I would like to start a topic on quotations of personalities regarding Antonescu.

Wilhelm Keitel:
My personal relations with Administrator Horthy and King Boris of Bulgaria were particularly good and, one might almost claim, affectionate; there were several instances of this, and it undoubtedly eased many of my dificulties. I never enjoyed an intimate association with Antonescu: he was a capable soldier, dedicated to his mission life, openhearted and forthright, but uncommunicative and often blunt: it was obvious that he was having a difficult time politically with the Iron Guard and militarily by reason of the corrupt and rotten body of the State - the Civil Service and the Army. He showed an iron determination for ruthless reform but it is open to doubt whatever, particularly in the political sphere, he was meeting with any success. He sought the Fuhrer's counsel, but did not heed it; as a result he stood by himself as a politician trying to buttress his position with a worthless Army. He was incoruptible and a fine sodier, but he lacked the time to carry his reforms through.

(source: The memoirs of Field-Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Cooper Square Press, p.129)

This post has been edited by johnny_bi on September 29, 2005 12:53 pm