Second Battle of Oituz
Encyclopedia
The Second Battle of Oituz was a confrontation between Romanian and, to a lesser extent, Russian
forces on one side and German and Austro-Hungarian
forces on the other, during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. The battle took place primarily in the Oituz
valley in Bacău County
, Romania, between August 8 and August 20, 1917.
. The 8th Corps would undertake the main effort; it comprised one German and two Austro-Hungarian infantry divisions deployed between Valea Dofteanei and Măgura Caṣinului, and two Austro-Hungarian cavalry divisions in reserve. In front of them, the Romanian Second Army deployed the 2nd and 4th Corps, with a total of six infantry divisions (1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 9th, 12th) and two reserve battalions. The attack would be carried out on a 7 km front, and the Romanians were outnumbered 4 to 1. Several kilometres behind the Romanian lines was the Trotuş River
valley, which led to the rear of the Romanian and Russian front; thus, a successful Central Powers
offensive at Oituz could have had potentially disastrous effects for the Allied war effort in Romania.
barrage. The fortified Pravila peak, held by the Romanian 27th Dorobanṭi Regiment "Bacău", was assaulted four times by the Austro-Hungarian 70th Infantry Division, without result . The German 117th Infantry division was more successful advancing 1-2 km around Ungureanu peak and inflicting heavy losses on the 16th Dorobanti Regiment "Baia". To the south, the 10th Dorobanṭi Regiment "Putna" managed to hold its ground. During the night, the Romanian 4th Corps counterattacked in the German-held areas, taking 200 prisoners and retaking some lost ground. The following afternoon, however, the Central Powers attacked in force, taking Pravila peak and advancing near Mount Coṣna. The Romanian 7th Infantry Division retreated to a new defensive line. Violent fighting continued on August 10, exhausting the Romanians, who could not reinforce their lines properly due to the concurrent fighting at Mărăşeşti
. Only the 1st Cavalry Division arrived on August 11, immediately entering combat and recapturing the area south of Mount Coṣna and Stibor Hill in the evening. German units which occupied the village of Oituz were pushed back by the mountain troops and armored cars of the 2nd Corps.
On August 12, the newly-arrived "Vânători de munte
" (Mountain troops) Battalion, after a 160-km march and a 20-minute rest, attacked Cireşoaia peak, in tandem with the 27th Regiment and one other Romanian and two Russian battalions. The mountain troops broke through the 70th Infantry Division's defenses, taking 417 prisoners, while suffering only 21 casualties. The Austro-Hungarian division suffered nearly 1,500 total casualties at Cireşoaia.
On August 13, another Romanian reinforcement, the Grăniceri (Border Guards) Brigade, attacked Central Powers positions south of the Oituz river, losing more than 800 men while gaining little ground. The 1st Cavalry Division retook Coṣna Mountain and held it against German counterattacks. At Cireşoaia, the 7th Infantry Division attacked together with the Russian 2nd Infantry Division; after initial gains, the Russian 195th Infantry Regiment was repelled, and Austro-Hungarian troops threatened the Romanians' flanks. Subsequently, the advance was halted.
A pause of five days followed. There were local clashes and the two sides reorganized their forces and entrenched their positions. On August 16, the 2nd Border Guard Regiment took the Runcu Peak, two of its officers being awarded the Mihai Viteazul Order
3rd class for this action.
On 19 August, the Austro-Hungarian First Army resumed the offensive. The sector chosen for the attack was the Coṣna Mountain, defended by the 1st Cavalry Division, which had been deployed between the 6th and 7th Infantry Divisions. Wisely using their numerical superiority, the Germans managed to take the peak, but the Romanian cavalrymen retreated to the mountain's eastern slope, where they resisted the following assaults. During the night, the Second Army sent two Border Guard battalions and an infantry regiment as reinforcements. On August 20, at 0700 hours, the strengthened 1st Cavalry Division, supported by the entire Romanian artillery available in the area, attacked and managed to regain some of the ground lost the previous day.
This action was the last major episode of the second battle of Oituz. The Austro-Hungarian First Army had managed to advance only 2-6 km on a 20 km wide front and failed to break through into the Trotuş Valley. Overall, 25 "Mihai Viteazul" Orders 3rd class were awarded in August 1917 to the Romanian officers for gallantry in action. The battle flags of three units (one regiment and two battalions) also received the prestigious award.
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
forces on one side and German and Austro-Hungarian
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
forces on the other, during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. The battle took place primarily in the Oituz
Oituz
Oituz is a commune in Bacău County, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Călcâi , Ferestrău-Oituz , Hârja , Marginea, Oituz and Poiana Sărată ....
valley in Bacău County
Bacau County
Bacău is a county of Romania, in Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeş-Făget, in Transylvania.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 706,623 and the population density was 113/km²....
, Romania, between August 8 and August 20, 1917.
Prelude and order of battle
The Austro-Hungarian First Army planned to attack Romanian positions along the Oituz valley, primarily using the Gerock Group, which recently participated in the Battle of MărăştiBattle of Marasti
The Battle of Mărăşti was one of the main battles to take place on Romanian soil in World War I. It was fought between July 22 and August 1, 1917, and was an offensive operation of the Romanian and Russian Armies intended to encircle and destroy the German 9th Army...
. The 8th Corps would undertake the main effort; it comprised one German and two Austro-Hungarian infantry divisions deployed between Valea Dofteanei and Măgura Caṣinului, and two Austro-Hungarian cavalry divisions in reserve. In front of them, the Romanian Second Army deployed the 2nd and 4th Corps, with a total of six infantry divisions (1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 9th, 12th) and two reserve battalions. The attack would be carried out on a 7 km front, and the Romanians were outnumbered 4 to 1. Several kilometres behind the Romanian lines was the Trotuş River
Trotus River
The Trotuş River in eastern Romania emerges from the Ciuc Mountains in the Eastern Carpathians and joins the Siret River after passing through Comăneşti and Oneşti in Bacău County...
valley, which led to the rear of the Romanian and Russian front; thus, a successful 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...
offensive at Oituz could have had potentially disastrous effects for the Allied war effort in Romania.
The battle
The attack began on August 8, after a violent four-hour artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
barrage. The fortified Pravila peak, held by the Romanian 27th Dorobanṭi Regiment "Bacău", was assaulted four times by the Austro-Hungarian 70th Infantry Division, without result . The German 117th Infantry division was more successful advancing 1-2 km around Ungureanu peak and inflicting heavy losses on the 16th Dorobanti Regiment "Baia". To the south, the 10th Dorobanṭi Regiment "Putna" managed to hold its ground. During the night, the Romanian 4th Corps counterattacked in the German-held areas, taking 200 prisoners and retaking some lost ground. The following afternoon, however, the Central Powers attacked in force, taking Pravila peak and advancing near Mount Coṣna. The Romanian 7th Infantry Division retreated to a new defensive line. Violent fighting continued on August 10, exhausting the Romanians, who could not reinforce their lines properly due to the concurrent fighting at Mărăşeşti
Battle of Marasesti
The Battle of Mărăşeşti, Vrancea County, eastern Romania was a major battle fought during World War I between Germany and Romania.-Premise:...
. Only the 1st Cavalry Division arrived on August 11, immediately entering combat and recapturing the area south of Mount Coṣna and Stibor Hill in the evening. German units which occupied the village of Oituz were pushed back by the mountain troops and armored cars of the 2nd Corps.
On August 12, the newly-arrived "Vânători de munte
Vânatori de Munte
The vânători de munte |Huntsmen]]) are the elite mountain troops of the Romanian Land Forces. They were first established as an independent Army Corps in 1916 during World War I, and became operational in 1917 under Corpul de Munte designation....
" (Mountain troops) Battalion, after a 160-km march and a 20-minute rest, attacked Cireşoaia peak, in tandem with the 27th Regiment and one other Romanian and two Russian battalions. The mountain troops broke through the 70th Infantry Division's defenses, taking 417 prisoners, while suffering only 21 casualties. The Austro-Hungarian division suffered nearly 1,500 total casualties at Cireşoaia.
On August 13, another Romanian reinforcement, the Grăniceri (Border Guards) Brigade, attacked Central Powers positions south of the Oituz river, losing more than 800 men while gaining little ground. The 1st Cavalry Division retook Coṣna Mountain and held it against German counterattacks. At Cireşoaia, the 7th Infantry Division attacked together with the Russian 2nd Infantry Division; after initial gains, the Russian 195th Infantry Regiment was repelled, and Austro-Hungarian troops threatened the Romanians' flanks. Subsequently, the advance was halted.
A pause of five days followed. There were local clashes and the two sides reorganized their forces and entrenched their positions. On August 16, the 2nd Border Guard Regiment took the Runcu Peak, two of its officers being awarded the Mihai Viteazul Order
Order of Michael the Brave
The Order of Michael the Brave is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of World War I, and was again awarded in World War II...
3rd class for this action.
On 19 August, the Austro-Hungarian First Army resumed the offensive. The sector chosen for the attack was the Coṣna Mountain, defended by the 1st Cavalry Division, which had been deployed between the 6th and 7th Infantry Divisions. Wisely using their numerical superiority, the Germans managed to take the peak, but the Romanian cavalrymen retreated to the mountain's eastern slope, where they resisted the following assaults. During the night, the Second Army sent two Border Guard battalions and an infantry regiment as reinforcements. On August 20, at 0700 hours, the strengthened 1st Cavalry Division, supported by the entire Romanian artillery available in the area, attacked and managed to regain some of the ground lost the previous day.
This action was the last major episode of the second battle of Oituz. The Austro-Hungarian First Army had managed to advance only 2-6 km on a 20 km wide front and failed to break through into the Trotuş Valley. Overall, 25 "Mihai Viteazul" Orders 3rd class were awarded in August 1917 to the Romanian officers for gallantry in action. The battle flags of three units (one regiment and two battalions) also received the prestigious award.