Liveblogging World War I: September 1, 1916: Roumania
Wikipedia: [Romania in World War I ][]:
The German high command was seriously worried about the prospect of Romania entering the war, Hindenburg writing:
It is certain that so relatively small a state as Rumania had never before been given a role so important, and, indeed, so decisive for the history of the world at so favorable a moment. Never before had two great Powers like Germany and Austria found themselves so much at the mercy of the military resources of a country which had scarcely one twentieth of the population of the two great states. Judging by the military situation, it was to be expected that Rumania had only to advance where she wished to decide the world war in favor of those Powers which had been hurling themselves at us in vain for years. Thus everything seemed to depend on whether Rumania was ready to make any sort of use of her momentary advantage....
On the night of August 27, 1916, three Romanian armies (First, Second and Northern Army (ro)), deployed according to the Romanian Campaign Plan (The "Z" Hypothesis), launched the Battle of Transylvania through the Carpathians. On that same night, an Austro-Hungarian barge loaded with fuel was hit by a torpedo and exploded when the Romanian torpedo boats Rândunica, Bujorescu and Catinca attacked Austro-Hungarian warships near the Bulgarian city of Rutschek. Initially, the only opposing force was the Austro-Hungarian First Army, which was steadily pushed back toward Hungary....
While the Romanian Army was advancing in Transylvania, the first counterattack came from Field Marshal August von Mackensen in command of a multi-national force composed of the Bulgarian Third Army, a German brigade and two divisions of the Ottoman VI Army Corps, whose units began arriving on the Dobrudja front after the initial battles. This army attacked north from Bulgaria, starting on September 1. It stayed on the south side of the Danube river and headed towards Constanța. The Romanian garrison of Turtucaia, encircled by Bulgarian troops (aided by a column of German troops) surrendered on September 6 at the conclusion of the Battle of Turtucaia. The Romanian Third Army made further attempts to withstand the enemy offensive at Silistra, Dobrich, Amzacea and Topraisar, but had to withdraw under the pressure of superior enemy forces....
