Battle of Galați (Tri-Service Operation)(1918)
Approximate site. The pin marks a locally accepted site or a nearby anchor point, not a survey-grade position.
Galați city center
Coordinate source: latitude.to Galați
Background
The Bolshevik Revolution of late 1917 caused the collapse of the Russian army on the Romanian front. Nearly a million Russian troops became a liability — revolutionary committees formed, discipline collapsed, and many units sought to return to Russia, pillaging Romanian towns along the way.
Campaign: Romanian-Bolshevik Conflict 1918
Forces Engaged
The Battle
After the Bolshevik Revolution disintegrated the Russian army on the Romanian front, the 9th and 10th Divisions of the Russian 4th Siberian Corps attempted to force passage through Galați toward Basarabia, threatening to spread Bolshevik revolution. When Commander Niculescu-Rizea refused their ultimatum, Russian batteries bombarded the city for 15 hours. Romania executed a coordinated joint-arms counterattack — the first in Romanian military history — using land, naval, and air assets simultaneously. Four torpedo boats struck the Russian flanks from the Danube while the 8th Brigade assaulted from the north. The 12,000 Russians capitulated and were disarmed and escorted across the Prut.
The Battle of Galați was a military engagement between the formerly allied Romanian and Russian troops at the end of World War I, as the former sought to prevent the latter from retreating from the armistice line along with their equipment.
“The results of the offensive can be summarized as follows, the front line was broken on a stretch and penetrated to a depth of , resulting in the liberation of a area comprising 30 villages, the Romanian forces took 2,700 prisoners, 70 guns, and important quantities of matériel, including a significant amount of munitions, and the Romanians lost trust in the Russian forces because when they tried to press their advantage they were told by the Russians that they had "no orders from the Revolution" to advance. After initial advances the Romanian military campaign quickly turned disastrous for Romania as the Central Powers occupied two-thirds of the country, including the capital Bucharest, within months and Russian troops were dispatched to the new front line in order to prop up the Romanian government and prevent an invasion of Russia from the south.
Casualties & Outcome
Unknown | Unknown, but Russian troops got disarmed
Romania achieved victory over Bolshevized Russian Forces.
The victory won by the Romanian army in Galați had both military and political consequences, as not only the front was saved, but the bolshevization of other Russian military units on the front line (which totaled approximately a million soldiers) and even of Moldova. At that time, the city of Galați, a port on the Danube, located between Siret River (beyond which were the armies of the Central Powers) and Prut River (beyond which a large part of the Russian army had retreated to disorder), represented the southernmost point on the front line. Following this victory, Basarabia was able to receive the armed aid it had requested, so that it could protect the population from the robberies and crimes committed by the Russian armies that were retreating in great disorder. Galați was not the only spot where Russian soldiers clashed with the Romanians.
Historical Record
Significance & Legacy
First Romanian tri-service (land, naval, air) military operation. Prevented the Bolshevization of Moldova and secured the strategic rear of the Romanian army. In 1921, Galați was decorated with both the Italian Croce di Guerra and the French Croix de Guerre for the defense.
The victory won by the Romanian army in Galați had both military and political consequences, as not only the front was saved, but the bolshevization of other Russian military units on the front line (which totaled approximately a million soldiers) and even of Moldova. In the summer of 1917, the Romanian front saw one of the largest concentrations of combat forces and war matériel assembled during World War I: nine armies, 80 infantry divisions with 974 battalions, 19 cavalry divisions with 550 squadrons and 923 artillery batteries, whose effectives amounted to some 800,000 men, with about one million in their immediate reserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When was the Battle of Galați (Tri-Service Operation)?
- The Battle of Galați (Tri-Service Operation) took place in 1918. Jan 12–22, 1918.
- What was the outcome of the Battle of Galați (Tri-Service Operation)?
- The Romania were victorious against the Bolshevized Russian Forces.
- What was the significance of the Battle of Galați (Tri-Service Operation)?
- First Romanian tri-service (land, naval, air) military operation. Prevented the Bolshevization of Moldova and secured the strategic rear of the Romanian army. In 1921, Galați was decorated with both the Italian Croce di Guerra and the French Croix de Guerre for the defense.