Battle of the Eastern Carpathians

Last updated
Battle of the Northern Carpathians
Part of the Romanian Campaign of World War I
1916 - Respingerea unui atac austro-ungar - desen de I Bughardt.png
Romanian soldiers repulsing an Austro-Hungarian attack
Date1329 October 1916
Location
Eastern Carpathians, on the border between Romania and Austria-Hungary
Result Romanian victory
Belligerents
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania Flag of Austria-Hungary (1869-1918).svg  Austria-Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Romania.svg Constantin Prezan
Flag of Romania.svg Ion Antonescu
Flag of Austria-Hungary (1869-1918).svg Arthur Arz von Straussenburg
Units involved
Romanian North Army 1st Army
Casualties and losses
Unknown 168 killed
635 wounded
802 missing
1,000 prisoners
12 guns

The Battle of the Eastern Carpathians consisted in a series of military engagements between Romanian and Austro-Hungarian forces during October 1916, in World War I. The attempt of the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army to break through the Eastern Carpathians was simultaneous with that of the German 9th Army to force the passes of the Southern Carpathians. Both efforts failed.

Contents

Background

Having launched its invasion of northeast Transylvania in late August 1916, the undefeated Romanian Northern Army  [ ro ] was ordered to withdraw, due to factors outside its control, such as setbacks on another army's front. The exhausted Austro-Hungarians under General Arthur Arz von Straußenburg moved slowly, giving the Romanians an uncontested run towards the border, where they settled into prepared defensive positions. The Romanian retreat started on 5 October and was carried out in the best order, with only negligible losses. General Arz sent his 72nd Division to the northern passes — Békás (Bicaz Gorge) and Tölgyes (Tulgheș) — with the VI Corps directed towards the southern ones — the 61st Division to Gyimes (Ghimeș) and the 39th Honvéd Division to Úzvölgye (Valea Uzului). The Austro-Hungarians crossed the Romanian border at Palanca in the Gyimes Pass (Ghimeș-Palanca Pass) region on 13 October. [1] [2]

Commanding the Northern Army was Constantin Prezan, a general who had studied in France. [3] Prezan was, however, widely regarded as more of a courtier than a serious military officer. Fortunately for the Romanians, his operations officer was Captain Ion Antonescu, a "talented if prickly" individual. [4] Such was the influence of Captain Antonescu that, in his memoirs, General Alexandru Averescu used the formula "Prezan (Antonescu)" to denote Prezan's plans and actions. [5]

Battle

In the Uz Pass, violent fighting began on 14 October. Positions were lost and gained, but overall the Romanians maintained themselves close to the border or even on the border itself, inflicting reverses and serious losses. By 26 October, the Honvéds had gained only a small insignificant portion of territory across the Romanian border. [6] By 29 October, the 39th Honvéd Division had incurred casualties amounting to 146 killed, 553 wounded and 644 missing. [7]

At Palanca, the Austro-Hungarian 61st Division made good initial progress. Palanca itself was conquered in two days of fighting (13 to 15 October), and by 17 October the village of Agăș, Bacău County, was reached, seven miles into Romanian territory. On the following day, the Austro-Hungarians attempted a further advance, but were counterattacked by the Romanians from two directions, and had to hastily retreat, the Romanian forces taking almost 1,000 prisoners and 12 guns. [8] [9] Aside from its losses at Agăș, by 29 October, the 61st Division had lost a further 22 killed, 82 wounded and 158 missing. [10]

Aftermath

By the beginning of November, the Romanian defense in the Carpathians had succeeded beyond expectation. The Central Powers had nowhere won the debouchments to the plains. [11]

Related Research Articles

Battle of Prunaru 1916 battle in Romania

The Battle of Prunaru was a military engagement between German and Romanian forces during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. It resulted in a tactical German victory, but following the heavy Romanian resistance the Germans halted after taking Prunaru. General Constantin Prezan's maneuver group checked the German forces in the region within two days, exposing the left flank of Field Marshal August von Mackensen's Danube Army.

Battle of Transylvania

The Battle of Transylvania was the first major operation of the Romanian forces Campaign during World War I, beginning on 27 August 1916. It started as an attempt by the Romanian Army to seize Transylvania, and potentially knock Austria-Hungary out of the war. Although initially successful, the offensive was brought to a halt after Bulgaria's attack on Dobruja. Coupled with a successful German and Austro-Hungarian counterattack which started in mid-September, the Romanian Army was eventually forced to retreat back to the Carpathians by mid-October. The Romanian armies however managed to escape the Central Powers' attempts to completely destroy them. The Battle of Transylvania also caused the replacement of the Chief of Staff of the German Army and the shifting of German attention to the region, causing German offensive operations at Verdun to cease.

Ioan Culcer

Ioan Culcer was a Wallachian-born Romanian military leader and politician. Culcer served as a lieutenant during the Romanian War of Independence (1877–1878) and as a general during the Second Balkan War and World War I. In early 1918, he served as Minister for Public Works in the First Averescu cabinet.

Orsova Offensive

The Orsova Offensive was a military engagement fought between the armies of Romania and Austria-Hungary at the start of the Romanian Campaign in August–September 1916. It ended in a Romanian victory which led to the Romanian occupation of the west bank of the Cserna (Cerna) River for over two months.

Battle of Predeal Pass World War I battle

The Battle of Predeal Pass was a military engagement during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. It consisted in an attempt by the Central Powers to cross the mountains to the south of Brassó (Brașov). Although the Central Powers captured the town of Predeal itself, the Romanian defenses in the pass prevented any further advances.

Battle of Dragoslavele World War I battle

The Battle of Dragoslavele was a military engagement fought between Romanian forces on one side and Central Powers forces on the other. It was part of the Romanian Campaign of World War I. The battle resulted in a Romanian victory and the effective end of Central Powers advances in the area.

Battle of the Southern Carpathians World War I battle

The Battle of the Southern Carpathians was a major operation during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. The brainchild of German General Erich von Falkenhayn, the operation consisted in an attempt by the Central Powers to assault all of the passes in the Southern Carpathians at the same time, and exploit a success wherever it might have come. However, this did not happen, as Romanian defenses could not be defeated in any of the five areas that Falkenhayn's spread-out army tried to force.

Battle of Slatina World War I battle

The Battle of Slatina was a military engagement between Romanian and German forces during World War I. It resulted in a strategic victory for the Romanians.

The Romanian Debacle

The Romanian Debacle consisted in a series of battles between November and December 1916 which led to the Central Powers conquest of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Russian forces joined the Romanians at the start of December.

Battle of the Olt Valley World War I battle

The Battle of the Olt Valley consisted in a prolonged military engagement during World War I between Romanian forces on one side and Central Powers' forces on the other side. Within just under a month, the Central Powers had managed to conquer the 30 miles (48 km)-long Olt Valley from its Romanian defenders.

Pitești-Târgoviște Retreat Romanian WWI operation

The Pitești-Târgoviște Retreat was a fighting-withdrawal operation carried out by the Romanian 1st Army in the face of advancing Central Powers' forces during World War I. The retreat lasted from 29 November to 3 December and culminated in a violent battle at Târgoviște, after which the entire Romanian Army started a general retreat towards Moldavia.

Northern front of the Battle of Transylvania

On 27 August 1916, Romania entered World War I on the side of the Allies, three of its armies invading Transylvania. The 1st and 2nd Armies invaded the southern part, while the Romanian North Army invaded the northeastern part. Unlike the 1st and 2nd Armies – which had to contend with a German-led counter-offensive – the North Army faced primarily Austro-Hungarian forces, and as such its campaign hardly had any major battles. After conquering three Hungarian urban districts, the undefeated North Army was ordered to withdraw due to events outside its control, after inflicting heavier losses than those it had incurred.

Nagyszeben Offensive

The Nagyszeben Offensive was a Romanian military operation during the opening stages of the Battle of Transylvania, during the Romanian Campaign of 1916 in World War I. It was fought against Austro-Hungarian forces and resulted in a Romanian victory, the city of Nagyszeben (Sibiu/Hermannstadt) being reached within a week. A further week of minor operations following the one-day Romanian occupation of the city resulted in the stabilization of the Romanian front line in the region for the ensuing fortnight.

Battle of Nagybár

The Battle of Nagybár was a military engagement between Romanian forces on one side and Central Powers forces on the other side. It was part of the 1916 Battle of Transylvania during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. The battle resulted in a Romanian victory.

Battle of Herkulesfürdő

The Battle of Herkulesfürdő was a military engagement during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. It was fought between Romanian forces on one side and Central Powers forces on the other side. It resulted in a Romanian victory.

Petrozsény Offensive

The Petrozsény Offensive was the opening action of the south-western front of the 1916 Battle of Transylvania, during World War I. The Transylvanian coal-mining center of Petrozsény (Petroșani) was occupied by the Romanian Army on 29 August, two days after the Kingdom of Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary.

The First Battle of Orsova was a World War I military engagement between Austro-Hungarian and German forces on one side and Romanian forces on the other side. The Central Powers failed to advance, the battle thus resulting in a Romanian victory.

Third Battle of Petrozsény

The Third Battle of Petrozsény was a World War I military engagement between Romanian forces on one side and Central Powers forces on the other side. It was part of the wider Battle of Transylvania and the last engagement in the area around Petrozsény. The battle resulted in a Central Powers victory.

Battle of Sellenberk (1916)

The Battle of Sellenberk was a World War I military engagement fought between Romanian forces on one side and Central Powers forces on the other side. It was part of the wider Battle of Transylvania and resulted in a Romanian victory.

Battle of Nagyszeben

The Battle of Nagyszeben was a World War I military engagement fought between the forces of the Central Powers on one side and the forces of Romania on the other side. It was the decisive engagement during the Battle of Transylvania, and also the largest, involving four armies out of the five fighting in the region: two Romanian, one German, and one Austro-Hungarian.

References

  1. The Times, 1917, The Times History and Encyclopaedia of the War, Volume 11, p. 233
  2. Michael B. Barrett, Indiana University Press, 2013, Prelude to Blitzkrieg: The 1916 Austro-German Campaign in Romania, p. 125
  3. Michael B. Barrett, Indiana University Press, 2013, Prelude to Blitzkrieg: The 1916 Austro-German Campaign in Romania, pp. 26-27
  4. Prit Buttar, Bloomsbury Publishing, Sep 22, 2016, Russia's Last Gasp: The Eastern Front 1916–17, p. 320
  5. Larry Watts, Eastern European Monographs, 1993, Romanian Cassandra, p. 43
  6. The Times, 1917, The Times History and Encyclopaedia of the War, Volume 11, p. 445
  7. Michael B. Barrett, Indiana University Press, 2013, Prelude to Blitzkrieg: The 1916 Austro-German Campaign in Romania, pp. 222-223
  8. The Times, 1917, The Times History and Encyclopaedia of the War, Volume 11, p. 445
  9. Leonard Wood, Austin Melvin Knight, Frederick Palmer, Frank Herbert Simonds, Arthur Brown Ruhl, P. F. Collier & sons, 1917, The story of the great war: with complete historical record of events to date, Volume 11, pp. 3290-3291 (Note: the volumes in this series have a single continuous page count, which starts with the first page of the first volume and ends with the last page of the last volume)
  10. Michael B. Barrett, Indiana University Press, 2013, Prelude to Blitzkrieg: The 1916 Austro-German Campaign in Romania, pp. 222-223
  11. John Buchan, T. Nelson, 1922, A History of the Great War: From the battle of Verdun to the third battle of Ypres, p. 248