Leon Șușman (June 10, 1910 – July 19, 1957)
was a member of the
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
paramilitary organization the
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard ( ro, Garda de Fier) was a Romanian militant revolutionary fascist movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel Michael () or the Legionnaire Movement (). It was strong ...
who, following the
Soviet occupation of Romania
The Soviet occupation of Romania refers to the period from 1944 to August 1958, during which the Soviet Union maintained a significant military presence in Romania. The fate of the territories held by Romania after 1918 that were incorporated int ...
and establishment of the
Romanian People's Republic
The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian Peop ...
, became the leader of an
anti-communist paramilitary group in the
Apuseni Mountains
The Apuseni Mountains ( ro, Munții Apuseni, hu, Erdélyi-középhegység) is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Romanian Carpathians, also called ''Occidentali'' in Romanian. Their name translates from R ...
.
Șușman was born in
Măhăceni,
Alba County on June 10, 1910, in a family of
Greek-Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually.
The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...
peasants. After graduating with a law degree from the
University of Cluj
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, he joined the Iron Guard. In 1941 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his participation in the
Legionnaires' rebellion and Bucharest pogrom
Between 21 and 23 January 1941, a rebellion of the Iron Guard paramilitary organization, whose members were known as Legionnaires, occurred in Bucharest, National Legionary State, Romania. As their privileges were being gradually removed by t ...
; however, he escaped capture and fled to the Apuseni Mountains. In 1945, following an agreement between Iron Guard leader
Nicolae Petrașcu and Interior Minister
Teohari Georgescu
Teohari Georgescu (January 31, 1908 – December 31, 1976) was a Romanian statesman and a high-ranking member of the Romanian Communist Party.
Early life
Born in Chitila, near Bucharest, he was the third of seven children of Constantin and An ...
which granted Iron Guard members amnesty in exchange for turning in their weapons, Șușman returned to civilian life and practiced law in
Ocna Mureș
Ocna Mureș (; la, Salinae, hu, Marosújvár, german: Miereschhall) is a town in Alba County, Romania, located in the north-eastern corner of the county, near the Mureș River. The town is situated next to a large deposit of salt, mined in the ...
;
he did so until May 15, 1948, when the Communist authorities started to arrest ex-members of the Iron Guard and fascist sympathizers.
At that time, he and his brother, Gheorghe Șușman, went underground, hiding from the authorities in the area between
Turda
Turda (; hu, Torda, ; german: link=no, Thorenburg; la, Potaissa) is a city in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the southeastern part of the county, from the county seat, Cluj-Napoca, to which it is connected by the Europe ...
, Ocna Mureș,
Aiud
Aiud (; la, Brucla, hu, Nagyenyed, Hungarian pronunciation: ; german: Straßburg am Mieresch) is a city located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. The city's population is 22,876. It has the status of municipality and is the 2nd-largest c ...
, and
Blaj
Blaj (; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; hu, Balázsfalva; german: Blasendorf; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Blußendref'') is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,630 inhabitants.
The landmark of the city is the ...
.
From 1949 to 1950 Șușman led an anti-communist paramilitary group in the Măhăceni–Aiud area. Between 1950 and 1957, he was the leader of the resistance group in the
Poșaga
Poșaga (german: Puschendorf; hu, Podsága) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 1,383, and is composed of seven villages: Corțești, Incești (''Jencsest''), Lunca (''Aranyoslonka''), Orăști ('' ...
area, together with the Greek-Catholic priest Simion Roșa.
The
Securitate
The Securitate (, Romanian for ''security'') was the popular term for the Departamentul Securității Statului (Department of State Security), the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Previously, before the communist regi ...
secret police sent 10 officers in the area, headed by Major Constantin Vieru, under cover of being geologists.
To eliminate the Șușman resistance group, the Romanian security forces used informers against them and intercepted the correspondence of family members.
One informer, code-named "Maxim Ionescu", informed the Securitate that the Șușman brothers were going to celebrate Saint Elijah together with Ilie Brad and Simion Roșa in the house of Vasile Crișan from the Poșaga village of Săgagea.
Șușman died in Poșaga de Sus of wounds sustained in a shootout with Securitate troops during the night of July 18–19, 1957.
Roșa also died that night, as did the chief of the Securitate detachment; two other members of the resistance group, Gheorghe Șușman and Crișan, were caught alive.
In the aftermath of the Poșaga shootout, dozens of supporters of the Șușman–Roșa anti-communist resistance group were arrested and tried by the
Cluj
; hu, kincses város)
, official_name=Cluj-Napoca
, native_name=
, image_skyline=
, subdivision_type1 = County
, subdivision_name1 = Cluj County
, subdivision_type2 = Status
, subdivision_name2 = County seat
, settlement_type = City
, le ...
Military Tribunal. Gheorghe Șușman and Vasile Crișan were sentenced to death in April 1958; Crișan was executed at
Gherla Prison
Gherla Prison is a penitentiary located in the Romanian city of Gherla, in Cluj County. The prison dates from 1785; it is infamous for the treatment of its political inmates, especially during the Communist regime. In Romanian slang the generic wo ...
on August 4 of that year. Also executed at Gherla around that time were Ilie Vlad, Teodor Trânca, Vasile Răfăilă, and Andrei Bicuț, peasants from the area found guilty of being supporters of the Șușman group. Others were sent to prison, and numerous families were
deported to the Bărăgan and had their properties confiscated.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Susman, Leon
1910 births
1957 deaths
20th-century Romanian lawyers
20th-century Romanian politicians
Members of the Iron Guard
Romanian guerrillas
Members of the Romanian anti-communist resistance movement
People from Alba County
Romanian Greek-Catholics
Babeș-Bolyai University alumni
Fugitives wanted by Romania
Deaths by firearm in Romania
People shot dead by law enforcement officers