David Praporgescu

He was born in Turnu Măgurele, Teleorman County, in a peasant family. (Various sources give his birthdate as either 10 or 13 December, in either 1865 or 1866.) He went to study in Bucharest, after which he returned to teach at a school in Lița, near his native town. In September 1885 he enlisted as a volunteer soldier in the 11th Călărași Regiment in Botoșani. In 1888, after having reached the rank of sergeant, he was approved to go directly to the graduation exam at the Military School of Infantry and Cavalry in Bucharest; he ranked first out of a graduating class of 100, and was promoted to second lieutenant on 1 October 1888.^[2]

For the next two years Praporgescu attended the Cavalry Special School in Bucharest, from which he also graduated as head of promotion. After advancing in rank to lieutenant in 1893, he was sent in 1894 to train at the Saumur Cavalry School in France, after which he continued with the 5th Dragoon Regiment in Compiègne. Upon his return to Romania, he attended the Higher War School and was promoted to captain in 1898. Between 1902 and 1903, he was sent for another training course with the Austro-Hungarian army. In the following years he advanced in rank to major (1906), lieutenant colonel (1909), and colonel (1912).^[2]

Praporgescu taught at military schools, being head of department and professor of cavalry and cavalry weapon tactics at the School of Infantry and Cavalry Officers between 1903 and 1908, and head of the cavalry tactics department at the Higher War School. During the Second Balkan War of 1913 he commanded the 4th Roșiori Regiment, and in 1915 he took command of the 4th Călărași Brigade. In 1916 he was promoted to brigadier general, and shortly after, on 1 July 1916, he became commanding officer of the 2nd Roșiori Brigade.^[2]

At the onset of the Romanian Campaign of World War I, Praporgescu was named commander of the 20th Infantry Division, which was part of the Romanian 1st Army, under the command of General Ioan Culcer.^[2] The campaign started on 27 August 1916 with the Battle of Transylvania. After the Romanian forces launched an offensive towards Sibiu and defeated the defending Austro-Hungarian troops, a counter-offensive was launched by the 9th German Army under the command of Erich von Falkenhayn. From 26 to 29 September Praporgescu's troops, including those of the 23rd Division under the command of Colonel Traian Moșoiu, fought tenaciously in the Olt and Topolog valleys, blocking an attempted breakthrough by the Bavarian Alpenkorps.

On 30 September Praporgescu took command of the 1st Army Corps, and participated in several of the skirmishes preceding the Battle of the Southern Carpathians. His 20th Division remained a part of the 1st Army, joining the other two divisions of the 1st Army Corps. By his actions, he infused new courage and energy into his subordinates.^[4] On 13 October 1916, during an engagement at the Turnu Roșu Pass, he went to inspect the troops in the Coți Mountains, at the western end of the Făgăraș Mountains, up from Câinenii Mici. While there, he was mortally wounded in the chest by a shrapnel from a stray artillery shell.^[3][5] He was buried three days later at Bellu Cemetery, in Bucharest.^[3]

Praporgescu had a daughter, Maria,^[6] and a son, Barbu, who had his own military career, rising to the rank of colonel. In the early 1960s Barbu Praporgescu met and married in Lățești Elena Ilinoiu Codreanu, the widow of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.^[7][8]