Ioan Popovici | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | "Provincialul" ("The Provincial") |
| Born | (1857-08-16)16 August 1857 |
| Died | 6 August 1956(1956-08-06) (aged 98) |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Romania |
| Branch | Cavalry |
| Service years | 1879–1916 |
| Rank |
|
| Commands | Commander ofI Army Corps (Romania) [ro] (15 August 1916 – 17 September 1916) |
| Conflicts | |
Ioan Popovici (16 August 1857 – 6 August 1956) was a Romanian general and commander of the Romanian 1st Army Corps from 1916 to 1918 duringWorld War I.
Born inGalați, he attended theȘcoala Militară de Infanterie și Cavalerie [ro] (Military Infantry and Cavalry School) in Bucharest from 1879 to 1881. Afterward he rose through the ranks until he became a divisional general in 1916 as World War I was raging, engulfing Romania. He was known as "Provincialul" ("The Provincial") because of his ineptitude.[1]: p. 129
In World War I, he took command on 3 September 1916 of the First Army Corps, which was subordinated to theFirst Army, under the command ofIoan Culcer. The 1st Corps comprised the 13th Division (under the command ofIoan Oprescu [ro] and after 10 September ofGheorghe Sănătescu [ro]), the 23rd Division (Matei Castriș), and the 1stCălărași Brigade (Oprescu).[2] In September 1916, Popovici fought at theFirst Battle of Petroșani. The loss suffered by his command a few days later at theBattle of Sibiu led to his forced retirement.[3]: p. 275
He died inBucharest in 1956, aged 98.