Dumitru Damaceanu
Encyclopedia
Dumitru Dămăceanu was a Romania
n army officer in World War II
, later promoted to Brigadier-General, who played a predominant role in the Royal coup of August 23, 1944.
Before the war, he was military attaché
in Rome
, Italy, director at the Voievodul Mihai School, and adjutant
to King
Carol II
.
From 1941 to 1942 he was commanding officer of the 10th Roşiori Cavalry Regiment, fighting on the Eastern Front
. From 1942 to 1944 he was Chief of Staff of the Capital Military Command.
Colonel Dămăceanu participated in the August 23, 1944 coup d'etat
led by King Michael
against the government of Marshal Ion Antonescu
. He organized and coordinated the military actions and resistance in Bucharest. By the end of August 1944, he travelled to Moscow
with a Romanian delegation; they were received by Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov
on August 30 or 31. On September 12, 1944, General Dămăceanu was one of the plenipotentiary
signatories of the Armistice Agreement between Romania and the Soviet Union
(the other signatories were Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu
, Ghiţă Popp, and Barbu Ştirbey
on the Romanian side, and Rodion Malinovsky
on the Soviet side).
In 1946, he was a member of the Gheorghe Tătărescu
-led Romanian delegation to the Paris WW II Peace Conference
. The Peace Treaty with Romania was signed in Paris
on February 10, 1947, in the Salon de l'Horloge of the Ministère des Affaires Étrangères
. On the Romanian side, the four signatories were Gheorghe Tătărescu
Council vice President, Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu
Minister of Justice, Ştefan Voitec
Minister of National Education , and Dămăceanu Under Secretary - Ministry of War. Other signatories included James F. Byrnes
(US secretary of state, for the United States
), Vyacheslav Molotov (foreign affairs minister, for the Soviet Union), and Ernest Bevin
(foreign affairs secretary, for the United Kingdom
).
By then Colonel General
Dumitru Dămăceanu was promoted to Army General
.
From August 23, 1944 to December 30, 1947 he was Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Interior, Council of Ministers, Ministry of War-Land Forces.
In 1932 he married Georgeta Stroescu (born October 1912, died March 1996), and he had a daughter, Gabriela Romana Dămăceanu, born in May 1938 in Rome, Italy, while he was a military attaché
.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n army officer in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, later promoted to Brigadier-General, who played a predominant role in the Royal coup of August 23, 1944.
Before the war, he was military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy, director at the Voievodul Mihai School, and adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
to King
King of Romania
King of the Romanians , rather than King of Romania , was the official title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Romania from 1881 until 1947, when Romania was proclaimed a republic....
Carol II
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
.
From 1941 to 1942 he was commanding officer of the 10th Roşiori Cavalry Regiment, fighting on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. From 1942 to 1944 he was Chief of Staff of the Capital Military Command.
Colonel Dămăceanu participated in the August 23, 1944 coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
led by King Michael
Michael I of Romania
Michael was the last King of Romania. He reigned from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930, and again from 6 September 1940 until 30 December 1947 when he was forced, by the Communist Party of Romania , to abdicate to the Soviet armies of occupation...
against the government of Marshal Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
. He organized and coordinated the military actions and resistance in Bucharest. By the end of August 1944, he travelled to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
with a Romanian delegation; they were received by Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was a Soviet politician and diplomat, an Old Bolshevik and a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protégé of Joseph Stalin, to 1957, when he was dismissed from the Presidium of the Central Committee by Nikita Khrushchev...
on August 30 or 31. On September 12, 1944, General Dămăceanu was one of the plenipotentiary
Plenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
signatories of the Armistice Agreement between Romania and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(the other signatories were Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu
Lucretiu Patrascanu
Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania , also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he was a professor at Bucharest University...
, Ghiţă Popp, and Barbu Ştirbey
Barbu Stirbey
Prince Barbu Ştirbey was briefly Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Romania in 1927. He was the son of Prince Alexandru Ştirbey and his wife Maria Ghika-Comăneşti, and grandson of another Barbu Dimitrie Ştirbey , who was Prince of Wallachia and died in 1869.He married Princess Nadèje Bibescu about...
on the Romanian side, and Rodion Malinovsky
Rodion Malinovsky
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky was a Soviet military commander in World War II and Defense Minister of the Soviet Union in the late 1950s and 1960s. He contributed to the major defeat of Nazi Germany at the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Budapest...
on the Soviet side).
In 1946, he was a member of the Gheorghe Tătărescu
Gheorghe Tatarescu
Gheorghe I. Tătărescu was a Romanian politician who served twice as Prime Minister of Romania , three times as Minister of Foreign Affairs , and once as Minister of War...
-led Romanian delegation to the Paris WW II Peace Conference
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Conference resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947. The victorious wartime Allied powers negotiated the details of treaties with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland .The...
. The Peace Treaty with Romania was signed in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on February 10, 1947, in the Salon de l'Horloge of the Ministère des Affaires Étrangères
Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs ), is France's foreign affairs ministry, with the headquarters located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris close to the National Assembly of France. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of France is the cabinet minister responsible for...
. On the Romanian side, the four signatories were Gheorghe Tătărescu
Gheorghe Tatarescu
Gheorghe I. Tătărescu was a Romanian politician who served twice as Prime Minister of Romania , three times as Minister of Foreign Affairs , and once as Minister of War...
Council vice President, Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu
Lucretiu Patrascanu
Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania , also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he was a professor at Bucharest University...
Minister of Justice, Ştefan Voitec
Stefan Voitec
Ştefan Voitec was a Romanian socialist and communist journalist, politician, and statesman of Communist Romania.-Biography:...
Minister of National Education , and Dămăceanu Under Secretary - Ministry of War. Other signatories included James F. Byrnes
James F. Byrnes
James Francis Byrnes was an American statesman from the state of South Carolina. During his career, Byrnes served as a member of the House of Representatives , as a Senator , as Justice of the Supreme Court , as Secretary of State , and as the 104th Governor of South Carolina...
(US secretary of state, for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), Vyacheslav Molotov (foreign affairs minister, for the Soviet Union), and Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin was a British trade union leader and Labour politician. He served as general secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1945, as Minister of Labour in the war-time coalition government, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour Government.-Early...
(foreign affairs secretary, for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
).
By then Colonel General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Dumitru Dămăceanu was promoted to Army General
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...
.
From August 23, 1944 to December 30, 1947 he was Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Interior, Council of Ministers, Ministry of War-Land Forces.
In 1932 he married Georgeta Stroescu (born October 1912, died March 1996), and he had a daughter, Gabriela Romana Dămăceanu, born in May 1938 in Rome, Italy, while he was a military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
.
External links
- Short bio at Generals.dk
- "Dimitri D. Dimăncescu, 1896-1984", at the Honorary Consulate of Romania in Boston, has a photograph of Dumitru Dămăceanu at the Paris Peace Conference in 1946 Cristina Diac and Florin Mihai, "1939-1944: 23 august, Cronica unui dezastru", in Jurnalul Naţional, August 23, 2006.