Iacob Zadik | |
|---|---|
 Zadik in 1917 | |
| Born | December 20, 1867 Brătulești, Roman County, United Principalities |
| Died | April 8, 1970 (aged 102) Bucharest, Communist Romania |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Romania |
| Service |  Romanian Land Forces |
| Years of service | 1886–1929 |
| Rank | .gif){kind=small} Divisional General |
| Commands | First Army 8th Infantry Division 4th Army Corps |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of Saint Stanislaus Grad Officer of the Order of the Star of Romania |
| Spouse(s) | Rosa Zadik |
| Children | 3 (including Colonel Grigore Zadik) |
Iacob Zadik (also spelled Zadig or Zadic; Armenian: Հակոբ Զատիկ; Ukrainian: Якоб Задік; December 8, 1867 – April 8, 1970) was a Romanian artillery and infantry commander, who rose to the rank of divisional general. An assimilated ethnic Armenian, he prepared for a career in the Romanian Land Forces beginning at age nine. This led him to complete military training at several schools, including the Higher War School, where he graduated in 1898. Involved in repressing the 1907 Peasants' Revolt, he fist saw field action during the Second Balkan War (1913). He spent the early years of World War I in France, appointed to the staff of Joseph Joffre, but returned in time to participate in the Romanian offensive of 1916. As one of the leaders of the First Army, Zadik then took part in the defense of Moldavia, specifically the battles of Mărășești and First Oituz. During the armistice period of early 1918, he took leadership of the 8th Infantry Division in Botoșani.
Zadik earned distinction especially for leading the 8th Infantry Division's November 1918 expedition into the Duchy of Bukovina, which helped that region unite with Romania. He then secured Romanian Bukovina's northern border by moving against the West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Austrian Sich Riflemen, capturing Archduke Wilhelm of Austria; in early to mid 1919, his 8th Division was on a peacekeeping mission to Pokuttia, which was the site of multiple conflicts between Poles and Ukrainians. Though he effectively secured Pokuttia for annexation by the Second Polish Republic, Zadik extended his protection toward the Ukrainian civilians. He later served briefly as the head of the military command in Bessarabia, which was later incorporated in his command of the 4th Army Corps. During the 1920s, he involved himself in containing criminal activity on the eastern borders of Greater Romania. Just before retiring in 1929, he drew controversy with his decision to institute a state of siege on Romania's border with the Soviet Union.
Zadik withdrew from active duty and took administrative positions, including one at the Aircraft Construction Enterprise, while also serving as vice president of Cultul Eroilor society in the late 1920s. His career in the arms was followed by his son Grigore, who specialized in anti-aircraft defense. After the introduction of a communist regime in 1947, Zadik Sr was singled out for having publicly supported Bessarabia's incorporation within Romania; he was consequently imprisoned during the 1950s, but rehabilitated the following decade. Though his name was left out of specialized works, he received decorations for his past service, and was rumored to have been rescued from poverty by high-ranking members of the Communist Party apparatus, including Emil Bodnăraș; in his final years, he made public statements in suppot of the national-communist party line. He died in 1970, aged 102.