The three divisions of the German 9th Army concentrating at Szászsebes (Sebeș/Mühlbach) could be enveloped by the Romanians from the region of the two mountain passes, and - according to German planning - this was the possibility to be dealt with first. The German-led Central Powers force disposed of an exceedingly strong concentration of howitzers and mountain guns, amounting to an overwhelming superiority in artillery. The task of throwing back the Romanian forces in the area over the frontier was accomplished between 14 and 22 September (Battle of Nagybár and First Battle of Petrozsény). On 21 September, a Berlin dispatch announced that the Vulcan Pass was taken by German forces. However, on the following day, the Romanians were still fighting at this point. On 22 September, the two German battalions remaining in the area stormed the Vulcan Pass. The remainder of the German forces were shifted to another sector of the Transylvanian front. This shifting of forces began during the night of 22-23 September, as the Germans appeared to have imagined that they had finished off their opponents. The Central Powers force left behind to mask the Vulcan and Szurdok passes thus remained mostly Austro-Hungarian, consisting of the 144th Brigade reinforced by two German battalions and two batteries. However, sympathetic ethnic-Romanians living in the region immediately made General Culcer's headquarters aware that the bulk of the Germans had pulled out of the area. The Romanian general promptly took advantage of this development, launching his counterattack on 25 September. Culcer personally directed operations. The Central Powers were driven back to Merisor.