by Maria Sinescu

The strategic fundamental task of the Romanian Army, of the entire Romanian people, in the period after August 23, 1944, was the complete liberation of the national territory occupied by the Hitlerite-Horthyst forces and the annulment of the Vienna Dictate. The task of the liberation of this ancient piece of Romanian land has become one of the cardinal points in the collaboration between all social and political forces, which expressed their unanimous adhesion and their will to participate in the fight for restoring the territory occupied by the Horthyst troops to the Romanian State. This imperative was reflected in all agreements concluded between the political forces of the country, in Romanian Army’s state of mind, all the military considering that “the regaining of the Northern Transylvania is a unanimous concern, embodying the character of a national ideal which requires to be fulfilled” (as a document of the time shows), in the General Headquarters’ activity, its officials having “conceived beforehand plans aiming directly the achievement of the needful conditions and possibilities for the beginning of the fight to drive away the Horthyst troops from Transylvania”, also, in the military and political documents that were made known to the Romanian and intemational public opinion on August 23, 1944 and after that.

In consensus with the national will, the Proclamation to the Romanians, issued by King Michael I, firmly stated that one of the main goals of the Romanian people was represented by the restoring of his legitimate right on the entire fatherland’s territory. “Together with the Allied Armies and with their help - emphasized the Proclamation - mobilising all our nation’s forces, we shall overpass the borders (the demarcation line) imposed through the unjustful act from Vienna, to liberate our Transylvanian land from under the foreign occupation”.

Also, the Declaration of the new Government setup on August 23, 1944, emphasized, on its turn, that “The recognition made by the Governments from Moscow, London and Washington concerning the injustice which had been done in Romania’s prejudice through the Vienna Dictate gives to the Romanian armies the possibility to liberate the Northern Transylvania from under the foreign occupation, acting together with the Allied Armies”.

The same main strategic task, defined at the political level, was pursued by the Romanian Army. The Directive of the Romanian General Headquarters from August 23, 1944, issued: “The Romanian Army cease its fight beside the German troops, for the purpose to conclude the peace with the United Nations and to begin again the fight joining their forces to liberate the Northern Transy1vania”.

The entirely sovereign decision of the Romanian people, expressed in the political documents at the highest level was also reflected in the press - both in Romania and in the wide world. “On August 23 - <<Viitorul>> newspaper wrote on August 30, 1944 - Romania, and, in the same time with it, Transylvania regained both their normal equilibrium and way and nobody would from now on ever separate the brothers which nowadays meet again”. Concomitantly, “Timpul” newspaper emphasized on August 25, 1944, that “the armies that gave their blood in terrible battles will be called now to make the true sacrifice for setting free our brothers, who have suffered the Hungarian torture since 1940 till now”.

The justice of the fight carried out by the Romanian people was also
acknowledged by the foreign newspapers. Thus, “The Evening Star” noticed on August 24, 1944, that “Transylvania is the Romanian province which was taken by Hitler from Romania and offered to Hungary through the Vienna Dictate”. Simultaneously, “Izvestya” wrote on September 15, 1944, that “Romania is now fighting for Transylvania, which belongs to it”. Yet, not a word was written about Bessarabia and Bukovina, that were also Romanian ancient lands...