Ioan Sion

Alecu Ioan Sion (September 28, 1890 – November 24, 1942)[1] was a Romanian soldier and a major general in the Land Forces.

Born in Pitești, he attended the military school for artillery and engineers officers from 1909 to 1911 and the Military Academy from 1921 to 1923. He entered the army as a second lieutenant in 1911, taking part in World War I. He became a lieutenant colonel in 1931 and a colonel in 1937. He commanded the center for artillery instruction between 1940 and 1941. On 10 May 1941 he was promoted to brigadier general and appointed Deputy General Officer Commanding the 1st Armored Division.[1] He was chief of the general staff of the Odessa command from October 16 to 22, 1941.

Sion was killed on 24 November 1942 at Bolshaya Doshchinka, during the Battle of Stalingrad, when his 15th Infantry Division was overrun and wiped out during the Soviet Operation Uranus. He was the only Romanian division commander killed in action during World War II.[2][3]

After his death, he was made a brigadier general, retroactive to October 22, 1941.[4][1]

Notes
  1. "Generals from Romania". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  2. "Maj. general Ioan Sion". worldwar2.ro.
  3. Grigorescu, Denis (5 August 2016). "Povestea generalului Ioan Sion, singurul comandant de divizie român ucis în luptă în cel de-Al Doilea Război Mondial". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  4. Ottmar Trașcă and Dennis Deletant, "Chestiunea evreiască" în documente militare române, 1941–1944, p.298. Institutul "Elie Weisel", 2010.
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