Constantin Dumitrescu (February 25, 1868 – January 24, 1935) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

. Born in Morunglav, Romanați County in 1868, his parents were Dumitrache and Nicolița Ioan; the surname Dumitrescu was adopted later. His father was possibly of Greek origin. The future general was nicknamed “Turcu” (“the Turk”) because he was intransigent and did not accept to be contradicted. In 1887, he entered the school for soldiers’ sons in Craiova, entering the officers’ school in 1890. He graduated in 1892 as a second lieutenant. The same year, he was assigned to the Rovine Regiment, serving there until 1896, when he was promoted to lieutenant. In 1897, he married Elena Dăbuleanu. His regimental service was interrupted in 1900–1901, when he was assigned to the soldiers’ sons’ school. In 1904, he became a captain, and was promoted to major in 1911, and to lieutenant colonel in early 1916. Soon after Romania's entry into

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he fought with bravery in September 1916 at the

Battle of Turtucaia The Battle of Turtucaia ( ro, Bătălia de la Turtucaia; bg, Битка при Тутракан, ''Bitka pri Tutrakan''), also known as Tutrakan Epopee ( bg, Тутраканска епопея, ''Tutrakanska epopeya'') in Bulgaria, was the openi ...

, and in October at the

First Battle of the Jiu Valley The First Battle of the Jiu Valley was a military engagement during World War I fought between Romanian forces on one side and Central Powers forces (Germany and Austria-Hungary) on the other. The German offensive, although initially successful, w ...

. He was promoted to colonel afterward, and in September 1917, he was named brigadier general and put in command of the 22nd Infantry Brigade. Dumitrescu played an important role in the

Hungarian–Romanian War The Hungarian–Romanian War was fought between Hungary and Romania from 13 November 1918 to 3 August 1919. The conflict had a complex background, with often contradictory motivations for the parties involved. The Allies of World War I intended ...

. On April 18, 1919, he was appointed commanding officer of the 7th Division, replacing General . Starting a few days earlier from its positions around

Zalău Zalău (, unofficial and former official name: ro, Zălau (; german: Zillenmarkt or , hu, Zilah, tr, Zile) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2011, its estimated population was 56,202. History Ancient times Zalău is situated in the ...

, the 7th Division attacked towards

Carei Carei (; , ; /, yi, , ) is a city in Satu Mare County, northwestern Romania, near the border with Hungary. The city administers one village, Ianculești ( hu, Szentjánosmajor). History The first mention of the city under the name of "Karul ...

and Oradea, then occupied

Debrecen Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and ...

, after which it marched on to

Karcag Karcag () is a large town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary. Geography Karcag covers an area of and has a population of 20,632 people (2011). Transport Karcag has its own railway station, b ...

and

Tiszafüred Tiszafüred is a town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 11,260 people (2015).Gazetteer of Hungary, 1st January 2015'. Hungarian Centr ...

. On July 19, General Gheorghe Mărdărescu, the commander of the Romanian Army in

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, put Dumitrescu in charge of the front line in the Madaras sector. Together with the forces of Generals Ștefan Holban (in charge of the Fegyvernek sector) and Traian Moșoiu (in charge of the

Törökszentmiklós Törökszentmiklós is a town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary. It is the third-largest settlement in the county. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 23,145 (2002). His ...

sector), Dumitrescu's troops crossed the

Tisza River The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders. The Tisza be ...

at Kisköre on July 31, and eventually reached

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

at the beginning of August. In October 1920 Dumitrescu was put in command of the 11th Division. Named major general in March 1924, he assumed the next month command of the 1st Army Corps. He entered the reserves in October 1929, and died in Craiova in 1935. His awards include the Order of the Crown (1910, 1919, 1924, the latter of the grand officer rank), the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...

(1917, 1922, 1928, the latter of the grand officer rank) and the Czechoslovak War Cross 1918 (1928).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumitrescu, Constantin 1868 births 1935 deaths People from Olt County Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian Army World War I generals Romanian people of the Hungarian–Romanian War Grand Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross