Romania's commander on the Eastern Front
Before the flank northwest of Stalingrad collapsed, Dumitrescu requested German reinforcements.
Petre Dumitrescu was a career officer of the Kingdom of Romania who commanded the Romanian Third Army on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. Alongside German forces, he led Romanian operations in Bukovina, Ukraine, Crimea, and the Caucasus as Romania pursued the war against the Soviet Union. In November 1942, the Third Army's exposed flank northwest of Stalingrad came under the Soviet Uranus offensive; Dumitrescu requested support, but his formation suffered catastrophic losses and retreated. Charged with war crimes after the war, he was acquitted in 1946 for lack of sufficient evidence.
Career Timeline
- 1901–1903Studied at the School of Artillery and Engineers; commissioned as a second lieutenant
- 1911–1913Studied at the Superior War School
- 1930–1932Military attaché to France
- 1935–1937Vice Chief of the General Staff
- 1940–1941Commander of the Romanian First Army
- 1941–1944Commander of the Romanian Third Army
- 1942Commanded the Third Army during the Battle of Stalingrad
- 1944Retired and investigated for alleged war crimes