The universal military historiography of the 20th century is full of acts of heroism during the many armed conflicts with which it was unfortunately interspersed.

Yes, we will remember the counterattack of the Russian soldiers, which took place in the First World War, during the battle for the Osowiec Fort, nicknamed the “dead attack”, because the Germans had previously subjected them to a gas attack, and the Russians were not equipped with appropriate masks, their courage became legendary .

The same category includes the career of the British captain Jack Churchill, who during the Second World War entered into battle using a bow and arrow, as well as a sword. But today we will remember the lesser-known military actions of the Romanian army during the First World War.

The attack of the “white shirts” is a strategic and military context

After two years of neutrality, on August 27, 1916, Romania entered the war on the side of the Entente, a decision influenced by the stunning success of Brusilov’s offensive against the Austro-German forces on the eastern front. Although the entry into the war was an act widely approved by the public and enthusiastically received by the population, the moment was not entirely auspicious. In order to argue this statement, it is necessary to analyze the modern military-strategic situation a little.

True, the “June Offensive”, or Brusilov Offensive, was successful, pushing the Central Powers back over 100 kilometers on the eastern front, but it also left the Russian army exhausted and needing a moment to breathe. Russia, Romania’s closest ally, from whom we expected important help in men and materials, had its own problems. In addition, the logistics were terrible, since the track of the Romanian and Russian railways was different.

Battle of Mereshesti (photo: Agerpres and Facebook / Filedeistorietv)

Practically, Romania found itself surrounded by warring countries, meaning Austria-Hungary on the line of the Carpathians and Bulgaria, reinforced by Turkish troops, in the south. Thus, the campaign of 1916 will fail, the Romanian army will have to face the armies of all four warring powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.

Forced to fight on two fronts, the poorly equipped and trained Romanian troops could not cope. By 1917, Bucharest was lost, Muntenia and Dobruja were occupied. The army and the administration are retreating to Moldova. Under the supervision of the French military mission headed by General Berthelot, the retraining of the army begins, as well as the corresponding equipment to the standards of the time.

Thus, we find ourselves in the summer of 1917, when German troops, supported by Austro-Hungarian forces, are trying to break through the Romanian front in order to finally withdraw Romania from the war.

Actions of the 32nd “Mircha” regiment during the battle of Mereshesti

Led by the famous German Field Marshal August von Mackensen, the German troops will deliver the main blow in the area of ​​Vranca, near the city of Merešeshti. At first, the Romanian-Russian command wanted to launch an offensive in the Nemoloaza area, but the initiative had to be abandoned, since in the meantime the Germans had regained success over the Russians in Galicia and Bukovina.

In addition, the Russian troops were in complete disorganization due to the internal political situation, which greatly complicated the planned actions. Thus, the Romanian army was forced to occupy many positions held by the Russians before they retreated.

The fighting will last for about two weeks, between August 6 and 19, 1917, will be extremely brutal, the Germans will make every effort to break the Romanian mechanism of transferring troops to the western front.

The attack of the “white shirts” more precisely refers to the battalion of the 32nd infantry regiment led by Major Atanasie Ionescu. The unit was in a moment of pause, after the Germans had previously heavily shelled the Romanian positions in the area of ​​the villages of Doaga, Streescu and Moara Rosie. Since the day is extremely hot (August 19), the commander allows the troops to remove their body armor and knapsacks. This is the moment when the Germans will launch a large-scale attack, surprising the unarmed Romanian soldiers.

Perhaps the most instructive for what happened at that moment is the story of Captain Philip Daskala, the company commander of the 7th “Prahov” regiment, who stood next to the apparatus of soldiers of the 32nd regiment, who describes in a report dated June 11, 1933, at the request of the Historical Service of the Army incident:

The enemy that was on Garla Morilor, the village of Bizigeşti, Moara Alba, attacked in large and frequent waves. Major Ionescu Atanasie orders to open fire and, when a large number of opponents appear, orders in a desperate tone: “Forward, on them, on me, on them, guys, hooray, hooray…”. Fighters of the 3rd battalion of the 32nd regiment and 5-6 companies of the 7th regiment are counterattacking in shirts, with a menacing “Hurrah, hurrah…” The enemy, upon the appearance of our fighters in shirts. , runs away, ours chase after them, catch up and stab the newcomers with bayonets…’.

Similarly, in the Combat Journal of the 32nd Infantry Regiment (compiled after the war based on the stories of the participants in the battles), the attack of the “white shirts” is also described as follows:

The 32nd Regiment decides to counterattack with the regimental reserve, the 3rd Battalion under the command of Major Ionescu Athanazie, who emerges from his cover and shouts “Forward!” at the top of his lungs. and goes directly to the bayonet battle at the head of the battalion. The soldiers and officers, encouraged by the example of their commander, rushed with all their might upon the enemy, who, in spite of their numerical superiority, retreated completely before the white ghosts, who advanced upon them determinedly, mistaking them for Africans, as they afterwards declared to be German prisoners.

Most likely, the German soldiers were caught off guard by the energetic counterattack of the Romanians, and the fact that they were not equipped had a demoralizing effect on them.

Overall, the Battle of Merești was the most important military operation on the Romanian front during the First World War.

Well organized in defensive positions, the Romanian troops managed to withstand the German attack, despite the difficulties they faced, citing here the weak combat participation of the Russian allies, the low morale after the defeats of the previous year, and last but not least, the better preparedness of the opponent, with technical and tactical point of view.

After the battles of Merești and Oitus, the front would stabilize in the Romanian sector, the Germans would concentrate their energies in the west on the Western Front, which would effectively last until the end of the war.

Literature:

– K. Argetoyan, For those who will be tomorrow. Memories of yesterday

– F. Şperlea, Attack of the White Shirts, – http://presamil.ro/atacul-camasilor-albe/

– Constantin Kiritescu, History of the War for the Integration of Romania

– Ioan Scurtu, Ion Alexandrescu, Ion Bulei, Ion Mamina, Encyclopedia of Romanian History,

– Mihai Barbulescu, Dennis Deletant, Keith Hitchins, Sherban Papacosta, Pompiliu Theodor, History of Romania

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