Sava Caracaș (31 October 1890 – 15 March 1945) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n brigadier general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Career

He was born in 1890 in

Lețcani Lețcani is a commune in Iași County, Western Moldavia, Romania, part of the Iași metropolitan area. It is composed of four villages: Bogonos, Cogeasca, Cucuteni and Lețcani. The commune is situated on the Moldavian Plateau, at an altitude of ...

Iași County Iași County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with the administrative seat at Iași. It is the most populous county in Romania, after the Municipality of Bucharest (which has the same administrative level as that of a cou ...

. After graduating the Infantry Military School in 1912 with the rank of second lieutenant, he advanced in rank to lieutenant colonel in 1930 and colonel in 1936. In 1938, Caracaș served as

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

of Iași County. At the order of the Minister of Interior,

Armand Călinescu Armand Călinescu (4 June 1893 – 21 September 1939) was a Romanian economist and politician, who served as 39th List of Prime Ministers of Romania, Prime Minister from March 1939 until Assassination of Armand Călinescu, his assassination six ...

, he ordered the search of known sympathizers of the

Iron Guard The Iron Guard () was a Romanian militant revolutionary nationalism, revolutionary Clerical fascism, religious fascist Political movement, movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel M ...

, who were suspected of possessing weapons and propaganda materials. Wearing a mărțișor was forbidden that year, since it was viewed as political insignia. From May 1941 to January 1942, he served as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

4th Corps Area. On 22 June 1941 Romania joined

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

in order to reclaim the lost territories of

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

and

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

, which had been annexed by the Soviet Union in June 1940. From 29 June to 6 July 1941, the Iași pogrom was launched by governmental forces under

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

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc� ...

against the

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish community in Iași. On August 25, the commander of the 4th Corps Area, General Constantin Cernătescu, and his chief of staff, Colonel Caracaș, ordered all inhabitants of ethnic Jewish origin from the territory under their authority (the counties of

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

Baia Baia (; ; ) is a commune in Suceava County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, northeastern Romania with a population of 7,261 as of 2021. It is composed of two villages, namely Baia and Bogata. Located on the Moldova (river), Moldova ...

, Botoșani, Roman,

Bălți Bălți () is a city in Moldova. It is the second-largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city holds the status of municipiu. Sometimes called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cu ...

, and Soroca) to wear a

yellow badge The yellow badge, also known as the yellow patch, the Jewish badge, or the yellow star (, ), was an accessory that Jews were required to wear in certain non-Jewish societies throughout history. A Jew's ethno-religious identity, which would be d ...

on their chest. In January 1942, Caracaș was promoted to brigadier general.Decretul Conducătorului Statului nr. 505 din 19 februarie 1942 pentru înaintări în Armata de Uscat, publicat în '' Monitorul Oficial'', anul CX, nr. 44 din 20 februarie 1942, partea I-a, p. 1.157. Starting în March 1942, he was Commanding Officer of the 10th Infantry Division. In August 1942 he led his division in the

Battle of the Caucasus The Battle of the Caucasus was a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus as part of the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, opening the Caucasus region of the southern Soviet ...

. In October 1943 he went into reserve until June 1944, when he became General Officer Commanding 7th Training Division. After the coup d'état of 23 August 1944, Romania switched sides and declared war on

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. In September–October of that year, Caracaș fought with his division at the Battle of Turda, under the command of general Gheorghe Avramescu. In October 1944 he was appointed General Officer Commanding 20th Training Division. Gravely wounded in combat that month, he was sent to the Carol Davila military hospital in

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; ; ) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the river Mureș (river), Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a ...

, where he succumbed to his wounds in March 1945. He was buried in the city's Heroes Cemetery. His awards include 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 Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...

, Officer rank (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 Crown, Commander rank (December 1943),Decretul Regal nr. 3.323 din 23 decembrie 1943 pentru conferiri de decorațiuni, publicat în '' Monitorul Oficial'', anul CXII, nr. 37 din 14 februarie 1944, partea I-a, p. 1.154. and Order of the Star, Commander rank (post-mortem, May 1945).Decretul Regal nr. 1.535 din 12 mai 1945 pentru conferiri de decorațiuni de război, publicat în '' Monitorul Oficial'', anul CXIII, nr. 119 din 29 mai 1945, partea I-a, p. 4.414.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caracas, Sava 1890 births 1945 deaths People from Iași County Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian military personnel killed in World War II Prefects of Romania Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Romania)