Ilie Șteflea (11 April 1888 – 21 May 1946) 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 ...

n General 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 opposing ...

and

Chief of the Romanian General Staff The Chief of General Staff ( ro, Șeful Statului Major General) is the highest professional military authority in the Romanian Armed Forces. He is appointed by the President of Romania, at the National Defense Minister's proposal (with the appro ...

between 20 January 1942 and 23 August 1944.

Early life and career

Ilie Șteflea was born in

Săliște Săliște (german: Großendorf or ''Selischte''; hu, Szelistye) is a town in Sibiu County, in the centre of Romania, west of the county capital, Sibiu. Declared a town in 2003, it is the main locality in the Mărginimea Sibiului area. Geograph ...

(near

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

, 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 ...

, at the time part of

Austria-Hungary 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 ...

). Economic hardships forced his family to move to the Kingdom of Romania, to the newly acquired province of Northern Dobruja. Șteflea attended primary school at

Medgidia Medgidia ( or ; historical Turkish names: ''Karasu'' or ''Carasu'', ''Mecidiye'' or ''Megidie'') is a city in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, south-eastern Romania. History Archaeological findings show that Dobruja was inhabited since th ...

, and secondary schools at Constanța and at the Gheorghe Lazăr High School in Bucharest. He started his studies at the Military School for Infantry Officers in September 1907, graduating first in his class in 1909. He was promoted to the rank of ''Sublocotenent'' ( second lieutenant) and assigned to the 34th Infantry Regiment, based in Constanța. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1912, he was sent in October 1915 by Colonel

Radu R. Rosetti Radu R. Rosetti ( – June 2, 1949) was a Romanian brigadier general, military historian, librarian, and a titular member of the Romanian Academy. Biography Early years Born in Căiuți, Bacău County, he was part of the old ''boyar'' Rosetti fam ...

on an information-gathering mission in Transylvania. Șteflea's cover name as a spy was Alexandru Ștefănescu, and he was supposed to be a teacher. He crossed the border and went to

Predeal Predeal (; hu, Predeál) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania. Predeal, a mountain resort town, is the highest town in Romania. It is located in the Prahova Valley at an elevation of over . The town administers three villages ...

, ostensibly for health reasons, and then on to the Timiș Valley and

Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a pop ...

to buy an overcoat, but in reality he was scoping out possible attack routes for a Romanian incursion into Austria-Hungary. After Romania entered World War I in August 1916, Șteflea was given the command of a machine gun company in the , holding the rank of captain. On he was wounded at Daidâr (now Shumentsi, Tutrakan Municipality) during 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 evacuated to

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

. On 1 April 1917 he was assigned as instructor to the Military School for Infantry Officers in Botoșani, where he taught infantry tactics inspired by the French military doctrine and his war experience. That year he advanced in rank to major. After the war, Șteflea attended the Higher War School, graduating in 1920. After a training period at the General Staff, he returned to teach at the military academy. In 1925 he pursued his training in France, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel, advancing in rank to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1930 and

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in 1938.

World War II

After the defeat of the Legionnaires' Rebellion in January 1941, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, with which he participated alongside German troops in the Siege of Odessa in the fall of 1941. He was promoted to

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 ...

in January 1942 and then to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in January 1944. On 20 January 1942 he was appointed

, a position he occupied until the fall of the Ion Antonescu regime on 23 August 1944, as a result of

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 ti ...

. On that date, Șteflea was temporary placed in command of the 4th Army (23–31 August 1944). In September, he was relieved of command and then arrested on 11 October 1944, because of his close cooperation with Antonescu. Due to ill health, Șteflea was put under house arrest. His doctor recommended treatment for his heart condition at a health spa, but the request was denied by

Alexandru Bârlădeanu Alexandru Bârlădeanu (or ''Bîrlădeanu''; 25 January 1911 – 13 November 1997) was a Romanian Marxian economist and statesman who was prominent during the communist regime until being sidelined in 1968. In his later years, following the collap ...

. He died at home on 21 May 1946. A month after his death, the

Bucharest People's Tribunal The two Romanian People's Tribunals ( ro, Tribunalele Poporului), the Bucharest People's Tribunal and the Northern Transylvania People's Tribunal (which sat in Cluj) were set up by the post-World War II government of Romania, overseen by the Allied ...

ordered the closure of Șteflea's file. The

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county ( ro, județ) of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat ( ro, reședință de județ) is the namesake town of Sibiu (german: Hermannstadt). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben m ...

branch of the National Association of Reserve and Retired Military Personnel is now named after him.

Awards and decorations

References

External links

* * AsiiRomani.ro
Biography of Ilie Șteflea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steflea, Ilie 1888 births 1946 deaths People from Săliște Romanian Austro-Hungarians Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian military personnel of World War I Romanian military personnel of World War II Romanian spies Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 1st class Knights of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania Carol I National Defence University alumni Academic staff of Carol I National Defence University Gheorghe Lazăr National College (Bucharest) alumni