Constantin Brătescu

Constantin Brătescu (March 8, 1892 - April 13, 1971) was a Romanian Major-General during World War II. In 1941, he served first as Chief Propaganda Section General Staff (Romania's Propaganda Minister) and then as a Romanian liaison officer to the German Military Mission, meaning that he served as a German military officer during Operation Barbarossa and the Axis Invasion of the Soviet Union. Starting in 1942 Brătescu was a Romanian General Officer (at the rank of Major-General) and commanded the 1st Cavalry Division throughout the campaign against the Soviets, fighting in such engagements as Operation Barbarossa, Operation Blue, and the Battle of Stalingrad. Following the surrender of Friedrich Paulus' 6th Army at the Battle of Stalingrad, Brătescu became a prisoner of war and was held captive from 1943 to 1948. Finally, in 1948, he was released after five years of imprisonment and subsequently retired from active service. Bratescu ultimately died twenty-three years later, in 1971, at the age of seventy-nine.