Romanian campaign (1917)

Romanian Campaign (1917)
Part of the Romanian Campaign of World War I

Romanian troops at Mărășești
Date22 July–3 September 1917
Location
Moldavia, Romania
Result

Russo-Romanian victory

  • Romania makes a net territorial gain of around 200 square kilometres (77 square miles)
  • August von Mackensen's invasion of Moldavia fails
Belligerents
 Romania
Russian Empire Russia		  Germany
 Austria-Hungary
 Bulgaria
Commanders and leaders
High Command:
Kingdom of Romania Constantin Prezan
Kingdom of Romania Ion Antonescu
2nd Army:
Kingdom of Romania Alexandru Averescu
1st Army:
Kingdom of Romania Constantin Cristescu
(until 12 August)
Kingdom of Romania Eremia Grigorescu
(after 12 August)		 German Empire August von Mackensen
German Empire Friedrich von Gerok
Units involved
Romania:
1st Army
2nd Army
Russia:
4th Army
9th Army		 9th Army
Gerok Group
Strength
Battle of Mărăști (Romanian):
56 battalions
14 squadrons
228 artillery pieces (52 heavy)
21 aircraft
Battle of Mărăști (Russian):
3 divisions

Battle of Mărășești (Romanian):
78 battalions
58 squadrons
150 batteries (36 heavy)
10 trench mortars
7 anti-aircraft guns
5 air squadrons
Battle of Mărășești (Russian):
84 battalions
32 squadrons
79 batteries (9 heavy)		 Battle of Mărăști:
21 battalions
36 squadrons
142 artillery pieces (6 heavy)

Battle of Mărășești:
102 battalions
10 squadrons
213 batteries (31 heavy)
Casualties and losses
Romanian losses at Mărășești:
27,000		 German losses at Mărășești:
60,000

The Romanian campaign consisted in three battles between late July and early September 1917, fought between Germany and Austria-Hungary on one side versus Romania and Russia on the other. Romania emerged from this campaign with a slight net territorial gain and won its most important battle during the First World War.

The campaign was one of several attacks along the Eastern Front that was launched in support of the Kerensky offensive in Galicia.[1] Its success restored Romania's reputation among the Entente after its defeats in 1916, and was important in developing Romanian national consciousness and increasing morale, becoming the subject of Romanian literature during the Interwar period. However, it only had a small impact on the overall war effort for the Entente.[2]

  1. ^ Heenan, Louise Erwin (1987). Russian Democracy's Fatal Blunder: The Summer Offensive of 1917. New York: Praeger. pp. 117–124. ISBN 978-0-275-92829-2.
  2. ^ Torrey, Glenn E. (2011). The Romanian Battlefront in World War I. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press. pp. 253–256. ISBN 978-0-7006-2017-3.