My War Memories, 1914-1918
Kiihne; now at last we reaped the benefit of our raid at the end of October. General Kiihne crossed the mountains, defeated the opposing Rumanian divisions in the Battle of Targu Jiu/on the iyth of November, and had occupied Craiova by the 2ist. On the 23rd General Count von Schmettow, with his cavalry divisions, had reached the Aluta east of Caracal; the Aluta bridge at this point was in his possession. Further north our infantry had reached the Aluta opposite Slatina. Here, as further up stream, the bridges had been completely destroyed. On the same day, in a thick fog, Field-Marshal von Mackensen had gained a footing on the north bank of the Danube, near Simnitza. Here again the operation had been very well prepared. This is the day we had fixed on to get the armies working in co-operation by exploiting all the possibilities of the situation. Apparently we had been successful, but we were not yet at the end of our difficulties.
Meanwhile, General von Krafft had fought his way further through the mountains, but had not yet debouched into the plain at Rimnicu Valcea and north of Curtea de Arges.
In the rear of General Kuhne's forces the Rumanians, fighting bravely, had withdrawn from Orsova down the Danube, and were still retreating, keeping close to the river. Though surrounded on all sides, they did not lay down their arms until they had reached the confluence of the Aluta at the beginning of December. Their hope that an attack on the Danube Army by parts of the Rumanian Army from Bucharest would save them was not fulfilled. In the operations east of the Aluta the orders were to press forward relentlessly and effect a junction of the two armies with their inner wings in the direction of Bucharest. I attached special importance to a rapid crossing of the Aluta by General Kiihne's Group, in order to secure the left flank of the Danube Army. The other task of the gth Army was to press up north from the plain towards the mountain frontier, thereby opening the mountain roads and enabling more of our troops to come down south.
Field-Marshal von Mackensen was to take over the command of the gth Army also, as soon as the armies had really effected a
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