With this issue the CPQ is commencing a series of articles, including data charts on one of the forgotten armies of WWII, the Romanians. When Bob McKenzie submitted the article on the various TO&E's of the Romanian Army to me, I requested that he write an introduction. In reply, Bob declined the honor and asked me to take over the job of writing it. Thus, Novak's quick guide to Romania in WWII. The Romanians present an interesting problem, as in numbers they were the third largest Army fighting for the Axis in Europe, then when they changed sides, the fourth largest Allied force in Europe. Criticized by most German authors when not overlooked, they formed a major element of the Axis forces in Russia, and perhaps it is time for their performance to be reevaluated. Historical Formation of Romanian A bit of historical background first. The Kingdom of Romania dates from 1862, when as a consequence of the Crimean War the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were joined together as an autonomous state of the Ottoman Empire. Romania, alone of the Balkan states of the period, used a Romance language instead of the Slavonic or Magyar found elsewhere. In 1878, at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War, Romania was declared an independent nation, with Prince Karl of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen taking the throne in 1881 as Carol I. The new kingdom of Romania found itself politically and economically tied to Germany and Austria - Hungary, though the issue of Transylvania prevented a permanent sealing of the relationship. Transylvania had a resident Romanian population making up almost two thirds of the total population, but was under the rule of Hungary. Since the Hungarian government was determined to stamp out all other ethnic groups within its borders as part of its policy of Magyarization, that policy was viewed with alarm by Romanians as they watched their countrymen across the border suffer persecution. Though a large Romanian population also existed across the border with Czarist Russia in Bessarabia, a lack of persecution by that government failed to make it the issue that existed with Hungary. Transylvania was THE issue that touched all Romanians. When the Balkan War started in 1912 between Turkey and Greece, Bulgaria, and Serbia, Romania choose to not be involved. However, when the Second Balkan War broke between the three victors over the spoils, Romania intervened in order to help bring the conflict to a close. For her aid, Romania was awarded southern Dobrudj a for its share of the spoils. When WWI broke out in 1914, Carol I wanted to join the Central Powers, but was unable to convince his country to do so, due to the Transylvania issue and the dislike of Romanians for Hungary. He died in October of 1914, and was succeeded by his nephew Ferdinand I, who though also a supporter of his Germanic cousins was also unable to convince his country to join the Central Powers due to the troubles in Transylvania. However, Romania became the key supplier of petroleum to the Central Powers, as well as the link in the supply line that kept Turkey in the war. The Allied Powers pushed for a Romanian entry into the war on their side, promising supplies, money, and territorial concessions. Romania entered WWI on August 27th, 1916, and was hit by a Central Power assault that by the end of the year put 90% of the country under German control (If you want to study a WWI blitzkrieg - this is the one!). Pushed back to the border with Russia, the Kingdom of Romania hung on with the support of Russian government. When Russia left the war, Romania was forced to surrender to the Central Powers. However on November 9th, Romania declared war once again on Germany and Austro-Hungary, just in time to make it to the peace table. For her support of the Allied Powers, and following plebiscites within the effected territory, Romania gained control of Transylvania and Bessarabia, and confirmed her ownership of southern Dobrudja. Doubled in size and population as the result of a war in which her troops had failed to stand, one may note that rarely in history has so poorly a showing been so richly rewarded. Postwar Romanian policy was shaped by a need to ensure that the losers of WWI did not return to take back their lost territories. As early as 1921 Romania entered into what was known as the Little Entente with Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia in an attempt to safeguard her new borders. The establishment of a special relationship with France gave Romania a patron in the West, and ensured that modem weapons could be purchased for the Romanian Army. Further efforts brought a treaty with Russia in 1933, and in 1939 Britain and France issued a joint guarantee of Polish and Romanian territory. Internally, Romania was torn by political strife throughout the interwar years. A dynastic crisis broke out after the death of Ferdinand I in 1927, with his son Carol seizing the throne after first abdicating in favor of grandson Michael, and ruling as a dictator. The Iron League, a native fascist organization dedicated to preserving the nation from "foreign interests" arose, and was first used by the new king, and then suppressed by him. The collapse of the Little Entente with the fall of Czechoslovakia in 1939, and the fall of France in 1940 left Romania without any allies in a world of enemies. When King Carol II attempted to ensure good relations with Germany, the price turned out to be extremely expensive. In the months that followed Transylvania was ordered returned to the control of Hungary, Bessarabia was handed over to the Soviet Union, and even southern Dobrudja was returned to Bulgaria. The resulting public uproar brought General Ion Antonescu to power. Antonsecu, a sympathiser of the Iron Guard's policies, forced Carol II to abdicate once again in favour of his young son Michael. Antonsecu was named regent and "conducator" and brought Romania formally into the Axis, allowing German troops to enter Romania. Their arrival set off an uprising by the Iron Guard, who saw the German arrival as Antonescu selling out to the Germans as well. The uprising was crushed but serves as an indicator of how the Romanians viewed their German alliance. When Barbarrossa began in 1941, the Romania declared war on the Soviet Union, and the Romanian Army was sent to reclaim Bessarabia amidst popular approval. Comments on the Romanian Army at this point by German officers were very favorable. However elements of the Romanian Army were ordered to proceed further into the Soviet Union, the Romanian interest in the war quickly waned. As a reward for the Romanian participation in the war, Hitler promised Antonsecu control of the Transsitria -- the area between the Dniester and Bug Rivers with the seaport of Odessa as its capital. As Romania had no historical or ethnic claim to this area, this failed to serve as the motivating influence that the Germans had hoped would give the Romanian people a reason to support the war. The continued Hungarian occupation of Transylvania, forced on Romania by Germany, prevented the war from getting the popular support that it needed from the Romanian people and Army. Romanian troops, handicapped by the lack of modern weapons and popular support, continued to fight on the Eastern Front throughout 1942 and 1943. As a recent article in The Journal of Military History points out, the Germany Army was never able to work out an effective policy of providing liaison teams with their east front allies, leading to continued confusion and mistrust of the different armies. (The Dysfunctional Coalition: The Axis Powers and the Eastern Front in WWII The Journal of Military History, October, 1996, pp 711-730.) With few Romanians fluent in German, and fewer Germans fluent in Romanian, just communicating basic information was a major problem. The Germans, unwilling to concern themselves with the problems faced by the Romanian forces, were far from ideal allies. In far too many Germans works on the Eastern Front, the standard answer is that the Romanians let us down. In a specific example, the 1st Romanian Armored Division in November of 1943 was assigned to the XLVIII Panzer Korps for the relief of Stalingrad. When the 1st Romanian Armored Division lost their ONLY German liaison officer, the division proceeded to fight its battle as directed, not knowing that the Corps had issued new orders. By the time that the liaison officer was replaced, the division had been reduced to a fraction of its force, and then given the blame for the failure of the XLVIII Panzer Korps to win the battle. Setbacks on the Eastern Front in early 1944, compounded by the lack of support by Germany, caused a revolution in September of 1944 led by young King Michael. Romania agreed to accept the loss of Bessarabia and southern Dobrudja, but was in return given back control of Transylvania. The Romanian Army switched sides, and helped reclaim Transylvania for Romania, fighting for the rest of the war on the side of the Allies. In 1945 Micheal was forced to abdicate in turn, and Romania passed into the control of the Communist Party. The combat that the Romanian Army had fought from 1941 to 1944 was purged from the books, and only the period from August 1944 on was recognized. For any historian researching this period, the only works on the Romanian Army were written by Germans. Since the end of the Cold War, additional data is slowly coming to light. For an excellent work on the Romanian Army during this time, using the new sources, read Third Axis Fourth Ally by Mark Axworthy, Arms & Armour Press ISBN 1 -85409-267-7. A note on armaments The Romanian army used a variety of weapons of similar calibres. Where the weapon type is not explicitly stated and of the following can be used: 1) The 37mm guns were PaK-35/36 or Bofors. 2) 47mm AT guns were either the Schneider APX or Bohler. 3) The 75mm AT gun is the M1943 Resita, PaK-98/38 or PaK40. 4) 75mm guns are M.98, M.02, M.03 or M.28 5) 100mm guns are A 14, A 14/34 or M.30 References Armed Forces of WW2: Andrew Mollo, Crown. Cavalry of WW2: Janusz Piekalkiewicz, Orbis Czechoslovak AFVs 1918-1945: H.C. Doyle & C.K. Kliment, Bellona The Eastern Front: Steven J Zaloga & James Grandsen: Arms & Armour Press. Germany's Eastern Front Allies: Peter Abbot, Nigel Thomas & Mike Chappell, Osprey Infantry, Mountain and Airborne guns, Peter Chamberlain, Macdonald & Janes Light field guns: Franz Kosar, Ian Allen The Romanian Army of WW2: Mark Axworthy & Horia Serbanescu, Osprey Romanian Order of Battle in WW2: George F. Nafziger, privately published. Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Mark Axworthy, Arms & Armour Press WW2 Fact Files (Various), P. Chamberlain, MacDonald & Janes Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Quarterly # 13 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1997 by Greg Novak. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com