Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
World War II
Socialist Republic of Romania
Soviet occupation
Revolution
Post-Revolution
Romania since 1989
By topic
Economic history
Romanian language
Historical timeline
Military history
Christianity
Islam
Judaism
By historical region
Banat
Crișana
Bukovina
Dobruja
Maramureș
Moldavia
Muntenia
Oltenia
Transylvania
Wallachia
Romania portal
v
t
e
v
t
e
Romanian military actions in World War II
Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
Diosig
Treznea
As part of the Axis (1941–1944)
Bucharest
Constanța
München
Uman
Odessa
Azov
Sevastopol
Rostov
Kerch
Kharkov
Blue
Edelweiss
Stalingrad
Uranus
Winter Storm
Little Saturn
Western Allied Campaign in Romania (Tidal Wave, Bucharest)
Kerch-Eltigen
Dnieper
Dnieper–Carpathian
Uman–Botoșani
1st Jassy–Kishinev
Crimea
Lublin–Brest
2nd Jassy–Kishinev
As part of the Allies (1944–1945)
Turda
Păuliș
Debrecen
Budapest
Bratislava–Brno
Prague
v
t
e
Battle of Romania 1944
Dnieper–Carpathian offensive
Uman–Botoșani offensive
1st Jassy–Kishinev
1st Târgu Frumos
Podu Iloaiei
2nd Târgu Frumos
2nd Jassy–Kishinev
Turda
Păuliș
Carei
The Kingdom of Romania, under the rule of King Carol II, was initially a neutral country in World War II. However, Fascist political forces, especially the Iron Guard, rose in popularity and power, urging an alliance with Nazi Germany and its allies. As the military fortunes of Romania's two main guarantors of territorial integrity—France and Britain—crumbled in the Fall of France (May to June, 1940), the government of Romania turned to Germany in hopes of a similar guarantee, unaware that Germany, in the supplementary protocol to the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, had already granted its blessing to Soviet claims on Romanian territory.
In the summer of 1940, as had been agreed with Germany, the USSR occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina; in August and September 1940, two territorial disputes, arbitrated by Germany and Italy, were decided against Romania: Romania lost Northern Transylvania to Hungary and had to cede Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria. The popularity of the Romanian government plummeted, further reinforcing the fascist and military factions, who eventually staged a coup in September 1940 that turned the country into a dictatorship under Mareșal Ion Antonescu. The new regime officially joined the Axis powers on 23 November 1940. As a member of the Axis, Romania joined the invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa) on 22 June 1941, providing equipment and oil to Nazi Germany and committing more troops to the Eastern Front than all other allies of Germany combined. Romanian forces played a large role during fighting in Ukraine, Bessarabia, and in the Battle of Stalingrad. Romanian troops were responsible for the persecution and massacre of 260,000 Jews in Romanian-controlled territories, though half of the Jews living in Romania itself survived the war.[1] Romania controlled the third-largest Axis army in Europe and the fourth largest Axis army in the world, only behind the three principal Axis powers of Germany, Japan, and Italy.[2][3] Following the September 1943 Armistice of Cassibile between the Allies and Italy, Romania became the second Axis Power in Europe.[4]
The Allies bombed Romania from 1943 onwards, and advancing Soviet armies invaded the country in 1944. Popular support for Romania's participation in the war faltered, and the German-Romanian fronts collapsed under the Soviet onslaught. King Michael of Romania led a coup d'état that deposed the Antonescu regime (August 1944) and put Romania on the side of the Allies for the remainder of the war (Antonescu was executed in June 1946). Despite this late association with the winning side, Greater Romania was not restored. However, the country was able to regain Northern Transylvania from Hungary.
^U.S. government Country study: Romania, c. 1990. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^According to historian and author Mark Axworthy, the second largest Axis army in Europe, arguably, belonged to Romania, though most would dispute this, regarding the Italian army as more significant.
^Third Axis Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945, by Mark Axworthy, Cornel Scafeș, and Cristian Crăciunoiu, page 9.
^David Stahel, Cambridge University Press, 2018, Joining Hitler's Crusade, p. 78
and 29 Related for: Romania in World War II information
The Kingdom of Romania, under the rule of King Carol II, was initially a neutral country inWorldWarII. However, Fascist political forces, especially...
The bombing of RomaniainWorldWarII comprised two series of events: until August 1944, Allied operations, and, following the overthrow of Ion Antonescu's...
list of WorldWarII military equipment originating inRomania. All of the aircraft listed below were completed before the end of WorldWarII. Prototypes...
The Kingdom of Romania was neutral for the first two years of WorldWar I, entering on the side of the Allied powers from 27 August 1916 until Central...
The Romanian Navy during WorldWarII was the main Axis naval force in the Black Sea campaigns and fought against the Soviet Union's Black Sea Fleet from...
Almost every country in the world participated inWorldWarII. Most were neutral at the beginning, but only a relative few nations remained neutral to...
deportation of Germans from Romania after WorldWarII, conducted on Soviet order early in 1945, uprooted 60,000 to 75,000 of Romania's Germans to the USSR;...
This is a list of war crimes committed during WorldWarII. The Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan) were some of the most systematic...
The Romanian resistance movement during WorldWarII was manifested in several ways. In Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, which King Carol II, under pressure...
List of theatres and campaigns of WorldWarII subdivides military operations of WorldWarII and contemporary wars by war, then by theater and then by campaign...
Carol II (15 October 1893 [O.S. 3 October 1893] – 4 April 1953) was King of Romania from June 8, 1930, until his forced abdication on September 6, 1940...
on 1 September 1939, starting WorldWarII. The Soviets invaded eastern Poland on 17 September. Following the Winter War with Finland, the Soviets were...
During the Second WorldWar, the Royal Romanian Navy operated a total of 9 submarines: three fleet submarines and six midget submarines. These vessels...
WorldWarII or the Second WorldWar (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two major alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers...
The participation of Italy in the Second WorldWar was characterized by a complex framework of ideology, politics, and diplomacy, while its military actions...
with Romania (Great Union Day, Marea Unire). This period would come to an end with international treaties, in the years leading to WorldWarII, which...
Antisemitism inRomania Deportations of Romani people to Transnistria Post-WorldWarIIRomanianwar crime trials "Murder of the Jews of Romania". www.yadvashem...
members of notable groups of WorldWarII veterans, as identified by reliable sources. About 70 million people fought inWorldWarII between 1939 and 1945....
countries involved inWorldWarII. The Second WorldWar caused the movement of the largest number of people in the shortest period of time in history. A number...
military history of the United States during WorldWarII covers the nation's role as one of the major Allies in their victory over the Axis Powers. The United...
took back control of the country in 1945–1946. In looking at the broad picture of Southeast Asia at the end of WorldWarII, the different political philosophies...
during WorldWarII. InWorldWarII, the Kingdom of Romania, persuaded and aided by Nazi Germany, took control of Transnistria for the first time in history...
After WorldWarII both West Germany and East Germany were obliged to pay war reparations to the Allied governments, according to the Potsdam Conference...
important weapons system inWorldWarII. Although tanks in the inter-war years were the subject of widespread research, few were made, in just a few countries...
Global Information
Romania portal
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
