War memories of motherland integration
1941-1945

        In the eastern campaign - after Basarabia liberation - the Romanian army continued the battle reaching Cotul Donului, Stalingrad and in Caucaz in 1942 where the offensive decline had begun.
       I was on the battle front at Stalingrad city as Company Commander of the Regiment #91 Infantry from 2C Division Alba-Iulia.
       The enemy offensive had begun in 20.11.1942 on all fronts but my company resist it all the day therefore our Division Quarters had the time for a new resistance withdrawal position.
       The enemy broke into flanks in our division killing the soldiers from our artillery, meantime the enemy tanks attacked and surrounded us from behind and took us prisoners in U.R.S.S.
       The war prisoners were informed daily about the war status and losses of German army in its retreat.
       Being aware of the Blitzkrieg failure and the German army defeat by the United Nations coalition forces, the prisoners from all invaded countries decided bring help to their motherlands and solicited the establishment of voluntary military units for liberation of occupied territories.
       There were established big Polish and Czechoslovakian voluntary units. The request of Hungarian prisoners to establish voluntary military units for taking the whole Transylvania was denied.
       In the concentration camp we Romanians were presented a propaganda for voluntary enrollment into a big Romanian Military Unit whose purpose will be to participate in action for the North-West Transylvania liberation, land that was ripped off from motherland by Vienna Diktat, territory that will be properly brought back to Romania.
        There were many questions with regards to our future. We had to choose between enrollment to this unit for N-W Transylvania liberation, knowingly the risks we have to take or to sit back in the concentration camp where we had security and wait for war's end.
       I mention these dilemmas were more present in the officer's camps where were more reticent, rather than the others camps occupied by soldiers with lower ranks, where almost all signed up on volunteers chart.
       I myself enrolled in Tudor Vladimirescu Division that got establishment approval in October the 2nd 1943 and after a lengthly organization period and battle preparation in the forest camp near by Riazan we sworn on the flag for our country and then moved to Basarabia. When the pro-Hitler government switched for U.S.S.R. and marshal Ion Antonescu was arrested at king's order, the division soldiers were transported to Bucharest and then again to Brasov city where we joined the Romanian Army and the western campaign begun.
       The division battle route was from Ilieni (near Brasov) through Hungary and Czechoslovakia until Hron river when the war ended.
       In Transylvania territory there were battles at Iliani and Sfantu-Gheorghe city (liberated by this Division) and at Oarba de Mures, Beius, Chisirid, Nojorid, Baile Felix si Oradea.
       In the battles from Baile Felix and Oradea the Division had enormous losses. The Division commandant, Colonel Cambrea Nicolae and the Major Quarters Chef, Colonel Teclu Iacob were injured.
At his headquarters from Baile Felix, Colonel Buzoianu Ion, Commandant of Regiment 2 Infantry was deadly hit.
       In Oradea battles were recorder the following losses: 8000 deaths, injured or missing. From the entire Division, initially having 12000 volunteers, 70% were killed or heavily injured. A big part from Division volunteers received Romanians Orders and Medals. I mention by that legal Decree the Colonel Buzoianu Ion was given Post-Mortem the Mihai Viteazul Order, together with others 38 officers from Division, from which 11 Post-Mortem.
        This is briefly the Tudor Vladimirescu Division's contribution which soldiers gave the biggest sacrifice for the motherland, preferring - in a very difficult moment for the country - to die next to Romanian Army rather than die from starvation in the soviet gulags.


General Bg.(r), jurist
Teodor Breharu
Knight of Mihai Viteazul Order
(granted for the battle of Stalingrad)