The 15th Mechanized Brigade (Romanian: Brigada 15 Mecanizată "Podul Înalt") is a mechanized brigade of the Romanian Land Forces. It was formed in 1 July 1994 from the ex 15th Mechanized Regiment, and named after the "Battle of Podul Înalt". The brigade is currently subordinated to the 4th Infantry Division, and its headquarters are located in Iași.[1]
History
Origins to World War I
The 15th Mechanized Brigade is the successor of the 15th Dorobanți Regiment [ro] established on 1 January 1877.[2] 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 Vidin [ro]. On 15 July 1891, it received the name "Războieni" after the Battle of Războieni.[3]
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.[4]
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.[4] After the war, it was moved to the Bacău Garrison, being also merged with the 16th Dorobanți Regiment.[3][5] The 15th Regiment was itself disbanded in December 1951, and its soldiers moved to Buzău.[3][4]
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.[4] The original barracks of the regiment in Piatra Neamț are currently occupied by the 634th Infantry Battalion.[3]