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{{Short description|World War I battle, September 1916}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Kolun
| partof = the [[Battle of Transylvania]] of the [[Romanian Campaign (World War I)|Romanian Campaign]] of [[World War I]]
| image = 1916 - Austria - Batalia de la Sibiu1916.png
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Kolun visible on the north-eastern part of this map
| date = 25 September 1916
| place = Kolun, [[Transylvania]], Austria-Hungary (today [[Porumbacu de Jos|Colun]], [[Sibiu County]], Romania)
| coordinates =
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| result = Central Powers victory
| status =
| combatants_header =
| combatant1 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}}
| combatant2 = {{flagcountry|German Empire}}<br/>{{flag|Austria-Hungary}}
| combatant3 =
| commander1 = {{flagicon|Kingdom of Romania}} [[Ioan Culcer]]<br/>{{flagicon|Kingdom of Romania}} [[Ioan Popovici (divisional general)|Ioan Popovici]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Erich von Falkenhayn]]<br/>{{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Eberhard Graf von Schmettow]]
| commander3 =
| units1 = [[First Army (Romania)|1st Army]]
*I Corps
**13th Division
| units2 = [[9th Army (German Empire)|9th Army]]
*[[Cavalry Corps Schmettow (German Empire)|Cavalry Corps Schmettow]]
| units3 =
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
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| casualties1 = Unknown
| casualties2 = Unknown
| casualties3 =
| notes =
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Romanian Campaign}}
}}
The '''Battle of Kolun''' was a [[World War I]] military engagement fought between Romanian and [[Central Powers]] forces (Germany and Austria-Hungary). It was part of the wider [[Battle of Transylvania]] and resulted in a tactical victory for the Central Powers.
==Background==
On 27 August 1916, Romania joined [[World War I]] on the side of the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] by [[Battle of Transylvania|invading]] [[Transylvania]], at that time part of the [[Transleithania|Hungarian half]] of [[Austria-Hungary]]. The advance of the Romanian 1st Army north of the [[Turnu Roșu
In mid-September, General [[Ioan Culcer]]
On 19 September, General Erich von Falkenhayn assumed command of the German 9th Army. Among the units of this army was the Schmettow Cavalry Corps, comprising the 1st Austro-Hungarian and 3rd German Cavalry Division, both under von Schmettow's command, the 3rd Division's commander. As part of von Falkenhayn's plan for the [[Battle of Nagyszeben]], von Schmettow had to block any reinforcements that might have come from the Romanian 2nd Army, threatening the 9th Army's vulnerable flank.<ref>Michael B. Barrett, Indiana University Press, Oct 23, 2013, ''Prelude to Blitzkrieg: The 1916 Austro-German Campaign in Romania'', pp. 99-100 and 102-103</ref>▼
▲On 19 September, General [[Erich von Falkenhayn]] assumed command of the German 9th Army. Among the units of this army was the Schmettow Cavalry Corps, comprising the 1st Austro-Hungarian and 3rd German Cavalry Division, both under [[Eberhard Graf von Schmettow|von Schmettow]]'s command, the 3rd Division's commander. As part of von Falkenhayn's plan for the [[Battle of Nagyszeben]], von Schmettow had to block any reinforcements that might have come from the [[Second Army (Romania)|Romanian 2nd Army]], threatening the 9th Army's vulnerable flank.<ref>Michael B. Barrett, Indiana University Press, Oct 23, 2013, ''Prelude to Blitzkrieg: The 1916 Austro-German Campaign in Romania'', pp. 99-100 and 102-103</ref>
==Battle==
The left of the Central Powers forces - the German column which was to encircle the Romanians from the east - succeeded in forcing the crossing of the [[Olt (river)|Olt River]] at Kolun ([[Porumbacu de Jos|Colun]]/Kellen), east of Porumbák ([[Porumbacu de Jos|Porumbacu]]/Bornbach). Thus, an effective barrier was created between the 1st and the 2nd Romanian armies. In its advance across the mountain ridge separating the valleys of the Hortobágy ([[Hârtibaciu]]/Haarbach) and Olt Rivers, this German column was faced with determined resistance. Still, its numerical superiority enabled it to prevail.<ref>The Times, 1917, ''The Times History and Encyclopaedia of the War, Volume 11'', p. 228</ref><ref name="Buchan">John Buchan, T. Nelson, 1922, ''A History of the Great War: From the battle of Verdun to the third battle of Ypres'', p. 233</ref> By the evening of 25 September, Kolun was in German hands.<ref>[https://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/fullscreen/AC01737446/66/ Edmund Glaise-Horstenau, Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914 – 1918. Vol. 5: Das Kriegsjahr 1916; 2; Beil, Verl. der Militärwiss. Mitteilungen, Wien, 1932]</ref>
==Aftermath==
Although von Falkenhayn's left succeeded in cutting any communication with the 2nd Army, it failed to execute a proper flanking movement.<ref name="Buchan" /> Von Falkenhayn had judged a withdrawal over the [[Făgăraș Mountains]] as impossible, due to a lack of good roads. However, this area was precisely the place through which the Romanians [[Battle of Nagyszeben|retreated]], with the loss of "only" 3,000 unwounded prisoners and 13 guns.<ref>Lieutenant-Colonel E. M. Benitez, Command and General Staff School, 1939, ''Quarterly Review of Military Literature, Volume 19, Issue 73'', p. 9</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{coord missing|Romania}}
[[Category:Battles of the Eastern Front (World War I)|Kolun]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Germany|Kolun]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Romania|Kolun]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Austria-Hungary|Kolun]]
[[Category:History of Transylvania (1867–1918)]]
[[Category:Battles in 1916|Kolun]]
[[Category:1916 in Romania]]
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