MARK AXWORTHY CAND ASO NO TUENR ONO UNORomanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945 Mark AxwortTay CORNEL SCAFES CRISTIAN CRACIUNOIU ARMS ANDTo my late father, Major ‘Bill’ Axworthy, who, in what I hope was not the ultimate act of literary criticism, died the day before he was due to read this text. His friendship, tolerance, humour and curry are sorely missed, Arm and Armour Press ‘A Cassell Imprint Wellington House, 125 Stand, London WC2R OBB. Distributed in the USA by Sterling Publishing Co, nc. 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016-8810. Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Link (Australia) Py. Le, 2/13 Carrington Road, Castle Hill, NSW 2154, © Mark Axworty, 1995 All sights ceserved. No part ofthis book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying recording or any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing fom the Publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: acitalogue record for tis book is available from the British Library ISBN 1-85409-267-7, Designed and edited by DAG Publications Led Designed by David Gibbons; edited by Philip Jarret; printed and bound in Great Britain by Hartnolls Limited, Bodmin, Coravall CONTENTS ‘Abbreviations, 8 Preface, 9 ‘Acknowledgements, 10 1. The Build-Up to War, 11 Romania’s War Aims, 11 Oil, 17 Economic Relations with the Axis, 21 Internal Political Developments and the Rise of lon Antonescu, 22 Rearmament, 27 ‘Mechanisation, 31 Communications, 40 Amy Organisation, 40 2 The First Campaign, June 1941 to June 1942, 43, Preparations for War, 43 ‘The Liberation of Basarabia and Northesn Bucovina, 46 ‘Odessa: The Siege is Joined, 3-25 August, 49 (Odessa: The Second Assault, 28 ‘August to 5 September, 51 (Odessa: The Thitd Assault, 9-21 September, 53 Soviet Riposte and Withdrawal, 22 September to 16 October, 54 Odessa: Lessons and Consequences, 56 ‘The Character of the Romanian Army, 59 Sed Army in the Ukraine, July to 2, October 1941, 63 : The Crimean Campaign, October 1941 to July 1942, 67 ‘Tagintog, rium and Khuekov, January to May 1942, 70 Conclusion, 71 3 The Second Campaign, July 1942 to January 1943, 73 Preparations for the 1942 Summer Offensive, 73 ‘The Advance into the Caucasus, August to October 1942, 81 ‘The Advance on Stalingrad, 83 st Armoured Division and XLVIDL Panzer Corps, 87 ‘The Soviet Counteroffensive on 3rd ‘Army, November 1942, 89 19 November, 89 20 November, 92 21 November, 95 22 November, 96 23 November, 98 24 November, 99 25-26 November, 100 ‘The Soviet Counteroffensive on Fourth ‘Anmy, November 1942, 101 20 November, 101, 21 November, 103 22 November, 103, 23 November, 104 24 November, 104 25-30 November, 104 ‘The Destruction of 3rd Army, Decem- ber 1942, 105 ‘The Destruction of 4th Army, Decem- ber 1942, 109 Inside Stalingrad, 111 Aftermath, 112 Relative Axis Combat Performances, 15 4 The Black Sea Campaign, January 1943 to May 1944, 119 Diplomatic Developments and Peace Feclers, 1943, 119