User:Bogdan.bobolea/Grupul Carpatin Fagarasan

Grupul Carpatin Făgărăşan (Carpathian Group Fagarasanul), part of Romania's anti-communist resistance movement, was one of the groups of armed persons that fought against the communist regime in the Carpathian Mountains from the late 1940s to the mid 1950s. The exact number of anticommunist armed resistance groups is not precisely known. In the Securitate archives there is not a complete inventory, but only partial tables, different from year to year. The Foundation “Luptătorii din Rezistenţa Armată Anticomunistă“ (The Fighters from Anticommunist Army Resistance) counted over 200 groups.

Consiliul National pentru Studierea Arhivelor Securitatii (The National Council for the study of the Securitate Archives) experts have identified 19 centers of resistance from Obcinile Bucovinei to Banat and from Maramures to Babadag forest. They didn’t have a shared leadership, the lack of unity being a weakness and a strength – because they were hard to be destroyed. They fighters didn’t call themselves "partisan" – because they didn’t defend any party - but "haiduci” aka “outlaws" because they were fighting against the system. Their aim was to last until the outbreak of a new world war, considered imminent, between the Anglo-Americans and Russians. It would have helped the Anglo-American offensive to liberate the country.

Context

Romania emerged from the Second World War as a defeated state and treated as such, by the Western democracies and the Soviets. In this time of despair an anticommunist armed resistance rose which started in Bukovina, in March 1944, when the Soviet troops entered onto Romanian territories. The action was organized by the Romanian Army officers.

Armed resistance then spread in all the mountains of Romania. In the fall and winter 1944, the Germans launched across Romania groups of paratroopers with the mission to act against the Soviet Army. This moment never came. Some groups, known by the Communist regime were disbanded, others, unknown by the regime remained in the mountains until 1948, when they became active.

In 1945, with the coming to power of a Communist government led by Dr. Petru Groza, the freedoms were suppressed, gradually a reign of terror being installed.

In 1946, the events have subsided somewhat. It was still hoped to have free elections and Western support. Starting from that moment, the anticommunist military resistance has accelerated, senior commissioned officer being involved in it.

In 1947, there was an understanding between all anticommunist forces, which included the Partidul Naţional-Ţărănesc (National Peasant Party), Partidul Naţional Liberal (National Liberal Party), Mişcarea Legionară (the Legionary Movement), the Romanian Army groups, student organizations and other forces.

In 1947 hundreds of people from Fagaras were ready to oppose the Communist rule imposed by the Red Army using their weapons.

During 1948, most of the active students from Fagaras were arrested. Also there were arrested most of the “Fratilor de Cruce” (Brothers of the Cross) from High School "Radu Negru.

The few students and students that eluded the arrest setup the core of the resistance group founded on the Northern slope of the Fagaras Mountains. In the eastern part of Fagaras county was organized the group "Vultanul" (the Eagle) led by the teacher Pridon, from Pirau, retired Captain, ex- volunteer in the Romanian Army in the First World War. Beside him are Marcel Cornea (student), Ioan Boamfă (gymnasium teacher) and young Ioan Buta. “Fratii de Cruce” (Brothers of the Cross) Ion Mogoş and Nicolae Mazilu, released from prison, gathered in an organization the youth from the villages that are around Fagaras, and through Victor Ioan Pica have reestablished the Brotherhood at "Radu Negru".

Description

Amongst the resistance groups from the mountains it is included the Fagarasanul group, initially known as “Hasu gang”, “Hasu-Gavrila gang”, “Gavrila gang”. The "Ion Gavrila - Ogoranu" group from Fagaras is one of the most known. For nearly eight years, "Gavrila gang" fought the Securitate forces dozens of times. Winter, the members, never more than 30, sought refuge at the homes of peasants at the foothills. Seldom, some of them stayed in the mountains during the winters, but it was more dangerous because food was scarce, the footsteps were easy to trace in snow, and the trees were leafless and Securitate squads could find them easier. In order to help the “Gavrila Group”, the teacher Olimpiu Borzea from Viştea de Jos - Brasov, organized a network of hundreds of people. It followed long years of clashes with the regime forces: Militia, Securitate or even with the regular active army. In the 146 Securitate's prosecution files were mentioned 108 actions against the group, divided by years as follows:

• 7 actions in 1951
• 15 actions in 1952
• 23 actions in 1953
• 25 actions in 1954
• 18 actions in 1955
• 4 actions in 1956.

Gradually the group members are captured, sentenced to long years of imprisonment or killed. By 1955, almost all of Gavrilă’s men were killed or captured through treason.

Ion Gavrilă - Ogoranu was the only one who escaped and avoided the last minute trap the other eight comrades fell into it. A liaison, who proved later to be recruited by Securitate, promised to cross them over the border. Gavrila refused to leave the country, and after learning what happened to the others, hid for 21 years at Ana Săbăduş of Galtiu – Alba County. The two were married in secret. Ion Gavrilă - Ogoranu died on May 1, 2006.

General features

Without a single command on a national level in order to coordinate the actions, without having a constant external link, with different tactics and strategies, the outcomes were not important. It can be said that the anticommunist resistance was destroyed in 1962. The Fagarasan resistance, as well as the anticommunist resistance throughout the country, according to the contemporary documents, had three characteristics:

1. national feature: "The heterogeneous composition of the resistance groups, both in terms of social background and political orientation is demonstrated by the documents existing in the archives of repressive bodies. Thus, from a statistical statement made by DGSP in 1951 it is revealed that, for those 804 persons arrested as members or supporters of those 17 groups of resistance in the mountains, the professional situation was as follows: 558 farmers from different states, 71 workers, 30 petty bourgeois, 17 officials, 15 priests, 15 merchants, 13 military and others. For the same "sample" the political affiliation has the following configuration: 88 former members of Partidul Naţional-Ţărănesc - Maniu (National Peasant Party – Maniu), 79 former members of the Frontul Plugarilor (Front of Plowmen), 73 former Legionnaires, 42 former members of the Partidului Communist Roman (Romanian Communist Party), 15 former members of the Partidul Naţional Liberal – Bratianu (National Liberal Party – Bratianu) and others. "

"It was a national movement not through a single operation command or a single personality to unite various groups, but the national character must be understood through the terms of ethnic, social and political members composition, by its more or less ephemeral links established between different groups, with the sole aim pursued - removing the communism".

2. Christian feature: "Abolition of the Greek-Catholic Creed on December 1, 1948 and the oppressive measures taken against the believers and priests of this cult have caused themselves the flee into the mountains of the persons pursued by Securitate labeled as " nereveniţi" (unreturned). Also from religious reasons Orthodox or neo-Protestant believers and hierarchs clergy fled into the mountains or supported the anticommunist armed struggle". .

3. anticommunist character: “the main goal pursued by these groups can be easily shown: the removal of established communist regime in Romania"

Tactics and strategy of the Carpathian Group Fagarasanul

They roamed in the most compact massif in Romania, Fagaras Mountains: 100 km length and 60 km width, without roads and covered in woods.

The group consisted of young people known to each other, grew up together, knew their strengths and weaknesses, they were born at the foothills and they felt themselves in the mountains as they were at home.

They have expanded their activity over an area as larger as possible: all Fagaras and Persani mountains, forests of Transylvania to Racoş, Sighisoara, Medias, Sibiu, in order to dissipate the forces sent against them. They didn’t have a central area of resistance, an error that most of other groups in the country did, because once the center of resistance was discovered, Securitate could brought as many security forces it was needed so they could destroy the group.

They were helped by the population: "In these years we found in the Romanians’ souls, often humiliated and ignored, so much magnanimity and so much beauty, so not one life, but a thousand lives are worth to sacrifice for".

Over 1,000 families have suffered because of vengeance of Securitate. Hundreds of families in all villages from Tara Oltului were suspected by Securitate that provided support to Fagarasanul Group. We must not forget the hundreds of shepherds in Arges and Muscel or rangers in the Fagaras area. Unlike other resistance groups located in the mountains who didn’t have any survivors, many members of the group were still alive after 1990: Ion Ilioi, Gilu Rades, Olimpiu Borzea Ion Grecu, Victor Ion Spada, Dumitru Moldovan, Ion Gavrila - Ogoranu, Dr. Nicolae Burlacu, teacher Elisabeta Malene, priest Victor Dâmboi.

"What drove us here was the love of this nation, free from pettiness. We learned to look at our nation, as well as anything in the world, in terms of love. YOU ARE IF YOU LOVE, AND YOU GET AT A HIGHER LEVEL IF YOU SACRIFICE YOURSELF FOR THIS LOVE".

"We do not admire our nation, nor seek to understand and study it under we don’t know what principle invented by the human mind. We love it. As it is. As a child loves his parents. And we would not change it for any other country, even in thought, as any mother in the world would not change her baby. In our hearts and minds, we never harbored the dreams and thoughts of emigration to we don’t know what happy country. We want to stay here partakers of the pains and joys of the people, of its destiny, in the wave in which we want to melt our destiny".

“And especially we felt God's hand in the black hours, when our poor human strengths would had lead us to death and despair. Here on the mountain peaks, we felt the Lord's words that told us that without Him we cannot do anything. And us, through our suffering, we learned to love Him. Because until you are not suffering, even a slap or a swearing for no reason, until then you cannot understand the drama of Golgotha. These thoughts, tormented in the long winter nights, buried in snow on the peaks of the Carpathians or during the watches with the weapons in our hands, we are dedicating to you, young people from villages and towns as a sign of our love for you, as some who will be given, when we will not be, the chance to see and to fulfill the great and brilliant Romanian victory."