Ion Hortopan

General Ion Hortopan

Ion Hortopan (born March 12, 1925 in Turcineşti , Gorj district ; † April 6, 2000 in Bucharest ) was a Romanian Colonel General and politician of the Romanian Workers' Party PMR (Partidul Muncitoresc Român) and from 1965 PCR (Partidul Comunist Român) , who among others from 1976 to 1980 Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces ( Armata Română ) was.

Life

Training, officer and staff officer

Ion Hortopan attended primary school in Turcineşti between 1932 and 1939 and then worked from 1939 to 1943 as a salesman in a department store in Bucharest . In 1945 he became a member of the then Romanian Communist Party PCR (Partidul Comunist din România) and attended a course of the party in Brașov . He then returned to Bucharest and worked there again as a salesman in a department store and as a waiter. At the same time he was secretary of the Union of Young Communists UTCdR (Uniunea Tineretului Comunist din Romania) in a Bucharest sector between May 1946 and April 1948 . In April 1948 he joined the land forces (Forțele Terestre Române) of the armed forces ( Armata Română ) and was initially deputy political officer and organizational secretary of the party committee of the 2nd telecommunications regiment (Regimentul 2 Transmisiuni) between May 1948 and March 1949 , where on February 15 In 1949 he was promoted to lieutenant (Locotenent) . After he was a youth instructor in the 3rd Military District between March and June 1949, he completed a course for battalion commanders in Sibiu between June and December 1949 . After graduation, he was promoted to first lieutenant (Locotenent-major) on December 28, 1949 and then to captain (Căpitan) two days later on December 30, 1949 . Thereupon he was from December 30, 1949 to January 1952 chief of the 3rd office, member of the organizational office of the party and secretary of the Union of Workers Youth UTM (Uniunea Tineretului Muncitor) of the 2nd section of the cadre department of the armed forces.

Following Hortopan in 1952 head of the squad section of the 3rd Military District in January and got there on May 9, 1952 his promotion to Major (Maior) . After completing a course for commanders of infantry regiments in Făgăraș between January and November 1954 , he was first deputy commander between December 1954 and December 1955 and then from December 1955 to August 1956 commander of the 106th Mechanized Regiment (Regimentul 106 Mecanizat) . In this use he was promoted to lieutenant colonel (Locotenent Colonel) on May 15, 1956 . He was then a graduate of the Military Academy (Academia Militară) from 1956 to 1959 and took over the post of commander of the 4th Mechanized Regiment (Regimentul 4 Mecanizat) between October 1959 and August 1962 . In 1962 he attended the " Endre Ady " high school in Zalau . On December 30, 1962, he was appointed Colonel (Colonel) promoted, and he from 1963 to 1965 Chief Officer of the Department of combat training in the General Staff, and from 1965 to 1967 deputy commander in Debrecen stationed 1st Mechanized Division " Tudor Vladimirescu " .

Promotion to general and chief of the general staff

Ion Hortopan was between 1967 and June 6, 1973 commander of the 11th Mechanized Division (Divizia 11 Mecanizat) and received his promotion to major general (General Maior) in this role on August 20, 1969 . He then completed a weapons and tank course at the military academy between October 1973 and March 1974 and served from June 7, 1973 to July 1, 1976 as commander of the 3rd Army stationed in Cluj (Armata a 3-a Română) . There he was promoted to Lieutenant General (General Locotenent) on August 10, 1974 and was also a member of the PCR party committee in Bihor County . At the Eleventh Party Congress of the PCR (November 24-27, 1974) he became a member of the Central Committee (ZK) of the PCR, of which he was a member until November 22, 1984. At the same time he became a member of the Grand National Assembly (Marea Adunare Națională) in 1975 and belonged to it as a representative of constituency No. 5 Tăşnad until 1980. During his membership in parliament he was from March 22, 1975 to December 31, 1976 also Vice-President of the Defense Commission of the Grand National Assembly.

As the successor to General Ion Coman Lieutenant General Hortopan was on July 1, 1976 Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (Șef Statului Major General al Armatei Române) and held this post until his replacement by General Vasile Milea on March 31, 1980. At the same time he acted between July 1, 1976 and March 31, 1980 as First Vice Minister for National Defense. He also became a member of the Council of State (Consiliul de Stat al României) on July 9, 1976 . He was on 31 March 1980 to 24 February 1992 commander of the infantry and armored commands (Comandamentul Infanteriei şi Tancurilor) and was on August 23, 1984 Colonel General (General Colonel) transported. In 1988 he was also a member of the National Council of the Front of Democracy and the Socialist Unit FDUS (Frontului Democrației și Unității Socialiste ).

Ion Hortopan has received several awards for his longstanding services, including the Order for Military Merit (Ordinul Meritul Militar) , Order Tudor Vladimirescu Third Class (Ordinul Tudor Vladimirescu) and Order Defense of the Fatherland Third Class (Ordinul Apărarea Patriei ) .

literature

• Biography in Consiliul Național pentru Studiera Arhivelor Securității. Membrii CC al PCR 1945-1989. Dicționar , p. 314