Romanian-German relations in the 30s

The close-up between Germany and Romania started much earlier than many may think. After the Depression, when it was clear to Romania that its Allies could not absorb its products, Germany became a pretty viable trading partner. Germany also tried to attract the "complementary economies" of the East and also undermine the French supervised alliances there.

The talks for a commercial treaty started during the autumn of 1934 and ended in March 1935, when it was signed. By 1937, Germany was already receiving 19% of the Romanian exports and was the source of 29% of the imports.

However, the progress of the political relations was hindered by the Romanian Foreign Minister, Nicolae Titulescu, a renown pro-French and anti-German. Also the Germans weren't very coherent in their policy towards Romania. On one side, the representatives of the Nazi Party, Rosenberg and Goering, gave assurances that Germany was not going to support Hungarian revisionism, while the German Foreign Minister denied all their claims.

On 29 August 1936, Nicolae Titulescu was fired from his position as Foreign Minister, after his intentions to bring Romania closer to the Soviet Union were found to be to dangerous. He was replaced by Victor Antonescu, also a pro-French, but who was more controllable by the King, and who implemented his policy of neutrality in the relations with the major powers and a close-up with Germany, which Titulescu had ignored during his term.

The short-lived Goga government (Octavian Goga was a declared pro-German) did not bring anything new in the relations with Germany, but it brought disorder inside the country. It was soon replaced by the royal dictatorship. Carol II, wishing to prove its friendlier attitude towards Germany, appointed the former ambassador to Berlin, Nicolae Petrescu-Comnen, as Foreign Minister. The official policy remained generally the same: stay neutral and improve the relations with the Great Powers. Thus, during the economical negotiations with Germany in May-June 1938, Romania tried to limit the German influence in its economy, which had increased after the Anschluss. Despite the efforts, Romania became more dependent economically to Germany, which absorbed now 27% of its exports.

During the Sudeten Crisis, Romania found itself in a very difficult position. It was tied with Czechoslovakia by a military alliance against Hungary, but it was reluctant to join a possible war against Germany and in alliance with the Soviet Union. In fact the Romanian Foreign Ministry asked the German Foreign Ministry that in case of an attack on Czechoslovakia, not to involve Hungary in a conflict, as Romania did not want to take up arms against the Reich. Also Romania resisted French and Soviet pressure to allow the Red Army to cross its territory to come to the aid of Czechoslovakia in case of war. This came after Hitler declared to the Romanian ambassador that Germany was prepared to guarantee the Romanian frontiers. The authorization for the right to pass for the aircraft purchased by Czechoslovakia from the SU came after Czechoslovakia threatened to cease its arms deliveries to Romania.

The failure of France to provide the necessary materials for the Romanian air defense in 1937 led to the reorientation to the German air industry. Thus in August 1938, Romania sold more food and oil to Germany for war materials. After Munchen, Germany became the main trading partner and arms supplier of Romania. Thus, on 29 September, the following day after the treaty was signed, Carol announced the German ambassador through the Court's Marshal that he wished for closer relations with Germany. HE even went to visit Hitler. However, after the King's return from Germany, when Codreanu was assassinated, the relations deteriorated, especially because of an official Romanian communiqué, which claimed \Hitler's support for the elimination of the leader of the Legionary Movement. Hitler even requested that the decorations awarded to Carol II be returned.

Carol replaced the Foreign Minister with Grigore Gafencu. His task was to continue the policy of maintaining the balance towards Major Powers, but to also try to appease Germany. Thus more rights were offered to the German minority in Romania and Germany was invited in the Danube European Commission. During spring of 1939 a new commercial agreement was signed, which also offered some favorable terms to Germany. Thus German arrived to receive up to 50% of the Romanian exports. The King's and Gafencu's desire was to obtain the German guarantees in exchange for all these concessions. In fact Goering repeatedly gave verbal assurances about Germany's interest in a big Romania. British pressure prevented, however, the signing of such a treaty, as it would have put Romania. As an immediate result of the treaty, the 50 train cars filled with Czechoslovakian weapons, bought by Romania and seized by Germany after the take over were delivered within days. Romania also started to buy weapons additional from Germany and from the former Czech firms, under its control.

Next the Romanian foreign policy tried to avoid being included in an anti-German bloc in southeastern Europe. During the negotiations for the British-French guarantees, Romania refused any reciprocity. Romania also refused to transform the alliance with Poland against the Soviet Union in an alliance erga omnes, that is also a possible German attack.

Problems appeared again after the Anglo-French-Turkish Alliance Treaty, which threatened to bring the Balkan Entente, of which Romania and Turkey were both part, into an alliance with the Western Powers. The German ambassador was very direct and accused Romania of entering in the "encirclement" of Germany, despite Gafencu's claims that this wasn't true. He again asked for German guarantees, but nothing came of it. The Germans remained, however suspicious, despite the Romanian claims. The Prime Minister, Armand Calinescu, assured the ambassador that Romania would defend itself in case the British would attempt to seize the oil fields.

The start of the war and the Soviet occupation of eastern Poland finally tilted the Romanian government towards Germany. Thus, even the pro-French Prime Minister Armand Calinescu was prepared for many economical concessions to Germany, including more oil deliveries, just to assure its sympathy and support against an eventual Soviet aggression. His assassination on 21 September 1939 by the Iron Guard was counterproductive. Romania was officially neutral and this favored Germany more than the Western Powers. The attitude of the Romanian government towards the Allied supplies to Poland and then the arrival of the polish refugees displeased Germany, but were a clear application of the neutrality and the regulate oil and food deliveries were satisfactory. Eventually Germany asked on 20 October 1939 that Romania to drop the Anglo-French guarantees, which, given the fate of Poland, were useless.

The next project of Gafencu was the creation of a neutral bloc in the Balkans with the participation of Italy, but failed. Romania was practically isolated internationally and the only solution to defend itself against a future Soviet aggression (expected in the spring of 1940) was to obtain German guarantees. After the British attempted to undermine the oil deliveries to Germany by buying huge quantities, the Romanian government introduced maximum quotas that could be bought by foreign beneficiaries, thus insuring Germany's much needed supplies, for much needed weapons. The Oil for Armament pact in March 1940 meant that Romania obtained weapons captured by the Wehrmacht in Poland and Czechoslovakia, while Germany obtained a lot of oil at a lower price and without paying in the foreign currency it lacked. Also, the Romanian SSI and Abwehr started collaborating against British sabotage of the oil transports and eventually the oil fields were militarized.

After the fall of Belgium on 27 May 1940, the King and the government renounced the neutral policy in favor of an open pro-German attitude and the German ambassador was announced about the Romanian desire to closen the ties with Germany. The Foreign Minister Gafencu was replaced with the pro-German Ion Gigurtu. The reply came quickly, on 2 June. Romania had to reach an agreement with the Soviet Union of Bessarabia prior to getting closer to Germany.

Despite Romanian attempts to postpone the inevitable and to try to determine Germany to intervene on its behalf, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in June 1940. Romania dropped the Anglo-French guarantees and the new Foreign Minister Mihail Manolescu announced the King's desire for an alliance with Germany. This was again conditioned by territorial cessions to Hungary and Bulgaria. Following a series of postponements and Romanian attempts to convince the Germans that it was in their interest to maintain Romania as it was, the government finally agreed to the cession of Northwestern Transylvania and Southern Dobruja. In exchange, the Axis Powers gave official guarantees to Romania and on 2 September Hitler was ready to send in the German Military Mission King Carol had requested earlier. The events inside the country, however, prevented him from doing this.

The King appointed major general Ion Antonescu as Prime Minister with practically dictatorial powers and the general asked for his abdication, which came on 6 September. He created a new government with the participation of the Iron Guard, renewed the invitation for the German Military Mission and eventually adhered to the Tripartite Pact. But Antonescu's policy was obviously only the continuation of Carol II's policy towards Germany.

See for more details: Politica Romaniei fata de Germania intre 1936 si 1940 by Rebecca Haynes, Polirom, 2003

As far as I know, the reason was different. The goal of Nicolae Titulescu was to obtain a written guarantee for Bessarabia, in exchange of friendlier relations with Soviet Union. Carol II backed Titulescu in this matter.
However, at a certain point it was very clear that Stalin does not have any intention to sign a guarantee for Bessarabia. Because of that, Carol II lost his interest to support Titulescu.

Somebody here in the forum wrote before that Titulescu set a meeting with Hitler (1934? 1935?), in his quality as president of the League of Nations. Hitler attended the appointment, but Titulescu did not bother to attend, and thus he made a political blunder.

I have stumbled upon this fragment from the archive of Time magazine (the 28 October 1940 issue):

Can anyone confirm the above-mentioned transfer of British war equipment from Romania to Germany late in 1940? If yes, what equipment was transferred then?

I think the German's captured lots and lots of British equipment after the fall of France, because the BEF had to leave all of it's artillery, tanks, trucks and large quantities of stores, supplies etc. in France.
I would imagine the Germans had enough British equipment, I know they sent some of it to the Hungarians, but I don't recall them finding much use for it themselves in Europe, apart from defending the coast in France.
Perhaps it is a vague and confused reference to the Hurricanes sold to Romania before the war? Some sort of pro-allied propaganda for the American public?

Would you elaborate, please?

Gen. Dénes

Hi saud........

The article under discussion is complete nonsense regarding the transfer of British equipment from Romania to Germany.

The reverse occurred, in a very small way. Where the Romanians had British aircraft the Germans sent them a few captured Yugoslav machines of the same types.

As Denes is perhaps hinting, I also think it is untrue that the Hungarians got any captured British equipment.

Cheers,

Sid.

Yes, Sid is right. The Germans supplied Zmaj-built Hurricanes, captured after the fall of Yugoslavia.

Ruy

Let's not forget the three ex-Yugoslav Ikarus-built Blenheim Mk. Is, either.

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on June 28, 2006 01:36 am