Aurel Aldea (18 March 1887 – 17 October 1949) was a

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, a ...

n general,

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...

, and

anti-communist resistance Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

leader.

Education

Aurel Aldea was born in Slatina,

Olt County Olt County () is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt river). The capital city is Slatina. History On 24 August 2017, the Olt Co ...

on 28 March 1887. He graduated from the Artillery and Engineering Military School of Iași, after which he was sent to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

to the Preparatory School of Military Officers of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

(1907–1912) and to the Military Technical Academy of

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the la ...

, where he had his internship at the 23rd Artillery Regiment in

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its na ...

.Duțu Alesandru and Dobre Florica: ''Drama generalilor români'', p. 22

Army career

In 1912 Aldea was recalled to Romania to participate in the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

, and in 1913 he graduated from the

Higher War School The National Defence University of Warsaw ( – AON) was the civil-military highest defence academic institution in Poland, located in Warszawa–Rembertów. In 2016 it was succeeded by the War Studies University. The National Defence Universit ...

. He served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

as a battery commander, and participated in the battles from Dobrogea and

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

. In the interwar period Aldea worked within the General Staff of the

Romanian Armed Forces The Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces of Romania are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces ( ro, Forțele Armate Române or ''Armata Română''). The current Commander-in-chief is Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu who is managed ...

in the Transport Division and Historic Service, Head of Staff of the 11th Infantry Division and 1st Army Corps, then commander of the 23rd Artillery Regiment. Between 1935 and 1938 he was the commander of the Artillery Brigade, after which he was appointed Secretary General of the Ministry of Army Endowment and Commander of the 11th Infantry Division (autumn 1938) and 4th Infantry Division (April 1939).

World War II

In June 1940, during the

Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina The Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina took place from June 28 to July 3, 1940, as a result of an ultimatum by the Soviet Union to Romania on June 26, 1940, that threatened the use of force. Bessarabia had been part of the Kin ...

, Aldea led the Romanian delegation that discussed with

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

commanders the evacuation plans from those territories. The next year, he entered into conflict with Marshal

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and marshal who presided over two successive wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister and '' Conducător'' during most of World War II. A Romanian Army career officer who ma ...

, and was forced into retirement on July 21, 1941. In August 1944, the Soviet Army launched the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive and entered Romania. Aldea was instrumental in the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, ...

led 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 ...

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 ...

, which resulted in the arrest of Antonescu and Romania switching allegiance from the

Axis powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

to the Allies. He then served as Interior Minister in the

first Sănătescu cabinet The first cabinet of Constantin Sănătescu was the government of Romania from 23 August 1944 to 3 November 1944. During this period, Romania left the Axis powers and joined the Allies of World War II. Ministers The ministers of the cabinet were a ...

from August 23 to November 3, 1944.

Final years

Under the command of Aldea, elements of the Romanian army officer corps sought to form in 1945–46 a National Resistance Movement, in order to oversee the disparate anti-communist resistance groups and to organize an armed insurrection. He was arrested on May 27, 1946 and tried by the

High Court of Cassation and Justice The High Court of Cassation and Justice ( ro, Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție) is Romania's supreme court, and the court of last resort. It is the equivalent of France's Cour de Cassation and serves a similar function to other courts of ...

November 11–18, 1946 for his resistance efforts. The presiding judge was General

Vasile Atanasiu Vasile Atanasiu (April 25, 1886 – June 6, 1964) was a Romanian general in World War II. Biography He was born in Târgoviște, Romania in 1886, in a Greek-Romanian family, the son of Ștefan and Paulina Atanasiu. He graduated from the "Milit ...

; other judges included generals

Mihail Lascăr Mihail Lascăr (; November 8, 1889 – July 24, 1959) was a Romanian general during World War II and Romania's Minister of Defense from 1946 to 1947. He was born in Târgu Jiu, Gorj County, Kingdom of Romania, and graduated from the Infantry ...

, Ilie Crețulescu, and Constantin Argeșanu. He was found guilty of plotting against the State, and was condemned to life in prison. He died in

Aiud Prison Aiud Prison is a prison complex in Aiud, Alba County, located in central Transylvania, Romania. It is infamous for the treatment of its political inmates, especially during World War II under the rule of Ion Antonescu, and later under the Commu ...

on October 17, 1949. A street in his native city, Slatina, now bears his name, as do streets in

Craiova ) , official_name = Craiova , image_skyline = , image_caption = From left: Dolj County Prefecture • Constantin Mihail Palace • Bibescu Manor House • Carol I National College • Museum of Oltenia • University of Craiova , i ...

and Drăgănești-Olt.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldea, Aurel 1887 births 1949 deaths People from Slatina, Romania Carol I National Defence University alumni Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War Romanian military personnel of World War I Romanian people of World War II Romanian Ministers of Interior Romanian dissidents Members of the Romanian anti-communist resistance movement Inmates of Aiud prison Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Romania Romanian people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Securitate custody