The Romanian Army at War, 1941-1944 Quiz

Answer: Brown

The Romanian Army wore a smart and practical modern combat uniform of khaki brown wool. In summer the tunic was sometimes replaced with a lightweight cotton one which was generally of a lighter, almost sandy/tan shade.

The colour of the Romanian tunic was close enough to that of the Red Army for friendly fire incidents to become a problem, but no major changes were made to it during the war years.

Answer: Czech zb24 Mauser

Although a number of captured rifles were also used as well as small numbers of the other three rifles, the main Romanian sidearm was the Czech Mauser, a copy of the German army rifle of WWI.

Answer: Czech zb30

Again, the Czechs provided the main LMG, the zb30 being the weapon that the British Bren was derived from. The MG34 and the Chauchat were also used, but in tiny numbers by comparison.

Answer: Austrian 47mm Bohler

The Austrian Bohler 47mm was by far the most numerous anti-tank gun in the Romanian inventory, although all of the guns named were also used, and several others besides. The Bohler was a poor weapon in terms of performance, but popular with the Romanian government due to its low cost and the willingness of Germany to make it available to its allies after the Anchluss swallowed up Austria.

Like most minor nations' armies, the Romanians were critically short of effective anti-tank weapons.

Answer: Czech LT-35

The LT-35 was known as the R-2 in Romanian service, but is probably better known by its German designation, the Panzer 35(t). The Romanians kept one armoured division equipped with them up until 1942, when the R-2s were thrown into battle near Stalingrad and it was found that their 37mm guns were quite inadequate for dealing with the Soviet T-34.

If anything, the Romanians were hampered by having too many different kinds of tanks; all of the above were used in at least company-sized groups, which must have put a strain on their supply officers.

Answer: Dutch M23/27

The distinctively shaped Dutch pattern M23/27 helmet was chosen for reasons of ballistic protection and cost. Although replaced in 1953, a design closely based on it was reintroduced in the early seventies.

Answer: Maresal Ion Antonescu

In 1941, General Antonescu led the army against a coup by the fascist 'Iron Guard', crushing them and reinforcing his position as head of the coalition government. Flushed with his own success, he promoted himself to Marshal and took the title 'Conducator' (leader), running the country as virtual dictator until his overthrow by pro-allied Romanian forces in 1944.

He was executed by firing squad in 1946 after being tried for war crimes. Whatever his vices, he faced death bravely, giving the order to fire himself.

Answer: Odessa

Odessa was the main Romanian battle of the Second World War, a terrible 73-day siege which cost the Romanian Army 92,000 casualties including a disproportionate number of NCOs and junior officers. These losses were to severely effect its performance later in the war.

Answer: Third Army

The unfortunate Romanian Third Army under General Petre Dumitrescu was the main victim of the 'Operation Uranus' counterattack, being overwhelmed and forced back more than forty miles in three days. Cold, hungry and fighting a war they did not believe in, the Third Army's morale crumbled as its soldiers surrendered in their thousands.

This battle marked the effective end of the Romanian Army on the Eastern Front, as they never operated independently of German command again.

Answer: No

A slight trick question here; although there was an entire paratroop battalion, the 4th, it belonged to the Air Force, a seperate force from the army since the mid twenties. They were stationed in Bucharest and took no part in the any fighting before the coup in 1944 which saw Romania change sides. Broken down into small platoon-sized assault groups, they cleared Bucharest's airfields of German troops, before taking heavy casualties when they were bombed by the USAAF due to a communications error.

They were built up to a strength of 1,300 men before being disbanded in February 1945.