Editing History of Romania (section)

=== Transylvanian, Bukovinian and Bessarabian Romanians ===

In Austria-Hungary, ethnic Romanians entered the war from the very beginning, with hundreds of thousands of Transylvanian and Bukovinian Romanians being mobilized throughout the war. Although most Transylvanian Romanians were loyal to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, over time, reactionary sentiments emerged, especially after Romania joined the war in 1916. Many of the previously loyal soldiers decided that it was much better to risk their lives through desertion, rather than shoot their ethnic conationals.<ref name="auto1">Erlikman, Vadim (2004). Poteri narodonaseleniia v XX veke : spravochnik. Moscow. Page 51</ref> According to studies made by the army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the dedication of the Romanian military to the interest of Austria-Hungary was reduced, only ethnic Italians of the same empire can compete with them for the last place in a ranking according to devotion to the state per 100 soldiers, out of about 300,000 Austro-Hungarian deserters, 150,000 were ethnic Romanians.<ref name="auto2">Volantini di guerra: la lingua romena in Italia nella propaganda del primo conflitto mondiale, Damian, 2012</ref>

The Austro-Hungarian Romanian prisoners of war in the Russian Empire would eventually form the [[Romanian Volunteer Corps in Russia]] who would eventually be repatriated to Romania in 1917 and take part in the battles of Mărăști, Mărășești and Oituz<ref>Mamina ''et al.'', p.41; Șerban (1997), p.104-105; (2001), p.149; (''AUASH'' 2004), p.179-180</ref><ref>Părean, [p.4]; Șerban (1997), p.103; (''AUASH'' 2004), p.179</ref> and the Romanian Legion in Siberia who resisted the [[Bolsheviks]] in cooperation with the [[Czechoslovak Legion]] and the [[White movement]] during the [[Russian Civil War]], these units were ultimately repatriated to Greater Romania in 1920.<ref>Șerban (2003), p.153</ref><ref>Cazacu, p.117</ref> While the Austro-Hungarian Romanian prisoners of war in Italy would form the Romanian Volunteer Legion from Italy, which joined the fighting during the last battles on the [[Italian Front (World War I)|Italian front]] and later, after the end of the war, participated in the [[Hungarian-Romanian War]]. Out of a total of 60,000 prisoners of war of Romanian origin, 37,000 Romanians requested to join the Romanian Legion in Italy.<ref name="auto2" /> The ranks of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers enlisted in the Romanian Legion were equivalated to those corresponding of the Italian Royal Army.<ref>Legiunea Voluntarilor Români din Italia, Bușe, 2007, p. 12.</ref> The sedentary part of the Romanian Legion, under the command of Colonel Camillo Ferraioli, was established at [[Albano Laziale]], and the base camp in the [[Avezzano]] camp.<ref>Legiunea Română din Italia, Grecu. p. 3.</ref>

It is estimated that in the period 1914–1918 between 400,000 and 600,000 soldiers of Romanian origin fought on different fronts of Austria-Hungary, which represented a significant percentage of the Romanian ethnics who lived in those times in the Empire. In total, up to 150,000 Romanians were killed in action while fighting as part of the Austro-Hungarian Army.<ref name="auto1" />