Romanian Front
August 15, 1941 – Romanian Front
From A Brief History of World War II, by Robert Eagan, Random House 1977
The Romanian front was the major theater of operation for the Russians. The Russians had poured most of the new armor and almost all of their mobilized reserves into the Southern Front. In May the Russian 18th Army under Smirnov had only 6 Infantry divisions and the equivalent of 2 Armored divisions, further South Cherevichenko’s 9th Army was also as lightly equipped. By the beginning of Operation Saturn both Armies had more than doubled in size. In particular the Russians had stripped 8 armored divisions from their Northern Armies and fed them into the South. The 18th immediate goal after crossing the Prut was to sieze Jassy and the destroy the German 11th Army under General Schobert. The 9th had a narrower front and a less capable Opponent. Operating on both the Northern and Southern banks of the Danube Cherevichenko’s orders were to destroy the Fourth Romanian Army under General Ciuperca, seized Galati and drive deep into Romania.
The Germans had detected the buildup on the Romanian border and had begun shifting reserve and some panzer units South at the end of July. However by August 15th they were still badly outnumbered and reliant on the inadequate Romanian rail network for supply. The German 11th Army fought a brilliant delaying action and forced the Russians to pay dearly for every inch of ground. After two weeks of heavy fighting General Schobert The Romanian 4th Army was not as fortunate. Split by the Danube it was driven back and began to disintegrate. By August 28th only two of Ciuperca’s seven divisions were still operational. It appeared by the end of August that the Southern wing of the Romanian front was going to collapse.
From Airborne Operations in World War II, by Matthew Ridgeway, Beakers Press 1950.
There Russian airborne attack on Ploesti was not the first airborne operation of the war, but it was by far the largest until late in the war. Although, had the German airborne attacks on Crete gone forward it would not have held this distinction. The Russians had one of the largest cadre of trained parachutists before the war. Some have estimated that after Stalin introduced parachuting as a para-military sport that over 1 million troops had some level of experience*
The primary problem the Russians had was their aircraft. Their standard drop ship was the Tupolev TB-3 or variant. By 1941 it was nearing obsolescence, having been based on the earlier ANT-6 design. In any case Russian troops had to climb out of hatch on the top of the fuselage, just aft of the wing. From there their jump was endangered by the prominent tailplane. None the less, the Russians had transferred the vast bulk of the TB-3s into their Bulgarian bases undetected by the Germans. The Russians were able to drop almost 9,000 troops onto Ploesti only hours into the war. The local Romanian and smaller German garrison was completely taken by surprise. By then end of the first 48 hours the refineries and fields were in Russian hands. Hands which were busy planting charges…
From the Diary of Dmitri Yuri Dosik
August 16th -
The drop was a nightmare. We had never tried to land so many troops at once, nor in an area so unfamiliar. Some of our troops actually came down on top of the industrial works, but enough of us landed near our assembly points to begin to organize. Peter was killed, his shout failed to deploy fully.
August 17th
Romanian resistance is sporadic. There was some local militia, some police and a few regular troops but they were even in worse order than us. The Colonel showed up around 3 PM, he had landed 9 miles off the drop. He had spent yesterday and today rounding up stragglers and marching to the fields. He brought a good part of the Engineers who dropped with us. Now if we can find some of their equipment or we will have to use what these shitty Romanian have.
August 18th
The Colonel tells me we have a pretty secure perimeter around the airport and most of the refineries. The city is a mess and the Romanian are welcome to it. I would guess there is almost a 100,000 in the city and we are too few to occupy it all** The Air Force didn’t get many planes in today. The German fighters are swarming and I saw at least 6 of our planes go down. It is starting to look like we will be cut off until the Regular Army arrives.
August 20th
The Germans showed up yesterday. Fortunately it wasn’t in great strength and they didn’t have many tanks. We had lots of fortified positions and they tried to rush one just North of here. We beat them back, but it won’t last. The colonel tells me that Fritz really needs this place and will die to get it back. Personally he could have it, but I serve the state.
August 22nd
Heard today that the Ninth army has broken the Romanians and taken Slobozia. That still puts them 100 km from Bucharest and 200 km from us. Captain Tyulenev tells me the Germans are all over our bases in Bulgaria and that we can’t expect any more flights from there. He also says the Navy landed troops in Romania and reinforced Bulgaria, doubt that it is true.
August 28th
Heavy fighting the last week. No time to write. Cherevichenko is nearing Bucharest. Germans have gotten here and this time they brought tanks. We are running out of shells for the guns and soon will be fighting with our bare hands. I know the engineers are mining all the refineries and most of the wells. The Germans may force us out, but hey will win a heap of ashes.
September 1st
Heavy fighting. The Germans have pushed us out of three positions. Still no word from the regular army. Yuri blew the Western refineries. The explosion was spectacular. Germans have called on us to surrender. Never! Death to the Traitors. Long live the Revolution, Long live Stalin!
September 2nd
More attacks. We are being pushed into a pocket South of here. Street fighting in Bucharest. Germans have overrun most of our bases in Bulgaria. The Navy has landed more troops, but I was told we lost quite a few ships.
September 2, 1941 – Bucharest, 28th Light Infantry Division (German)
General Sinnhuber felt the basement shake as another Russian artillery round hit outside. He was tired. It was just after 3 AM and the Russians were obviously getting ready for another assault. He clicked the field phone’s receiver up and down nervously, hoping that the connection had held. It had “Hello? Hello? Schimpf? Can you still hear me?” The Luftwaffe officer answered “Yes I still can hear you general.” Sinnhuber sighed in relief. “Ivan is getting ready to try again. I can stop his infantry, but their artillery is giving me merry hell! I need to have those guns taken out. As soon as it is dawn I need a maximum effort on the coordinates I just gave you.” “It will be done general, it will be done.” Another shell hit, this one much closer and the phone line quit.
Sinnhuber slammed the dead receiver down. He had 3 maybe four hours till the Luftwaffe could get some planes up. He was running low on reserves. He wondered if the division would live up to its nickname as the “Iron Cross Division” or would it be buried here as the “Wooden Cross”? He had heard that more units were being rushed down from Hungary but he didn’t know if there was time. Suddenly there was silence, the Russian artillery had shut down. That could only mean that their infantry was going forward, it was time to get back to business.
*while probably an exaggeration the Russians certainly did have huge numbers –See Airborne Operations by Chant, Beaver, Didwell, Fowler, Humber, Kadish and Thompson, Crescent Books
**In early 1940 there were about 80,000 in the greater city. It actually suffered and earthquake in 1940 and was rebuilding. It was an oil boom city built up on several smaller settlements with refineries scattered about.
