Why Romania entered the war against the Soviets?

I'm not trying to conceal Katyn. I only asked you why did you choose that specific atrocity from the greater pool of atrocities, and linked it to Romania's decision to go to war. A war in which millions of other innocent people died, people that had little to do with Katyn.

feic, go to sleep.

you started again a stupid topic.

Do not sweep Katyn under the rug with alot of other atrocities. I was making the point that Romanians knew what the Soviets were capable of. That is a subconscious reason they went to war.
May not have been the only reason but it was there. Trying to mix Katyn with alot of other atrocities is to try to minimize it and I dont think it deserves to be minimized. As a matter of fact it is downright insulting to see it minimized.

Romanians couldn't have know of Katyn massacre in 1941. The mass graves were uncovered in 1943, and publicized by German propaganda.

I know Romanians did not know of Katyn in 1941. But they knew "la ce le puteau pielea" la tovarasi!

Good answer Dragos. Tha begins to make sense to me here on the opposite side of the world from you. Didn't the nazis also pressure Romania into surrender of territory to Hungary ?

Why did Romania prefer the Nazi side to the Soviet side ?
Any thoughts please ?

Like Dragos said, Russia (Romanians never really referred to it as the Soviet Union) was perceived as the greatest threat to the existence of the Romanian Kingdom.

Throughout the late 30s Romania tried to secure its integrity against a possible Soviet invasion. The much vaunted French and British guarantees fell short of this goal, as they were directed against a German aggression, and were regarded as a burden, rather than salvation. Germany was far away, while the Soviet Union was the big neighbour to the East, which created many armed incidents on the border during the inter-war years.

Furthermore, Germany was one of Romania's main trading partners and in the late 30s it became the most important one. The two economies were compatible. Russia, on the other hand, was a competitor for Romania as it produced about the same things.

The radical right wing had much more support in Romania (although less than a third or a quarter of the voters) than did the Communists, who numbered in the hundreds and weren't ethnic Romanians with but a few exceptions.

And, most importantly, germany seemed to be the only European power willing to stand against the Soviet Union.

I am not sure of this, Dragos.
While I cannot quote off hand from period publications in this regards, I can point out one of the most popular and most awarded medal for participants of the 1941 campaign: Cruciada impotriva bolsevismului (i.e., Crusade against Bolshevism). The medal's name sounds like a reference to ideology, doesn't it?

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on January 08, 2009 11:09 am

Well, since continuing the war beyond the national borders of 1940 could not have been very popular, some justifications need to be found. I bet the propaganda service had plenty of ideological products.

However, the initial question was why Romania entered the war. If it was not for the lost territories, can someone believe Romania would enter the war only for a "crusade" against bolshevism?

I would say yes, since at that date the anti-Communist ideology (i.e., right and far right) was very powerful and popular in Rumania, and the anti-Soviet forces (Comintern) looked like the winning team...

Gen. Dénes

It appears that in the view of military officials of the time, the greatest threat during the interwar period was seen at the western border, from Hungary

http://www.centrul-cultural-pitesti.ro/ind...d=832&Itemid=97

I would say yes, since at that date the anti-Communist ideology (i.e., right and far right) was very powerful and popular in Rumania, and the anti-Soviet forces (Comintern) looked like the winning team...

Gen. Dénes

The chain of events that went from the Soviet ultimatum to 22 June 1941 implies changes of government, a three-day civil war (iron guard rebellion) and much more. Had not been the Soviet ultimatum, Carol II might have still been in power in 1941, but this is an what if scenario.

What it is certain is that continuing the war beyond the 1940 borders, Antonescu looked for Hitler's favor with the goal to return the territory lost in Transylvania. If it was not for the territorial losses in 1940, what would be the benefit of Romania by sending troops in a war against USSR? Waste lives and ruin economy just because the anti-Communist ideology was prevalent? Romania was not a great power looking to spread her own ideology or to extend her sphere of influence.

Don't forget the Trans-Dnestra territory, which despite not being the main war goal of Rumania (obviously the recovery of Bessarabia & N. Bukovina being the one), was nevertheless accepted to be administered and thus its riches exploited.

And I still believe that anti-Communist ideology/sentiments (see Antonescu's political views, for example) did play a role, if not a major one, in Rumania going to war.

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on January 09, 2009 06:52 am

It appears that in the view of military officials of the time, the greatest threat during the interwar period was seen at the western border, from Hungary

http://www.centrul-cultural-pitesti.ro/ind...d=832&Itemid=97

The Soviet Union was the single neighbour capable of crushing and occuptying Romania.

During 1940, there were more troops facing teh Soviet border than Hungary and Bulgaria.

The central point of the Romanian foreign policy in the late inter-war period was to secure guarantees against a Soviet attack.

I would say that many officials saw Russia as the biggest enemy in the late 30s. Romania moved closer and closer to Germany after Titulescu was sacked by Carol II in 1936 essentially because of the danger posed by the SU.

It is very doubtful that Transnistria was an war goal at all for Romania. The reason for its going to war was clearly the occupation by the Soviets in 1940 of Bessarabia, Bucovina and the Herta county.

While it is true that once these objectives have been achieved Antonescu decided to continue the war, this was rather related to another strategic objective - namely the recovery of Transilvania from Hungary. In addition, Antonescu explained that it only made sense to stop fighting against the Russians when they were completely defeated.