Romanian Anti-communist Resistance Movement - List of Major Resistance Groups

List of Major Resistance Groups

The territorial structure of the resistance covered mainly the mountainous and heavy forested parts of the country. A list of some of the most important resistance groups and their location:

Area Name of the group/group leader (mostly in order Surname - First name)
Maramureş Mihali-Ştrifundă Gavrilă; Popşa Vasile; Zubaşcu Ilie; Ilban Ion; Pop Nicolae; Vasile Dunca; group of Uniate priests
Rodna Mountains ”Cross and Sword Organization” (Bodiu Leonida)
Bucovina Constantin Cenuşă, Constantin Cenuţă, Vasile Motrescu; Col. Cârlan Vasile; Grigore Sandu; Cămăruţă Vasile; Harsmei Silvestru; Vatamaniuc Gavril; Ion Vatamaniuc, Vladimir Macoveiciuc, Petru Maruseac, Sumanele Negre, Tinerii Partizani ai României.
Suceava Hazmei Silvestru; “Decebal’s Guards” (Gǎrzile lui Decebal), Ion and Gheorghe Chiraş.
Crişul Alb River and Arad Şirianu Valer; „National Liberation Movement”; Mihuţiu Adrian; Cantemir Gligor; Luluşa Ion;
Bistriţa-Năsăud Haiducii lui Avram Iancu
Apuseni Mountains ”White Army” (Capt. Suciu Alexandru); “National Defence Front – Hajduk Corps” (Maj. Dabija Nicolae – brothers Macavei); Dr. Capotă Iosif -Dr. Dejeu Alexandru; Şuşman Teodor; Robu Ioan; Popa Ştefan; Crişan Ioan – Abăcioaiei Leon; Sandu Maxim; brothers Spaniol; ”Cross and Sword Organization”; Acft. Capt. Ionescu Diamandi
Cluj Paşca Gheorghe; Podea Alexandru; Pop; Maj. Oniga Emil; Deac Cornel
Bacău Corduneanu Vasile; Uturea group (Unguraşu Gheorghe, Baciu Petre)
Banat Col. Uţă Ion; Blănaru Spiru; Vernichescu Aurel; Acft. Cdr. Domăşneanu Petru; Popovici Nicolae; Ionescu Gheorghe; Ambruş Petru; “Great Romania Partisans”; brothers Blaj; Tănase Ion; Isfănuţ Dumitru (Sfârlogea); Doran Nicolae; Vuc Ion
Hunedoara Caragea Lazăr; Vitan Petru
Sibiu resistance point Fetea
Covasna ”Vlad Ţepeş Organisation” (Lupşa Victor, Corneliu Gheorghe-Szavras)
Braşov ”Vlad Ţepeş Organisation”
Vrancea Vrancea group (brothers Paragina); Militaru Gheorghe; “Vlad Ţepeş Organisation”; (Lupşa Victor); Acft. Capt. Mândrişteanu
Bârlad Constantin Dan
Northern Făgăraş Mountains Dumitru (Ionele Ion); Făină; Cândea Ion; Grupul Carpatin Făgărăşan (Ion Gavrilă-Ogoranu)
Southern Făgăraş Mountains Col. Arsenescu Gheorghe; Haiduks of Muscel (brothers Petru and Toma Arnăuţoiu); Apostol
Gorj Capt. Brâncuşi Mihai
Vâlcea Pele Gheorghe; Secu Şerban; Jijie Ion
Craiova Gen. Carlaonţ Ion; Dumitraşcu Marin
Dobrogea Fudulea Gheorghe; brothers Croitoru; Gogu Puiu; Ciolacu Nicolae; Trocan Niculae; Dobroges’s Haiducs

Rather than a planned action, the resistance movement was a spontaneous reaction in response to the wave of terror initiated by the authorities after the seizure of power in early 1948. The spontaneous nature of the movement explains its marked fragmentation and the lack of coordination between the resistance groups. However, acting isolated and on a local basis conferred the groups a multiformity and flexibility which rendered the annihilation of the entire movement more difficult, and ensured a remarkable staying power for some groups. Furthermore, in some areas a notable reproducibility occurred, exterminated groups being replaced by new cores of resistance.

A characteristic trait of the movement was its defensive nature. Indeed, few offensive actions such as sabotages or occupation of localities have been recorded. While the groups did not pose a major material threat to the authorities, their dangerousness for the regime resided in the symbol they represented: as long as the resisters remained free, they created a tangible challenge to the regime’s claim of exercising total control over the country.

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