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German Invasion of Rumania
Part of World War II
Date October 8, 1940
Location Rumania
Result German victory
Belligerents
Flag of Germany Germany
Flag of Hungary Hungary
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria
Flag of Romania Fascist Iron Guard
Flag of Romania Rumania
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Germany Adolf Hitler
Flag of Romania Ion Antonescu
Flag of Romania Carol II of Romania
Strength
500,000 soldiers 686,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
negligible negligible

The German invasion of Rumania (Romania) occured when Adolf Hitler ordered the Wehrmacht to establish a protectorate over Rumania, with the pretext being the training of the Fascist Iron Guard. After seizing Ploesti and Bucharest, the Germans established a protectorate and Rumania joined the war against the Allied Powers.

Background[]

Rumania was one of Germany's allies since the 1880s, but in 1916, they fought against the Germans in hopes of gaining more territory; they were crushed by Axis troops. Ever since then, the Kingdom of Rumania was neutral. However, with the rise of Fascism, in 1927 Rumania became involved in Socialist politics, with the Fascist Iron Guard appearing. The Germans extended their area of control to Rumania's northern border by 1940, and Adolf Hitler was intent on establishing a protectorate over King Carol's government. Minister of Defense Ion Antonescu was a pro-German politician, so the Germans would have a perfect candidate to install over the puppet state.

Invasion... over ruling[]

On October 8, 1940, 500,000 German troops invaded Romania from Austria. The Germans quickly seized Ploesti and took over Bucharest, without any real losses. Only a handful of German and Rumanian soldiers were killed in the brief war. When the Germans took over Bucharest, they handed over authority to Antonescu, who became the Dictator of Rumania, joining the Axis Powers.

Aftermath[]

Rumania became committed to fighting alongside Germany, sending troops to fight on the Eastern Front. The Rumanians fought in the Battle of Stalingrad of 1942, which decided Germany's fate in the war with the Soviet Union. By 1944, 1,200,000 Romanian soldiers were serving abroad in World War II. That year, Germany bombed Bucharest after Rumania made a peace treaty with the Soviet Union, and Rumania joined the Allied Powers.

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