The Fourth Army (Armata a 4-a Română) was a field army (a

military formation Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a State (polity), state so as to offer such military capability as a military policy, national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary ...

) of the

Romanian Land Forces The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

active from the 19th century to the 1990s.

History

World War I

The Fourth Army fought under the name of "Northern Army" or "Army of the North" (''Armata de Nord'') in the Romanian Campaign of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, under the command of General Prezan. Units under its command took part in the

First Battle of Oituz The First Battle of Oituz was fought between 12 and 27 October 1916 between the Kingdom of Romania on one side and Austria-Hungary and the German Empire on the other. It was part of the Romanian operations for the defense of the passes in the ...

Battle of Prunaru The Battle of Prunaru was a military engagement between German and Romanian forces during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. It resulted in a tactical German victory, but following the heavy Romanian resistance the Germans halted after takin ...

and the

Battle of Bucharest The Battle of Bucharest, also known as the '' Argeş–Neajlov Defensive Operation'' in Romania, was the last battle of the Romanian Campaign of 1916 in World War I, in which the Central Powers' combatants, led by General Erich von Falkenhayn, ...

.
As Russian forces took over its front, the Northern Army was disbanded in December 1916 and its units were redeployed to other fronts, under command of the 1st and 2nd Romanian Army, The commanders of the Northern Army were : * Divisional General

Constantin Prezan Constantin Prezan (January 27, 1861 – August 27, 1943) was a Romanian general during World War I. In 1930 he was given the honorary title of Marshal of Romania, as a recognition of his merits during his command of the Northern Army and of the ...

: 27 August 1916 – 22 November 1916 * Divisional General

Constantin Cristescu Constantin Cristescu (2 December 1866 — 9 May 1923) was a Romanian lieutenant general during World War I, and Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army. Biography Early life He was born on 2 December 1866 in Pădureți village, in Argeș County. H ...

: 22 November 1916 – 13 December 1916

World War II

On 22 June 1941, the 4th Army consisted of *the 3rd Army Corps (Guards, 15th, and 35th Reserve Divisions), *the 5th Army Corps (Border Division and 21st Division), *the 11th Army Corps (two fortress brigades), and *the 4th Army Cooperation Command. It was under the command of Lieutenant General

Nicolae Ciupercă Nicolae Ciupercă (20 April 1882 – 25 May 1950) was a Romanian general, born in Râmnicu Sărat. He served during World War I and World War II under the command of Alexandru Averescu and then Ion Antonescu, but would retire from a military lif ...

. In 1942, it fought on the

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

side as part of the German

Army Group B Army Group B (German: ') was the title of three German Army Groups that saw action during World War II. Operational history Army Group B first took part in the Battle of France in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The second formation of Ar ...

. In July 1941 it took part in

Operation München Operation München ( ro, Operațiunea München) was the Romanian codename of a joint German-Romanian offensive during the German invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II, with the primary objective of recapturing Bessarabia, Northern Bukov ...

, the recapturing of Bessarabia and

Northern Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...

, which were annexed by the Soviet Union the year before. By August 1941, during the

Siege of Odessa The siege of Odessa, known to the Soviets as the defence of Odessa, lasted from 8 August until 16 October 1941, during the early phase of Operation Barbarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II. Odessa was a port on the ...

, the 4th Army had under command the 1st, 3rd, 4th,

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

, 6th, and 11th Army Corps under its control, with a total of 17 infantry divisions, the 1st Armoured Division (Romania), three cavalry divisions, and a total of 38 artillery regiments. On 9 November 1941,

Constantin Constantinescu-Claps Constantin Constantinescu-Claps (February 20, 1884 – June 1961) was a Romanian general during World War II, in command of the Romanian Fourth Army at the Battle of Stalingrad. Biography He was born in Beceni, Bacău County in 1884. From 1 ...

was appointed the commander of the Fourth Army, and became a Corps General on 24 January 1942. On 10 February 1943, he was relieved of his assignment and replaced by

Constantin Sănătescu Constantin Sănătescu (14 January 1885 – 8 November 1947) was a Romanian general and statesman who served as the 44th Prime Minister of Romania after the 23 August 1944 coup after which Romania left the Axis powers and joined the Allies. Earl ...

. From late 1942 to early 1943, the Fourth Army was almost entirely destroyed during the Battle of Stalingrad. The

Romanian Third Army The 3rd Army (Armata a 3-a Română) was a field army of the Romanian Land Forces active from the 19th century to the 1990s. It fought as part of the German Army Group B during World War II, in Ukraine, the Crimea, and the Caucasus. General Petre ...

suffered a similar fate. During April–May 1944 the Romanian forces led by General

Ioan Mihail Racoviță Ioan Mihail Racoviță (7 March 1889, Bucharest – 28 June 1954, Sighet Prison) was a Romanian general during World War II, and Minister of Defense in the aftermath of King Michael's Coup of August 1944. Biography In 1906 he was admitted to ...

, together with elements of the German Eighth Army were responsible for defending Northern Romania during the Soviet First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive, and took part in the Battles of Târgu Frumos. In August 1944, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

entered

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

after driving back

Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group So ...

from the region. On 23 August, Marshal Ion Antonescu was dismissed by

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Michael I Michael I may refer to: * Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767 * Michael I Rhangabes, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844) * Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantin ...

, and

declared war on Germany and Hungary some days later. The

Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in ...

took control of the oilfields in the

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commune ...

area, and the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

was used to fight German forces on the Eastern Front. The Fourth Army became one of the Romanian armies fighting for the

on the Eastern Front. In its campaign from August 1944 to May 1945, the

lost some 64,000 men killed. The Fourth Army took part in

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

offensives, notably at

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

in May 1945, which happened to be the last offensive it took part in World War II. The Fourth Army was involved in the

Battle of Turda The Battle of Turda lasted from 5 September to 8 October 1944, in the area around Turda, Kingdom of Romania, as part of the wider Battle of Romania. Troops from the Hungarian 2nd Army and the German 8th Army fought a defensive action against R ...

which lasted from 5 September to 8 October 1944, in the area around

Turda Turda (; hu, Torda, ; german: link=no, Thorenburg; la, Potaissa) is a city in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the southeastern part of the county, from the county seat, Cluj-Napoca, to which it is connected by the Europ ...

. Troops from the Hungarian Second Army, Hungarian 2nd Army and the 8th Army (Wehrmacht), German 8th Army fought a defensive action against the Fourth Army and the Red Army. The battle was one of the largest fought in Transylvania during World War II. In the Prague Offensive, the Fourth Army, together with the Romanian First Army and Polish Second Army, formed part of the

2nd Ukrainian Front. Marshal Ivan Konev, the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, First Ukrainian Front, was the main Soviet commander in the area. Together with Marshal Georgy Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front, First Byelorussian Front, Konev launched the great attack on 16 April that resulted in the Battle of Berlin, fall of Berlin and Soviet victory on the Eastern Front. The offensive started on 6 May, a few days before the end of the war. German resistance in the east was now limited to small pockets scattered across Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. The remnants of Army Group Center held the remaining German-controlled areas in the east. In the attack on

, German resistance was defeated in the city, and the Soviet, Romanian, and Poland, Polish forces entered the city on 9 May. Czechs, Czech Partisan (military), partisans had been fighting the Germans there for a few days. By 11 and 12 May, all remaining German pockets of resistance in the east were defeated.

World War II Commanders

* General lieutenant

(2 June 1940 – 9 September 1941) * General lieutenant (10 September 1941 – 8 November 1941) * General lieutenant

(9 November 1941 – 10 February 1943) * General lieutenant

(11 February 1943 – 24 January 1944) * General lieutenant

(25 January 1944 – 23 August 1944) * General lieutenant Ilie Șteflea (23 August 1944 – 3 September 1944) * General lieutenant Gheorghe Avramescu (4 September 1944 – 11 January 1945) * General lieutenant Nicolae Dăscălescu (12 January 1945 – 18 February 1945) * General lieutenant Gheorghe Avramescu (19 February 1945 – 2 March 1945) * General lieutenant Nicolae Dăscălescu (3 March 1945 – 12 May 1945)

The Post War Situation

The army was active after the war until 1947. In 1945, the Fourth Army comprised two army corps: 2nd Army Corps (Romania), 2nd Army Corps, at Bucharest, with Divizia de Gardă and Tudor Vladimirescu Division, 1st "Tudor Vladimirescu" Volunteer Division, 2nd Heavy Artillery Regiment, 2nd Pioneer Regiment, 4th Călărași Regiment, and corps units; 7th Army Corps (Romania), 7th Army Corps, at Sibiu, with 2nd Infantry Division (Romania), 2nd Infantry Division, the Horea, Cloșca și Crișan Division, 2nd "Horea, Cloșca și Crișan" Volunteer Division, 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment, 7th Pioneer Regiment, 1st Călărași Regiment, and corps units. From March 1945 to June 1947, the generals in command were Nicolae Dăscălescu, Gheorghe Stavrescu, Mihail Lascăr, Grigore Vasiliu Rascanu and C. Nicolau. 4th Army Command was disbanded on 5 June 1947, under the Order M. St.M. nr. no. 40.500, and all units were redeployed. By Royal Decree 1346 of 28 June 1947, the 3rd Military Region, based in Cluj, was established starting 1 July 1947.

The Cold War

The 3rd Military Region, formed after the war in Cluj, changed its name to 3rd Army Command on 30 April 1960. During this time, the training of the officers and the band was made in the new concept of country defense and national military doctrine. Thousands of soldiers participated in the national economy, including the harvest. The army troops participated massively at removing the effects of the catastrophic floods of the 1970s and 1975s and the earthquake of 1977. The intervention of some Warsaw Pact states in Czechoslovakia (except Romania) and the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, invasion of this country in August 1968, led to profound changes in the structure of 3rd Army Command. At that time, there began the formation of the new 81st Mechanized Division (at Dej), the existing 11th and 18th Mechanized Divisions (from Oradea and Timișoara) were strengthened, as was the 6th Tank Division (from Târgu-Mureș). In the next year (1969), it was appreciated that the fighting capacity of the 3rd Army Command grew by over 75% from the point of view of the personnel, and with about 55% from the military equipment. Because of doctrinal reasons, as well as the tense political-military situation in the 1980s, resulted in the organization of the Romanian Land Forces on four army headquarters. Starting with 5 April 1980, the 3rd Army Command changed its name again to 4th Army Command. In 1989, the 4th Army Command was reported to consist of the 6th Tank Division (Targu Mureș), named as Horia, Cloșca și Crișan Division, the 11th Mechanised Division (Romania), 11th Mechanised Division "Carei" (Oradea), and the 81st Mechanized Brigade (Romania), 81st Mechanised Division "Someș" (Dej), as well as smaller units: the 1st Mountain Bde, 5th Mountain Bde, and 37th Tactical Missile Brigade.165 Years of Existence of Romanian Artillery
p. 222-223 The 11th Mechanised Division "Carei" reportedly consisted of the following units: *21st Mech. Rgt. -Oradea : with TR-77 tanks, TAB-71M apc-s, MLI-84 ifv-s, TABC-79 recon vehicles, SU-76 sp guns, ZiS-3 76mm field guns, Md.1982 120mm mortars, ?? TAB-71AR with 82mm mortars, AG-9 rr-s, MR-4 quad 14,5mm aa hmg-s, DAC-443T and -665T trucks, TER-580 evacuation tank, TERA-71L recovery apc-s, *23rd Mech. Rgt. -Beiuș -same *19th Mech. Rgt. -Arad, Romania, Arad -same *21st Tank Rgt. -Oradea: with TR-77 tanks, BTR-50PK and PU apc-s, TABC-79 recon vehicles, TAB-71A R-1451 command apc, MR-2 quad 14,5mm aa hmg-s, DAC-443T and -665T trucks, TER-580 evacuation tanks, MTP/BTR-50P recovery apc-s, *26th Artillery Regiment -Ineu: with M-30 122mm how., Md.1981 152mm how., APR-40 122mm mrls, SR-114 and DAC-444 trucks, TMA-83 arty tractors, TABC-79A-POMA and TAB-77A-PCOMA command vehicles, *119th Recon Battalion -Oradea: with TABC-79 recon vehicles and DAC-444T trucks,

Present

Since 17 October 1990 the 4th Army Command has borne the honorary name of "Transylvania", which it also bore after the Great Union in the Hungarian–Romanian War. After 1992, five motorized infantry battalions were set up in the garrisons of Satu Mare, Carei, Salonta, Marghita, and Chișineu-Criș. Between 1993 and 1995, as a consequence of the reorganization of the entire army, all existing mechanized and tank divisions were disbanded, and new headquarters were established: the 5th, 6th, and 7th Army Corps Commands, in Timișoara, Târgu Mureș, and Dej. In May 1994, the territorial troops became subordinate to the Army Troops. On 1 August 1995, the 4th Army Command "Transylvania" had 3 Army Corps commands, 23 brigade-sized units, and a number of other formations and directly subordinate structures. The Fourth Army was redesignated as the 4th Territorial Army Corps (Romania), 4th Territorial Army Corps in 2000 and subsequently as the 4th Infantry Division (Romania), 4th Infantry Division in 2008.

References

External links

Official website of the 4th Territorial Army Corps
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820034634/http://www.clujarm.ro/ , date=20 August 2011
Website dedicated to the Romanian Army in WW II
Field armies of Romania, 4th Military units and formations of Romania in World War II Military units and formations of the Soviet–German War, Romania Military units and formations established in 1916 Military units and formations disestablished in 2000 ro:Armata a 4-a Română (de Nord)