Ernest Broșteanu (January 24, 1869 June 6, 1932) was a
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, best known for his leading role in the 1918
Romanian military intervention in Bessarabia
The Romanian military intervention in Bessarabia took place between 19 January and 8 March (Old Style, Old Style .S.5 January – 23 February) 1918, as part of the broader Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. It pitted the Kingd ...
.
Early life
He was born on January 24, 1869, in
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
,
Neamț County
Neamț County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historic region of Moldavia, with the county seat at Piatra Neamț. The county takes its name from the Neamț River. Demographics
Population
In 2011, it had a population of 470,766 ...
, in the historic region of
Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
,
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...
. On November 3, 1894, he married Maria Carp, whom he divorced almost three years later, on May 10, 1897. On July 12, 1898, he married Olga A. Duca, by whom he had two sons: Ernest and Radu Pavel.
[Constantin Moșincat, ''Cronică de marș. 80 ani de la înființarea Diviziei 11 Infanterie, 15 august 1916'', Editura Cogito, Oradea, 1996, ]
Military career
From July 1888 to July 1890 he attended the Infantry and Cavalry Military School in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, graduating with the rank of second lieutenant. Promoted to lieutenant in February 1894, he attended the
Higher War School in Bucharest from 1898 to 1900, after which he advanced in rank to captain (April 1900), major (April 1909), and lieutenant colonel (April 1913).
In 1910 he was awarded the
Order of the Crown, Officer rank. From 1911 to 1916 he was the commandant of the Military High School in
Iași
Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...
, while in 1913 he participated in the
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...
. In 1914 he received the Medal of the Country’s Upsurge, and in April 1916 he was made colonel.
After Romania entered
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
in August 1916, Broșteanu was awarded the
Order of Michael the Brave
The Order of Michael the Brave () is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King of Romania, King Ferdinand I of Romania, Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign (World War I), Romanian Campaign of the World War I ...
, 3rd Class,
[Ministerul de Răsboiu, ''Anuarul ofițerilor și drapelelor Armatei Române cărora li s-au conferit ordinul "Mihai Viteazul"'', Atelierele grafice "Socec & Co", București, 1930, p. 52] for the way he led the 53rd Infantry Regiment during the
Dobruja campaign
The Dobruja Campaign was a major operation during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. It took place between 2 September and 25 October 1916 between a joint Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgarian–German Empire, German–Ottoman Empire, Ottoman force, ...
in September–October 1916, being one of the twelve officers who were awarded the order for the first time:
Promoted to brigadier general in April 1917,
he was given the command of the 11th Infantry Division, which saw combat in the
Battle of Mărășești
The Battle of Mărășești (6 August 1917 – 3 September 1917) was the last major battle fought by the Central Powers against the Kingdom of Romania and Russian Empire, Russia on the Romania in World War I, Romanian front during World War I. ...
in August 1917. In September 1917 he was awarded the Russian
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...
, 1st class. He also received the French
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
, Knight class.
In early January 1918, after the
Armistice of Focșani
The Armistice of Focșani (, also called the Truce of Focșani) was an agreement that ended the hostilities between Romania (member of the Allied Powers) and the Central Powers in World War I. It was signed on 9 December 1917 in Focșani in Ro ...
, Broșteanu and his division were ordered to cross the
Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates on the eas ...
into the
Moldavian Democratic Republic
The Moldavian Democratic Republic (MDR; , ), also known as the Moldavian Republic or Moldavian People's Republic, was a state proclaimed on by the ''Sfatul Țării'' (National Council) of Bessarabia, elected in October–November 1917 foll ...
in order to pacify the region, which was under the threat of brigandage perpetrated by
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
soldiers.
In mid-January he entered
Chișinău
Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...
with the 11th Infantry Division, leading the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
units and their local supporters to leave the city, towards
Bender (Tighina), on the
Dniester River
The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...
.
By the beginning of February, Broșteanu's troops defeated the remaining Soviet units in Tighina, forcing them to retreat across the Dniester. In March he was replaced by
Ioan Rășcanu
Ioan Rășcanu (October 1, 1878 – February 25, 1952) was a Romanian general during World War I. He held the post of Minister of War from September 27, 1919 to December 16, 1921. After entering politics, he was elected deputy in Parliament, and ...
(his classmate at the Higher War School) as commander of the Romanian troops in Chișinău and central Bessarabia.
In April 1919, Broșteanu advanced in rank to major general.
After the war, he filled several key positions in the Army, such as commander of the Border Guards Corps (19221929) and General-Inspector of the Infantry (19291930). He retired from active duty on October 1, 1930, and died in Bucharest in 1932.
Legacy
A street in the
Dorobanți neighborhood of Bucharest where his house used to be (the house was demolished in 2005) now bears his name,
and so does a street in
Strehaia
Strehaia () is a town in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania. It is situated on the Motru (river), Motru River valley, in the eastern part of the county. Nine villages are administered by the town: Ciochiuța, Comanda, Hurducești, Lunca Banului, ...
.
Gallery
File:1916 - Generalul Ernest Brosteanu.png, General Ernest Broșteanu (1916)
File:1918 - Generalul Ernest Brosteanu - Comandantul Diviziei din Basarabia.PNG, General Ernest Broșteanu in Bessarabia (1918)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brosteanu, Ernest
1869 births
1932 deaths
People from Roman, Romania
Carol I National Defence University alumni
Romanian Land Forces generals
Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War
Romanian Army World War I generals
Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave
Officers of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
Knights of the Legion of Honour