Army of the Socialist Republic of Romania
Army of the Romanian People's Republic (1948–1965) Army of the Socialist Republic of Romania (1965–1989) | |
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Armata Republicii Populare Romîne (1948–1965) Armata Republicii Socialiste România (1965–1989) | |
Romanian Revolution | |
Ranks | Military ranks of the Socialist Republic of Romania |
The Army of the Socialist Republic of Romania (
History
In 1948-1960 they were ranked 3rd. In 1944 the
During the tenure of General Emil Bodnăraș as defence minister, the Army went through a period of Sovietization, with Bodnăraș personally sending several Romanian Communists to Moscow to be trained in Soviet military institutions such as the Frunze Military Academy.[7][8] 30% of the experienced officers corps were purged from the military due to fears of opposition and monarchist loyalties.[9] Between 1949 and 1952, over 700 Romanian military personnel were being trained in the USSR, a number that would drop by over 200 by in the next 6 years.[10] They also adopted a Soviet-style full dress uniform and everyday uniform. In the early days of the Republic, the Soviet Armed Forces had troops stationed in the country. The Soviet presence came as a result of the Soviet occupation of Romania. Bodnăraș was seen to have influence in Nikita Khrushchev's decision to withdraw Soviet troops in 1958.[11][12][13]
From May 1955 to 1991, Romania was a member of the Warsaw Pact, which provided the Romanian Army with weapons and other Soviet-made equipment, as well as assistance in building up its own defense industry.[14] Under the presidency of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the RPA asserted functional independence in the defense industry and on equipment acquisitions while maintaining strong ties to the Warsaw Pact Command, with many of its armored vehicles, aircraft and artillery, as well as individual weaponry, being nationally produced. Also, a new set of enlisted and NCO ranks were adopted in the 1970s, alongside the reinstatement of the senior NCO ranks (maistru militar), which replaced the former Soviet rank model for such personnel. On 12 March 1958, the Sports Committee of Friendly Armies was created, with the Romanian Army became a founding member. In November 1986, a referendum was held by the government in which voters, when asked whether they approved of reducing the size of the army and cutting military spending by 5%, approved the proposals by 100%, with not a single vote counting against it.[15]
The Armed Forces would be renamed in 1989 following the
Political and military leadership
Supreme Commander-in-Chief
The title of Supreme Commander-in-Chief was held by the de facto leader of the nation, General Secretary, despite the fact that the President of the State Council was the de jure head of state until 1974, when it was replaced by the President of Romania.
No. | Portrait | Supreme Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (1901–1965) | 30 September 1955 | 19 March 1965 | 9 years, 170 days | |
2 | Lieutenant general Nicolae Ceaușescu (1918–1989) | 22 March 1965 | 22 December 1989 | 24 years, 275 days |
Minister of National Defence
The office of Minister of National Defence (Romanian: Ministrul Apărării Naționale) is the chief political leader of the military. Before that, it was the Minister of War (Romanian: Ministru de Război) who handled military affairs in the government. The country's defense policy was managed by the agency the minister headed, the Ministry of the National Defense, led by a professional officer with the rank of Colonel general or above. The minister was a permanent member of the Politburo of the PCR.
No. | Portrait | Minister of National Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Emil Bodnăraș | General of the Army27 December 1947 | 3 October 1955 | 7 years, 280 days | |
2 | Leontin Sălăjan | General of the Army3 October 1955 | 28 August 1966 | 10 years, 329 days | |
3 | Ioan Ioniță | General of the Army29 October 1966 | 16 June 1976 | 9 years, 231 days | |
4 | Ioan Coman | Colonel General16 June 1976 | 29 March 1980 | 3 years, 287 days | |
5 | Constantin Olteanu | Colonel General29 March 1980 | 16 December 1985 | 5 years, 262 days | |
6 | Vasile Milea | Colonel General16 December 1985 | 22 December 1989[19] | 4 years, 6 days |
Chief of the General Staff
No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | Constantin Popescu (1893–?) | Colonel General30 January 1948 | 18 March 1950 | 2 years, 47 days | |
34 | Leontin Sălăjan (1913–1966) | General of the Army18 March 1950 | 26 April 1954 | 4 years, 39 days | |
35 | Ion Tutoveanu (1914–2014) | General26 April 1954 | 15 June 1965 | 11 years, 50 days | |
36 | Ion Gheorghe (1923–2009) | General15 June 1965 | 29 November 1974 | 9 years, 167 days | |
37 | Ioan Coman (born 1926) | Lieutenant General29 November 1974 | 16 June 1976 | 1 year, 200 days | |
38 | Ion Hortopan (1925–2000) | Lieutenant General1 July 1976 | 31 March 1980 | 3 years, 274 days | |
39 | Vasile Milea (1927–1989) | Colonel General31 March 1980 | 16 February 1985 | 4 years, 322 days | |
40 | Ștefan Gușă (1940–1994) | Colonel General25 September 1986 | 28 December 1989 | 3 years, 97 days |
Components
As of 1985, the Army was organized into the following service branches:[20]
- Ground Forces (Forțele Terestre)
- Air Forces (Forțele Aeriene)
- Navy (Marina)
Several other branches were not part of the Ministry of National Defense but were directly controlled by the Romanian Army or the PCR:[20]
- Patriotic Guards (Gărzile Patriotice)
- Security Troops (Trupele de securitate)
- Border Troops (Trupele de frontieră)
A distinctive feature of the system of manning the RAF armed forces was the continued possibility of conscription of women for military service (although the bulk of the female military personnel serving at that time were doctors, nurses, and radio communications operators).[20]
The Army active personnel amounted to the following numbers:[21]
Branch | Size |
---|---|
Ground Forces | 125,000[22] |
Navy | 5,000 |
Air Force | 8,000 |
Total | 138,000 officers and troops |
From 1947 to 1960, the military was organized into 3 military regions: Western (based in
Ground Forces
The senior most units in the ground forces was the
In 1980, the Romanian Ground Forces was reorganized in 4 Army Commands:[24]
- 1st Army Command (Bucharest)
- 2nd Army Command (Buzău)
- 3rd Army Command (Craiova)
- 4th Army Command (Cluj-Napoca)
All four Army Commands consisted of 8 Mechanized Infantry Divisions, 2 Armoured Divisions and 1 Armoured Brigade, as well as 4 Mountain infantry Brigades as specialized motorized infantry units, in addition to an administrative division of 4 parachute infantry regiments. Between 1960 and 1964, the rifle/mechanized divisions were converted to mechanized infantry (motorized rifle) divisions, which resulted in reductions in size due to it being a merger of both types of units. The newly established mechanized infantry divisions were structured similarly to the Soviet ones, organized into a division HQ, three mechanized infantry regiments, a tank regiment, a field artillery regiment, as well as in battalion-size subunits of other specialities, while the armoured divisions were structured in three tank regiments, a mechanized infantry regiment, a field artillery regiment and a number of other battalion-size subunits of other specialities.
The degree of mechanization of the infantry was not complete, unlike the other member states of the Warsaw Treaty, for in 1985 only two of the three infantry battalions from the composition of the mechanized regiments were equipped with wheeled armoured personnel carriers
Disbanded by the Soviets in the early years of occupied and post-war Romania, the
In the early postwar years, the Romanian Navy was deprived of its merchant fleet due to the rapid takeover of the Romanian vessels by the Soviet Navy. In September 1944, the Soviet Navy transferred all Romanian warships to ports in the Caucasus near Azerbaijan and Georgia, all of which were not returned until just over a year later, with the exception o the Regele Ferdinand-class that was kept by the Black Sea Fleet until the early 1950s.[25] A number of warships such as Amiral Murgescu were never returned and stayed in Soviet service until they were decommissioned. Once in possession of patrol ships, the Romanian Navy formed Danube Squadron, which later changed its name to the River Brigade in 1959. As a result of the 1940s reform of the naval forces, a patrol squadron was converted into an independent unit, which operated under the Naval Headquarters until May 1951. Four years later, naval ships and Marine units were subordinated to the headquarters.
In 1962, the 42nd Maritime Division was founded, continuing the traditions of the Sea Division, a large unit was had ceased to carry out functions since the end of World War II. In the late 70s and early 80s, several naval ships were built in the Romanian shipyards, specifically the Midia and Constanța escort ships from the Brăila shipyard.[26] In the early 1980s, the Navy ramped up efforts to develop its own domestic naval industry by building new patrol boats using Chinese and Soviet technology and designs. In 1989 the Romanian Navy had more than 7,500 sailors, all of whom were organized into the Black Sea Fleet, the Danube Squadron, and the Coastal Defense. Its major naval bases and shipyards were the ports of Mangalia and Constanța on the Black Sea. Based in Constanța, the 2,000-member Coastal Defense Regiment was the shore-based component of defense against attack from the Black Sea.[27][28]
Air Force
In 1946, following a reorganization, the Air Force consisted of seven Air Flotillas, of which two were fighter flotillas and the rest were bombardment, assault, information, and transport. A total of 953 aircraft were in service, these included both pre-war and WW2 models like the Bf 109G, IAR 80, IAR 37, Ju 88, etc.[29]
Following a condition imposed during the
The first jet fighters arrived in 1951, with the first Jet Air Division (Divizia Aeriană Reactivă) being established on 1 April of the same year, at
In 1969, an
Patriotic Guards
Formed in 1968 after
Securitate Troops
On 23 January 1949, the communist government disbanded the
The regime of Ceaușescu could have theoretically called in the security troops as a private army to prevent a military coup d'état and/or suppress antiregime riots. It was also responsible for ensuring total loyalty among the rank and file in the Army, employing political officers to push the country's military doctrine. It operated under a more strict discipline and routine than the regular military, which resulted in their special treatment and enjoyment of better living conditions then their counterparts.[35] In late 1989, the directorate was disbanded and replaced first by the Guard and Order Troops (Trupele de Pază și Ordine), and later on the reformed Gendarmerie.
Equipment
Armored fighting vehicles
Main battle tanks (MBTs):[36]
Assault guns:[37]
Infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs):[37]
- 154 x MLI-84
Armored personnel carriers (APCs):[37]
Reconnaissance:[37]
Artillery
Total: 3,707[37]
Heavy artillery:
Ships:[28]
- Poti-class corvette
- Kronshtadt-class submarine chaser
- Osa-class missile boat
- Type 025 torpedo boat
- Epitrop class fast attack craft
- Type 062 gunboat
- Cosar class minelayers
- Democrația-class minesweeper
In the early 1990s, the equipment for major units were scrapped due to age and the cost of maintenance.
See also
- Korean People's Army
- Nationale Volksarmee
- Polish People's Army
- Czechoslovak People's Army
- Hungarian People's Army
- Bulgarian People's Army
- Albanian People's Army
- List of wars involving Romania
Videos
- 110. Armata României în Decembrie 1989
- Cenusa pasarii din vis (1989) (1)
- Revoluţia română: La TVR se anunță că Armata Română va apăra obiective importante din Bucureşti
- Armata Republicii Socialiste România
- Socialist Romania Military Oath – Jurământul Militar din Armata RSR
References
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- ^ Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. International Security Studies Program, Ballinger Publishing Company, 1988, Superpower Competition and Security in the Third World, p. 100
- ^ American-African Affairs Association, 1983, Spotlight on Africa, Volumes 16-17
- ^ United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Finance. Subcommittee on International Trade, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1985, Continuing Presidential Authority to Waive Freedom of Emigration Provisions, p. 372
- ^ Pinstripes and Reds: An American Ambassador Caught Between the State Department and the Romanian Communists, 1981–1985, p. 183, David B. Funderburk, Selous Foundation Press, 1987
- ^ Oroian, p. 37
- ^ Oroian; Vankovska, Wiberg, p. 115; Final Report, p. 125
- ^ Pacepa, p. 357-358
- ^ CIA World Factbook.
- ^ Oroian, p. 40-41
- ^ Arachelian
- ^ Final Report, p. 43 n. 32, p. 205
- ISBN 0-271-02935-8
- ^ "The Warsaw Pact is formed". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ Rumänien, 23. November 1986 : Verkleinerung des Heeres, Senkung der Rüstungsausgaben um 5% Direct Democracy
- ^ Hirshman, Michael (2009-11-06). "Blood And Velvet In Eastern Europe's Season Of Change". Rferl.org. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ "120 bullets found in Ceausescus". The Day. 23 January 1990. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ Blaine Harden (December 30, 1989). "DOORS UNLOCKED ON ROMANIA'S SECRET POLICE". The Washington Post.
- ^ Flavius Cristian Marcau, "Revolution of 1989: Milea's Suicide", University of Târgu Jiu, Letter and Social Science Series, Issue 4, 2013, Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c Армия Социалистической Республики Румынии // На страже мира и социализма / сост. В. С. Шкаровский. М., "Планета", 1985. стр. 110-119
- ^ Assembly of Captive European Nations, First Session, pp. 65-67
- ^ Library of Congress Country Studies, Romanian Land Forces, DR 205. R613, 1990
- ^ Mihailov
- ^ 'Romanian Army during the Cold War' via "Sovietization of the Romanian Army". Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
- ^ Robert Gardiner, Conway's All the World Fighting Ships 1922–1946, p. 361
- ^ "Romania's Naval Forces at crossroads".
- ISBN 9780880336628.
- ^ a b "Romania – Navy". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d Vasile Tudor. "Modernizarea aviatiei militare romane" Orizont Aviatic magazine no. 26, December 2004.
- ^ "FARGO 1". rumaniamilitary.ro (in Romanian). 20 November 2020.
- ^ "70 de ani de la integrarea aeronavei de luptă cu motor reactiv în Serviciul de Luptă Permanent". Aviatia Magazin (in Romanian). 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Primul zbor cu un avion de lupta supersonic in Romania". Aviatia Magazin (in Romanian). 5 March 2015.
- ^ "IAR-93 History". Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
- ^ (in Romanian) Repere istorice Archived 2007-04-12 at the Wayback Machine, Romanian Gendarmerie website, accessed on 14 April 2007
- ^ a b "Romania: Ministry of Interior and Security Forces". loc.gov. Archived from the original on 2004-10-30.
- ^ Bogdan Szajkowski, James Gow, Longman Group, 1993, Encyclopaedia of Conflicts, Disputes, and Flashpoints in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Successor States, p. 274
- ^ a b c d e Bogdan Szajkowski, James Gow, Longman Group, 1993, Encyclopaedia of Conflicts, Disputes, and Flashpoints in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Successor States, p. 274
- ^ 1976, Military Review, Volume 56, Issue 3, p. 101