The 7th Roșiori (Cavalry) Regiment and the Holocaust in Romania and the Soviet Union. Issue 1 (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Popa, Ion
• Is Part Of: Dapim. Volume 32:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 38
• Page End: 56
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: Romanian army -- communist trials -- massacres of 1941 -- Holocaust -- Soviet Union; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 940.5318
• DOI: 10.1080/23256249.2018.1432250
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2325-6249

Abstract

ABSTRACT: From November 1949 to April 1951, a regional branch of the Romanian communist Securitate (General Directorate for the Security of the People) investigated the crimes committed by the 7th Roșiori (cavalry) Regiment on the Eastern Front during World War II. Starting with inquiries into one of the regiment's sergeants, the investigation expanded and brought to light the horrendous crimes perpetrated in the summer and autumn of 1941, mostly against the Jewish population of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and Transnistria. In October 1950, when the regional branch was making huge progress in unveiling the crimes, the central office of the Securitate ordered the cessation of the investigations. This article is a detailed description and examination of the prosecution's proceedings. Its purpose is to bring forward this important and scarcely searched primary source, and, in this way, contribute to the historiography of the Romanian army's behavior during the Holocaust. The first part deals with the chronology of the prosecution's investigation and its complex nature. The second part looks at witnesses' testimonies, defendants' declarations, and prosecutors' reports and maps the crimes committed by the 7th Roșiori Regiment. The last part describes the human fabric of the regiment's personnel as it appears in the prosecuting files.