The Romanian Army: 1. Guard Division.

The Romanian Royal Army
1939-1945
DIVIZIA 1 GARDĂ

1^st Guard Division

1940 - 1941 - 1942 - 1943 - 1944 - 1945

COMMANDERS.

1.6-10.9.1940: Gen. PAUL TEODORESCU;
10.9.40-24.1.41: Gen. GHEORGHE GEORGESCU;
25.1.1941-23.2.1943: Gen. divizie NICOLAE ŞOVA;
23.2-10.4.1943: Gen. CONSTANTIN POPESCU;
10.4-20.12.1943: Gen. divizie CONSTANTIN VOICULESCU;
20.12.43-6.1.44: Col. CONSTANTIN POPESCU;
6.1-10.3.44: Gen. RADU KORNE;
10.3-21.6.1944: Gen. divizie RADU NICULESCU-COCIU;
22.6-12.7.44: Gen. ŞTEFAN OPRIŞ;
12.07-14.10.1944: Gen. brigadă PETRE ANTONESCU;
4.11.1944-20.3.1945 and 3.4-27.8.1945: Gen. brigadă ION DUMITRU;
20.3-3.4.1945: Gen. brigadă GHEORGHE MARINESCU.

STRUCTURE (details)

Compania 40 Transmisiuni.

Compania 40 Poliţie.

Escadron 40 Cavalerie

Bateria 40, 140 AC

Compania 40 A.A.

Batalion 40 Pioneri (until 10.44)

Compania 40 Pioneri (from 10.44)

Regiment Gardă "Mihai Viteazu",
from 12.6.42: Regiment 6 Dorobanţi de Gardă "Mihai Viteazu".

Regiment 1 Vânători Gardă no.2 "Regina Elisabeta",
from 12.6.42: Regiment 2 Vânători Gardă.

Regiment 2 Vânători Gardă no.9 "Regele Alexandru",
from 12.6.42: Regiment 9 Vânători Gardă.

Regiment 3 Artilerie Gardă (until 10.44)

Regiment 2 Artilerie Gardă

Grup 40 Servicii details

ASSIGNMENTS TO HIGHER UNITS.

10.01.1941	Corp 3 Armată.
22.06-8?.08.1941	Corp 5 Armată
25.07-8.08.41	Corp 3 Armată, Armata 4.
12-26.08.1941	Corp 1 Armată.
27.08-26.09.1941	Corp 11 Armată, Armata 4.
2.10.41	Corp 11 Armată.
12.09.41?	Corp 1 Armată.
beg.-end.10.1941	Corp 6 Armată
30.11.41-	Armata 1 (interior)
15.3-20.8.44	Corp 5 Armată, Grup Knobelsdorff / Kirchner, Armata 4

ATTACHED UNITS.

Bat. 502 Infanterie (to Reg.1/2 Vânători Gardă)

4-8.09.1941

DETACHED UNITS

DEPLOYMENT AREA / OPERATIONAL PERIOD.

6.40-8.41	Romania	22.6-6.7.41 -
8-10.41	Transnistria	7.7-18.10.41
11.41-4.45	Romania	28.3-25.8.44
4-6.45	Czechia	20.4-12.5.45

HISTORY.

ROMANIA

1940.

1.6.40: formed as elite unit.
8.40: grouped in and around BUCHAREST.
9.40: deployed on the new frontier, along the Prut river, in HUŞI - BÂRLAD area.

1941.

as of 1.41: deployed on the same security positions, between Fălciu / VS and Bogdăneşti / VS.
22.6.41: deployed on a wider frontline, between Lunca (Lunca Veche / VS ?) and Cârja / VS (E of BÂRLAD), with 3 tactical groups in the first line:
- Group ''North'': between Lunca and Mocani (today in Fălciu / VS) (Reg. 2 Vt.Gd., 2 Bat / Reg. 2 Art.Gd.).
- Group ''Center'': between Mocani and Rânzeşti / VS (Reg. ''M.V.'', Reg.3 Art.Gd.).
- Group ''South'': between Rânzeşti and Cârja (1 Bat / Reg.1 Vt.Gd., 1 Bat / Reg.2 Vt.Gd.)
- the reinforcements (Cc., Vt.) at Tupilaţi / VS, Copăceana / VS and Epureni forest, plus 2 German divisions in the valley of Belciug (W of Fălciu).
4.7.41, 13.00 Hr: a first failed attempt to cross in force the Prut river in the Southern sector, at Bogdăneşti.

ROMANIA (Bessarabia, occupied by USSR)

6.7.41: it changed the attack sector to Fălciu, 2 km E of Rânzeşti; up to the evening the Division crossed the Prut, arriving on the heights between Ţiganca / CH and Stoeneşti.
7-8.7.41: fights in the bridgehead of Fălciu, with actions to the valley of Tigheci, over the railway road Fălciu - Epureni / CH.
9.7.41: action to Toceni Hill / CH (on the Prut), it reached the Height 196.
then withdrawn on a line N of Leca / CH (on the Prut) and SW of Cania / CH.
12-14.7.41: from this line, it repulsed the Soviet attacks (together with Div.21 Infanterie, at Ţiganca, Stoeneşti or Epureni).
16-19.7.41: Div.1 Gd. defeated the enemy defence at LEOVA / CH and Dealul Vulturului.
19-31.7.41: it followed the retreating enemy forces to the Nistru river, along the direction Fălciu-COMRAT-CETATEA ALBĂ.

TRANSNISTRIA (Odesa)

6/7.8.41: Div.1 Gd. crossed in force the Nistru at Pugoceni / TG and Taszlyk / Ucraine (S of GRIGORIOPOL).

8.8.41: it cleared (reinforced with 5 assault battalions) the Eastern bank of Nistru; then the division started the move towards SE.

10.8.41: it established a fast detachment (Lt-col. Pavel Birţ) who actioned at Grădiniţa, Troiţkoie, Iasca, then occupied the water plant of Beleaevka (17.8.41 ?), thus closing the water supply of ODESA.

12-.8.41: meantime, the main forces won the heavy battles against the Soviet 25^th Division, in the first defence line of Odesa between Mannheim and Kagarlâk

18.8.41: in action, arriving in the evening 3 km SE of Kagarlâk, 3 km NE Mannheim, with losses of 322.

21/22.8.41: passed to Corpul 1 reserve (only Detachment ''Gen. Georgescu'', i.e. a reinforced infantry regiment, remained on the position).

22-27.8.41: actions in the area Hutor Petrovski, Novo Beleaeva and Dubinovo.

30.8.41: arrived at Petersthal and Friedenthal.

2.9.41: Reg. Gardă ''M.V.'' in action from Friedenthal, supporting Div. 14 Inf.

4.9.41: in action towards Leninthal.

5.9.41: it seized Leninthal (4-8.9.41: Reg.1/2 Vânători located here)

5-6.9.41: the Assault Battalion advanced up to N of Iosefsthal

12-26.9.41: in action in the area of Dalnik:

15-17.9.41: it reduced the enemy inlet W of Dalnik, in the area Hutor Dalniţki – Razv. Colhoz.
17-23.9.41: Reg."Mihai Viteazul" arrived in front of Dalnik.

then, Div.1 Gd. received less difficult missions in other front areas.

beg.10.1941: it took part to the last assault of Odessa (assigned to Corpul 6), between Hagibei Liman and Kujalnik Liman.

16.10.41: enters Odessa, together with units of Bg. 3 Mixtă Fortificaţii.
18.10.41: moved to TIGHINA / TG.

ROMANIA

beg.11.41: arrived in Romania with: 269 officers, 327 NCOs, 12175 soldiers, 12497 rifles, 432 rifle guns, 152 machine guns, 121 mortars, 165 guns, 5649 horses, 941 waggons, 139 vehicles.
- Awards:
  18 "Mihai Viteazu" Orders;
  521 "Coroana României'' Orders;
  96 ''Steaua României'' Orders;
  218 ''Virtutea Militară'' Medals;
  1156 ''Crucea Serviciului Credincios'';
  620 ''Serviciul Credincios'';
  625 ''Bărbăţie şi Credinţă'';
  77 ''Meritul Sanitar'';
  11 ''Crucea Regina Maria'';
  24 German ''Ritterkreuz''.
  The ''Mihai Viteazu'' Order II^nd Class: Regiment 1 Vânători Gardă, Regiment 2 Vânători Gardă;
  The ''Mihai Viteazu'' Order III^rd Class: Regiment 6 Gardă, Regiment 2 Artilerie Gardă, Regiment 3 Artilerie Gardă.
8.11.1941: it took part to the great Victory Parade in BUCHAREST.

1942.

In the peace garrisons up to Dec.1942.
from 12.42: deployed on defence lines in Dobroudja, along the Black Sea seaside.

1943.

1944.

28.3.44: entrained to the Moldavian front, in the area of Brătuleşti / IS, Băile Strunga / IS, Heleşteni / IS, Oboroceni / IS, Miclăuşeni / IS, Săbăoani / NT (all of them S of TÂRGU FRUMOS / IS), assigned to Corpul 5.

8.4.44: defence actions in the bridgehead of TÂRGU FRUMOS, on the height of Criveşti / IS, at Heleşteni.

10.4.44: a reinforced company of III / Reg. 9 Vt., in cooperation with German assault guns units, counterttacked and re-occupied areas at Băile Strunga and Târgu Frumos;
11.4.44: the Detachment 'Major Ioanid' seized the villages Albeşti / IS and Găneşti / IS;
12.4.44: Reg. 6 Dorobanţi seized Heleştieni and Hărmăneasa / IS.

26.4.44: the Tactical group 'General Opriş' was established (assigned to the German GD Panzer Division); during the following days this group stopped all the Soviet attacks.

2.5.44: finally, the Soviets broken the Group's defence lines; it withdrew to Dumbrăviţa / IS and Ruginoasa / IS (W of TÂRGU FRUMOS), then S of the fortified line maintained by the other Romanian units.

27.5.44: assigned to the German ''Kirchner'' Group.

31.5.44: Div.1 Gd. took over the German ''Totenkopf'' Panzer Division's sector, inclusively the forwarded position in front of the fortified line (all units under the command of Gen. Opriş).

4.6.44: Div.1 Gd. was replaced in these positions by Div.4 Inf and returned to its old positions of Băile Strunga.
19.8.44: strong Soviet attack, succesful in the first fase, then repulsed until the evening of the day.
20.8.44: Reg. 2 Gardă withdrawn from its sector of Strunga.
22/23.8.44: after a day of heavy soviet motorised attacks on the direction Târgu Frumos - Băile Strunga, Div.1 Gd. finally withdrew W of Siret river, deployed on defence lines between Cosmeşti / IS and Scheia / IS.
23.8.44: the Soviets crossed in force the Siret and attacked Reg. 6 Dorobanţi; the rest of units in action to support the withdrawal over the Moldova river of Div. 6 Inf. and Div. 20 Inf. In the evening, Div.1 Gd. had to retreat W of Moldova river, deployed on defence lines between Tupilaţi / NT and the Boţeşti forest. Here some of the units were encircled; other units withdrew towards PIATRA NEAMŢ, then to Moineşti / BC, Oneşti / BC, Caşin Monastery / BC, followed by the Soviets, which eventually catched them, partially desarmed them and sent them to the Soviet POW camps of Bacău, Roman and Iaşi (25.8-3.9.44). Some of the units managed to reach BUCHAREST in 7.9.44 (but with heavy losses).

1945.

CZECHIA

spring 45: remobilised.
20.4.45: sent to the Czech front.
3-13.5.45: grouped S-E of BRNO, in the area Blažovice - Křenovice - Prace - Sokolnice - Kobylnice - Újezd, without taking part to military actions.
13.5-13.6.45: in the resting area (at 13.6.45 Dn.Gardă Călare was in Štoky)
13.6.45: beginning the return march to Romania.

HQ LOCATIONS. (abbreviations)

6-8.40	Bucureşti
9.40-7.41?	Iveşti - VS (E Bârlad)
4-8.44	Miclăuşeni - IS
7.8.45	Deva - HD

OPM Numbers (see the OPM list)

3-7.40	?
7-11.40	64
2-11.41	31
4-8.44	3122
4-8.45	30

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