Paul Alexiu (April 8, 1893 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 ...

– September 30, 1963, in Bucharest) was a

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 a ...

in the

Romanian Armed Forces The Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces of Romania are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces ( ro, Forțele Armate Române or ''Armata Română''). The current Commander-in-chief is Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu who is managed ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After attending the Artillery Military School in

(1911–1913), he graduated with the rank of second lieutenant. After

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 pursued his studies at the Higher War School (1920–1922). Alexiu was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1933 and to colonel in 1938. The start of

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

on 22 June 1941 found Colonel Alexiu in command of the 3rd Artillery Regiment from the 10th Artillery Brigade, in charge of two 75mm Gun Battalions and one 100mm Howitzer Battalion. During World War II he fought on the Eastern Front, participating in the

Crimean campaign The Crimea campaign was an eight-month-long campaign by Axis forces to conquer the Crimea Peninsula, and was the scene of some of the bloodiest battles on the Eastern Front during World War II. The German, Romanian, and defending Soviet t ...

, especially in the July 1942 battle at Eltigen in the

Kerch Peninsula The Kerch Peninsula is a major and prominent geographic peninsula located at the eastern end of the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine. This peninsula stretches eastward toward the Taman peninsula between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Most of the ...

. He served as commanding officer of the 4th Artillery Regiment between 1941 and 1942, and in 1942 to 1943 he served as the commanding officer of the artillery 10th division. He was promoted to brigadier general in March 1943, and was put in reserve in June 1943. After

King Michael's Coup King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of August 1944, Alexiu was recalled to active duty in December 1944, and assigned to the command of an artillery brigade attached to the 1st Army. In mid-April 1945 he took command of the 18th division, and fought at the Váh River near

Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest municip ...

in western

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

, during the Bratislava–Brno Offensive. In August 1946 he was promoted to major general. From 1946 to 1947, Alexiu was the inspector of artillery. He became commanding 2nd Military Region in 1947 and general officer commanding anti-aircraft defence in 1949. In a secret report from June 1949, the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

mentioned that Alexiu had been promoted to lieutenant general, and was a "devoted Communist". After retiring from the Army in March 1950, he was arrested in January 1954 and set free in September 1954; while in detention, he was investigated for actions taken during the Odessa massacre of October 1941.

Awards and honors

* Officer of 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 ...

(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 the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle (german: Verdienstorden vom Deutschen Adler) was an award of the German Nazi regime, predominantly to foreign diplomats. The Order was instituted on 1 May 1937 by Adolf Hitler. It ceased to be awarded follo ...

(1943).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexiu, Paul 1893 births 1963 deaths Military personnel from Bucharest Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian military personnel of World War II Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Carol I National Defence University alumni Prisoners and detainees of Romania Romanian prisoners and detainees