Roșiori (military Unit)
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The Roșiori were a type of cavalry unit in 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 La ...
. Active throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Roșiori were known for their vibrant red uniforms.


History

The ''Roșiori'' were formed in 1868 during a period of modernization within 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 La ...
. The result of these reforms was the formation of an irregular cavalry force (described in one source as being armed like Cossacks), the
Călărași Călărași (), the capital of Călărași County in the Muntenia region, is situated in south-east Romania, on the banks of the Danube's Borcea branch, at about from the Bulgarian border and from Bucharest. The city is an industrial ce ...
, and a professional cavalry force, the Roșiori, who were armed and organized along the lines of the cavalry of the German Empire. The Roșiori wore scarlet hussar uniforms, white pantaloons, and white belts; some sources describe the units as the "Red Hussars". By 1908, the Romanian army had elected to split the army's professional cavalry forces into hussar and
lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the ...
regiments. As part of this division, the Roșiori were re-organized as lancers, and formed six of the Romanian army's seventeen cavalry regiments. The Roșiori were full-time soldiers, and maintained their distinctive red uniforms. Roșiori regiments were made up of five squadrons (four of which were professional, one of which was irregular), with each squadron consisting of 174 horsemen. In 1912, uniforms of one color and cut for the whole army were introduced, initially only as campaign outfits: green-gray color, with patches,
piping Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid. Industrial process piping (and accomp ...
and stripes of distinctive color, and the regimental number was worn on the headdress and
epaulettes Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of military rank, rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''sh ...
. Compared to the infantry, the ''Roșiori'' wore gray-black pants, and since 1916, green-gray (during the war both models were worn). They also wore black leather boots, with spurs. During the war, knee-high boots or leggings of the same size were also used. The regiment color, present on patches and piping was: * Yellow - 1st Regiment; * White - 2nd Regiment; * Green - 3rd Regiment; * Light blue - 4th Regiment; * Light green - 5th Regiment; * Dark blue - 6th Regiment; * Brown - 7th Regiment; * Purple - 8th Regiment; * Pink - 9th Regiment; * Gray - 10th Regiment * Dark red (brick color) - 11th Regiment. During
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, ...
, the Roșiori regiments served with distinction in campaigns against
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, the
Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria ( bg, Царство България, translit=Tsarstvo Balgariya), also referred to as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom ( bg, Трето Българско Царство, translit=Treto Balgarsko Tsarstvo, links=no), someti ...
, and the German Empire.(in Romanian) Multiple authors. ''România în anii primului război mondial'' (''Romania during the years of World War I'') (Bucharest, 1987), Editura Militară. The conflict also saw the mobilization of dismounted Roșiori regiments. Following the Romania's joining of 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 ...
and subsequent entry into
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Roșiori regiments (which numbered 13 as of 1942) saw service on the Eastern Front against the
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 ...
.


List of Roșiori regiments

* * - Distinguished itself at 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 taking ...
, where it was nearly destroyed. * * - associated with the Romanian royal family, and ceremonially led by
Queen Marie of Romania Marie (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the last Queen of Romania as the wife of King Ferdinand I. Marie was born into the British royal family. Her parents were Prince Alfred, D ...
. Part of the elite 2nd Roșiori brigade during World War I. * * - reformed as the 6th Motorized regiment during World War II. * - alleged to have committed war crimes against the Jewish population of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and Transnistria during the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
. Postwar investigations of the unit were first begun and then later suppressed by the Communist government of Romania. * * - part of the elite 2nd Roșiori brigade during World War I. * * * 12th Roșiori regiment * 13th Roșiori regiment


References

{{Reflist Romanian Army units Cavalry units and formations Military units and formations established in 1868