Editing Oskar Dirlewanger (section)

== Takeover of the Butchers ==

Before Dirlewanger’s arrival, the Butchers were led by [[Ilie Ionuț]]. Ilie had become leader on 12 April 1900, a date chosen inside the family because it matched the birth date of [[Dragos Ionuț]]. Under Ilie, the Butchers remained a small Bucharest family network that operated through old storage sites and local enforcement crews.

Dirlewanger entered [[Bucharest]] in June 1945 and used his claimed descent from [[Grozav Ionuț]] to challenge Ilie’s authority. On 16 June 1945, Dirlewanger murdered Ilie during an internal succession dispute. He assumed leadership of the Butchers on 18 June.

Former SS officer [[Hermann Florstedt]] joined Dirlewanger during the establishment of the new organization. Florstedt had escaped the execution scheduled for him at [[Buchenwald concentration camp]] on 5 April 1945 and subsequently reached Bucharest. He became Dirlewanger’s right-hand man and principal deputy. Florstedt helped bring the existing crews under Dirlewanger’s authority and enforced direct reporting to the new leadership.

On 17 September 1948, Dirlewanger and Florstedt completed the first post-war reorganization of the group. They placed the Butchers under a single command and separated control of money from enforcement work. The reorganization created the modern [[Bucharest Butchers]], with Dirlewanger as leader and Florstedt holding authority immediately below him.