Roumanian Heroism - Swimming the Danube to Save the Colours

Roumanian Heroism - Swimming the Danube to Save the Colours

THOUGH HUNDREDS OF BULLETS SPAT ROUND THEM . . . THEY SUCCEEDED IN THEIR GALLANT DEED " : THREE BRAVE ROUMANIANS SAVING REGIMENTAL COLOURS BY SWIMMING THE DANUBE AT TURTUICAIA.

It will be recalled that the Germans and Bulgarians claimed an important victory over the Roumanians at Turtukaia (Tutrakan) on September 6, announcing the capture of over 20,000 men and 100 guns. The Roumanians, though faced by greatly superior numbers, inflicted very serious losses on the enemy. Our drawing illustrates a gallant deed performed on the evening of that day by two Roumanian officers and a non-commissioned officer. The correspondent who sends the sketch from which our drawing was made writes : "When it was seen that things were going against the Roumanians at Turtukaia, three soldiers of the 36th Regiment (Infantry) decided to risk swimming the Danube in order to save the colours of the regiment. These were Second Lieuts. Aurel Mihnilescu and Dimitrie Manu, with Sergt.-Major Constantine Sava. Though under a heavy fire from the banks, where the Bulgars were shooting everyone who tried to escape by this means, they put Lieut. Manu on the trunk of a tree, as he did not know how to swim. The others swam pushing the trunk with its precious load before them, and, though hundreds of bullets spat round them, not one was hit, and they succeeded in their gallant deed. The River Danube is here a quarter of a mile wide, the current extremely rapid."—[Drawing Copyrighted is the United States and Canada.)