Nicolae Cristea
Encyclopedia
Nicolas or Nicolae Cristea (also known under the nom de guerre Joseph Copla; November 26, 1906 – March 1943) was a Romania
n communist
, a volunteer in the International Brigades
during the Spanish Civil War
and in the French Resistance
during World War II
.
Cristea was born in a poor workers family in Galaţi
. During the Great Depression
he participated in the protests organized by the Romanian Communist Party
in Bucharest
, afterwards being forced by the Siguranţa Statului (Romania's secret police) to move back to his native town. He returned to Bucharest in 1931, and in 1933 was admitted into the then-illegal Communist Party. He became member in the Committee of the Bucharest Organization of the Party and, later, he was elected member in the Bureau of the Party Committee of the city. In this period he worked at the Army Pyrotechnics in Bucharest.
After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he left for Spain
, arriving there in October 1936, during the Battle for Madrid. He joined the Romanian Motorized Artillery Regiment of the XI International Brigade
, commanded by Valter Roman
. In 1937, he participated in the battles of Brunete
, Quinto-Belchite
and Teruel
. In December 1937, during the latter confrontation, his leg was injured, but Cristea refused to be hospitalized, deciding instead to remain present on the battlefield. Afterwards, he was promoted to captain and became the commander of the "Tudor Vladimirescu
" Battery
. At the Battle of the Ebro
, he had an important role in the crossing of the river. Demobilized along the other volunteers in December 1938, he continued to fight in Catalonia
in January-February 1939.
In February 1939, Cristea passed into France
where he was interned in the Gurs concentration camp
. He escaped in March 1941, after the onset of German occupation, and joined the Resistance, becoming commander of the Romanian detachment inside the FTP-Main-d'œuvre immigrée
. He participated in sabotage
action against the Nazi German
forces. On October 16, 1942, he — along with other two Romanian volunteers —, attacked a group of German pilots who were taking part in a military exercise in Montrouge
, near Paris
, making use of hand grenades.
Arrested by the Gestapo
on October 19, 1942, Cristea was executed in March 1943, after months of torture in the Fresnes prison
. Sources disagree on the exact date of his death: either the 9th, the 10th, or the 13th. Upon the end of World War II, he was posthumously promoted a Lieutenant-Colonel of the Romanian Army.
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 communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, a volunteer in the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and in the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
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...
.
Cristea was born in a poor workers family in Galaţi
Galati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
. During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
he participated in the protests organized by the Romanian Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
in 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....
, afterwards being forced by the Siguranţa Statului (Romania's secret police) to move back to his native town. He returned to Bucharest in 1931, and in 1933 was admitted into the then-illegal Communist Party. He became member in the Committee of the Bucharest Organization of the Party and, later, he was elected member in the Bureau of the Party Committee of the city. In this period he worked at the Army Pyrotechnics in Bucharest.
After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he left for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, arriving there in October 1936, during the Battle for Madrid. He joined the Romanian Motorized Artillery Regiment of the XI International Brigade
XI International Brigade
The XI International Brigade fought for the Spanish Second Republic in the Spanish Civil War.It would become especially renowned for providing desperately needed support in the darkest hours of the Republican defense of Madrid on 8 November 1936, when, with great losses, it helped repulse a major...
, commanded by Valter Roman
Valter Roman
Valter or Walter Roman , born Ernst or Ernő Neuländer, was a Romanian communist activist and soldier. During his lifetime, Roman was active inside the Romanian, Czechoslovakian, French, and Spanish Communist parties as well as being a Comintern cadre...
. In 1937, he participated in the battles of Brunete
Battle of Brunete
The Battle of Brunete , fought 15 miles west of Madrid, was a Republican attempt to alleviate the pressure exerted by the Nationalists on the capital and on the north during the Spanish Civil War...
, Quinto-Belchite
Battle of Belchite (1937)
Battle of Belchite was a group of military operations that took place in the Spanish Civil War between 24 August and 7 September 1937 nearby the town of Belchite, in Aragon.-Prelude:...
and Teruel
Battle of Teruel
The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War in December 1937 – February 1938. The combatants fought the battle during the worst Spanish winter in twenty years. It was one of the bloodier actions of the war. The city changed hands several times,...
. In December 1937, during the latter confrontation, his leg was injured, but Cristea refused to be hospitalized, deciding instead to remain present on the battlefield. Afterwards, he was promoted to captain and became the commander of the "Tudor Vladimirescu
Tudor Vladimirescu
Tudor Vladimirescu was a Wallachian Romanian revolutionary hero, the leader of the Wallachian uprising of 1821 and of the Pandur militia. He is also known as Tudor din Vladimiri or — occasionally — as Domnul Tudor .-Background:Tudor was born in Vladimiri, Gorj County in a family of landed peasants...
" Battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
. At the Battle of the Ebro
Battle of the Ebro
The Battle of the Ebro was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War...
, he had an important role in the crossing of the river. Demobilized along the other volunteers in December 1938, he continued to fight in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
in January-February 1939.
In February 1939, Cristea passed into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where he was interned in the Gurs concentration camp
Camp Gurs
Camp Gurs was an internment and refugee camp constructed by the French government in 1939. The camp was originally set up in southwestern France after the fall of Catalonia at the end of the Spanish Civil War to control those who fled Spain out of fear of retaliation from Francisco Franco's regime...
. He escaped in March 1941, after the onset of German occupation, and joined the Resistance, becoming commander of the Romanian detachment inside the FTP-Main-d'œuvre immigrée
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée were a sub-group of the Francs-tireurs et partisans organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an armed force to oppose the German occupation of France during World War II...
. He participated in sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
action against the Nazi German
Nazi 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. On October 16, 1942, he — along with other two Romanian volunteers —, attacked a group of German pilots who were taking part in a military exercise in Montrouge
Montrouge
Montrouge is a commune in the southern Parisian suburbs, located from the center of Paris, France. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe...
, near 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...
, making use of hand grenades.
Arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
on October 19, 1942, Cristea was executed in March 1943, after months of torture in the Fresnes prison
Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne South of Paris...
. Sources disagree on the exact date of his death: either the 9th, the 10th, or the 13th. Upon the end of World War II, he was posthumously promoted a Lieutenant-Colonel of the Romanian Army.