The Romanian Army of World War II (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Mark Axworthy (Author), Horia Serbanescu (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: March 26, 1992

Although Romania had fought for the Allies in World War I with the fall of her allies the Czechs and the French mid-1940 she was forced to join the Axis. A coalition government was formed under General Antonescue who proved to be one of Germany’s most effective military allies. The Romanian army saw extensive action and suffered terrible losses in operation Odessa and at Stalingrad. By 1944 the Soviets were within the Romanian borders and the King sued for peace. Romania’s defection significantly accelerated the end of World War II. Her natural resources were now denied to Germany and her forces constituted the fourth largest Allied army. this book details the uniforms, equipment and unit organisation of the Romanian army during the entire conflict.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 26, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855321696
• ISBN-13: 978-1855321694
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > History > Europe > Romania

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good look, July 31, 2004

By 

Michael A Dorosh (Calgary, AB, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Romanian Army of World War II (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

Rather than give a dissertation on the history of the Romanian Army (which seems to be a disturbing trend among MAA reviews in general) I'll focus my comments on what I think prospective buyers want to see - details of what is actually contained in the book.

Standard MAA layout; pages of text with accompanying photos, and a set of 8 colour plates centrally located. What is odd about this book is that the captions to the colour plates take up more than half the text. This is an unusual variant on the layout of most MAA books.

The text is divided into sections - an Introduction, a piece on The Army and the State which gives a nice description of the organization of the military, Equipment, which focuses primarily on tanks but also on small arms, Unit Organisation which describes the different kinds of divisions and also has a nice sidebar indicating which regiments were formed into which divisions, Campaigns 1941-1945, with a brief history of the employment of the Romanian Army, with nicely done maps, and then the plates.

The plates focus mainly on details of equipment, uniforms and insignia, hence the absence of this discussion from the main text, however, the captions are so detailed they may be considered an extension of the text. Plates cover the gamut from high command, to general staff officers, field officers, NCOs and men.

Disappointingly, the subject of rank insignia, or duties and responsibilities associated with the various ranks, is not addressed. Another volume in the MAA titles does cover rank insignia in detail - MAA 131 Germany's Eastern Front Allies and I would recommend that title be read in conjunction with this one, for those interested in a fuller understanding of the rank system.

Otherwise, a fairly complete initial look at the Romanian Army is provided, and some details of rank can be deduced from context clues in the plate captions.

Plates themselves are well done by a Romanian artist, and seem almost identical to Volstad's style, not a bad thing. Faces are a bit unevenly done, but details of uniform and insignia are clear, with borders well defined by black lines. Good array of poses and mix of subjects.

Rated down for lack of rank insignia information. Those not interested in that facet may rate this a 5 with regards to order of battle and historical info.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of a neglected army, but too short, November 19, 2002

By 

Eric Oppen (Iowa Falls, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Romanian Army of World War II (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

The Romanian contribution to the Axis cause is often overlooked in the West, since they fought almost entirely on the Eastern Front and after the war, were behind the Iron Curtain. This book does a lot to remedy the lack of information available in English; I'd like to see more work done on Antonescu's army before all its veterans are gone, but this book's a great introduction for the beginner.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference Material, August 11, 2009

By 

Robert A. Morrison (Ypsilanti, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Romanian Army of World War II (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

Osprey (Men-at-Arms Series) is a good reference source. Model builders/figure painters will especially find the color plates useful. I am using mine as a color guide to paint WWII Romanian Infantry, but anyone who wishes to sculpt their own figures, or create scenarios for battles (using the organization information) will also find it useful.