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Ion S. DumitruRomanian officer, master of tank combat, participant in World War II
Date of Birth: 21.03.1921
Country:  Romania |
Content:
- Ion Dumitru: A Romanian Tank Ace of World War II
- Assignment to the 1st Tank Regiment
- Combat Debut in the Battle of Iaşi-Chişinău
- Retreat and Capture
- Battles Against the Soviets
- Service Under Soviet Command
- Battles in Slovakia
Ion Dumitru: A Romanian Tank Ace of World War II
Early Life and Military TrainingIon Dumitru was born on March 1, 1921, in Robăneşti, Romania. After completing high school, he graduated from the military academy in Timişoara in 1941. In 1943, he attended the infantry officer school in Bucharest.
Assignment to the 1st Tank Regiment
On July 1, 1943, Dumitru was assigned the rank of second lieutenant and was posted to the 1st Tank Regiment, which was stationed in Târgovişte and undergoing reorganization following the Romanian army's defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad. Dumitru received further training at the 6th Tank Regiment training center in Hanover, Germany.
Combat Debut in the Battle of Iaşi-Chişinău
In March 1944, Dumitru was deployed with the 1st Tank Division, known as "Greater Romania," to the front in Moldova. On August 20, 1944, the Soviet Iaşi-Chişinău Offensive began, and Romanian tankers were prepared for the Soviet attack. The 1st Tank Regiment launched a counterattack against Soviet mechanized columns, but faced heavy resistance. In a 10-hour tank battle near the village of Scobâlteni, Romanian tanks reportedly knocked out 60 Soviet tanks, forcing the enemy to withdraw.
Retreat and Capture
Despite the initial success, Soviet forces outflanked the Romanian positions, and the 1st Tank Regiment found itself surrounded. The Romanians began to retreat westward, but in the darkness, their columns became separated. Only 13 PzKpfw IV tanks and 3 SPW 250 armored personnel carriers reached the village of Stornosteni, where they were joined by German assault guns.
Battles Against the Soviets
On August 23, Soviet mechanized forces attacked the Romanian and German positions near the village of Săbăoani. In an ambush, the Romanians destroyed 22 Soviet tanks, with Dumitru claiming one enemy tank as his own. The Romanians continued their retreat, and on August 24, they were informed that the Romanian government had signed an armistice with the Soviet Union.
Service Under Soviet Command
Like many tankers from the 1st Tank Regiment, Dumitru was sent to a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. After several escape attempts, he was transferred to Târgovişte, where he was recruited into the newly formed 2nd Tank Regiment in mid-September 1944. He was now fighting under Soviet command against his former German allies.
Battles in Slovakia
In March 1945, the regiment, now part of the 27th Tank Brigade, was deployed to the front in Slovakia. Dumitru was assigned as a tank platoon commander in a PzKpfw IV tank. During a river crossing of the Hron River, Dumitru's unit destroyed six anti-tank guns and captured a battery of 15-centimeter howitzers. Their advance was halted by a counterattack from a platoon of German "Tigers."
