Aurel Racovitza

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Brigadier General Aurel Racovitză in 1939

Ioan Aurelian (Aurel) Racovitză (born May 29, 1890 in Botoșani ; † June 24, 1957 in Bucharest ) was a Romanian diplomat and brigadier general and commander of the 6th Cavalry Brigade , who came from an old, lordly Moldovan boyar family .

origin

Aurel Racovitză on November 23, 1892

The Racoviță (Racovitză) family comes from an old Moldovan boyar family who once provided several princes as well as numerous high dignitaries both there and in the principality of Wallachia . Before the 16th century it was called "Cehan". The first genealogical information of the Racovitză (Racoviță) line appeared at the end of the sixteenth century, with mention of Cehan Vătaful, large landowner on the Prut . Around 1662, the Grand Chancellor Cehan took the name Racovițză. His descendant Mihai Vodă Racovițză was first prince of Moldavia between 1704 and 1727, then from 1741 to 1744 that of Wallachia. He was a down to earth ruler who was not appointed by the Dīwān . Constantin (1763) and his brother Stefan (1764), Michael's sons from his marriage to Elizabeta Cantemir, were also voivodes of Wallachia. Mihalache Racovițză, brother of the above Stefan, was (Grand Dragoman 1773) and the ancestor of Aurel.

biography

The years of development

Aurel Racovitza as lieutenant in 1912

Aurel was the second son of Ion and his wife Adela Iurașco. The boy had a difficult childhood. His mother died early and he had to go to school far from home. After completing elementary school at the “School for Boys No. 1” in Târgu Ocna , in the Bacău district (1897-1901), he first attended the “Principele Ferdinand” high school in Bacau (1901–1905) and then the military high school in Iași (1905-1908). Two years later he attended the cavalry military school in Târgovişte . He was then assigned to the Roşiori elite cavalry regiment No. 7 "Cuza Voda" as a lieutenant until July 1, 1910, where he acquired the qualification for the "Special Cavalry School" and on June 21, 1913 was the best among 28 trainees .

Transferred back to his regiment, the officer took part in the Second Balkan War in Bulgaria in the summer of 1913, where he was commissioned to explore the Petrihon Gorges north of Sofia . Aurel returned with extremely important information and insights. For this reason he was promoted to first lieutenant and company commander within his regiment. He then worked as an officer and regimental adjutant and at the mobilization office. From April 1, 1915, he was assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment. There he was regimental adjutant and deputy head of the mobilization department. Because of his excellent service, General David Praporgescu , commander of the 4th Cavalry Brigade, suggested him for admission to the "Supreme War School" ("Școala Superioară de Război"). With the successful conclusion, however, Racovitză should have to wait until the end of the First World War .

In the first World War

At the beginning of Romania's entry into the First World War on August 27, 1916, the officer was in action with the royal escort regiment in Bucharest (July 1, 1916) and was then seconded as an officer in the Office for Operations of the 18th Infantry Division, headquartered in Călugăreni . During this time he also attended the "Supreme War School", which was part of the preparation for his role as General Staff officer.

On November 1, 1916 Racovitză was promoted to captain and assigned to the command of the 7th Infantry Division in the Bacău zone. In the next period he distinguished himself by collecting information from the front as well as successful reconnaissance missions.

On September 1, 1917, he was appointed major and on January 8, 1918 General Staff Officer at the headquarters of Operations Office II and head of the Office for Information and Operations at the commandant's office of the 15th Infantry Division (June to October 1918).

In the interwar period

Attaché ID of Aurel Racovitză 1930
Aurel Racovitză and President Masaryk in 1928
Aurel Racovitza left, before the troop parade, May 10, 1937

After the war veteran had finally completed the above-mentioned school in 1920 with very good success, he was used in various positions, including as a staff officer in the general staff and then again with the troops in the 11th Roșiori cavalry regiment in Chernivtsi . In 1923 he became a representative of the General Staff Office. On August 10, 1927 he was promoted by royal decree to lieutenant colonel of the cavalry and to the great general staff in Division II (information).

On behalf of the General Staff Racovitză fulfilled the post of military attaché in Czechoslovakia from August 31, 1927 to November 1, 1930 as a political and military observer . He was also accredited in Austria . The information he sent to his country was considered highly significant. In his role as military attaché, he was concerned with realizing good military cooperation between Romania and Czechoslovakia, including sending information about new weapons and combat techniques to the Hungarian army. On the basis of this information, the Romanian General Staff did not rule out the possibility of a possible military conflict triggered by Hungary and proposed the establishment of joint defense forces within the Small Entente , consisting of 20 Czechoslovak, 12 Yugoslav and 8 Romanian divisions. Romania was initially only able to provide so few, as 15 large units were ready to defend itself against a possible Bulgarian attack. On the tenth anniversary of the armistice and the establishment of the Czechoslovak state on November 11, 1928, President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk greeted the Romanian military attaché with a handshake.

From November 2, 1930 he was the deputy head of the cavalry general inspection and dedicated himself to solving specific problems, such as the design and elaboration of a new regulation for the troops in accordance with the new military law.

On October 1, 1932, the officer was found as the deputy commander of an elite unit, the Guard Regiment No. 4 Roşiori, "Regina Maria". Exactly two years later to the day he was appointed director of the Târgovişte cavalry officers school , which he headed until June 30, 1936. During this time he was promoted to colonel on January 1, 1935 .

On July 1, 1936, the colonel was appointed commander of the Guards Regiment No. 4 Roșiori, "Regina Maria", and was praised for the appearance of his soldiers after the royal maneuvers in 1937 and 1938. In addition to his command post, he attended the garrison school for officers, where he could prove the necessary knowledge, for example about the various tactical situations.

Between November 1, 1938 and July 1, 1939, he acted as chief of staff of the special inspection of the cavalry and at the same time took the military leadership course, which was necessary for a candidate general. As a result, he received command of the 6th Cavalry Brigade on July 1, 1939 and was promoted to Brigadier General on October 25 of that year.

Troop acceptance by General Aurel Racovitza, left.

In World War II

The timing of his brigade, which was evacuated to Chișinău between 1939 and 1940 (mainly consisting of the elite regiments No. 4 Roșiori, “Regina Maria” and No. 9 Roșiori, “Regina Elena”) was characterized by intensive training and preparation for the war . He then led the regiment No. 9 Roșiori, the 3rd and 4th cavalry divisions and a division of equestrian artillery in Cetatea Albă as part of a regrouping of the units .

Due to the Soviet ultimatums of June 26th and 28th, 1940, the Romanian army had to withdraw from Bessarabia and northern Bukovina .

Between September 1, 1940 and January 10, 1941, he secured command of the 3rd Cavalry Division. Then the cavalry units were reorganized and the cavalry divisions abolished. The composition of the 6th Cavalry Brigade changed as a result. It now consisted of Regiments No. 9 and No. 10 Roșiori, the Cavalry Regiment No. 5, the Cavalry Artillery Regiment No. 4 and the Mounted Auxiliary Unit No. 43. Aurelian was to take part in the campaign started in the summer of 1941 with this formation.

His brigade was assigned to the XI. Army corps under the command of Infantry General Joachim von Kortzfleisch . Intervening in the fight, he occupied a bridgehead at Călineşti (Bălți) . On July 4, his brigade reached Edineț (Edinița) - Blescenăuți ( Hotin ), and three days later he occupied the areas west of Moghilev on the Dniester on the line Ocnița - Secureni - Clocuşna - Corestăuți (Hotin). From July 17th to 20th, heavy fighting followed with the aim of expelling the Soviet Army in the areas of Leodora and Pădurea Vili, then just as heavy on the 22nd and 23rd of the month at Alexandrovca ​​and Odaia, after which the 6th Brigade attacked the enemy pursued the retreat. During the ongoing military action, the general was withdrawn from the command of his brigade on July 24, 1941 and placed at the disposal of the "Ministry of National Defense", probably on the orders of Marshal Ion Antonescu . General Ioan Mihail Racoviţă, a distant cousin, gave as a formal reason: "... for lack of foresight, lack of initiative and lack of energy ...". Indeed, the brigadier had divergent views. So he had been able to block a hasty crossing of the Prut at any cost in order not to have his soldiers massacred, and he also refused to approve of the killing of civilians or to be involved in it because he wanted to remain an honorable soldier.

On August 26, 1941, General Ion Boițeanu personally informed the brigadier to submit his resignation within 24 hours. In this way, he shared the fate of dozens of generals and other high-ranking officers. These occurrences remain an issue that has yet to be investigated and documented by historians. Racovitză withdrew on September 1, 1941 with a clear conscience.

epilogue

Wife Florica von Flondor after 1930

Aurel Racovitză's behavior and foresight prevented the fate of many of his comrades accused after the war, who were often tortured and sentenced to long prison terms or to death. He lived in poor conditions in Bucharest with his second wife, the pianist Florica von Flondor (1897-1983) and his two children, Maria Georgeta from his first marriage with Elena Ionescu and Constantin (1936-1999) from the second. Sick of cancer, he died at the CFR 2 Railway Hospital at the age of 67. Today his only grandson Alexandru-Christian (* 1969) lives with his wife and son in the Romanian capital.

Awards

The list of the following decorations (selection) is based on photocopied original documents from the specified book.

literature

  • Marusia Cîrstea: Ataşați militari români în Marea Britanie (1919-1939). Editura Universitaria, Craiova 2009.
  • Alexandru-Cristian Racovitză, Ioana Andreea Pânzar: Generalul de brigadă Aurel Racovitză. Editura Flondor, Rădăuți - Cernăuți 2007, ISBN 978-973-88416-0-4 .
  • Rudolf Neck, Adam Wandruszka, Isabella Ackerl : Protocols of the Council of Ministers of the First Republic, 1918–1938. Verlag der Österreichische Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1986.

Web links

Commons : Aurel Racovitză  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George Lecca: "Familiile boiereşti române - Genealogia a 100 de case", Biblioteca Academiei Române, Bucureşti 1911.
  2. ↑ esuceveanu.ablog.ro ( Memento of the original from December 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / esuceveanu.ablog.ro
  3. ↑ enciclopediaromaniei.ro
  4. ↑ Alexandru-Cristian Racovitză, Ioana Andreea Pânzar, Generalul de brigada Aurel Racovitză, Editura Flondor, Rădăuți-Cernăuți, 2007, p. 5 f.
  5. ↑ Dosarul Militar, Arhivele Militare Pitești: Foaie calificativă a Lt. Racovitză Aurel, R7R, November 1, 1913 - October 31, 1914 and November 1, 1914 - October 31, 1915.
  6. ↑ a b c d Alexandru-Cristian Racovitză, Ioana Andreea Pânzar, Generalul de brigada Aurel Racovitză, Editura Flondor, Rădăuți-Cernăuți, 2007, p. 23 ff.
  7. ↑ Arhivele Militare Pitești: Foaie calificativă a Lt. Col. IA Racovitză, Marele Stat Major, Sct.a II-a Informații, November 1, 1927 - October 31, 1928 and November 1, 1928 - October 31, 1929.
  8. ↑ Arhivele Militare Române, Piteşti (AMR), fond Memorii Bătrâni, litera V, dosar no. 96, f. 3v.
  9. ↑ Ročenka Československé republiky, Vol. 9, Praga 1930, p. 66.
  10. ↑ Alexandru-Cristian Racovitză, Ioana Andreea Pânzar, Generalul de brigada Aurel Racovitză, Editura Flondor, Rădăuți-Cernăuți, 2007, p. 39 ff.
  11. ↑ Arhivele Militare Pitesti: Foaie calificativă a G-ralului IA Racovitză, Brigada a 6-a cavalry, Nov. 1, 1939 - SEPTEMBER 1 1940th
  12. ↑ ostfront.forumpro.fr
  13. ↑ Miruna Loghin in "Clopotul Bucovinei", Cernăuți-Rădăuți, Anul III, No. 4 (30), 2007.
  14. ↑ A. Dutu, F. Dobre: "Antonescu si generalii Romanized. Un război surd si ciudat “, istoric magazine, no. 9/1999, pp. 59-62, 66.
  15. ↑ ziarullumina.ro
  16. ↑ Alexandru-Cristian Racovitză, Ioana Andreea Pânzar, Generalul de brigada Aurel Racovitză, Editura Flondor, Rădăuți-Cernăuți, 2007, pp. 112–129.
personal data
SURNAME Racovitza, Aurel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Racovitza, Aurel; Racovitză, Ioan Aurelian (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Romanian diplomat and general
DATE OF BIRTH May 29, 1890
PLACE OF BIRTH Botoșani
DATE OF DEATH June 24, 1957
Place of death Bucharest