Roşiori (military unit)

The Roşiori were a type of cavalry unit in the Romanian army. Active throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Roşiori were known for their vibrant red uniforms.

History
The Roşiori were formed in the late 19th century during a period of modernization within the Romanian army. The result of these reforms was the formation of an irregular cavalry force (described in one source as being armed like Cossacks), the Lakarashi, and a professional cavalry force, the Roşiori, who were armed and organized along the lines of the cavalry of the German Empire. The Rosiori wore scarlet hussar uniforms, white pantaloons, and white belts; some sources describe the units as the "Red Hussars".

By 1908, the Romanian army had elected to split the army's professional cavalry forces into hussar and lancer regiments. As part of this division, the Rosiori were re-organized as lancers, and formed six of the Romanian army's seventeen cavalry regiments. The Rosiori were full-time soldiers, and maintained their distinctive red uniforms. Rosiori regiments were made up of five squadrons (four of which were professional, one of which was irregular), with each squadron consisting of 174 horsemen.

During World War I, the Rosiori regiments served with distinction in campaigns against Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the German Empire. The conflict also saw the mobilization of dismounted Rosiori regiments.

Following the Romania's joining of the Axis powers and subsequent entry into World War II, Rosiori regiments (which numbered 13 as of 1942) saw service on the Eastern Front against the Red Army.

List of Rosiori regiments

 * 1st Rosiori regiment
 * 2nd Rosiori regiment - Distinguished itself at the Battle of Prunaru, where it was nearly destroyed.
 * 3rd Rosiori regiment
 * 4th Rosiori regiment - associated with the Romanian royal family, and ceremonially led by Queen Marie of Romania. Part of the elite 2nd Rosiori brigade during World War I.
 * 6th Rosiori regiment - reformed as the 6th Motorized regiment during World War II.
 * 7th Rosiori regiment - alleged to have committed war crimes against the Jewish population of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and Transnistria during the Holocaust. Postwar investigations of the unit were first begun and then later suppressed by the Communist government of Romania.
 * 8th Rosiori regiment
 * 9th Rosiori regiment - part of the elite 2nd Rosiori brigade during World War I.
 * 10th Rosiori regiment
 * 11th Rosiori regiment
 * 12th Rosiori regiment
 * 13th Rosiori regiment