Rumania Declares Holy War Against Yoke of Bolshevism

[Globalization41]

Bucharest, German-Occupied Rumania,
Associated Press, The New York Times,
Sunday, June 22, 1941: General Ion
Antonescu sent Rumania's Army against Soviet
Russia today as a full-fledged ally of Germany,
ordering his troops to recapture Rumanian soil.
... Reuters, British news agency, said one of
General Antonescu's first steps was to assume
power of a Generalissimo in Rumania and
relinquish his civil role of Premier to his
nephew, Mihail Antonescu. ... The General's
order of the day to Rumanian forces told
them the hour had struck for a holy war to
erase the stain of disgrace from Rumania's
people and to fight for the rights of the church.
... "Free your oppressed brothers from the
yoke of bolshevism." General Antonescu
exhorted, "Bring old Bessarabia and the woods
of Bukovina, your fields and meadows, back
into the Fatherland. Soldiers, you will fight
shoulder to shoulder with the strongest military
force on earth. You will fight for the soil of
Moldavia and for justice in the world. Be
worthy of the honor which history, the army of
the great Reich, and its extraordinary leader
Adolf Hitler have given you." ... "Fight to
avenge injustice. Our people, our King, and
your General demand this of you."

Bucharest, Rumania, By Telephone to The
New York Times, June 22: The military
commander of Bucharest has ordered that all
public places must close at 9 P.M. Buses,
trolley cars, and other vehicles will be allowed
to run only until 10 P.M. Between 10 P.M. and
5 A.M. all traffic is prohibited. During these
hours only persons with special permits may
leave their homes. ... Special editions of
today's newspapers carried Premier General
Antonescu's proclamation. The general
mobilization order was read off on the radio
several times. A refugee from Bessarabia
addressed the Bessarabia people telling them
to receive the Germans with flowers. There
was no air raid precaution in Bucharest. ... ...
Stockholm, United Press, The New York
Times, June 22: The Moscow Radio said
tonight that an alliance of Russia, Great
Britain, and the U.S. was under consideration.

Ankara, Turkey, By Telephone to The New
York Times, Sunday, June 22, 1941: Military
operations between Russia and Germany are
now going on along the longest continuous
front in the history of modern warfare,
extending in vast stretches from the
southernmost limits of the Black Sea to the
northern continental boundaries of Europe. ...
The Germans mined the entrance to the
Bosporus from the Black Sea just outside
Turkish territorial waters and the Soviet ship
Svanetia, which left Instanbul early today for
Odessa, was forced to return to her berth. ...
From Instanbul it is reported that a Russian
fleet has been sighted near the Black Sea
entrance to the Bosporus. ... Rumanian ships
sequestered in Instanbul displayed flags in
celebration of the war. ... It is confirmed here
that the Germans have already heavily bombed
Kiev, Odessa, Kaunas, Zhitomir, Sevastopol,
and Minsk. Martial law has been declared in
Russia, as well as general mobilization. ...
The actual course of land and air operations
is still difficult to follow. The German-guided
Rumanian Army, working in theory under the
Premier, Ion Antonescu, and in fact under the
inspiration of Germany's able Moldavian
commander, General Der Kav Hansen, crossed
the Pruth River and attacked the Red Army in
two directions -- in the vicinity of Galati and
northeast of Jassy. Bucharest claims the
frontier town of Bolgrad in Bessarabia has been
occupied. ... The Russians have already begun
the extensive use of parachutists, presumably to
sabotage behind-the-lines communications. It
is reported here that the Germans are beginning
to move into the Black Sea with huge
concentrations of motorized barges, which have
been standing in the Lower Danube. Six
submarines that were launched at Galati are
now cruising the Black Sea and it is thought
that the Germans have small torpedo boats
there as well. ... ... Rome, By Telephone to
The New York Times, Sunday, June 22, 1941:
According to Stefani dispatches read over the
Italian radio, the Rumanian Army crossed the
Pruth River, which forms the boundary
between Rumania and Russian-held Bessarabia
at 3 A.M. today. The River was said to be
crossed at three points by motorized columns,
while the Germans advanced from Bukovina in
the north, where, the announcer said, "they
encountered strong resistance from front-line
Russian troops." The town of Barlad, a few
miles from Galati, was taken by the
Rumanians.

[Stay tuned for late breaking war bulletins.
... Globalization41.]

[David C. Clarke]

Not the smartest decision in the long run, I'd say.

Cheers,
~D, the EviL

[Globalization41]

You only had two choices in Eastern Europe
in those days, either the Soviets or the Nazis.
For the unfortunate Jews, the only choice was
Stalin. It must have been a real bummer.

Globalization41

[David C. Clarke]

Rumania jumped on the Nazi bandwagon for land and against Communism. Her armed forces were second-rate and the country was not industrialized. A better course of action would have been to stay neutral.

Cheers,
~D, the EviL

[mars]

Rumania jumped on the Nazi bandwagon for land and against Communism. Her armed forces were second-rate and the country was not industrialized. A better course of action would have been to stay neutral.

Cheers,
~D, the EviL

But sadly, Rumania had such important Oil resource that neither Hilter nor allied would allow her to say neutral. And because of the ideological and military situation in 1940-1941, joing axis was Rumania's only option

[Karri]

Rumania jumped on the Nazi bandwagon for land and against Communism. Her armed forces were second-rate and the country was not industrialized. A better course of action would have been to stay neutral.

Cheers,
~D, the EviL

And you have to remember that Soviets had grabbed some of their land just a year ago.

[Globalization41]

Budapest, Hungary, By Telephone to The
New York Times, Friday, June 27, 1941: The
Hungarian Press Bureau issued the following
communique: "In view of the repeated
unlawful attacks by the Soviet Air Force on
Hungarian territory during Thursday, Hungary
considers herself to be in a state of war with
the Soviet Union." [The communique also]
reports that as reprisals for Soviet air attacks
against Hungary, the Hungarian Air Force
today attacked military objectives on Soviet
territory. All aircraft returned safely after
successful raids, it said. ... In the House of
Deputies, the Hungarian Premier and Foreign
Minister, Dr. Ladislaus de Bardossy, declared
today amid cheers, "There is a state of war
between Hungary and the Soviet Union because
of the aerial attacks." ... During the last 24
hours Soviet aerial activity in Hungary has
been on a small scale. Friday morning three
Soviet planes attacked Talabor. Several bombs
were dropped but no damage was done. ... It
became known today that in [Thursday's] raid
on Kosice casualties were higher than at first
reported. Twenty persons were killed and 18
severely injured and 23 slightly wounded. ...
At 7:30 A.M. a small munitions dump
exploded at Nagy-Teteny, south of Budapest.
Investigation has been begun to determine the
cause for the explosion. [The Soviet N.K.V.D.
supported agent teams in potential enemy
territory ready to sabotage communications
in case of war.] ... At the plant of the Vacuum
Oil Refinery Company at Almasfuzito,
a fire broke out as a result of mechanical
defects. All fire brigades in the neighborhood
were called in. They extinguished the fire
quickly. Two employees were severely
injured. Three were slightly hurt.

Berlin, United Press, The New York Times,
Fri., June 27: Authorized Nazi spokesmen
tonight greeted Hungary's declaration of war
against Russia jubilantly and declared that six
nations now were participating officially in the
"European crusade against Bolshevism." ...
The six nations are Germany, Italy, Hungary,
Rumania, Finland, and Slovakia. In addition,
the "Regiment Nordland," recruited from
Danish and Norwegian Nazis, is fighting on
the Finnish front. The "Regiment Westland,"
similarly recruited in Belgium and the
Netherlands, also is at the front. ... Spanish
volunteers are expected soon and the French
Nationalist movement was also likely to sent
volunteers. ... Sweden, while striving to
maintain her neutrality, has given Germany
permission to transport troops across her
territory. ... "Switzerland is about the only
European nation that is not making its
contribution," a spokesman remarked.

[Stay tuned for late breaking war bulletins.
... Globalization41.]

[dragos]

Rumania jumped on the Nazi bandwagon for land and against Communism. Her armed forces were second-rate and the country was not industrialized. A better course of action would have been to stay neutral.

Cheers,
~D, the EviL

Allow me to reformulate your statement

Romania joined the Tripartite Pact in self-defense against the aggression that started in June 1940 by territorial raptures, and joined the Germany in the attack against Soviet Union to take back the lost territories and to defeat the Red Army and the Communism that was a threat to the Romanian nation since 1918. Her armed forces were unprepared for such an war, yet their accomplishments were often above expectations. It was not possible to remain neutral, as her geo-strategical position was between "hammer and anvil", the both camps involved in the conflict having interest in the region.

[Victor]

Not the smartest decision in the long run, I'd say.

Cheers,
~D, the EviL

May I remeind you that neither Poland, nor Czechoslovakia (well at least the Czech part) did not participate in the attack on the Soviet Union, yet after the war they lost territories to the Soviet Union and Communism was brutally forced on them. Whatever Romania's decisin then, the outcome would have been the same.

[Globalization41]

In 1940, the World War II invasion scoreboard
read Stalin-7, Hitler-7. ... Hitler's invasions
included Poland, Denmark, Luxembourg,
Holland, Belgium, Norway, and France.
Stalin's invasions were Poland, Finland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Bessarabia, and
Bukovina. ... Of the above invasion targets,
only Finland survived the crossfire between
the two great dictators.

Globalization41

[David C. Clarke]

Allow me to reformulate your statement

Romania joined the Tripartite Pact in self-defense against the aggression that started in June 1940 by territorial raptures, and joined the Germany in the attack against Soviet Union to take back the lost territories and to defeat the Red Army and the Communism that was a threat to the Romanian nation since 1918. Her armed forces were unprepared for such an war, yet their accomplishments were often above expectations. It was not possible to remain neutral, as her geo-strategical position was between "hammer and anvil", the both camps involved in the conflict having interest in the region.

Yes Dragos, you are correct , I was being overly harsh in my post. Certainly Romania, of all of Germany's allies except Finland, had a "reason" to join the war, the Soviet seizure of Basarabia. Certainly too, until the Soviet offensive that enveloped Stalingrad, Romanian troops fought very well. And, it would have been very difficult for the country to stay out of the war because of its location.
But, I do have a quarrel about the state of the Army's preparedness. But that's another Thread.

Best Regards,
~D, the EviL

[Victor]

In 1940, the World War II invasion scoreboard
read Stalin-7, Hitler-7. ... Hitler's invasions
included Poland, Denmark, Luxembourg,
Holland, Belgium, Norway, and France.
Stalin's invasions were Poland, Finland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Bessarabia, and
Bukovina. ... Of the above invasion targets,
only Finland survived the crossfire between
the two great dictators.

Globalization41

Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina were both part of Romania, so they only count as one.
But you can add to Stalin's list Manchuria, Japanese posessions and Iran (IIRC).
Hilter also invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939, Yugoslavia and Greece in 1941.

[Globalization41]

You're correct. I decided to count Bukovina
and Bessarabia as two because they were
two separate operations. I also though
about not counting France since it declared
war on Germany first. I started the count
from the official start of World War II, i.e., the
invasion of Poland. ... I picked 1940
because Hitler and Stalin were in a tight race
for invasions points. ... In 1941 Hitler took a
big lead with nine more scores, Hungary,
Bulgaria, Rumania, Libya, Egypt (Rommel
entered Egypt), Yugoslavia, Greece, Crete,
and the U.S.S.R. Stalin slumped to only one
invasion, Iran. Churchill gets a tally on Iran
too, along with four more points for Libya,
Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon ... Apparently,
invasions were a big fad in those days.

Globalization41

[dragos]

You're correct. I decided to count Bukovina
and Bessarabia as two because they were
two separate operations.

Both Bessarabia and northern Bukovina were taken as a whole by the Soviet Union with the ultimatum addressed to Romania on 26 June 1940. No military operations took place.

http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/viewtopic.php?t=654

[Globalization41]

(Nice link.) I'll go along with that. Minus one
for Stalin.

Globalization41