, Cloşca şi Crişan division was created in April 1945 from Romanian volunteers, mostly prisoners of war, but also Communist activists such as Valter Roman. It was created by the Soviet Union at Kotovsk. Its first leader was General Mihail Lascăr, who had been taken prisoner in November...

, Regimentul 1 Artilerie Grea, 7th Pioneer Regiment [Pionieri], Regimentul 1 Călăraşi, and corps uunits.

"From March 1945 to June 1947, the generals were in command Dăscălescu Nicolae Gheorghe Stavrescu Mihail Lascar, Grigore Vasiliu Rascanu and C. Nicolau. 4th Army Command was disbanded on 5 June 1947, under the Order M. St.M. nr. no. 40.500, and the units were redeployed. By Royal Decree 1346 of 28 June 1947, was born from 01.07.1947 3rd Military Region, based in Cluj."
The 3rd Military Region became the 3rd Army on 30 April 1960, and the 4th Army on 5 April 1980.

In 1989 it was reported to consist of the 6th Tank Division (Targu Mureş), possibly named the Horia, Cloşca şi Crişan Division
Horia, Closca si Crisan Division
The Horia, Cloşca şi Crişan division was created in April 1945 from Romanian volunteers, mostly prisoners of war, but also Communist activists such as Valter Roman. It was created by the Soviet Union at Kotovsk. Its first leader was General Mihail Lascăr, who had been taken prisoner in November...

, the 11th Mechanised Division (Oradea
Oradea
Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...

), and the 81st Mechanised Division
81st Mechanized Brigade (Romania)
The 81st Mechanised Brigade is a mechanised brigade of the Romanian Land Forces, established on 1 March 1995. The unit is subordinated to the 4th Infantry Division "Gemina". Between 1995 and 2000 its headquarters were located in Dej, and since December 2000 in Bistriţa...

 (Dej
Dej
Dej is a city in northwestern Romania, 60 km north of Cluj-Napoca, in Cluj County. It lies where the Someşul Mic River meets the river Someşul Mare River...

), as well as smaller units: the 1st Mountain Bde, 5th Mountain Bde, and 37th Tactical Missile Brigade.

The 11th Mechanised Division reportedly consisted of the following units:
  • 21st Mech. Rgt. -Oradea : with TR-77 tanks, TAB-71/-71M apc-s, TABC-79 recon vehicles, SU-76 sp guns, ZiS-3 76mm field guns, Md.1982 120mm mortars, ?? TAB-71AR with 82mm mortars, AG-9 rr-s, MR-4 quad 14,5mm aa hmg-s, DAC-443T and -665T trucks, TER-580 evacuation tank, TERA-71L recovery apc-s,
  • 23rd Mech. Rgt. -Beius
    Beius
    Beiuș is a city in Bihor County, Romania near the Apuseni Mountains. The river Crișul Negru flows through Beiuș, and the city administers a single village, Delani.-Population:According to the 2002 Census, Beiuş has a population of 10,996 inhabitants....

     -same
  • 19th Mech. Rgt. -Arad
    Arad, Romania
    Arad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the Crişana region, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a training...

     -same
  • 23rd Tank Rgt. -Oradea : with TR-77 tanks, BTR-50PK and PU apc-s, TABC-79 recon vehicles, TAB-71A R-1451 command apc, MR-2 quad 14,5mm aa hmg-s, DAC-443T and -665T trucks, TER-580 evacuation tanks, MTP/BTR-50P recovery apc-s,
  • 26th Artillery Regiment -Ineu : with M-30 122mm how., Md.1981 152mm how., APR-40 122mm mrls, SR-114 and DAC-444 trucks, TMA-83 arty tractors, TABC-79A-POMA and TAB-77A-PCOMA command vehicles,
  • 119th Recon Battalion -Oradea : with TABC-79 recon vehicles and DAC-444T trucks,

The 11th Mechanised Division became a brigade on 1 October 1994, and in 2002 became a motorised infantry brigade. It was disbanded in May 2005.

The Fourth Army was redesignated the 4th Territorial Army Corps
4th Territorial Army Corps (Romania)
The 4th Territorial Army Corps previously the 4th Army Corps was a corps of the Romanian Land Forces active from at least 1941 to 2000.General of Army Corps Constantin Prezan transferred from command of the 3rd Army Corps in 1914 to command of the 4th Army Corps in 1915-1916.The 4th Army Corps was...

 in 2000 and subsequently the 4th Infantry Division (Romania)
4th Infantry Division (Romania)
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...

in 2008.

Further reading

  • Colectiv, Armata a IV-a Transilvania la 80 de ani, Editura Dacia, Cluj-Napoca, 1996, p. 11.
  • Colectiv, Armata a 4-a "Transilvania" în cruciada eliberării Europei, vol.III, Editura Dacia, Cluj-Napoca, 1998, p. 16.

External links

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