Sava Caracaș

Sava Caracaș (1890 – 15 March 1945) was a Romanian brigadier general during World War II.

Sava Caracaș
Born1890 (1890)
DiedMarch 15, 1945(1945-03-15) (aged 54–55)
Alba Iulia, Kingdom of Romania
AllegianceKingdom of Romania
Service/branchArmy
RankBrigadier general
Commands held10th Division
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsOrder of the Star of Romania, Officer rank and Commander rank
Order of the Crown (Romania) Commander rank

He graduated the Infantry Military School in 1912 with the rank of second lieutenant. He advanced in rank to colonel in 1936.

In 1938 Caracaș served as Prefect of Iași County. At the order of the Minister of Interior, Armand Călinescu, he ordered the search of known sympathizers of the Iron Guard, who were suspected of possessing weapons and propaganda materials. Wearing a mărțișor was forbidden that year, since it was viewed as political insignia.[1]

From May 1941 to January 1942, he served as Chief of Staff 4th Corps Area. On 22 June 1941 Romania joined Operation Barbarossa in order to reclaim the lost territories of Bessarabia and Bukovina, which had been annexed by the Soviet Union in June 1940. From 29 June to 6 July 1941 the Iași pogrom was launched by governmental forces under Marshal Ion Antonescu against the Jewish community in Iași. On August 25, the commander of the 4th Corps Area, General Constantin Cernătescu, and his Chief of Staff, Colonel Caracaș, ordered all inhabitants of ethnic Jewish origin from the territory under their authority (the counties of Iași, Baia, Botoșani, Roman, Bălți, and Soroca) to wear a yellow badge on their chest.[2]

In January 1942, Caracaș was promoted to brigadier general.[3] Starting în March 1942, he was Commanding Officer of the 10th Infantry Division. In August 1942 he led his division in the Battle of the Caucasus.[4] In October 1943 he went into reserve until June 1944, when he became General Officer Commanding 7th Training Division. After the coup d'état of 23 August 1944, Romania switched sides and declared war on Nazi Germany. In September of that year, Caracaș fought with his division at the Battle of Turda.[5] In October 1944 he was appointed General Officer Commanding 20th Training Division. He died at a military hospital in Alba Iulia[6] in March 1945.

His awards include the Order of the Star of Romania, Officer rank (June 1940),[7] Order of the Crown, Commander rank (December 1943),[8] and Order of the Star, Commander rank (post-mortem, May 1945).[9]

References
  1. Ciobotaru, Diego (February 28, 2014). "Mărțișorul, mijloc de propagandă politică. Scos în afara legii în 1938" [Mărțișor, a means of political propaganda. Outlawed in 1938]. Ziarul de Iași (in Romanian). Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  2. "The pogrom in Iași" (PDF). survivors-romania.org. p. 16. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  3. Decretul Conducătorului Statului nr. 505 din 19 februarie 1942 pentru înaintări în Armata de Uscat, publicat în Monitorul Oficial, anul CX, nr. 44 din 20 februarie 1942, partea I-a, p. 1.157.
  4. Forczyk, Robert (2015). The Caucasus 1942-43: Kleist's race for oil (PDF). Steve Noon. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-0583-6. OCLC 889735125.
  5. István, Ravasz. "Az Erdélyi Hadműveletek 1944 Késő Nyarán-Kora Őszen" [The Transylvanian operation 1944 – late summer and early fall] (PDF) (in Hungarian). Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  6. "Lista eroilor căzuți la datorie în războaiele purtate de armata României" (PDF). veteraniiromaniei.mapn.ro (in Romanian). Ministry of National Defence (Romania). Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  7. Decretul Regal nr. 1.905 din 8 iunie 1940 pentru numiri de membri ai ordinului „Steaua României”, publicat în Monitorul Oficial, anul CVIII, nr. 131 din 8 iunie 1940, partea I-a, p. 2.783.
  8. Decretul Regal nr. 3.323 din 23 decembrie 1943 pentru conferiri de decorațiuni, publicat în Monitorul Oficial, anul CXII, nr. 37 din 14 februarie 1944, partea I-a, p. 1.154.
  9. Decretul Regal nr. 1.535 din 12 mai 1945 pentru conferiri de decorațiuni de război, publicat în Monitorul Oficial, anul CXIII, nr. 119 din 29 mai 1945, partea I-a, p. 4.414.
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