1939 - 1940 - 1941 - 1942 - 1943 - 1944

• 1.2.41-1.8.42: Gen. Gheorghe Cialâk.
• 1.8-27.11.42: Gen. Barbu Alinescu.
• 27.11.42-16.4.43: Gen Ioan Dumitriu.
• 16.4.43-15.7.44: Gen. Ioan Mihăescu.
• 15.7-30.9.44: Gen Dumitru Petrescu.
• 1-20.10.44: Gen Platon Chirnoagă.
• 21-23.10.44: Gen. Mihail Voicu.
• 23.10-1.12.44: Lt.Col. Ilie Ionescu

STRUCTURE (details)

HISTORY.

1939.

• 14.3.39: the partial mobilisation in garrisons.
• 27.8.39: D.4.I. partially mobilised in the peace garrisons.
• 10.9.39: deployed on a defence line on the "Southern Front" (2^nd Army).
• 15.11.39: in the first line, in Turnu Măgurele – Giurgiu area (always its garrrisons area).

• 8.4.42: moved from Odesa, D.4.I. crossed the Bug river, to the front south of Harkov (assigned to Corpul 6).
• 4.5.42: it replaced the German 113rd Inf.Div. in the area S Ligovka, Alexandrovka.
• 20.5.42: in action NV of Lozovaia, to the Bereka valley, it seized Feodorovka, Mihailovka, Dorf Komunist, Zaredarovka, Artelnoe and Alexandrovka (thus taking part to the annihilation of the encircled Soviet troops S of Andreevka - 26.5.42).
• 22.6.42: D.4.I. crossed the Donetz river at Cervoni Şachter, then deployed at the left flank of Corpul 6, S of Karelskiev, on the left bank of Oskol.
• 7/8.7.42: it crossed the Oskol at Krasni Oskol and Pristin.
• 8.7.42: in action on the direction Kransîi - Oskol - Krasnogusarovka, linked with the German 101st Jager Division, arriving in the evening E of Nitrius river.
• 10-12.8.42: fights on the Mişkova valley (D.4.I., linked at the E with the German 94th Inf.Div, and at the W with Div.2.Inf., seized on 10.8.42 the heights S of Mişkova valley).
• 20-23.8.42: fights S of Tebektenerevo.
• 2/3.9.42: moved to a new front line in Mal. Derbeti, Kosjankin area.
• 15.9.42: deployed on a 55 km front line between the lakes Batyr Mala and Barmanzak (at the right flank of Corpul 6), S of Tundutovo (or in the area Şarnut, between Tundutovo and Şebenerî ?).
• 28.9.42: the D.4.I. front broken by soviet tanks, which reached Sadovoie (where the HQ was located) on 29.9.42.
• 30.9.42: reorganised, the division formed the 48th Panzer Corps, together with the German 14th Panzer Division.
• 1.10.42: D.4.I. attacked and re-occupied Sadovoe, and (up to 4.10.42, 10.00 hour) regained all the initial positions (helped by German tanks).
• 4.10-20.11.42: a period without soviet actions. D.4.I. deployed on a 43 km defence line E of Sadovoe, in Tundutovo - M.Derbetî (Kominterna) area, linked with Div. 1 Inf.
• 22.11.42: the Soviet offensive seized M.Derbetî, attacking also S of Tundutovo between Reg.93 Inf and Bat.4 Inf.Uşoară; another attack was pushed back at 4 km SW of Ungun-Ierjaşi.
• 23.11.42: the Soviet action from Korobkin to Sadovoie, pushed the division's left flank towards Sadovoie. The rest of the division stil at Umanţevo.
• 24.11.42: strong attack W of Umanţevo, then in the night of 24/25.11 soviet infiltrations along the Seljean valley, between D.4.I. and Div.5 Cav.
• 26.11.42: D.4.I. withdrawn to the west ~ 60 km (vs. the position of 20.11.42) on the line Kenkria, W Obilnoe.
• 27.11-26.12.42: D.4.I. defends the line Kenkria - W Obilnoe during the Wintergewitter Operation:
  • 3-6.12.42: the Detachment 'căpitan Decuseară' re-occupies half of Iki Sorgakin, on Chamchurka valley.
  • 15.12.42 it seized the villages Şoşaldakin, Biuliuka, Naceal şi Konuka (all of them on the Hamhurka/Şamkurka valley), resisting the soviet attacks (from 7 km NE Sorgakin up to the Kenkria valley), then it seized the heights N-E şi N-W of the Şamkurka and Kenkria valleys.
  • 16-17.12.42: local action.
  • 18-20.12.42: counterattack for the seize of Kenkria and Kanukovo.
• 27-28.12.42: Corpul 7 pushed back by the Soviets from Kajekin and Kiselevka, with heavy losses at Kiselevka (27.12) and Savetnoe (28.12).
• 31.12.42 D.4.I. strength is now only of 250 men with 10 guns.

• 4.4.43: D.4.I. arrived in Romania.
• 1.5.43: merged with Div.1 Grăniceri. From now one, D.4.I. was split between the active (operational) units in the garrisons of the former Div. 1 Grăniceri, at Timişoara and the sedentary (passive) units and the recruits units in the area of Bucureşti, Turnu Măgurele, Giurgiu.

• 15.4-9.6.44: deployed in Moldavia, E of Siret river, between Sineşti and Hăbăşeşti (S Târgu Frumos), assigned to Corpul 5. From 2.5.44 D.4.I. actioned in the frames of Detaşamentul 'Gen. Opriş', to push back the Soviet attack from the direction of Hărmăneşti - Ruginoasa - Heleşteni.
• 9.6.44: replaced by Div.13 Inf. and assigned to the German 57th Panzer Corps, it replaced Div.1 Gardă and pushed back all the soviet attacks up to 20.8.44.
• 22-23.8.44: withdrawn W of Buda, to the forest Rediu – Buznea – Strunga.
• 24.8.44: the remains of the division moved to the south (always assigned to Corpul 5), to the peace garrisons, where they merged with the sedentary units; afterthat D.4.I. received defence missions along the Danube.
  • 2.9.44: some of the troops disarmed by the Soviets in Bacău, Moineşti area.

• 15.10.44: sent again to the front, in Hungary, it passed the Tisza at Tiszaföldvár, and replaced the Soviet 409^th Inf.Div in the bridgehead S of Szolnok. The divisional front was of 30 km.
• 19.10.44: severely attacked from behind with heavy losses (~ 5131 men). See the map.
• 11.44: disbanded, the materials and archives taken by the Div.10 Inf, as follows: Comandamentul - Div.10 Inf; R.20 I by R.38 I; R.5 I by R.23 I; R.21 I by R.33 I; R.2 Art by Centrul de instrucţie al artileriei; R.10 Art by R.20 Art.

HQ LOCATIONS. (abbreviations)

OPM Numbers (see the OPM list)

CODE NAMES (see the list)

© Grecu Dan-Simion 2000