Constantin Brătescu
Constantin Brătescu (March 8, 1892 – April 13, 1971) was a Romanian major-general during World War II.
Constantin Brătescu | |
---|---|
Born | unknown | 8 March 1892
Died | 13 April 1971 79) unknown | (aged
Allegiance | |
Service/ | Romanian Army |
Years of service | sometime during the 1910s – 1948 |
Rank | Major General |
Battles/wars | Eastern Front of the Second World War, including Operation Barbarossa and the Battle of Stalingrad |
In 1941, he served first as Chief Propaganda Section General Staff (Romania's Propaganda Minister) and then as a Romanian liaison officer to the German Military Mission, meaning that he served as a German military officer during Operation Barbarossa and the Axis Invasion of the Soviet Union.[1] Starting in 1942 Brătescu was a Romanian General Officer (at the rank of Major-General) and commanded the 1st Cavalry Division throughout the campaign against the Soviets, fighting in such engagements as Operation Barbarossa, Operation Blue, and the Battle of Stalingrad.[2] Following the surrender of Friedrich Paulus' 6th Army at the Battle of Stalingrad, Brătescu became a prisoner of war and was held captive in the Soviet Union from 1943 to 1948.[1]
During a visit to Moscow in April 1946, the composer George Enescu and his wife, Princess Maruca Cantacuzino, asked the Soviet authorities to free Brătescu and a fellow prisoner, General Nicolae Mazarini.[3] Brătescu was released in 1948, after five years of imprisonment, and subsequently retired from active service. He died in 1971, at the age of seventy-nine.[1]
References
- "Generals from Romania". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
- Otu, Petre. "Secvența românească a bătăliei de la Stalingrad". Historia (in Romanian). Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- "Revista revistelor: Actualitatea de Cronicar". România Literară (in Romanian). 2000. Retrieved April 30, 2020.