15th Mechanized Brigade (Romania)

History

Origins to World War I

The 15th Mechanized Brigade is the successor of the established on 1 January 1877. It was headquartered at Piatra Neamț and had two battalions with four companies each. During the War of Independence, the regiment participated in the battles of Plevna, Rahova, and . On 15 July 1891, it received the name "Războieni" (after the 15th century Battle of Războieni).

The 15th Războieni Regiment participated in the Second Balkan War, then in World War I. During the war, the regiment acted in the Eastern Carpathians, at Miecurea-Ciuc, Odorhei, and in the Wallachian Plain as part of the . A period of inactivity followed after the Armistice of Focșani, only for the regiment to take an active part in the campaign of 1918 and 1919. For its feats of arms during the campaigns, the battle flag of the 15th Regiment was decorated with the Order of the Star of Romania.

World War 2 to present

In 1932, the regiment was transferred to the 6th Infantry Division. During the Second World War, the regiment fought on the Eastern Front. It fought in Bessarabia, then at Odessa. In 1942, the 1st Battalion of the regiment fought in the Battle of Stalingrad as part of the "General Lascăr" Group. Until 1944, the regiment was located in its garrison, being moved to the fortified line south of Pașcani in March.

After the 1944 Romanian coup d'état, the 15th Infantry Training Regiment participated in further battles in Transylvania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia until the end of the war. After the war, it was moved to the Bacău Garrison, being also merged with the 16th Dorobanți Regiment. The 15th Regiment was itself disbanded in December 1951, and its soldiers moved to Buzău.

The regiment was reactivated in 1959 in the Iași Garrison, converting to a mechanized regiment in 1961 and received the name "Războieni" again in 1969. In 1994, it was transformed into the 15th Mechanized Brigade and renamed to "Podul Înalt" in 1996, while the name "Războieni" was given to the 151st Infantry Battalion of the brigade. The original barracks of the regiment in Piatra Neamț are currently occupied by the 634th Infantry Battalion.

The 151st and 634th Infantry Battalions were deployed to Afghanistan several times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom starting from 2003. The 151st Battalion also participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008. Other international deployments were to Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania.

Organization

• 15th Mechanized Brigade "Podul Înalt", in Iași
  • 631st Tank Battalion "Oituz", in Bacău, with TR-85 main battle tanks
  • 814th Tank Battalion "Mihai Vodă", in Turda, with TR-85 main battle tanks
  • 151st Infantry Battalion "Războieni", in Iași
  • 634th Infantry Battalion "Mareșal Jósef Piłsudski", in Piatra Neamț
  • 335th Artillery Battalion "Alexandru cel Bun", in Botoșani will be equipped with K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers
  • 55th Anti-aircraft Defense Battalion "Someș", in Dej
  • 198th Logistic Support Battalion "Prut", in Iași

Decorations

;Pre–1994 The 15th Infantry Regiment has received the following decorations:

• [[File:ROM Order of the Star of Romania 1877 Knight BAR.svg|50px]] Order of the Star of Romania (Knight – 1919)

;Post–1994 The 15th Mechanized Brigade has received the following decorations:

• [[File:ROU Order For Merit 2000 Knight BAR.svg|50px]] National Order of Merit, Peacetime (Knight – 2017)
• [[File:ROU Military Virtue Order 2002 Officer BAR.svg|50px]] Order of Military Virtue, Peacetime (Knight – 2016; Officer – 2023)

References

References

1. MURARIU, Olga. (30 November 2025). "Primul pas în cariera militară". În slujba patriei.
2. Forțele Terestre Române. (20 September 2025). "Schimbare comandă Bg 15 Mc.".
3. MURARIU, Olga. (30 November 2025). "Primul pas în cariera militară". În slujba patriei.
4. "Ziua NATO în România {{!}} Brigada 15 Mecanizată "Podu Înalt"".
5. Lucian Irimia. (2017-01-18). "Arc peste veacuri".
6. (31 July 2022). "Premieră la Sărbătoarea Războienilor – reconstituirea unei înfruntări dintre moldovenii lui Ștefan cel Mare și turcii lui Mahomed al II-lea".
7. "Istoricul unității".
8. "Repere Istorice Regimentul 16 Dorobanți".
9. "Brigada 15 Mecanizată "Podu Înalt" - Structură". Brigada 15 Mecanizată "Podu Înalt".
10. Lucian Irimia. (February 20, 2022). "Din secretele "umbrelor munţilor"".
11. (6 December 2021). "De ce Batalionul 634 Infanterie din Piatra-Neamț se numește "Mareşal Józef Piłsudski"?".
12. (August 4, 2023). "Subofițerul și Soldatul Anului, etapa pe Brigada 15 Mecanizată".
13. (28 May 2016). "Regimentul Războieni Nr. 15 – Istorie și Eroism (I)".
14. "Decorații acordate unor drapele".