Nicolae Tătăranu (3 October 1890 – 13 May 1953) was a Romanian Major General during World War II. He was also a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

. Tătăranu was born in Măicănești, a village în

Râmnicu Sărat County Râmnicu Sărat County is one of the historic counties of Muntenia, Romania. The county seat was Râmnicu Sărat. Geography Râmnicu Sărat County covered 3,324 km2 and was located in central-south-eastern part of Greater Romania, in the nort ...

, now in Vrancea County. In 1908 he enrolled in the School for Infantry Officers in Bucharest, graduating in 1910 with the rank of second lieutenant. After Romania entered World War I on the side of the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

in August 1916, Tătăranu fought with the 2nd Battalion '' Vânători de munte'', first as lieutenant, and then as captain. Following the end of World War One, Tătăranu attended the

Higher War School The National Defence University of Warsaw ( – AON) was the civil-military highest defence academic institution in Poland, located in Warszawa–Rembertów. In 2016 it was succeeded by the War Studies University. The National Defence Universit ...

(1921–1923). He served as

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in Paris from 1928 to 1931 as well as in Brussels (1929–1931) and Madrid (1930–1931). In 1935 he was promoted to colonel and in 1939 to brigadier general. In 1940 he published his World War I memoirs. During World War II, Tătăranu took part in Operation Barbarossa. On 30 August 1941, Tătăranu signed in Tighina the ''Agreement Concerning Security, Administration and Economic Exploitation of the Territories between the Transnistria and Buh–Dnieper Region'' with General Major Arthur Hauffe. In late October 1941 while serving as deputy commander of the Romanian 10th Infantry Division, troops under his command took part in the Odessa massacre. During the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

, Tătăranu served as commander of the Romanian 20th Infantry Division, which was part of the Romanian 6th Corps under the command of General

Corneliu Dragalina Corneliu Dragalina (5 February 1887 – 11 July 1949) was a Romanian lieutenant general during World War II. Biography Early life and World War I He was born in the city of Karánsebes, Austria-Hungary, in what is now Caransebeș, Caraș-Severi ...

. The 6th Corps troops received the brunt of the Soviet offensive ( Operation Uranus) south of Stalingrad and suffered catastrophic losses. On orders from General Friedrich Paulus, Tătăranu flew out of the Stalingrad pocket on 13 January 1943, to report to

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and marshal who presided over two successive wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister and ''Conducător'' during most of World War II. A Romanian Army career officer who made ...

on the dire situation of the Romanian troops trapped there. On 28 March 1945, Tătăranu was put into retirement by the Petru Groza government.

Awards

* Iron Cross, 2nd and 1st Class (1939) * Order of the Star of Romania, Commander Class (8 June 1940)Decretul Regal nr. 1.905 din 8 iunie 1940 pentru numiri de membri ai ordinului "Steaua României", publicat în '' Monitorul Oficial'', anul CVIII, nr. 131 din 8 iunie 1940, partea I-a, p. 2.783. * Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd Class (14 November 1941)Decretul Regal nr. 3.202 din 14 noiembrie 1941 pentru conferiri de Ordine Militare, publicat în '' Monitorul Oficial'', anul CIX, nr. 277 din 21 noiembrie 1941, partea I-a, p. 7.252. *

War Victory Cross The War Victory Cross order was a medal introduced by the Slovak Republic. The order was issued to Slovakian military personnel who had been in the armed forces for a minimum of 4 years. A total of 3,769 awards of all classes were made; of which ...

, 2nd Class (1941) *

(17 December 1942)

References

External links

* * 1890 births 1953 deaths People from Vrancea County Romanian military personnel of World War I Carol I National Defence University alumni Romanian expatriates in France Romanian expatriates in Spain Romanian expatriates in Belgium Romanian military personnel of World War II Romanian Land Forces generals Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave {{Romania-mil-bio-stub