Editing History of Romania (section)

=== King Michael's Coup ===

On 23 August 1944, with the Red Army penetrating German defenses during the [[Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive|Jassy–Kishinev Offensive]], King [[Michael I of Romania]] led a successful coup against the Axis with support from opposition politicians, most of the army and [[Romanian Communist Party|Communist]]-led civilians.<ref name="Library" /> Michael I, who was initially considered to be not much more than a figurehead, was able to successfully depose the Antonescu dictatorship. The King then offered a non-confrontational retreat to German ambassador [[Manfred von Killinger]]. But the Germans considered the coup "reversible" and attempted to turn the situation around by military force. The Romanian [[First Army (Romania)|First]], [[Second Army (Romania)|Second (forming)]], and what little was left of the [[Third Army (Romania)|Third]] and the [[Fourth Army (Romania)|Fourth Armies]] (one corps) were under orders from the King to defend Romania against any German attacks. King Michael offered to put the Romanian Army, which at that point had a strength of nearly 1,000,000 men,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rohistory.ici.ro/eng09.htm |title=Romania During the Second World War (1941–1945) |access-date=2011-01-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713084246/http://rohistory.ici.ro/eng09.htm |archive-date=2012-07-13 }}</ref> on the side of the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. Stalin immediately recognized the king and the restoration of the conservative Romanian monarchy.<ref>Deutscher, Stalin. 1967, p.&nbsp;519</ref>

In a radio broadcast to the Romanian nation and army on the night of 23 August King Michael issued a cease-fire,<ref name="Library">[http://countrystudies.us/romania/23.htm ''Country Studies: Romania''], Chap. 23, [[Library of Congress]]</ref> proclaimed Romania's loyalty to the Allies, announced the acceptance of an armistice (to be signed on September 12)<ref>{{in lang|ro}} Delia Radu, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2008/08/080801_serial_antonescu_episod3.shtml "Serialul 'Ion Antonescu și asumarea istoriei' (3)"], [[BBC]] Romanian edition, August 1, 2008</ref> offered by Great Britain, the United States, and the [[USSR]], and declared war on Germany.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} [http://www.curierulnational.ro/Specializat/2004-08-07/“Dictatura+a+luat+sfarsit+si+cu+ea+inceteaza+toate+asupririle” ''"The Dictatorship Has Ended and along with It All Oppression" – From The Proclamation to The Nation of King Michael I on The Night of August 23 1944''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228102833/http://www.curierulnational.ro/Specializat/2004-08-07/%E2%80%9CDictatura+a+luat+sfarsit+si+cu+ea+inceteaza+toate+asupririle%E2%80%9D |date=2016-02-28 }}, ''[[Curierul Național]]'', August 7, 2004</ref> The coup accelerated the [[Red Army]]'s advance into Romania, but did not avert a rapid Soviet occupation and capture of about 130,000 Romanian soldiers, who were transported to the Soviet Union, where many perished in prison camps. The armistice was signed three weeks later on 12 September 1944, on terms virtually dictated by the Soviet Union.<ref name="Library" /> Under the terms of the armistice, Romania announced its unconditional surrender<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1944/08/24/archives/break-in-balkans-king-proclaims-nations-surrender-and-wish-to-help.html?scp=1 ''"King Proclaims Nation's Surrender and Wish to Help Allies"''], ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 24, 1944</ref> to the USSR and was placed under occupation of the Allied forces with the Soviet Union as their representative, in control of media, communication, post, and civil administration behind the front.<ref name="Library" /> Some attribute the postponement of a formal Allied recognition of the ''de facto'' change of orientation until 12 September (the date the armistice was signed in Moscow) to the complexities of the negotiations between the USSR and UK.<ref name="Honest">{{in lang|ro}} Constantiniu, Florin, ''O istorie sinceră a poporului român'' ("An Honest History of the Romanian People"), Ed. Univers Enciclopedic, București, 1997, {{ISBN|973-9243-07-X}}</ref>

[[File:1944soviet1.png|thumb|left|[[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] and others welcome the Red Army as it enters Bucharest on 30 August 1944]]
[[File:WWII Southern Central Europe 1944-1945.png|thumb|[[Allies of World War II|Allies]] operations against the [[Axis powers|Axis]]]]

During the [[Moscow Conference (1944)|Moscow Conference]] in October 1944 [[Winston Churchill]], [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]], proposed an [[Percentages agreement|agreement]] to [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet leader]] [[Joseph Stalin]] on how to split up [[Eastern Europe]] into spheres of influence after the war. The Soviet Union was offered a 90% share of influence in Romania.<ref>European Navigator: [http://www.ena.lu?lang=2&doc=4272 The division of Europe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220124/http://www.ena.lu/?lang=2&doc=4272 |date=2007-09-27 }}</ref>

The Armistice Agreement of 12 September stipulated in Article 18 that "An Allied Control Commission will be established which will undertake until the conclusion of peace the regulation of and control over the execution of the present terms under the general direction and orders of the Allied (Soviet) High Command, acting on behalf of the Allied Powers". The Annex to Article 18 made clear that "The Romanian Government and their organs shall fulfil all instructions of the Allied Control Commission arising out of the Armistice Agreement." The Agreement also stipulated that the [[Allied Control Commission#Romania|Allied Control Commission]] would have its seat in [[Bucharest]]. In line with Article 14 of the Armistice Agreement, two [[Romanian People's Tribunals]] were set up to try suspected war criminals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/rumania.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820014103/http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/rumania.htm|url-status=dead|title=The Armistice Agreement with Romania|archive-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Romania WWII.png|thumb|right|Map of Romania after World War II indicating lost territories]]

As the country declared war on Germany on the night of 23 August 1944, border clashes between Hungarian and Romanian troops erupted almost immediately. On 24 August, German troops attempted to seize Bucharest and suppress Michael's coup, but were repelled by the city's defenses, which received some support from the United States Air Force. Other Wehrmacht units in the country suffered severe losses: remnants of the Sixth Army retreating west of the [[Prut River]] were cut off and destroyed by the Red Army, which was now advancing at an even greater speed, while Romanian units attacked German garrisons at the [[Ploiești]] oilfields, forcing them to retreat to Hungary. The Romanian Army captured over 50,000 German prisoners around this time, who were later surrendered to the Soviets.<ref name="jn">{{in lang|ro}} Florin Mihai, [http://www.jurnalul.ro/articole/106834/sarbatoarea-armatei-romane "Sărbătoarea Armatei Române"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616194953/http://jurnalul.ro/articole/106834/sarbatoarea-armatei-romane |date=2013-06-16 }}, ''[[Jurnalul Național]]'', October 25, 2007</ref>

In early September, Soviet and Romanian forces entered Transylvania and captured the towns of [[Brașov]] and [[Sibiu]] while advancing toward the [[Mureș River]]. Their main objective was [[Cluj]] (Cluj-Napoca), a city regarded as the historical capital of Transylvania. However, the [[Second Army (Hungary)|Second Hungarian Army]] was present in the region, and together with the [[8th Army (Wehrmacht)|Eighth German Army]] engaged the Allied forces on 5 September in what was to become the [[Battle of Turda]], which lasted until 8 October and resulted in heavy casualties for both sides. Also around this time, the Hungarian Army carried out its last independent offensive action of the war, penetrating [[Arad County]] in western Romania. Despite initial success, a number of ad hoc Romanian cadet battalions managed to stop the Hungarian advance at the [[Battle of Păuliș]], and soon a combined Romanian-Soviet counterattack overwhelmed the Hungarians, who gave ground and evacuated [[Arad, Romania|Arad]] itself on 21 September.

The [[Romanian Army]] ended the war fighting against the [[Wehrmacht]] alongside the Red Army in Transylvania, Hungary, [[Yugoslavia]], Austria and the [[Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia]], from August 1944 until the [[End of World War II in Europe|end of the war in Europe]]. In May 1945, the [[Romanian First Army|First]] and [[Romanian Fourth Army|Fourth]] armies took part in the [[Prague Offensive]]. The Romanian Army incurred heavy casualties fighting Nazi Germany. Of some 538,000 Romanian soldiers who fought against the Axis in 1944–45, some 167,000 were killed, wounded or went missing.<ref>Third Axis Fourth Ally, p. 214</ref>

Under the [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|1947 Treaty of Paris]],<ref>*[https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%2049/v49.pdf United Nations Treaty Series volume 49]</ref> the Allies did not acknowledge Romania as a co-belligerent nation but instead applied the term "ally of Hitlerite Germany" to all recipients of the treaty's stipulations. Like Finland, Romania had to pay $300 million to the Soviet Union as war reparations. However, the treaty specifically acknowledged that Romania switched sides on 24 August 1944, and therefore "acted in the interests of all the United Nations". As a reward, Northern Transylvania was, once again, recognized as an integral part of Romania, but the border with the USSR and Bulgaria was fixed at its state in January 1941, restoring the pre-Barbarossa status quo (with [[Tătaru Mare Island|one exception]]). Following the [[History of the Soviet Union (1985–1991)|dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991, the Eastern territories became part of Ukraine and the [[Moldova|Republic of Moldova]].