Battle of Stalingrad — Romanian Armies(1942)
Background
Romania deployed two armies to reclaim Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (ceded to the USSR in 1940). Antonescu committed Romania to total war on the Eastern Front as the price of post-war territorial revision from Hitler.
Campaign: Eastern Front 1942-43
Forces Engaged
The Battle
Romanian 3rd Army on the Don flank and 4th Army on the steppe flank were shattered by Operation Uranus. 16 of 18 divisions annihilated.
Two Romanian armies, the Third and the Fourth, were involved in the Battle of Stalingrad, helping to protect the northern and southern flanks respectively, of the German 6th Army as it tried to conquer the city of Stalingrad defended by the Red Army in mid to late 1942. Underpowered and poorly equipped, these forces were unable to stop the Soviet November offensive (Operation Uranus), which punched through both flanks and left the German 6th Army encircled in Stalingrad. The Romanians suffered enormous losses, which effectively ended their offensive capability on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war.
“"The fog was so thick we couldn't see twenty paces. When the barrage lifted, the first thing we heard wasn't the tanks, but the screaming of thousands of voices." — German liaison officer, Romanian 13th Infantry Division
Casualties & Outcome
~54,000 killed and wounded, ~105,000 captured or missing; total Romanian losses 158,854
Soviet Union achieved victory over Romania / Germany.
On 2 February 1943, the resistance of the Axis troops in Stalingrad ceased. Out of the 91,000 prisoners taken by the Soviets, 3,000 were Romanian. These were the survivors of the 20th Infantry Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the "Colonel Voicu" Detachment. The Romanian Army lost 158,854 men (dead, wounded and missing) between 19 November 1942 and 7 January 1943. This represented 16 of the 18 divisions engaged at Stalingrad and half of the army's active troops (31 divisions). The Romanian Air Corps lost 73 airplanes (26 in battle and the rest on the ground). The Romanian armed forces were not capable of recovering after such catastrophic losses, and from this point onward, they would only fight desperate defensive battles on their way back to Romania.
Historical Record
Significance & Legacy
Darkest chapter in Romanian military history. Loss of 158,000 men ended offensive capability.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When was the Battle of Stalingrad — Romanian Armies?
- The Battle of Stalingrad — Romanian Armies took place in 1942. Nov 19, 1942–Feb 2, 1943.
- Who won the Battle of Stalingrad — Romanian Armies?
- The Soviet Union were victorious against the Romania / Germany.
- What was the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad — Romanian Armies?
- Darkest chapter in Romanian military history. Loss of 158,000 men ended offensive capability.