Dumitru Stratilescu, sometimes spelled as Dumitru Strătilescu, (28 August 1864 – 1927) was a Romanian general and military commander. During

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 commanded the First, Third, Fourth, and Fifth corps of the First Army of Romania.

Alexandru Ioanițiu Alexandru Ioanițiu (2 February 1890 – 17 September 1941) was a Romanian major general. He led Romanian troops against the Soviet Union during World War II, and was killed when he accidentally stepped into the moving propeller of his aircraft up ...

(Lt.-Colonel), '' Războiul României: 1916-1918 '', vol 1, Tipografia Geniului, București, 1929

Military career

Dumitru Stratilescu was born on 28 August 1864. He began his military education in 1884 by attending the Military School for Infantry and Cavalry in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

, which he graduated from in 1886. He reached the rank of lieutenant in 1890, was promoted to the rank of captain in 1895, and was promoted to the rank of major in 1905. He also attended the Higher War School in Bucharest. In 1908, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, while he reached the rank of colonel in 1911.Ministry of War, ''Yearbook of the Romanian Army for 1915'', George Ionescu Printing House and Graphic Arts Establishment, Bucharest, 1915 Stratilescu then participated in the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

World War I

At the time of Romania's entry into the war on the side of the

Entente powers The Triple Entente (from French '' entente'' meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as well a ...

, Stratilescu was acting Deputy Chief of the General Staff. From 1 November 1916, he served as commander of the First Corps, replacing Nicolae Petalu. He was in office for less than fifteen days, however, as he was appointed commander of the First Army on 12 November. Commanding the First Army, he took part in the

Battle of Bucharest The Battle of Bucharest, also known as the '' Argeş–Neajlov Defensive Operation'' in Romania, was the last battle of the Romanian Campaign of 1916 in World War I, in which the Central Powers' combatants, led by General Erich von Falkenhayn, ...

. He also commanded the First Army for a very short time because it was disbanded by a reorganization carried out in December 1916. In 1916, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. He then took command of the First Infantry Division, which was part of the Second Corps (led by General

Artur Văitoianu Artur or Arthur Văitoianu (14 April 1864 in Izmail – 17 June 1956) was a Romanian general who served as a Prime Minister of Romania for about two months in 1919 (27 September – 30 November). During his mandate, the first elections of ...

) of the Second Army (led by General

Alexandru Averescu Alexandru Averescu (; 9 March 1859 – 2 October 1938) was a Romanian marshal, diplomat and populist politician. A Romanian Armed Forces Commander during World War I, he served as Prime Minister of three separate cabinets (as well as being ''inter ...

).Stratilescu commanded the First Division during the

Battle of Mărăști The Battle of Mărăști ( ro, Bătălia de la Mărăști) was one of the main battles to take place on Romanian soil in World War I. It was fought between 22 July and 1 August 1917, and was an offensive operation of the Romanian and Russian armie ...

, in July 1917. He was decorated with the

Order of Michael the Brave The Order of Michael the Brave ( ro, Ordinul Mihai Viteazul) is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of the First World War, and was again awarded in the Second Wor ...

, Third Class, for the way he led the First Infantry Division in Mărăști. In December 1917 he became commander of the Fourth Corps, which he commanded until February 1918, when he was appointed commander of the Fifth Corps. After that, from May 1918 until the end of the war, he commanded Third Corps. During 1918, he reached the rank of divisional general.

Postwar life

After the end of the war, he served as commander of the 1st inspection area. He then served as Chief Inspector of the Army. He died in 1927 in Bucharest.

Awards

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 ...

, officer (1912) * Order of the Crown of Romania, commander (1909) * , with the distinction "Campaign of 1913" (1913) *

, III Class (July 21, 1917)Ministry of War, ''Yearbook of the officers and flags of the Romanian Army who were awarded the order "Mihai Viteazul"'', Graphic Workshops "Socec & Co", Bucharest, 1930

References

Bibliography

Constantin Kirițescu Constantin Kirițescu (September 3, 1876 – August 12, 1965) was a Romanian zoologist, educator and historian. Born and schooled in Bucharest, he occupied successive posts in the Education Ministry, with education being a running theme of his div ...

, ''History of the war for the unification of Romania'', Scientific and Encyclopedic Publishing House, Bucharest, 1989 *

(Lt.-Colonel), ''Războiul României: 1916-1918'', vol 1, Tipografia Geniului, București, 1929 * ''Romania in the World War 1916-1919'', Documents, Annexes , Volume 1, Official Gazette and State Printing, Bucharest, 1934 * ''The General Headquarters of the Romanian Army. Documents 1916 - 1920 , Machiavelli Publishing House, Bucharest, 1996 * ''Military history of the Romanian people'', vol. V, Military Publishing House, Bucharest, 1989 * ''Romania in the years of the First World War'', Military Publishing House, Bucharest, 1987 * ''Romania in the First World War'', Military Publishing House, 1979 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stratilescu, Dumitru 1864 births 1927 deaths Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War Romanian Army World War I generals Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave People from the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia