David Popescu

He was born in 1886 in Comarnic, Prahova County, Kingdom of Romania, the son of Iulian (a priest) and Maria. He attended primary school in his hometown, and then went to the {{ill|Mihai Viteazul National College (Ploiești)|lt=Sfinții Petru și Pavel High School|ro|Colegiul Național „Mihai Viteazul” din Ploiești}} in Ploiești. He started military service in 1905, advancing to sergeant by 1906. After attending the Military School for Infantry and Cavalry Officers, he graduated in 1908 with the rank of second lieutenant; after further studies at the Special Infantry School, he was promoted to captain in 1912. In 1913 he fought with the 7th Regiment Vânători in the Second Balkan War. Once Romania entered World War I on the side of the Allies in August 1916, Popescu fought in Dobruja as a battalion commander of the 40th Infantry Regiment. He was wounded in action and sent to a hospital in Iași for treatment. Promoted to major in 1917, he spent the rest of the war instructing cadets in Iași and Botoșani.

From 1921 to 1922, Popescu attended the Military Academy of Turin. After advancing in rank to lieutenant colonel in 1925, Popescu served as instructor at the Higher War School, and then as military attaché in Rome from 1928 to 1930. During that period he was awarded the Order of the Crown (Romania), Knight rank and the Order of the Crown of Italy, Officer rank. He was promoted to colonel in 1930, and brigadier general in 1938. He commanded the Guards Brigade from 1937 to 1939, after which he became the Deputy Chief of the General Staff and served as director of the National Military Circle, February–March 1939.{{cite web|url=http://www.cmn.ro/Conducere.html|title=Conducere|website=www.cmn.ro|publisher=Cercul Militar Național|language=ro|access-date=December 24, 2020}}

Popescu served as the Minister of Internal Affairs in the Gigurtu cabinet from July 4 to September 4, 1940, and in the First Antonescu cabinet from September 4 to September 14, 1940. In early July he helped manage the flow of refugees from Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in the wake of the Soviet annexation of those Romanian territories.{{cite web|url=https://biblioteca-digitala.ro/reviste/Acta-Mvsei-Porolissensis/dl.asp?filename=19-Acta-Mvsei-Porolissensis-XIX-1995-Zalau_326.pdf|title=Evacuarea teritoriilor românești cedate in vara anului 1940|website=biblioteca-digitala.ro|language=ro|access-date=October 17, 2020}} On August 30, Popescu participated in a meeting of King Carol II's Crown Council, where he was (alongside Gheorghe Mihail, Nicolae Păiș, and {{ill|Ernest Ballif|ro}}) one of the four out of five military representatives who recommended accepting the provisions of the Second Vienna Award, by which Romania were to cede Northern Transylvania to Hungary.{{cite web|url=https://www.aesgs.ro/eforturi-politico-diplomatice-pentru-apararea-romaniei-mari-1918-1940-2/|title=Eforturi politico-diplomatice pentru apărarea României Mari. 1918–1940|first=Constantin|last=Corneanu|website=aesgs.ro|date=May 20, 2019|language=ro|access-date=October 17, 2020}}

On January 10, 1941 he was named commanding officer of the 11th Infantry Division of the Romanian Armed Forces. On May 9, 1941 he was awarded the Order of the Star of Romania, Commander rank.Decretul regal nr. 1.299 din 9 mai 1944 pentru acordări de decorații, publicat în Monitorul Oficial, anul CIX, nr. 109 din 10 mai 1941, partea I-a, p. 2.486. Romania joined Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941 in order to reclaim the lost territories of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. Popescu fought with his division in Southern Bessarabia and at the Siege of Odessa. On August 20 he was removed from the command of the division, and on August 31 he was dismissed and put into the reserves.Decretul Conducătorului Statului nr. 2.554 din 12 septembrie 1941 pentru trecere în poziție de rezervă și de retragere, publicat în Monitorul Oficial, anul CIX, nr. 219 din 16 septembrie 1941, partea I-a, pp. 5.505-5.506. After King Michael's Coup of August 23, 1944, he was rehabilitated and promoted, first to divisional general and then to army corps general.

In 1946 Popescu was investigated by the Bucharest People's Tribunal in connection with Ion Antonescu's trial, but he was not arrested. After being denounced in 1950 as a "deadly enemy of communism", he was arrested and imprisoned at Jilava Prison. He was released on July 4, 1953, and acquitted of all charges. He died in Bucharest in 1955.{{cite web|url=http://www.cultura.mai.gov.ro/biblioteca%20virtuala/editura%20mai/ministri_interne.pdf|title=Miniștrii de interne (1862–2007). Mică enciclopedie|first1=Constantin|last1=Gheorghe|first2=Miliana|last2=Șerbu|website=cultura.mai.gov.ro|language=ro|pages=278–281|access-date=October 17, 2020|archive-date=October 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017224124/http://www.cultura.mai.gov.ro/biblioteca%20virtuala/editura%20mai/ministri_interne.pdf|url-status=dead}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.generals.dk/general/Popescu/David/Romania.html|title=Generals from Romania|publisher=Generals.dk|access-date=2008-10-21}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.worldwar2.ro/generali/?article=183|title=11th Infantry Division|website=WorldWar2.ro|access-date=2008-10-21}}

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{{Gigurtu Cabinet}}

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Category:1886 births

Category:1955 deaths

Category:People from Comarnic

Category:Romanian Land Forces generals

Category:Romanian military personnel of World War II

Category:Ministers of interior of Romania

Category:Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania

Category:Knights of the Order of the Crown (Romania)

Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy)

Category:Romanian collaborators with Nazi Germany

Category:Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War

Category:Romanian military personnel of World War I

Category:People detained by the Securitate

Category:Inmates of Jilava Prison