Y E A R I • No. 1 • J U L Y 2 0 1 3 • E N G L I S H V E R S I O N
Rediscovering History • M O N T H L Y P U B LI C A T I O N D E D I C A T E D R E E N A C T M E N T E N T H U S I A S T S •
• E D ITO R IAL•
Rediscovering History! Much was said and will still be regarding history. Printed or on-line, articles on history were and will always be within the reach of every individual that wishes to unveil every bit of his past. Thus, dozens of magazines, thousands of articles were published till this day. Nevertheless the Rediscovering History Magazine aims to go out of the box making a step forward by approaching history from another point of view – that of the reenactment enthusiasts, of those interested in reconstructing various historical events. Among articles that uncover some of the unknown facts of national and universal history, the magazine will offer to its readers, interviews, reportages, news about exhibitions, photos, but also will present some of the Romanian reenactment organizations and reenactment actions that take place abroad. The editors of this magazine are aware of the difficult road they have embarked on, with great competition, being motivated only by their love for history and the will to share their readers everything noteworthy, through the pages of this magazine. Our actions have the support of historians and curators of the most important museums in Romania, actions that will bring to you the events that have made history. Because history starts where the present ends. Because today’s big event tomorrow will be History.
Alice Diana BOBOC Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU
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•CONTENT•
05 The Statue of Liberty. 130 years ago 06 Bucharest in 1918: Little Berlin 08 Homecoming Heroes: Commemorating ceremony taking place at the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb 10 Deutsches Freikorps Association 14 The WW2 Infantryman Uniform 16 July’s exhibit: PzKpfw IV 17 The King under surveillance. King Mihai the Ist of Romania in the files of The Communist Security Agency 20 Jilava. Fort 13 24 Communism in pictures 25 Eduard Gutescu – Windows in Time 29 A chance in a billion: The collision of two bullets 30 Let’s play… War! 31 Amerika: Adolf Hitler’s special train 35 The voiece from the front… 36 Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter 38 Wandering on the iron road: The railway of Mediaș
REDISCOVERING HISTORY Monthly publication dedicated reenactment enthusiasts
MADE IN ROMANIA
ENGLISH VERSION EDITORIAL TEAM • Founding members and Editors: Alice Diana BOBOC and Mihăiţă ENACHE • Collaborators: Andrei BERINDE and Emil BOBOESCU • Translators: Gabriela BREȚCANU, Emanuel IVAN and Roxana NICU CONTACT • E-mail: redescopera.istoria@gmail.com www.redescoperaistoria.ro www.facebook.com/RedescoperaIstoria
Responsibility for the publication belongs to the authors. Reproduction of materials from Rediscovering History magazine without written permission of Editorial Team is prohibited.
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•ZOOM•
The Statue of Liberty 130 years ago
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•HISTORY•
After two years of neutrality, Romania decides to enter the War on one condition: The Great Powers had to provide international recognition of Romania’s rights over all romanian inhabited territories within Austria-Hungary. The romanian campaign strategy involved an offensive approach in Transylvania and a defensive one in the South. According to the arrangements signed with the allies, the french army promised an assault on Tessaloniki, while the russian military pledged to continue the offensive in Galitia and the delivery of weapons and ammunition from the West. Unfortunately, these promises were not kept and Romania was defeated. The state lost two thirds of its territory , which were overrun by german, austro-hungarian, bulgarian and turkish troops. The above snapshot was taken two years after the occupation of the Capital and illustrates the military parade where the famous Generalfeldmarschall August von Mackensen (named governor of Romania in 1917) was present to celebrate the anniversary of Kaiser Wilhelm the 2nd (27th of January, 1918). In the center of the image we can see the Capsha House building, a spoil of war at the time and an important symbol of romanian social and political life. German officers served their
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•HISTORY• Romania during military operations (26 Nov. 1916 – 7 Jan. 1917)
meals at Capsha House using meal tickets as payment. The place was commandeered by the german military on the 20th of December 1916 only to be donated to bulgarians in January 4th, 1917. The bulgarians turned this place into The Bulgarian Casino for Officers and Soldiers, and thus “defiled” this important socio-political landscape of Bucharest. While the german military showed respect towards the value and identity of Capsha House, bulgarian troops technically “marched” inside the building and indolently replaced the crystal candy jars with pickle jars. The second picture is also taken on the occasion of Wilhelm’s anniversary and captures two buildings that exist to this day: The House of the Army (on the left), and Capitol Hotel (on the right). The superior officers are arranged in a festive formation and are saluted by the same von Mackensen mounted on his white horse.
Translator: Emanuel IVAN Photo: muzeuldefotografie.ro
To be continued
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•EVENT•
To celebrate the Heroes Day on 8th of July, the Military Tradition Association (ATM) has organized a ceremony of laying down 4 urns containing soil from places where the Romanian Army fought heavy battles and suffered many casualties: Bessarabia, Odessa, Sevastopol and Stalingrad. Essential for this event were: the National Office for Heroes Memory (ONCE), the Bucharest Garrison and the 30th Guard Regiment Mihai Viteazul. Thus, those 4 recipients (projectile tubes of 76 mm caliber) were provided by the ONCE, being engraved by the ATM with the following text: Earth watered with the blood of Romanian Soldiers fallen on the field of honour. Thirteen members of the ATM took part in this event, dressed in different WW2 Romanian uniforms: Infantry, Frontier Guards, Mountain Huntsmen, Marines and Paratroopers. During the ceremony, the ATM was the guard of honour, while the urns were laid down by a detachment of the 30th Guard Regiment Mihai Viteazul and a military chaplain held a religious service in memory of Romanian heroes. Finally, the ATM detachment marched in front of the Monument of the Unknown Soldier and after that the urns were placed in the Heroes Memorial Rotunda. At the ceremony were also present officials from the Ministry of Defense and the Military General Staff, from the Bucharest Garrison, the National
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•EVENT• Association of War Veterans, the Romanian Scouts and a large audience. In the second part of the ceremony, the ATM was invited by the ONCE to the Ţepeş Castle in the Carol Park, on the occasion of the Open Doors Day Event held by this institution. Here, the audience could see exhibitions of old books and military objects that belonged to soldiers killed in battle, historical photos depicting cemeteries where Romanian heroes rest, past ceremonies held in their memory and monuments. Also, the public could attend the demonstrations of military reenactment undertaken by the ATM. At the end of the day, the National Association of War Veterans, ordered by its President, the Army General Marin Dragnea, had expressed its gratitude toward the activity of ATM, by giving to its member the Commemorative Cross of WW2. Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU Photo: Military Tradition Association
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•AS O C IAT I O N O F T H E M O N T H •
Future association with cervical nucleus. Colonel Gîju Dan, deputy director of the National Military Museum „King Ferdinand I” et al. (r) George Cojocea, veteran of the Second World War at the Days of the National Military Museum, 7 to 8 May 2011
Deutsches Freikorps Association Deutsches Freikorps Association is the first group of a historical military reconstruction in Romania representing the German armed forces from different historical periods in which they fought with local members of the German minority. The Association was founded in 2011 as a result of the meeting of people passionate about military history and the German`s culture. Members of this association are not followers of a political ideology and not make propaganda for a totalitarian regim, while rejecting the association with certain political movements accused of anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia.
HISTORY, BRIGHTER THAN THE HISTORY TEXTBOOK! 10
•AS O C IAT I O N O F T H E M O N T H • In terms of objectives Deutsches Freikorps Association aims to participate in various cultural events which faithfully reproduces certain behaviors and military action. However, the Deutsches Freikorps Association is open to any collaboration, both historical reconstitution associations - local military and abroad. The purpose of the Deutsches Freikorps Association is to give history a touch of dynamism through the activities, while providing historical or military invoice interested public.
A special event that the Deutsches Freikorps Association attended was Cross of Heroes commemorative march, an event that is raised in memory of soldiers who died in combat during World War I (1914 - 1918).
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•AS O C IAT I O N O F T H E M O N T H •
ADF with corner members. (r) George Cojocea, participant of the Battle of Kursk and Marian Stefanescu, dean of the Faculty of History (UB) at the end of sustained communication to students of the Faculty of History at the University of Bucharest (April 10, 2012) Searching the sky for enemy aircraft, vital mission entrusted to the German units defending the oilfields Ploiesti (1941-1944). In the picture you can see the caliber of 88 mm antiaircraft gun, a very effective weapon that was used as air raid. Also, this piece of artillery was used during land clashes against tanks and enemy infantry. ADF member being a war correspondent (Kriegsberichter) SS Regiment „Kurt Eggers” at the Days of Military (2012) Behind each action are hours, days and even weeks for a proper documentation on military protocol and outfits used it very carefully analyzed and reproduced. For the members of Deutsches Freikorps Association nothing is impossible, honor becoming their guide. When an action fails, each of them is responsible for the entire event, but also of Sergeant Wolfgang Todt. In the bottom right of the photo, a look at the instruction they performed on the Days of Military ADF (13 to 14 July 2013).
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•AS O C IAT I O N O F T H E M O N T H •
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Flag everywhere Wherever the action's historical reconstitution military Freikorps Deutsches Association has worn flag with honor. The observed instantaneous War Flag of German Empire used between 1903 and 1919.
Contact: www.deutschesfreikorps.ro www.facebook.com/deutschesfreikorps
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The flag, the symbol of honor defended with the cost of life(photo 1) present everywhere: Peles Castle in Sinaia (photo 2), Bucegi Plateau/(photo 3) and the National Military Museum „King Ferdinand I” in Bucharest (photo 4). Mihăiță ENACHE • Translator: Roxana NICU
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•HISTORY•
Romanian soldiers on the Eastern Front
Emil BOBOESCU Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU The WW2 Infantryman uniform aroused and still arouses discussion, being an interesting subject from the military history studies and in terms of popularizing these aspects of history. The uniform was, is and will be, for sure, depicted in many illustrations, books, magazines or movies. But, in many cases, in these photo-video showings, the infantry uniform was not properly represented, among the major reasons being the ignorance or the haste of the authors. Because of these reasons I chose this precise subject so I could clarify an aspect– that of the composition of the uniform, so familiar and yet so easily mistaken. Thus we can say with certainty that the infantry uniform was composed of helmet, tunic, shirt, trousers, legging or puttees, and boots. The helmet was generally represented by the Romanian cap that had been in the Romanian uniforms panoply since the 1895. This cap had a two-visor cut, one in front and one at the back, having two longer flaps at the back,
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that were cut in half by bending them forward, where they were fastened with a small burnished or leather button. The cap was made of khaki cloth. In the first part of the war, this cap was replaced with one similar in cut, but without the visor, but this decision was quickly backtracked. Also, another disbanded helmet was the troop cap or the cap with a round bottom; the first version of this cap, introduced in 1933, did not have flaps, until the modified version of it appeared in 1937. This cap was rarely seen at the front, being officially disbanded, although it was still in stocks. During the battles, the steel helmet was used, also known as “the Dutch model”, because initially the Dutch army used it and afterwards only the Romanian one. Because of their equipment requirements, units behind the lines could receive the „Adrian model” helmets, which were similar to those worn in the WW1, but without the royal figures. Helmets were painted in the same color as the uniform. The tunic was also made of khaki cloth. It had five hidden buttons and two bellows pockets on its chest. Each of these pockets had a flap fastened with a burnished button. The sleeves also had two buttons. The
•HISTORY• war conditions required as well the distribution to the troops of the 1928 tunic model, which had another two down-side pockets. This tunic model did not carry buttons on their sleeves. The collar was rolled and without any fly-fronts. Beginning with 1940, and with some exceptions, the fly-fronts on the troop tunics were disbanded. Attached to the epaulettes on the tunic shoulders were the ring-shaped rank stripes, made of yellow cotton, for the troops, or of yellow thread, for the under-officer. The color of the stripes’ hem was the same as the guns. But in this particular case we talk about blue, for the disbanding of the fly-fronts also meant a smaller spectrum of colors to choose from and blue remained the color of the infantry. The shirt was white and its collar was simple and straight. Romanian uniform and military equipment on the Eastern Front
The trousers were also made of cloth, had three pockets, were straight cuffed and stirrup. The boots were made of black leather, had leather or wooden soles and nailed heels. The puttees were worn from the knee down. These puttees are actually stripes rolled on top of the trousers and their role is to protect the shank. Initially, it was desirable for the puttees to be replaced with leather leggings, but only a few units were eventually equipped with it while the rest kept receiving puttees. Until the end of the war the majority of infantrymen wore these puttees. For the hot summer days there was a uniform made of duck, similar to the cloth model. If we look at the infantryman equipment we see that he was wearing a brown leather belt, with a Y-shaped harness of the same material, two cube-shaped pouches and at the front a pocket for the Linneman shovel and another one for the bayonet, both made of the same type of leather. The soldier carried on his right hip the food bag, made of khaki duck, with leather ties and straps holding the rectangular can. On his left hip the soldier carried the sack for his gas mask. This sack was made of either duck, resembling a flapped bag, or tin, looking more like a cylinder. An aluminum cup and a bottle of water, covered in khaki cloth could be found inside the food bag or carried on the soldier’s back. Also, the soldier carried on his back the knapsack, made of khaki duck, which had leather straps and belts, on which could be attached the helmet or the rolled tarpaulin.
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• J U LY’S E X H I B I T I O N •
PzKpfw IV (Panzer IV) was the main German tank during WWII. Built since October 1937 till May 1945, in 8600 copies, PzKpfw IV was present on all fronts, where even the enemies regarded it with respect. As Germany’s ally, Romania received from it 138 copies of Panzer IV, named T IV by the Romanian army. Of these, 11 were G model, sent by Germany between September-October 1942, before the Battle of the river Don, while the rest of 127 were F, G, H and J model, supplied between November 1943 and August 1944. Regarding this last batch of Panzer IV, it is good to note that some of these had been already used by the 23rd German Tank Division. The majority of T IV tanks were lost during the battles fought by the Romanian army on the Eastern Front, during the spring and summer offensives of 1944. The surviving tanks were used afterwards during the fighting in Transylvania, Czechoslovakia and Austria. At the end of the war only two T IV tanks were still functional and took part on the 23rd of august 1945 parade. In 1950 the Romanian army chose to replace PzKpfw IV with the soviet-made tank T34.
The T IV tank displayed outside the National Military Museum in Bucharest has an interesting story: the final version of the German PzKpfw IV-J tank was a simplified model, made since 1944 until the end of the war, when the Military Museum was located where now the backyard of the Palace of Parliament is, and this German tank did not have a turret. The director of the museum at the time, retired colonel Lupăştean Aurel found that on a tank unit instruction field, in Dobruja, lay, half buried, a tank turret. He personally went there and realized that it was a PzKpfw IV turret. He himself supervised the installation of turret on the armored box. Since both structures showed shortcomings, it was opted to weld the turret to the tank body. Since the turret did not have the cannon barrel, one was taken and adapted from a German 76mm gun. Originally, the PzKpfw IV was painted beige (the desert color), because, it seemed, that this tank came from a batch ready to be sent in North Africa. Technical details: Weight: 25 tons; Length: 7, 02m (taking into account the cannon barrel); Width: 2, 88m; Height: 2, 68m; Crew members: 5 men (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/bow machinegunner); Armor: 10-80mm; Armament: main gun 75mm L/48 (87 projectiles); two MG34 of 7,92mm; Engine: 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM and 300PS; Maximum speed: 38km/h; Operational range: 150km. Mihăiță ENACHE•Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU
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Mihăiță ENACHE Translator: Emanuel IVAN December 30, 1947 - a highly controversial moment and the subject of many debates in books, magazines, documentaries and TV shows, this turning point in romanian history bears a double meaning: one one hand, it represents the death certificate of romanian monarchy and, on the other hand, the birth certificate of a new Romania: The People’s Republic of Romania. On the morning of that day, the king was returning too Bucharest from Sinaia and he was going to have a meeting with Gheorghe-Gheorghiu Dej, the secretary general of the Romanian Communist Party and prime minister Petru Groza. The latter is also the one who handed the king his abdication papers. At that time, the palace’s telephone links with the outside had been cut off and the royal guard had been arrested replaced with soldiers from other regiments. The two communist leaders rely on blackmail as they threaten the king to execute one thousand of the students who were arrested in the past years. Facing these monstrous threats and pressured by the communist forces, the king agreed to renounce the throne. Although it seemed as if the king’s presence in the history of the romanian nation had come to an end, this perception couldn’t be further from the truth. Starting from 1949 and until the demise of the communist regime in 1989, King Mihai has been relentlessly spied on and put under surveillance by the Communist Security. From all the files issued by The Security during these 41 years of abusive surveillance, The national Council for the Study of Security Archives has compiled the most relevant of them and offered them to the public in the form of an exposition that is open to the public at the National Library until the end of this month.
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•EXHIBITION• The indiscrete surveillance of King Mihai by the communist authorities started right after his abdication. The first documents exhibited by CNSAS refer to the preparations for the king’s exile, the embarking of the king and his attendants into the train to Switzerland, then to the train’s security (which was enforced by agents of „Siguranta” agency (Safety), under the command of Alexandru Nikolsky and by soldiers of the „Tudor Vladimirescu” Division. The documents also include the police report about the royal convoy’s departure from Sinaia train station. Documents discussing the state of heart of the general public and the attempts to resist the communizing policies at the call of the exiled monarch are also present in the exhibition. According to a document from file no. 7 concerning the Monarchic Problem, The Direction of Safety Police (communist secret service) stated that “the monarchic problem does not reside in the episodic manifestations of isolated, frustrated individuals who launched a royalist slogan or set some posters of monarchic character. This situations, of course, must be observed and supervised as well. But the monarchic problem must be seen in the actions developed by internal reactionary circles that always sought to lean on monarchy with the intent to fulfill their goals of political and economical subjugation of the vast working masses.
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Leon, Rex and The Foreigner These were codenames of King Mihai used during his surveillance by romanian political police. During the first years of exile, all external information originated from the employees of embassies and consulates Of The People’s Republic of Romania who agreed to work with the Communist Security. The first significant problem caused by the former king to the communist regime in Romania was a statement made in London, on march 4th, 1948, when he emphasized the fact thet he „didn’t feel connected or bound to the abdication document in any way” as it was a document he was forced to sign „under threat”. On this occasion, the king also stressed the existence of a „policy for enslavement of the romanian people”. From this moment on, king Mihai used every opportunity to denounce the political regime forced into Romania after the war. Also in march 1948, with the occasion of a visit in the USA, the king denounced his forced abdication and the communist rule in Romania: „The Soviet Union imposed a government that has nothing to do with the will of the people. This government has destroyed the last remaining bastions of freedom and has thrown the finest and most popular supporters of romanian democracy in prison. The romanian government has set up the elections. Through fraud and terror, it forced Romania to accept institutions that have nothing to do with the spirit and the lifestyle of this nation.” The commuinist response came quickly, and the Communist Party started a poisonous campaign based on lies about the wealth and the abuses that the population was subjected to by the royal family. Other retaliation measures included the termination of romanian citizenship for the members of the royal family and the formulation of a new objective for The Communist Security: the Monarchic Problem. This strategy involved the pursuit and surveillance of any citizen who publicly stated his or her regret about the abolishment of monarchy, who spoke well of the king or who supported and hoped for the king’s return in Romania.
•EXHIBITION• Private life under the scope of Communist Security Along with the measures of political nature, The Communist Security was also interested in King Mihai’s private life. The series of documents issued by the former political police describe the engagement and then the wedding of His Majesty with princess Anne of BourbonParma, and also the financial problems the royal family faced at that time. The documents also describe the former monarch’s „professional career”: owner of a bird farm, test pilot for an airplane company, owner of a company that manufactured airplane parts, and also stock broker. Most of the documents issued during the informative surveillance of the former sovereign are telegrams are telegrams sent by the Security branches from various capitals in Europe, signed by the agents who gathered and centralized the information. Even dough King Mihai had been supervised by the Communist Security for a very long period of time, there is only one actual plan of measures from 1973, describing actions that had to be taken against the king and the royal family and the officers who were going to perform this task. After 1973, documents confirm successful infiltration of certain.
Documents from the surveillance file issued by the Communist Security on King Mihai.
Prince Radu and prince Nicolae. Snapshot from the varnishing of the exhibition.
In May 1990, the former king’s surveillance file is finally closed after over 40 years of espionage. The communist political police picked up every word, every whisper… maybe every thought that crossed the mind of the king or the royal family. When we visit the exhibition „The King under surveillance. King Mihai the Ist of Romania in the files of The Communist Security Agency”, we witness a segment of national history that was carved out of our national identity 66 years ago by the tanks of the Red Army after August 1944.
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• R E PO R TAG E •
Mihăiță ENACHE T: Gabriela BREȚCANU In the pale light of the summer dawn, the barbed wire entanglements that surround Jilava have a strange lightning, letting me know that I step in a forbidden territory for many: the 13th Forth of Jilava, a place where the pain behind the moldy walls speaks for itself: If you wish to live, put straws underneath your clothes.
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• R E PO R TAG E •
In the beginning, the fort was one of those 18 built during the reign of King Charles I in order to defend the city of Bucharest, like a powerful shield defending the ancestral hearth in times of hardships. The fortifications will never be used during a military conflict. This was possible partly thanks to the state of constructions and the level of arming, and partly because of the fall of the fortifications of Anvers and Liège, during the beginning of World War One, which were built in the same manner as those forming the chain of forts known as The Bucharest Citadel. Thus, the fortifications surrounding the capital city were disarmed since 1915, while the artillery was taken from the dome to be later moved on the gun carriage, so they could be used as cover infantry cannons or anti-aircraft weapons. At present, military units are being quartered in these forts. With one exception: the Jilava fort that was delivered to the Ministry of the Interior. Located inside the prison of the same name, it was used as a prison for the first time in 1970, when a group of rebels was kept inside. Here, rarely you step in willingly. Excepting the events organized not so often, public access to the fort is prohibited.
History lost in weeds Hidden under a hill, with no future, but with a terrible past, the fort of Jilava gradually appears on the horizon while I am leaving behind the main path to the prison. Between the fort and the prison there are a few hundred meters. The boundary between the old one and this new one, as a worker says, is an ordinary concrete wall, several meters high, painted from place to place by some art enthusiastic prisoners. Getting closer to the fort I realize that above the entrance there are planted, as a tick in the head of an animal, two objects, that are specific for prisons: a grey arbor and a rusty projector. Underneath them, the rusty gate to hell is halfway open. A hell that has on its frontispiece a rectangle frame where is written, in large, black letters: Fort No. 13 Jilava. Besides, these letters represent the only part of the front that is blessed, from time to time, with a drop of paint. Otherwise, disaster. From rain, the chalk on the walls, dating since the communist era, is peeling off, permitting the viewer to see the previous colour that was on the wall: beige. Here and there, bits of red bricks pop up timidly from under parts of blue chalk washed by time. Viewed from the end of the alley, the fort façade looks like flayed skin after being burnt by the sun. Although I am standing
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• R E PO R TAG E • outside, I get a strange, tormenting feeling. In fact, this is Jilava – the most frightening Romanian jail. Taking advantage of this circumstance, „Mr. Halat” – the gentleman that is my guide – starts to narrate: Jilava is the only jail that can take pride from the fact that it hosted, in different historical times, almost all of the political prisoners in Romania. After that, he invites me to take a look inside. Shaking the flashlight that refuses to light itself in the pitch of darkness, we begin our tour through the darkest corners of Jilava. The walls in all the rooms bear different clues. Some of these clues come from the former prisoners. Others, representing some dark stripes, indicate the level of past floods. The fort is located at a depth of 10 meters in an area where the water table is near the surface echoes the sharp voice of my guide. From time to time, he counts on his fingers the cells, proving that each cell we viewed meant something for the Romanian nation. In these cells were imprisoned members of the Communist Party – a party that was unauthorized by law in ’24 – together with comrade Gheorghiu-Dej, emphasizes the guide that jumps right to the next cell: Here the opponents of The Legionary Movement were shot … During the tragic night of 25 to 26 November 1940, 64 people were shot. One more cell if they visited, my history teacher told me, and the history of Romania would have been different*. Six years later, the imprisoned communists were replaced by the hapless war criminals, which included marshal Ion Antonescu, the minister of foreign affairs Mihai Antonescu, general Constantin Pantazi and Eugen Cristescu – none other than the former head of the Special Intelligence Service. On 1st of July 1946, the marshal and the former minister of foreign affairs were executed by a firing squad. The clock continued ticking and Romania entered the irreversible path of building-up the new man… *In that cell, a young Nicolae Ceausescu was incarcerated.
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The Red Prison Despite its „historical ruin” appearance, Fort 13 Jilava looks haughty to the future. Someday the fort will turn into a monument. Until then, years of negligence will pass. Years that begins to show their teeth. Here and there, the plaster on the walls fell, allowing bricks to show their scratches that resemble letters. Made using pens made out of cobs, these scratches prove that once, people went to Jilava. And there weren’t a few people. According to unofficial, but credible, statistics, starting with 1948 one million prisoners have walked through the darkness of Jilava. Many of them would not survive until the merciful year of 1964, when all political prisoners were legally and officially released. For them, the light went out. Definitely and too harsh. Right in the inquiry room… At Jilava time never had a true meaning. This is because here the notion of time never existed. There was, however, one ordinary paper stuck on the green doors of the cells. The letters on these papers formed what was known as the 15 bans Regulations. The violation of any
• R E PO R TAG E • of these commands was severely punished using every possible torture of which the sadistic guardians were capable, including manej. For those who do not know, manej means walking endlessly from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. After that, investigation came, investigation that lasted for days. Romanians did oppress their own fellow countrymen. The prisoner is not allowed to stand with his back at the door! This was one of the Regulations interdictions. Once I entered a cell, I get the impression that all the noise in the world is substituted by pure silence. All I hear are steps. With this noise on the background, with no intention, I break the rule. When the steps stop, I realize the mistake I just made. Luckily, it was only my guide, wearing his working robe. If it were a guardian from the communist era, who knows what the consequences might have been. Mr. Halat, how I nicknamed my guide, regretfully announces me that my time to visit has come to an end. With great entreaties, he allows me to take a few more pictures of the cells. But only a few!, resounds the thick voice of Mr. Halat. The next cell has on its door a small paper with the text: Ion Bourceanu – 13 years of imprisonment (Jilava, Baia Sprie, Zarca Aiud, Zarca Gherla, Periprava, Galaţi, Jilava). Inside, on a rusty bank lie an improvised dustpan, a dismantled sewing machine, a bucket and a metal barrel. On the wall, on the shriveled chalk a few letters can be seen: realizing…to be useful…Above these letters, 5 nails in the concrete wall serve as a hanger. Another cell. Apparently this one looks neater. The peeled plaster shows a two-colour paint: white and yellow, separated by a thin brown line. On the opposite wall, two mannequins dressed in stripes rest, full of resignation, on a small bench. Above, a map remembers of the soviet era. In the corner, a porcelain sink has a rusty hue. Under it, a spider web shines in the pale light that enters through the small window bars. Even the spider failed to live in a place where death was an ordinary thing.
Epilogue After “the great amnesty” given in 1964 to all political prisoners, the Jilava prison functioned for another 10 years, during which between the cold walls of the fort were incarcerated common law prisoners. Only during the events of 1989, says Mr. Halat, were brought and imprisoned here 60 students from the University. All of them were meant to be sent to face the firing squad. Fortunately, all of them survived…Before stepping beyond the gate that separates the hell from everyday life, I take a look back at the fort. The gentle breeze of the wind makes the barbed wire entanglements to touch each other. Although strange, this metallic sound is letting me know that I leave behind the frightful Fort 13 of Jilava. Now I understand why this fort is considered to be the symbol of the concentration environment in Romania…
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•COMMUNISM
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IN PICTURES•
2 • 1947 Demonstration in Bucharest right after the Romanian People's Republic was proclaimed - a cliché often used before 1989 by communist propaganda (1) • 1956 Bread „Ticket” (2) • 1966 Nicolae Ceauşescu and Gheorghe Apostol during a working visit in Galaţi at the steel plant site (3) • 1970 home of a cooperative in a village called Viişoara(4) • 1984 Trabant (a populat car at that time) on one of the neighborhood streets in Aviation District, Bucharest (5) Translator: Roxana NICU Photo: comunismulinromania.ro
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•INTERVIEW•
Eduard Gutescu Windows in Time On river Danube’s bank, the old façade of the former Giurgiu Sud train station has applied to it, like one of the Şoimi ai Patriei badge proudly worn before 1989, the old Romanian coat of arms, from the early years of the communist era. On the whole, the former train station does not fall naturally into the landscape of the big-rusty-industrial-factories-paved plain. In reality, this train station is one of the „time-windows” present in the Carpatho-Danubian-Pontic area. Looking through this „time-windows” we remember how frail we are, how things change and how we forget the things that changed our lives at some point. This was the basic idea behind the Windows in Time. Bucharest 1989-2013 project. Using the photographs taken in December ’89, Edward Gutescu broaches the Revolution subject in a unique manner and the result can be discovered on the following pages. Photo: bradut-florescu.blogspot.ro
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•INTERVIEW• To those that know you less, who is Eduard Gutescu? I’m 38 years old. I was born and raised in Bucharest. I run a business in the production sector, but I also dedicate a lot of my time for an old hobby of mine, that being photography. When did you start taking photos? I started this hobby since I was 15. A neighbour of mine, who owned a photo-shoot studio, chose to change the equipment and some of this equipment, luckily, got into my hands. After that, I managed to build myself a small photo studio in my own room. I got my first camera from my father. It was a Zorky. Recently you started an interesting photo-project: Windows in Time. Bucharest 1989-2013. What was the point from which you started? What is the story behind all this? The idea came from a similar project, in Hungary, which had the interwar period as its theme. The technique used is quite common, but the theme I chose is new to those interested both in imagery and history. The implementation of this idea did not take too much time. In the same day I saw the technique used in the Hungarian project, I chose to take a set of photographs depicting the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Some of the photos of the revolution in this project are taken from the • Soldier armed with a Kalashnikov in the Republic Square, watching the burnt building of the Central University Library.
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• Symbols of 1989 Bucharest: the Romanian flag without the socialist emblem, on the background of the former and ruined headquarters of Securitatea.
internet while the new ones were taken by me within two hours. Why did you choose the Revolution as the main theme and not another historical event? Why the Revolution? Because it should not be forgotten, either by me or my fellow Romanians. I wished to show how easily the time passes and how important are these events that changed and shaped our lives. I’m quite sure the post ’89 generation does not know much about the events that took place in 1989. I might say that with this project I tried to arouse their curiosity and appetite for that period.
•INTERVIEW• Watching the photographs I realized that they were taken in Carol I University Foundation-Central Committee-Royal Palace perimeter. Why did you choose to show this precise area? Mainly because those are the same places where the original photos of 1989 were taken. And, the most important aspect, because there began a new chapter in the history of Romanians.
• Soldier in front of the Central University Library
What photo required a lot of work from you? And why? The workload was not as great as I expected, the only problem was to find the right angle from which the original photo was shot. I felt a sense of time travelling. The photo shot in front of the Carol I University Foundation, depicting the soldier standing on a tank was the most hard to reshoot, for the original shooting angle did not allow me to take a broader framework of the same spot. What photo you consider to be the most representative for you? And why? All are representative, but especially the one with the soldier flying the new flag of Romania, because to me, that was the first symbol of freedom and of a new period.
• Symbols of freedom and of a new beginning
• 22nd of December 1989, 12:09 – the helicopter takes Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu on board, leaving behind the headquarters of the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party (PCR).
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•INTERVIEW• What do you remember from December 1989? Back then I was 14 years old and I still remember my mother was working at the Electrofar plant as at technician designer. The day the rally was scheduled, 22nd of December, all the personnel was mobilized for this action. My mom left the rally early, right before all hat madness started. I knew my mom was in Palace Square and I was scared. I wanted to go there, but we met in the neighborhood. I remember she was really happy and shouted as loud as she could: FREEEEDOOOOOM!!!! I watched the revolution on the telly.
House, for they find it more relevant to them. It would be interesting that in this particular spot (i.e. the People’s House) to open a Museum of Communism.
What is your opinion on communism? Do you find a Museum of Communism useful? Do you think this can become an attraction for tourists? Communism – a diabolical system that dominated and crushed the lives of this nation. A political experiment that should not be repeated. I think a Museum of Communism will be as good as the Terror Haza in Budapest. Surely, this museum will show to the young generation what communism really meant. On the other side, I think they are more interested in the People’s
• The former headquarters of CC of PCR defended by the Army and finally conquered by the revolutionaries.
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What is your next project? The next project I have in mind is about the Romanian Royal Family. I hope to revive, with the help of photographs, a much more beautiful period in the history of Romania. Interviewer: Mihăiță ENACHE Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU
•A H I STO RY O F CU RI O SITIE S •
A chance in a billion
The collision of two bullets 25th of october 1854. A russian soldier and a french soldier aim their rifles at each other. Seconds pass, causing tension to seem eternal. Suddenly, the deadly bullets spew from the weapons. Only this time, the bullets hit each other, merging into a mass of twisted lead. The soldiers escaped... Experts in statistics say that there is only a chance in a billion that during an armed conflict, two bullets, fired from different directions, to touch each other. Such historical evidence was discovered in early 2009 by the Ukrainian archaeologists. At the time, the news caused a sensation, and was even more important because the two bullets were fired from different directions during the battle near the village of Balaclava, in the Crimean War (1853-1856), a military campaign that saw the deaths of 340.000 soldier on all fronts. With them, the fate showed no mercy... Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU
Photo: Daily Mail
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•AI R SO FT•
Photo: Ștefan OLY
In recent years, among the ruins of former factories and plants or in the woods, airsoft has “flourished”. Played mainly during week-ends, airsoft is a sport where players simulate a battle, a war or other military scenarios by using authentic military tactics and replicas of both firearms and military equipments. Worldwide, this game was first played in Japan, in the early 70s, deriving from computer games. This is the reason why airsoft gains more and more supporters in Romania. Among the „Sunday soldiers” that fight in every weekend on the „Ghencea front”, Dan Mincă was present. Attracted by the models of weapons and the possibility of using this weaponry to transpose virtual games into “reality”, as he admits, Dan created his own airsoft team, called Iron Sky, with which he weekly takes part in the wars fought on the former Boja Farms. The scenarios are simple, rather of “death match” game type, where the goal is simply to eliminate the enemy team or to capture a flag. In some cases, the game involves also complex scenarios: the players are using various objects; the game itself is played on a larger terrain, requiring communication gadgets and maps for orientation, as Dan says. The necessary equipment for an airsoft game Firstly, it is compulsory for the players’ eyes to be protected, either by using glasses, or mesh masks. For the players’ outfit it is preferable to use camouflage clothes, so they would not turn into targets, many players choosing to dress militarily. About the weapons used during play, Dan says that these are exact replicas of real
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weapons, but only in appearance and functionality, the propulsion system of the projectiles being either electric or based on gas, having a maximum speed of 220m/s. Legally, the airsoft replicas are considered toys (as long as the speed of these weapons is within the legal speed permitted), and owing an airsoft weapon does not imply any authorization prior notification. Still, the law states the replicas should not be kept in sight in public places or used in other ways than for playing purposes. As ammunition, plastic balls of 6 to 8mm are used. For this reason, airsoft can be easily confused with paintball. These two games have both similarities and differences: the similarity can be easily seen in the physical effort both games imply and in the fact that in paintball, as in airsoft, players use firearms replicas; the differences can be seen in the firearms used by players. In paintball, the guns shoot balls filled with paint, so as to leave a mark on the hit player, while in airsoft the non-visible signs require honesty from the hit player, who must recognize it and step aside. Another difference is that airsoft is played in isolated places, like woods or abandoned buildings. Among the sacrifices airsoft implies Dan mentioned: the time this game requires, money needed for the weaponry, equipments and supplies. Incidentally, the price for practicing this sport is somewhere between a few hundred lei to a few hundred euros. But this is a unimportant aspect for the airsoft lovers, because they spend money on a real hobby. Mihăiță ENACHE•Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU
• D O C U M E N TARY•
Amerika: Adolf Hitler’s special train Mihăiță ENACHE Translator: Emanuel IVAN On the morning of April, 10, 1941, an unusually long and very mysterious train was pulled on one of the lines in Anhalter Bahnhof train station in Kreuzberg. This train was off limits to ordinary mortals. The only one who had the privilege of being a passenger on this train was Adolf Hitler himself. Within the fourteen carts of the rail vehicle, tha Führer had all the comfort and mobility a german visionary leader could ever need. Führersonderzug, The Führer’s Special Train, unexplainably named Amerika, was Hitlers means of transportation throughout his travels in Europe during World War II. If the information and photo galleries on Hitler’s automobiles are rich and numerous, we cannot say the same about Amerika. With the exception of a few snapshots taken by photographers of the Reich or bits of stories or legends that leaked during the interrogations conducted after the War, very little is known about the train once used by the most powerful man in Europe. The main reason for the scarcity if information is the rare use of this vehicle.
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At the beginning of World War II, Germany did not have a stable headquarters that could perform the tasks of a command center, And thus, Adolf Hitler had to coordinate the campaigns in Yugoslavia and Poland from his special train. The first location of the train during the polish campaign was Polzin. Hitler inspected the battlefront here. The security measures were set by the commander of the Führer’s „mobile headquarters”, major-general Rommel. Known to the public as The Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel was the commander of Hitler’s headquarters from August 1939 until February 1940.
Hitler boarded his special train again in the spring of 1941. According to notes of Hitler’s familiars, the leader of The Third Reich was travelling very oftenly at that time. „He had to go to Vienna, Linz, he had to visit Munich several times and also Berghof”, says Rochus Misch, former bodyguard of Adolf Hitler. Aside from these „commercial” travels, on april 10th 1941, Adolf Hitler went aboard his special train once again and departed towards a new campaign headquarters situated in the Alps. From here, Hitler would supervise the war against Yugoslavia, a war that had just started. Hitler’s former bodyguard recalls the following: I had orders to accompany him. It was the firs time I ever set foot in the Führer’s train. It was known that „the chief” left Berlin with his generals for more or less prolonged stays. The fourteen wagons offered transportation for a considerable part of the german Wermacht’s chiefs of staff, close counselors, cancelaria staff or employees of nazi press. Amerika was a working place, a headquarters when the Führer was on it. We could be contacted by telephone by dialing the Cabinet number, but the train needed to stop in order for the link to be established. In case of airstrike alert, the train had to find shelter in the nearest tunnel. Inspection on the battlefront of Poland (September 1939)
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• D O C U M E N TARY•
According to documents kept in the german archives, the train was pulled by tho railway engines and, depending on available resources, had the following components: Railcar no. 1 – Flakwagen, platform wagon with two air artillery cannons, Railcar no. 2 – luggage cart, Railcar no. 3 – Führerwagen, Adolf Hitler’s wagon, Railcar no. 4 – Befehlswagen, wagon designed to serve as conference room and communications center, Railcar no. 5, Begleitkommandowagen, wagon for Hitler’s bodyguards, Railcar no. 6 – restaurant, Railcars no. 7 and 8 – sleeping cars for guests, Railcar no. 9 – Badewagen, restroom, Railcar no. 10 – restaurant, Railcar no. 11 – personnel sleeping cars, railcar no. 12 – Pressewagen, wagon designed for press and journalists, Railcar no. 13 – luggage wagon, Railcar no. 14 – Flakwagen, similar to railcar no. 1. Adolf Hitler’s car included one bedroom and one parlour room for private discussions conducted between a small number of attendants. The large daily meetings with the officers of the Wermacht were held in a compartment located behind the dining room.
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• D O C U M E N TARY• Rochus Mitsch states that the restaurant cart, also called „Casino”, was administered by „Mitropa” society staff. I once happened to eat at the Führer’s table. On thet day, he was sitting on the other end of the table. The memory is still very clear in my mind: Hitler drinking a small beer manufactured by «Holzkirchenerbräu», a little bavarian factory located near München, and his plate containing a few cold meats, which meant he made an exception from his vegetarian diet.Thet was the only time during five years that I saw him eat meat. Returning to the story about itler’s journey in April 1941, the Führer’s former bodyguard explains that Hitler’s train was preceded by a so called „control train”(composed of two railcars), which is an essential instrument for the safety of any political leader. Interestingly, Hitler specified that the special train should not obstruct or disrupt the Reichbach’s national railways) normal scheduled traffic during his journey.Thus, we were compelled to stop serveral times on secondary lines such as Hof, north of Bayreuth, in order for the passenger trains to reach their destination in time. We then passed through the outskirts of Vienna before the train came to a halt in the town of Wiener Neustadt, very close to Mönichkirchen. This more or less improvised and isolated command center was set at the entrance of a train tunnel and was named «Frühlingsturm» - «Spring Storm». The communications were good and the climate was rather calm. Hitler will remain confined in this area for two weeks, until April 28 1941, to be more precise. At this moment, the victory against Yugoslavia and Greece allow Hitler to return to Berlin. Rochus Misch guarded Hitler during his travels with Hitler returns to Berlin (April, 1941)
Roschus Misch
Amerika on three or four occasions. In 1944, shortly after the allies landing in Normandy, Hitler renamed Amerika as specian train Brandenburg, in honor of this region located in the East of Germany. One year later, Hitler was tragically ending his „mission” in the bunker located under the Reich’s Chancellery. Outside the bunker, the chaos of Germany’s defeat was claiming lives and prisoners. The latter category included Rochus Mitsch. He would return to Germany after eight long years of detention in the Soviet Union, in 1953. After the war, the story about Hitler’s special train „derails’ and vanishes in a dark corner of history. It will partially reemerge sixteen years after the War, when a strange railcar showed up on the Swedish railways. This was one of Amerika’s air artillery platform wagons (Flakwagen), but this time, it’s mission was not the protection of Adolf Hitler’s life. The railcar had the role of a platform used to mount cameras and recording devices during the making of movies. This new function explains it’s appearance in odense, Denmark, three years later. Back home, in the former GFR, one railcar that was part of the former special train named Führersonderzug can be found among the items exhibited in the technical Museum located in Speyer. Two years ago, it was awaiting it’s rehabilitation. Up north, in the heart of Berlin, a ruin uncomplainingly contemplates the future. It is the famous Anhalter Bahnhof train station from Kreuzberg, once the largest train station in Berlin. Only a few square meters of façade are all that is left of it’s former glory, and yet, it’s history is still very much alive. The documentation used for this article consists of the following sources: Rochus Misch, I was Hitler’s bodyguard (1940-1945), Meteor Press publishing house, Bucharest, 2007, afanovblog.blogspot.ro, atlantikwall.superforum.fr & perrasmotornostalgi.blogspot.ro.
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• C O LLE CT O R ’S
PA G E •
The voice from the front… East, May 3th 1942 Dear aunt, I send you all my warmest greetings and I thank you for your letter which I received with plenty of joy. Also, many thanks for the cigarettes, which I enjoyed. I am fine and healthy, things I wish to you all. Now we have some time for rest and I shall use this to learn new stuff. This way time passes easily and what I learn now shall be useful for when I come back. I fire the gun pretty well and it is truly fun when we get some spirits from somewhere near the dam. I made good friends, here, in Russia. Finally, I wish to thank you for everything and let you know that is your turn to send me some news. And please write me soon about those two „rogues”. Now I’m on holiday and hope to find news about you when I come back. Now I have to finish and send the letter through mail. I send you again my warmest greetings from the far East Yours, Otto Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU Photo: wehrmacht-awards.com
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• TAR G E T C I N E MA•
Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter Alice Diana BOBOC Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU Five lives. Five friends who promise each other to meet again at the end of the war. 5 youngsters eager to become heroes in an adventure that will change the face of Europe and also their own destiny. Future plans and fates that were changed just before Germany invaded the USSR. Fates that stood in the shadow of the Second World War. The three-part miniseries, Generation War, exploits the lives of 5 friends from Berlin. Officer Wilhelm (Volker Bruch) is sent on the Eastern Front, together with his younger brother, Friedhelm (Tom Schilling), who is more passionate about literature than war. Charlotte (Miriam Stein) who is in love with Wilhelm, is a young nurse, eagerly waiting to serve the Wehrmacht. Eventually, she goes to the Eastern Front. Greta (Katharina Schüttler), a talented singer, dreams of becoming the second Marlene Dietrich, without knowing what the future, that seemed promising, actually holds. Her jewish friend, Victor (Ludwig Trepte), can’t convince his parents to leave Germany and so he tries to survive.
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• TAR G E T C I N E MA• This tragedy of war is lived through ideals, sufferance, loyalty, disappointments, courage and betrayal. The events shake and change the values and morals of each character. Friedhelms becomes a killing machine while Wilhelm leaves his troops and ends up being sent to the Martial Court. After betraying an army nurse for being jewish, Charlotte eventually realizes it was a bad thing. Greta succeeds in getting the necessary papers to save Victor, at the price of giving herself to an SS officer. Nothing and nobody will remain as it was before the war. Although all five of them are sure that they will celebrate the end of war until Christmas, the reencounter takes place 4 years later, during the summer of 1945. But after so much time and at the end of this tumultuous period will they all still be alive? The movie is a masterpiece of the latest german cinematography, being the first attempt „to rehabilitate” the german people. While the german youth were taught that in the ’30s and the ’40s, Germany was a „killing machine”, the author comes with another perspective: „Germany is, in the first place, our parents, with all their hopes and all their ideals.” That why, translated, the title goes: „Our mothers, our fathers.” (Octavian Racu) With a budget of 10 millions euros, the film producer Nico Hoffmann has made a movie considered by the critics and the press to be „the cultural event of 2013”.
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• WAN D E R I N G O N T H E I R O N R OAD •
Mediaș train station in 1905
The railway of Mediaș Andrei BERINDE Translator: Gabriela BREȚCANU The iron road and the chariots of fire arrived for the first time in Mediaş some 141 years ago, on the 6th of May 1872, when almost the entire population residing on the banks of the Târnava Mare River walked straight to the new building, to become witnesses to the first train arrival in Mediaş. And yet…the railway history of Mediaş could not be told if we separate it from the broader context, that being the building and development of Arad-Alba Iulia and Oradea-Braşov railroad paths which nowadays represent the backbone of railways in Transylvania. First mentioned in a report presented to the Parliament in Budapest, in 25th of January 1849, by the AustroHungarian minister for communication, Istvan Szechenyi, the railroad Oradea-Braşov would be built almost after two decades. Thus, after the passing of the XLV Law (document under which, on 6th of December 1868, the Hungary Eastern Railway Company received the concession for building the future trail designed by the famous Austrian engineer, Karl von Ghega), the construction would be carried out by a private contractor from Warring&Eckersly brothers. Construction of the first section of the line, between Oradea and Cluj, started during the spring of 1869, the section being inaugurated on 7th of September 1870.
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Around the same time, i.e. in the spring of 1866, on Mureş River Valley, the Tisza Railway Company began the construction of Arad-Alba Iulia railway line. After a few months, because of serious financial problems, the project was stopped for a year, after which the role to build the line was given to the First Railway of Transylvania Company, the route being completed and inaugurated on 22nd of December 1868. The following year, the Hungary Eastern Railway Company extends the line until it gets to Războieni, via Teiuş, and Târgu Mureş. The new section of the line placed Teiuş on rail network map of Transylvania, the small town being the starting point of the line that was to pass through Târnavelor Plateau. Thus, during the spring of 1871, the same Hungary Eastern Railway Company started the construction of Teiuş-Mediaş railroad, the first train entering the Mediaş train station on 6th of May 1872. Initially, this railway was exploited by its concessionaire but, on 1st of February 1876, AustriaHungary nationalized the line, which was to be administered, together with the entire patrimony of Hungary Eastern Railway Company, by the Hungarian State Railways Company, until 1st of January 1919, when it was taken under the auspices of C.F.R. (Romanian Railroads). A year later, on 20th of September 1920, under the Law which ratified the Treaty of Trianon provisions, the entire Oradea-Braşov line was registered in the Real Estate Register of Cluj as property of the Romanian state (position CFC 42). The Teiuş-Mediaş railway remained unchanged until the ’70s, when it was doubled (1971-1973) and electrified (1981-1982). In 1974, the old building for the passengers was demolished, its place being taken by the present two-storey building.
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• SUMMARY OF THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS• Ion Țarălungă – colors enrolling for history It was once in Bucharest: Old Grant Cross Heroes Commemorative March Moments of History: August 1944