- The two anti-communist fighters from the Făgăraș Mountains were killed by the Securitate on August 5/6, 1954, on the outskirts of the village of Obreja in Alba County.
„Gelu Novac and Gheorghe Şovăială would have been hiding in the village of Obreja, in the bushes where the Secaş flows into the Târnavă. Somehow, somehow, they would have gotten in touch with a field guard and a cattle herder, to whom they gave money to bring them bread. They would have done this once before. This time, Gelu allegedly told them: „I’ll give you the last money we have”. Either seeing that the two were worthless because they had no money left, or greedy for a bigger gain, it was enough for them to go to the Militia and report it. The Militia alerted the Securitate, which came with two trucks of Securitate soldiers. In passing, it stopped at the Popular Council, taking the president and others, including the two vendors. They went to the scene, surrounding them. Two Securitate officers dressed as women, and the guard approached the place where the two brothers were; he blew the agreed signal. One of them, apparently Gelu, stepped out in front of them. The „women” took out their pistols and fired. Fell gel. He still had time to shout: „Is this your bread, huh?” The remaining one, Gheorghe, jumped to Gelu’s defense, chasing them away and keeping the attackers at bay. It was getting late. The Securitate gave up attacking, contenting themselves with keeping the place well surrounded. It seems that Gheorghe was wounded in the leg from the first shots. During the night, he tried three times to break out of the encirclement: once he entered the water of the Târnava, but was forced to turn back. The second time he went out into the field with the same results. The third time he was luckier, reaching behind a haystack, where he shot an officer, Bălan, whose pistol he took, but he had to return to the encircled perimeter. In the morning, the Securitate resumed the attack. Gheorghe held out with the ammunition he had, stopping his last handcuff for himself. At some point, in their faces, shouting: „Shoot, me!”, but they did not shoot, either intimidated or because they had orders to catch him alive. The two sellers divided their belongings. They could not agree on whose watch Gelu would have. It is not known whether they drew lots or if they found a more modern means of awarding it, but it remained with the cattle guard, who, as long as he lived, flaunted such an expensive thing at the tavern. And he had reason to, it was only a blood price. And, perhaps, there were enough people who envied him for his good fortune, to come across two „those” who were only good to kill and inherit. Their bodies were buried on the spot. After about a week, a truck from the Securitate came, they dug them up and took them away. Professor Novac, Gelu’s father and Gema, his sister, as well as Petru Novac, Nelu Novac’s father, were brought from prison to the Securitate in Orăştie, so that they could recognize their bodies and frighten them. They also invented a suitable story:”The bandits” attacked the „Cugir” Armaments Factory and were supposedly killed in a fight with the sentries.”. It is the description made by Ion Gavrilă Ogoranu about the betrayal and shooting of his comrades in the Făgăraş Mountains on the border of the village of Mihalţ, Obreja commune, Alba county. The details were related, as Ion Gavrilă Ogoranu explained, after 1989, by the president of the People’s Council at the time, a witness to this massacre.
Three days on the outskirts of Obreja village
Gheorghe Şovăială and Gelu Novac, anti-communist fighters from the Gavrilă Group, were shot by the Securitate on August 5/6, 1954, following betrayal, in a cornfield on the outskirts of the village of Obreja. The Securitate and Militia action was extensive and involved units from Deva, Alba and Braşov. Col. Gheorghe Crăciun, head of the Stalin Securitate (Braşov) and head of the Făgăraș Mountains Operational Group, personally led the action, assisted by Major Ioan Cernea, deputy, Lieutenant-Major Alexandru Marina and Major Iacob Boscu from the operational troops. The two young fighters left Şinca Veche on July 4 and arrived on August 2 in Alba County, at Obreja. According to the notes they wrote and which were found in the Securitate archives, they wrote down the route they followed by days. Running out of supplies, the two turned to two locals, Octavian Bobițan and Vasile Ciungu or Răzăilă, a gypsy, unaware that they were informants for the Securitate. The two villagers went directly to the village Hall and Militia headquarters to report what they had seen in the cornfield. Thus began the attack. Gelu was shot first by a militiaman, and Gheorghe the next morning by a Securitate officer.
Gheorghe Şovăială wanted to build a freshwater submarine
Gheorghe Șovăială was born on May 5, 1925, in the village of Berivoii Mici. He was a student at a technical high school in Brașov and was active in the Brotherhood of the Cross. In 1949, he was proposed to go to study in the former USSR, but Ioan Chiujdea convinced him not to go to the Soviet Union, but to join the anti-communist struggle and the group formed in the Făgăraș Land. Thus, in 1949, he hid in the village, after which he climbed the Făgăraș Mountains, joining the Gavrilă Group. As a student, Gheorghe Șovăială loved technical sciences and wanted to build a freshwater submarine, a torpedo. As Petru Novac described him in a statement given at the Baia Sprie prison, Gheorghe Sovaială had an open nature, was always cheerful, intelligent, did not upset anyone, was healthy and robust.
Gelu Novac wanted to become an aircraft builder and a priest in Rome
Gelu Novac was born on January 15, 1931, in the city of Făgăraș, in the family of professor Mihai Novac, from the „Radu Negru” National High School. In 1947, he joined the legionary organization of school youth, called „The Bunch of Friends”, and then he joined the „Fratiile de Cruce” from „Radu Negru”. He escaped the arrests of June 1948, when many students from Radu Negru were arrested, by hiding in the village, with relatives. For almost 2 years, he hid in his cousin’s barn in Copăcel. In 1950, he climbed into the mountains with the Partisan Group led by Ion Gavrilă Ogoranu. Gelu Novac wanted to become an aircraft builder and a priest in Rome. Petru Novac, who spent a year with the Partisans in the mountains, said of Gelu Novac that he was intelligent, had a calm nature, was healthy and robust, but did not talk much.
Bodies identified by family
At the end of the battle, the bodies of the two partisans were dragged by tractor to the edge of the village and thrown into a mass grave on the banks of the Târnava River, in a place called „Lunca Stânii” by the villagers. However, their bodies were first dug up and transported to the morgue in Alba Iulia. Gelu Novac’s father, Professor Mihai Novac, and Petru Novac, Nelu Novac’s father, both brought from prison, were brought here to identify the bodies. Then, the bodies of the two partisans were transported to Cugir, where they were used as material to simulate a terrorist attack on the local weapons factory. They were briefly displayed in a public place for the locals to see, with the aim of inducing terror among the population.
Documents from the Securitate archives:
“MAI Alba Cabinet No. 19703 // 08. 1954
To MAI Bucharest // Comrade Drăghici –personal-
(file 22, tab 92)
” On August 1, 1954, at 11 pm, some unknown individuals appeared around the village of Cistei. On the night of August 4 to 5, Ciungu Vasile from Obreja (the same person as Răzăilă), the household’s cowherd, notified the militia post in Mihalţ that an unknown individual had asked for food and cigarettes on the 4th at 9 pm Ciungu V. promised to bring them the next day. The signal was whistles. The post chief Traian instructed him to bring the requested food. On August 5, the post chief, together with 7 militiamen, Pop Sigismund, also arrived circle tightened in the corner of Târnava, at the mouth of the Secaş. Ciungu Vasile was instructed to keep in touch with Lt. Maj. Bann Emeric. Ciungu Vasile made the conventional signals, a single bandit appeared, being forced to pass in front of Lt. Maj. Bann Emeric and Lt. Staicu. He was summoned at 15 m. The bandit tried to take the grenade from his belt. At this moment, Lt. Bann Emeric opened fire, shooting him in the forehead and killing him on the spot. The second bandit opened fire on our units with an automatic pistol. The encirclement teams tightened the circle around the bandit, who tried to cross the Secaş River, but was forced to return to the thicket. We mention that the secretary of the people’s council, Pop Sigismund, was disguised as a woman and observed the bandit’s movements. In pursuit of him was Corporal Bălan, who was shot in the heart, being mortally wounded. Lt. Maj. Bann Emeric, gave the order to stop the pursuit and force the bandit to retreat. Lt. Oprişan, asked for help from the region at 19:30. Two small cars were sent to the scene. At 23:00 reinforcements arrived: 2 platoons from Orăștie. I mention that during the night, the bandit, using the darkness, tried several times to get out of the circle. A clearer attempt by which the bandit wanted to get out was at 23-24:00, through the Târnava water. Capt. Starcz and Lt. Staicu opened fire but without result. During the night there was no further attempt to get out of the circle .
Battle position diagram
Documents from the Securitate archive
” Even before daybreak, fire was opened in a circle, on both sides. The fire was repeated between the bandits and the soldiers, in several rounds, the bandit firing at any movement, when he was not sure, in longer series, and when he noticed the soldiers he fired with fire. In this situation, an order was given for a group of volunteer soldiers to sneak into the immediate vicinity of the bandit, in order to catch him alive. Thus, Serg. Buna Ştefan, with a group of Utecists, tried to open fire. Serg, aiming him straight at the forehead.
I mention that during the battle, he fired at us as well.
The doctor found that he had been wounded 5, these wounds prevented the bandit from slipping out of the circle. The materials were handed over to Lt. Col. Crăciun Gheorghe. From the statements of Lt. Col. Crăciun Gheorghe, it follows that these bandits were part of the Făgăraş resistance group. They were found with: a Deimler-Puch automatic pistol, a ZB weapon with 69 cartridges, a grenade, a Bezard compass, a rosary with black beads, and a worthless cross, a raincoat, two pairs of boots, two backpacks with furs, a bag of cornmeal, and up to 2.5 kg. of curd, a pot for making polenta, various sketches of the Yugoslav border, a Bible, a prayer written in pencil, various notebooks, and 2 photographs of women (recognizing herself to be the bandit’s mother). The bodies were photographed and temporarily preserved. Sergeant Teodor Bălan was buried. Most of the comrades behaved well. Two dog handlers showed fear, manifesting fear and helpless spirit. When they were given orders to act with dogs, they reasoned that they would not be able to act with dogs, because the bandits would shoot them. Moreover, they received an order to leave immediately to the area where the presence of the bandits was reported, and they did not arrive in time, although they had enough time. In this case, we decided to remove them from the militia cadres”. Lt. Col. Gheorghe Crăciun”
“REPORT”
On the action in Obreja, to capture the bandits Novac Gelu and Şovăială Gheorghe
(Criminal file no. 16, vol. 5, tab 196-197)
On August 6, 1954 at 02:00, two platoons under the command of Lt. Maj. Sandu Teodor, embarked in three trucks, left the Orăştie barracks for Mihalţ, Obreja, at the confluence of the Secaş and Tîrnava Mare rivers. They disembarked at 04:15. The commander of the Alba Iulia MAI was on the scene, with three guides. At 5:00, the objective was completely achieved. We set off through the bed of the Secaş stream, 150 m away. We found the body of the militia corporal shot by bandits on the night of August 5 to 6, as well as 1 bandit’s backpack with various objects. 120 m from the confluence we found an old fire, 1 1 kg. mug with eggs, firewood, 1 sheepskin coat, another backpack with clothing materials, 1 Bible and a prayer book. At 6:15, a burst of machine gun fire was heard on the soldiers. A bandit was taking shelter in the bushes. I moved there with the assault team. The bandit retreated 35 m. In another depression in the terrain. Being called to surrender, he did not respond. I ordered Lt. Vatcu and Sergeant Bunea to fire bursts on the bandit. The bandit was wounded in the right shoulder. Sergeant Bunea got up on his knees, wanting to shoot at him. Sergeant Bunea opened fire on him with the rifle, hitting him in the head above the right eye. I ordered soldiers Olteanu Ioan, Gerea Nicolae and Corporal Cioata Valerian to jump on the bandit. The bandit was in agony, with his hand on the trigger of the machine gun ready to open fire. The soldiers took the machine gun from his hand. We found the following on him: 1 Demler-Puch automatic, with a magazine containing 9 cartridges, 2 magazines with 26 and 30 cartridges, a notebook with notes, a map of the Făgăraş region – Stalin City. All the objects found, as well as the body, were handed over to the operational bodies of the Deva Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Commander of Military Unit 0199 Lt. Maj. Sandu Teodor // For compliance Capt. Burghelea Vasile” (Lucia BAKI)