The Central Powers' capture of Bucharest on 6 December 1916 forced Romania's government and army to retreat to Moldavia, reshaping the Eastern Front.
Key Facts
- Date of Bucharest occupation
- 6 December 1916
- Pitești captured
- 29 November 1916
- Battle of Argeș won
- 4 December 1916 by Central Powers
- Romanian retreat completed
- Night of 14–15 December 1916
- New Romanian capital
- Iași (Moldavia)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following a German counterattack in Muntenia, Romanian forces under General Constantin Prezan were unable to halt the Central Powers' advance. Two converging German-led groups attacked from Oltenia and from south of the Danube, while August von Mackensen's multi-national Danube Army pressed from the south, capturing Pitești on 29 November 1916.
The Battle of Bucharest, also called the Argeș–Neajlov Defensive Operation, was fought in late November and early December 1916. Despite Romanian and partial Russian resistance, the Danube Army won the Battle of Argeș on 4 December, and Central Powers forces occupied both Bucharest and Ploiești on 6 December, marking the end of the Romanian Campaign of 1916.
The fall of Bucharest compelled the Romanian government to relocate to Iași in Moldavia. Romanian and Russian forces retreated from Wallachia to Moldavia by mid-December, fundamentally altering the strategic situation on the Eastern Front and reducing Romania's operational territory significantly.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Constantin Prezan.
Side B
4 belligerents
Erich von Falkenhayn, August von Mackensen.