Romania in World War II
In the summer of 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. This event severely weakened Romania and diminished its international standing. Before this loss, the country had expanded its territory after World War I to include Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina. The goal was to create a Greater Romania that incorporated all ethnic Romanians. However, these new territories contained significant Hungarian, German, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, and Russian minorities. These diverse groups put Romania at odds with several neighbors throughout the interwar period.
Political instability grew in the 1930s due to the Great Depression and the rise of fascist movements like the Iron Guard. King Carol II proclaimed a royal dictatorship on the 28th of December 1938 to stabilize the country. His regime featured corporatist policies resembling those of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Despite French and British pledges to guarantee Romanian independence on the 13th of April 1939, the government turned to Germany for security. This shift occurred because France and Britain were crumbling in the Battle of France. Romania remained neutral initially but faced pressure from both the Soviet Union and Germany.
On the 30th of August 1940, Germany and Italy mediated the Second Vienna Award. Hungary received Northern Transylvania while Southern Transylvania remained part of Romania. On the 7th of September, Bulgaria gained Southern Dobruja under the Treaty of Craiova. These cessions shattered the foundations of King Carol's power. The popularity of the Romanian government plummeted as fascist and military factions rose to take control.
On the 4th of September 1940, General Ion Antonescu united with the Iron Guard led by Horia Sima. They formed the National Legionary State and forced King Carol II to abdicate in favor of his 19-year-old son Michael. Carol and his mistress Magda Lupescu went into exile. Romania officially joined the Axis powers on the 23rd of November 1940. Antonescu assumed full control over Romania in January 1941. He invaded the Soviet Union with the Axis forces. Romania provided equipment and oil to Germany and committed more troops to the Eastern Front than all other allies combined. By summer 1941, the Romanian Army had 686,258 men under arms.
German armies attacked the Soviet Union on the 22nd of June 1941 with massive Romanian support. Units conquered Bessarabia, Odessa, and Sevastopol before marching eastward toward Stalingrad. Romanian units fought side by side with Germans onward to the Caucasus. The total number of troops involved on the Eastern Front with the Third Army and Fourth Army was second only to Nazi Germany itself. In summer 1944, the army reached a total of 1,224,691 men.
Romanian armies advanced far into the Soviet Union during 1941 and 1942 before facing disaster at the Battle of Stalingrad in winter 1942, 43. Petre Dumitrescu commanded the Third Army at Stalingrad. In November 1942, the German Sixth Army was briefly put at Dumitrescu's disposal during an attempt to relieve the Third Army following Operation Uranus. The Soviet counteroffensive crushed the Axis forces. This defeat marked a turning point where the tide of war turned against Romania and its allies. By early 1944, Soviet Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive pushed Axis forces back to the Dniester River.
Between 280,000 and 380,000 Jews were murdered or died on Romanian soil during the war. This included areas like Bessarabia, Bukovina, and Transnistria Governorate. Of the 25,000 Romani deported to concentration camps in Transnistria, 11,000 died. During the Iaşi pogrom of June 1941, over 13,000 Jews were massacred or killed slowly in trains traveling across the countryside.
Romanian soldiers worked with Einsatzkommandos and local Ukrainian militias to massacre Jews and Roma. From the 18th of October 1941, until mid-March 1942, Romanian troops in Odessa killed up to 25,000 Jews and deported more than 35,000. An international commission report released by the Romanian government in 2004 concluded that Romania bears responsibility for the deaths of more Jews than any country other than Germany itself. The report stated that murders committed in Iasi, Odessa, Bogdanovka, Domanovka, and Peciora were among the most hideous acts of the Holocaust.
On the 23rd of August 1944, King Michael I led a successful coup against the Axis powers. He received support from opposition politicians, most of the army, and Communist-led civilians. The Red Army was penetrating German defenses during the Jassy-Kishinev Offensive at this time. Michael successfully deposed the Antonescu dictatorship and offered a non-confrontational retreat to German ambassador Manfred von Killinger.
In a radio broadcast on the night of the 23rd of August, King Michael issued a cease-fire and declared war on Germany. He announced acceptance of an armistice to be signed on September 12. The coup accelerated the Red Army's advance into Romania but did not prevent rapid Soviet occupation. About 130,000 Romanian soldiers were captured and transported to the Soviet Union where many perished in prison camps. The armistice was signed three weeks later on the 12th of September 1944, on terms dictated by the Soviet Union. Under these terms, Romania surrendered unconditionally to the USSR.
Under the 1947 Treaty of Paris, Allies applied the term ally of Hitlerite Germany to all recipients of the treaty's stipulations. Like Finland, Romania had to pay $300 million to the Soviet Union as war reparations. However, Northern Transylvania was recognized as an integral part of Romania once again. The border with the USSR and Bulgaria remained fixed at its state from January 1941.
Soviet occupation following World War II facilitated the rise of the Communist Party as the main political force. This led ultimately to the abdication of the King and the establishment of a single-party people's republic in 1947. During the Moscow Conference in October 1944, Winston Churchill proposed splitting Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. The Soviet Union received a 90% share of influence in Romania. An Allied Control Commission was established to regulate execution of terms under general direction of Soviet High Command. The commission took its seat in Bucharest.
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Common questions
When did Romania join the Axis powers in World War II?
Romania officially joined the Axis powers on the 23rd of November 1940. This decision followed the formation of the National Legionary State and the abdication of King Carol II.
How many Romanian soldiers were deployed to the Eastern Front during World War II?
By summer 1944, the Romanian Army reached a total of 1,224,691 men under arms. These troops fought alongside German forces from Bessarabia to the Caucasus region.
Who was responsible for leading the coup against the Axis powers in Romania on August 23 1944?
King Michael I led a successful coup against the Axis powers on the 23rd of August 1944. He received support from opposition politicians, most of the army, and Communist-led civilians to depose Ion Antonescu.
What happened to Jewish populations in Romania during the Holocaust period between 1941 and 1945?
Between 280,000 and 380,000 Jews were murdered or died on Romanian soil during the war. This included massacres in Iaşi, Odessa, and deportations to Transnistria Governorate where thousands perished.
When did Romania sign an unconditional surrender to the Soviet Union after the 1944 coup?
The armistice was signed three weeks later on the 12th of September 1944, on terms dictated by the Soviet Union. Under these terms, Romania surrendered unconditionally to the USSR following King Michael's declaration of war on Germany.