Constantin Prezan
Constantin Prezan (born January 27, 1861 in Butimanu , Dâmbovița ; † August 27, 1943 in Bucharest ) was a Romanian general in World War I and was appointed Marshal of Romania in 1930.
biography
Constantin Prezan was born in 1861 in a small village in the Romanian province of Dâmbovița. After joining the Royal Romanian Army, he was promoted to lieutenant in 1880 and captain in 1887 . In 1892 he was promoted to the rank of major and in 1895 promoted to lieutenant colonel . He was in the General Staff added, and the adjutant of Tsar Ferdinand I appointed. Since 1901 he led the Infantry Regiment No. 25 as a colonel, in 1904 he took over the 13th Infantry Brigade, and in 1907 he was promoted to Brigadier General. In 1914 he became a division general and took over the leadership of the 4th Army Corps.
On August 23, 1916 General Prezan became Commander in Chief of the Romanian 4th (Northern) Army; four days later Romania entered the war. Prezan took part in the campaign against neighboring Hungary and covered the Carpathian Front against the Austrian 1st Army under General Arthur Arz von Straussenburg until the beginning of November .
After the Central Powers started their counter-offensive and marched towards the capital Bucharest from two sides at the end of October 1916, Prezan was given the command of the Romanian 1st Army including the Bucharest garrison with the task of protecting the capital from occupation by the troops of the Central Powers . Together with the French General Henri Berthelot , he worked out a plan of attack on the Danube Army advancing from the south under Field Marshal August von Mackensen . This should be stopped and smashed at the Argeș . In the battle of the Argesch (December 1 to 6, 1916) almost the entire Romanian 1st Army was wiped out or captured. The defense of Bucharest also failed on December 6th and the remaining troops withdrew to the northeastern part of the country, the Moldova , under Prezan's leadership .
The summer offensive of 1917 against the occupation forces of the Central Powers was organized by Prezan, his counterattacks at Focşani , Mărăşeşti and on the Oituz Pass strengthened the front. In July 1917 Prezan was appointed lieutenant general and in August chief of staff . Until the collapse of the Russian army as a result of the October Revolution , the advance of the Central Powers was halted. Due to the loss of the military partner, the Romanian king was forced to start peace negotiations with the Central Powers. In the course of the armistice of December 1917, the demobilization of the Romanian army was decided. In May 1918 Romania signed the Treaty of Bucharest , which included heavy territorial losses, but was not carried out by the victory of the Entente in Western Europe in November 1918.
On March 20, 1920 Prezan ended his military career, on October 25, 1930 King Carol II appointed him Marshal in thanks for his achievements in the World War . He spent the last years of his life in Italy ; shortly before his death he returned to his homeland. He died in Bucharest on August 27, 1943.
A large boulevard in Bucharest is named after him.
Orders and awards
In the course of his military career he received all three classes of the Romanian Mihai Viteazu Order for Bravery in Combat.
Individual evidence
literature
- Spencer C. Tucker : World War I: Encyclopedia, a Political, Social, and Military History, Volume 1 , (2005)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Prezan, Constantin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Romanian general and Marshal of Romania |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 27, 1861 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Butimanu |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 27, 1943 |
| Place of death | Bucharest |