The Romanian Mission of General Berthelot (1916–1917): Cooperation and Disagreements with the Russian Command of the Romanian Front

When the Kingdom of Romania entered the Great War in 1916, it was supposed to receive aid from the Entente allies While the Russian troops fought alongside the Romanians on the Eastern Front, the Western allies assisted them with arms, financial resources, and experienced officers. Military cooperation in the various European theatres of war was a rather complex task, and its arrangement actualised the issues of cooperation between the allies in arms in pursuit of a common goal. The French Mission of General Berthelot assisted the Romanian army in a number of ways, including leading the fighting in the autumn of 1916, reorganising the defeated Romanian army, and acting as military advisers in the 1917 campaign. In that respect, the French were competing with the Russians for influence over the Romanian top leadership, especially the military command. The formation of the Romanian front, consisting mainly of Russian troops, allowed the Russian Stavka to sideline the French from directly influencing the course of military operations. The work of the French mission was limited to bringing the Romanian units withdrawn to the rear back into order. However, in 1917, the French resumed their leading role in influencing the Romanian generals. The February Revolution marked a turning point in relations between the rival partners, finally consolidating the leading role of the Berthelot Mission in the affairs of the Romanian Army on the Romanian front. The French Mission helped reorganise the Romanian Army, which played a decisive role in the final stage of the Great War. This allowed the Kingdom of Romania to remain among the victorious nations, despite the vicissitudes of 1918 following the withdrawal of Russia from the war. The main sources for this article are documents from the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA) relating primarily to the competence of the central military authorities and administration during the war period, namely the Supreme Command Headquarters and the General Staff Headquarters.

Keywords

World War I, Great War, Russia, France, Romania, Entente, military missions, military history

Received

10.02.2022

Publication date

13.05.2022

Number of characters

42602

Cite

GOST	Oskin M. The Romanian Mission of General Berthelot (1916–1917): Cooperation and Disagreements with the Russian Command of the Romanian Front // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2022. – Issue 2 C. 83-96 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640016584-0-1 (circulation date: 05.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016584-0
MLA	Oskin, Maksim "The Romanian Mission of General Berthelot (1916–1917): Cooperation and Disagreements with the Russian Command of the Romanian Front." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 2 (2022):83-96. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016584-0
APA	Oskin M. (2022). The Romanian Mission of General Berthelot (1916–1917): Cooperation and Disagreements with the Russian Command of the Romanian Front. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (2), pp.83-96 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016584-0

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 215

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Val' E.G. K istorii Belogo dvizheniya [Towards the History of the White Movement]. Tallinn, 1935. (In Russ.)

2. Perepelovskii K. Rol' i znachenie Russkogo fronta v voinu 1914–1917 gg. po inostrannym voennym istochnikam (okonchanie) [The role and significance of the Russian Front in the War of 1914–1917 according to foreign military sources (end)] // Voennaya byl' [Military history]. 1971. № 112. S. 3–9. (In Russ.)

3. Emec V.A. Protivorechiya mezhdu Rossiej i soyuznikami po voprosu o vstuplenii Rumynii v vojnu (1915–1916gg.) [Controversy between Russia and the Allies over Romania's entry into the war (1915–1916)] // Istoricheskie zapiski [Historical notes]. T. 56. Moskva, 1956. S. 52–90. (In Russ.)

4. Zajonchkovskij A.M. Pervaya mirovaya vojna [First World War]. Sankt-Peterburg, 2002. (In Russ.)

5. Kashirin V.B. Pohod v Dobrudzhanskuyu step': evolyuciya zamysla, planirovanie i podgotovka ekspedicii russkih vojsk za Dunaj v 1916 godu [The march to the Dobroudjan steppe: evolution of the idea, planning and preparation of the expedition of Russian troops across the Danube in 1916] // Studia Balkanica. K yubileyu R.P. Grishinoj: sbornik statej [Studia Balkanica. To the anniversary of R.P. Grishina: collection of articles]. Moskva, 2010. S. 139–185. (In Russ.)

6. Kozlov D.Yu. Flot v rumynskoj kampanii 1916–1917 godov [Navy in the Romanian campaign of 1916–1917]. Sankt-Peterburg, 2003. (In Russ.)

7. Llojd-Dzhordzh D. Voennye memuary [Military Memoirs]. T. I–II. Moskva, 1934. (In Russ.)

8. Magadeev I.E. Vostochnyj front v 1917 godu i perspektivy rossijskoj armii v ocenkah francuzskih voennyh ekspertov [The Eastern Front in 1917 and the prospects of the Russian army in the assessments of French military experts] // Novaya i novejshaya istoriya [New and Contemporary History]. 2017. № 6. S. 29–46. (In Russ.)

9. Pavlov A.Yu. Skovannye odnoj cel'yu: Strategicheskoe vzaimodejstvie Rossii i ee soyuznikov v gody Pervoj mirovoj vojny (1914–1917) [Bound by one purpose: strategic interaction between Russia and its allies during World War I (1914–1917)]. Sankt-Peterburg, 2008. (In Russ.)

10. Francuzskie armii v mirovoj vojne. T. 8.Vostochnaya kampaniya. Vyp. 2. Izdanie francuzskogo general'nogo shtaba [French Armies in the World War. Vol. 8. Eastern Campaign. Iss. 2. Publication of the French General staff]. Moskva, 1940. (In Russ.)

11. Torrey G.E. Indifference and Mistrust: Russian-Romanian Collaboration in the Campaign of 1916 // The Journal of Military History. 1993. Vol. 57. № 2. P. 279–300.