Battle of the Arges
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Argeş was a battle of the Romanian Campaign of World War I
. Taking place on 1 December 1916, the battle was fought along the line of the Argeş River
in Romania between Austro-German forces of the Central Powers
and Romanian forces.
crossed the Danube
near Zimnicea
under the cover of fog and began to march on Bucharest
. The Romanians had transferred most of their forces to the Carpathians and as a result these forces had a preponderant advantage: 18 Romanian battalion
s and 48 artillery pieces against 40 German and Bulgarian battalions and 188 guns. This attack threatened to cut off half the Romanian army and so the decision was made to launch a counterattack. Relying upon the Russians to contain the fighting elsewhere, the plan entailed using all of the Romanian Army's reserves to launch a flanking attack on the German forces as they crossed the Arges river, the last natural barrier before Bucharest.
The Russians, however, did not agree to this plan of action, nevertheless plans for the attack went ahead. The French sent a military mission to Romania and its commander, Henri Mathias Berthelot
, who had been Joffre's
chief of staff
during the Battle of the Marne
in 1914 felt that the attack could bring a similar success. In this regard he advocated the build up of a Romanian forces, drawing divisions from the Danube and the Carpathians.
Before retreating, Romanian troops burned down the oil wells at Ploieşti
along with the surrounding wheat fields so as to keep them out of the hands of the Central Powers. After Falkenhayen's Ninth Army cut off a portion of the Romanian Army, the remainder retreated to the Siret–Putna defensive line, one of the outermost defensive lines of Bucharest. There they rendevouzed with the Bucharest garrison and prepared to hold the line.
. Heavy rain and terrible roads were the only things that saved the remainder of the Romanian Army, which began to withdraw towards the Siret River
and Russia, where the campaign drew to a close in January 1917. Romanian losses during the battle on the Arges and the fighting that preceded it were very high, with about 300,000 being lost, around 150,000 of which were captured. In this same period, the Germans had suffered about 60,000 casualties.
The German heritage of General Sosescu, a subordinate of Constantin Prezan
, has been the topic of several debates regarding the battle regarding the Romanian reserves.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Taking place on 1 December 1916, the battle was fought along the line of the Argeş River
Arges River
Argeș is a river of Southern Romania. It starts at the junction of headwaters Buda and Capra in the Făgăraș Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians and flows into the Danube at Oltenița.The main city on the Argeş is Piteşti...
in Romania between Austro-German forces of the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
and Romanian forces.
Background
In late November 1916 Germano-Bulgarian forces under August von MackensenAugust von Mackensen
Anton Ludwig August von Mackensen , born August Mackensen, was a German soldier and field marshal. He commanded with success during the First World War and became one of the German Empire's most prominent military leaders. After the Armistice, Mackensen was interned for a year...
crossed the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
near Zimnicea
Zimnicea
Zimnicea is a town in Teleorman county, Romania , a port on the Danube opposite the Bulgarian city of Svishtov.-Geography:...
under the cover of fog and began to march on Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. The Romanians had transferred most of their forces to the Carpathians and as a result these forces had a preponderant advantage: 18 Romanian battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s and 48 artillery pieces against 40 German and Bulgarian battalions and 188 guns. This attack threatened to cut off half the Romanian army and so the decision was made to launch a counterattack. Relying upon the Russians to contain the fighting elsewhere, the plan entailed using all of the Romanian Army's reserves to launch a flanking attack on the German forces as they crossed the Arges river, the last natural barrier before Bucharest.
The Russians, however, did not agree to this plan of action, nevertheless plans for the attack went ahead. The French sent a military mission to Romania and its commander, Henri Mathias Berthelot
Henri Mathias Berthelot
Henri Mathias Berthelot was a French general during World War I. He served as chief of staff under Joseph Joffre, the French commander-in-chief.-Biography:...
, who had been Joffre's
Joseph Joffre
Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre OM was a French general during World War I. He is most known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically decisive First Battle of the Marne in 1914. His popularity led to his nickname Papa Joffre.-Biography:Joffre was born in...
chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
during the Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
in 1914 felt that the attack could bring a similar success. In this regard he advocated the build up of a Romanian forces, drawing divisions from the Danube and the Carpathians.
Battle
On 1 December the Romanian attack began. Initially, the Romanians experienced success, taking a large number of prisoners, however, the failure of their reserves to arrive due to the actions of the Romanian General Sosescu, who was a naturalized German, followed by the arrival of German reinforcements led to their weakening and eventual defeat. Mackensen was able to shift forces to deal with the sudden assault and Falkenhayn's forces responded with attacks at every point. Within three days, the attack had been shattered and the Romanians were retreating everywhere. Part of the Romanian Army was cut off from the city after German forces conducted a pincer movement north and south of the river. The Romanians suffered a considerable setback when a staff car carrying attack plans accidentally drove into a German position and was captured.Before retreating, Romanian troops burned down the oil wells at Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
along with the surrounding wheat fields so as to keep them out of the hands of the Central Powers. After Falkenhayen's Ninth Army cut off a portion of the Romanian Army, the remainder retreated to the Siret–Putna defensive line, one of the outermost defensive lines of Bucharest. There they rendevouzed with the Bucharest garrison and prepared to hold the line.
Aftermath
After the battle, minor actions were fought in the fortifications surrounding Bucharest between the invading Germans and the Romanian reserves which had failed to arrive and the remnants of the defenders of the Sereth–Putna line, yet it was occupied by the Germans on 7 December 1916, which was the same day that southern Romania capitulated, as the monarchy had fled to IaşiIasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
. Heavy rain and terrible roads were the only things that saved the remainder of the Romanian Army, which began to withdraw towards the Siret River
Siret River
The Siret or Sireth is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania for 470 km before it joins the Danube...
and Russia, where the campaign drew to a close in January 1917. Romanian losses during the battle on the Arges and the fighting that preceded it were very high, with about 300,000 being lost, around 150,000 of which were captured. In this same period, the Germans had suffered about 60,000 casualties.
The German heritage of General Sosescu, a subordinate of Constantin Prezan
Constantin Prezan
Constantin Prezan was a Romanian general during World War I and after the war a Marshal of Romania....
, has been the topic of several debates regarding the battle regarding the Romanian reserves.