The Third Battle of Oituz was a confrontation between
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
and, to a lesser extent,
Russian forces on one side and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
and
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
forces on the other, during the
Romanian Campaign of World War I. The battle took place primarily in the
Oituz
Oituz (formerly ''Grozești''; hu, Gorzafalva) is a commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Călcâi (''Zöldlonka''), Ferestrău-Oituz (''Fűrészfalva''), Hârja (''Herzsa''), Marginea, Oituz and Poi ...
valley on the border between
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
and
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, from 8 to 22 August 1917.
Prelude and order of battle
The Austro-Hungarian
First Army planned to attack Romanian positions along the Oituz valley, primarily using the
Gerok Group, which had recently participated in the
Battle of Mărăști. The 8th Corps would undertake the main effort; it comprised one German and two Austro-Hungarian infantry divisions deployed between
Valea Dofteanei and Măgura
Cașin
Cașin is a commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, 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, Hunga ...
ului, and two Austro-Hungarian cavalry divisions in reserve. In front of them, the
Romanian Second Army deployed the 2nd and 4th Corps, with a total of six infantry divisions (1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 9th, 12th) and two reserve battalions. The attack would be carried out on a front, and the Romanians were outnumbered 4 to 1. Several kilometres behind the Romanian lines was the
Trotuș River
The Trotuș ( hu, Tatros) is a river in eastern Romania, a right tributary of the river Siret. It emerges from the Ciuc Mountains in the Eastern Carpathians and joins the Siret in Domnești-Sat near Adjud after passing through Comănești and O ...
valley, which led to the rear of the Romanian and Russian front; thus, a successful
Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
offensive at Oituz could have had potentially disastrous effects for the
Allied
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 ...
war effort in Romania.
The battle
The attack began on 8 August, after a violent four-hour artillery barrage. The fortified Pravila peak, held by the Romanian 27th Dorobanṭi Regiment "Bacău", was assaulted four times by the Austro-Hungarian 70th Infantry Division, without result. The German
117th Infantry division was more successful advancing around Ungureanu peak and inflicting heavy losses on the 16th Dorobanṭi Regiment "Baia". To the south, the 10th Dorobanṭi Regiment "Putna" managed to hold its ground. During the night, the Romanian 4th Corps counterattacked in the German-held areas, taking 200 prisoners and retaking some lost ground. The following afternoon, however, the Central Powers attacked in force, taking Pravila peak and advancing near . The Romanian 7th Infantry Division retreated to a new defensive line. Violent fighting continued on 10 August, exhausting the Romanians, who could not reinforce their lines properly due to the concurrent fighting at
Mărășești. Only the 1st Cavalry Division arrived on 11 August, immediately entering combat and recapturing the area south of Coșna Hill and Stibor Hill in the evening. German units which occupied the village of Oituz were pushed back by the mountain troops and
armored cars of the 2nd Corps.
On 12 August the newly-arrived ''
Vânători de munte'' (Mountain troops) Battalion, after a march and a 20-minute rest, attacked
Cireșoaia peak, in tandem with the 27th Regiment, one other Romanian and two Russian battalions. The mountain troops broke through the 70th Infantry Division's defenses, taking 417 prisoners, while suffering only 21 casualties. The Austro-Hungarian division suffered nearly 1,500 casualties in total at Cireșoaia.
On 13 August another Romanian reinforcement, the ''Grăniceri'' (Border Guards) Brigade, attacked Central Powers positions south of the Oituz river, losing more than 800 men while gaining little ground. The 1st Cavalry Division retook Coșna Hill and held it against German counterattacks. At Cireșoaia, the 7th Infantry Division attacked together with the Russian 2nd Infantry Division; after initial gains, the Russian 195th Infantry Regiment was repelled, and Austro-Hungarian troops threatened the Romanians' flanks. Subsequently, the advance was halted.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oituz, 3rd Battle of
Battles of World War I involving Austria-Hungary
Battles of World War I involving Germany
Battles of World War I involving Romania
Battles of World War I involving Russia
History of Western Moldavia
Conflicts in 1917
1917 in Romania
August 1917 events