Hitler’s Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and his Regime, Romania 1940–1944

389 Pages·2006·36.14 MB·English

by  Dennis Deletant (auth.)

Hitler's Forgotten Ally
Also by Dennis Deletant
CEAUSESCU AND THE SECURITATE
COMMUNIST TERROR IN ROMANIA
HISTORIANS AS NATION BUILDERS (editor)
ROMANIA AND THE WARSAW PACT (editor)
SECURITY INTELLIGENCE SERVICES IN NEW DEMOCRACIES
Hitler's Forgotten Ally
Ion Antonescu and His Regime, Romania
1940-44
Dennis Deletant
Professor of Romanian Studies, University College, London
* © Dennis Deletant 2006
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2006 978-1-4039-9341-0
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
90 To ttenham Court Road, london W 1T 4LP.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted his right to be identified
as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2006 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010
Companies and representatives throughout the world
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St. Martin's Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom
and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-54401-1 ISBN 978-0-230-50209-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230502093
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Deletant, Dennis, 1946-
Hitler's forgotten ally: lon Antonescu and his regime, Romania 1940-44 I
Dennis Deletant.
p. em.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Antonescu, lon, 1882-1946. 2. Romania-Politics and government-
1914-1944. 3. World War, 1939-1945-Romania. 4. Romania-Foreign
relations-Germany. 5. Germany-Foreign relations-Romania.
6. Heads of state-Romania-Biography. 7. Marshals-Romania
Biography. I. Title.
DR262.A5D45 2006
949.8'02092-dc22
(B] 2005056375
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07
Transferred to Digital Printing 2007
Contents
Ack11owledgemmts vii
Abbreviatio11s of Primary Sources ix
Introduction 1
1 The Prelude to Antonescu's War 8
2 Antonescu's Path to Power 37
3 Antonescu and the National Legionary State 52
4 Military Dictatorship and War 69
s Antonescu and the jews 102
6 Antonescu and the Holocaust 127
7 Deportation 150
8 Transnistria: The Fate of the Jews and Romas 166
9 Suspension of Deportation, Repatriation and
Emigration of)ews 205
10 The Coup of 23 August 1944 230
11 The Trial of Ion Antonescu 245
12 Conclusion 262
A1111ex 278
Notes 280
Bibliography 355
Index 366
v
Acknowledgen1ents
Several institutions and persons have helped me to make this book what it
is. Among the former, my greatest debt is to the Leverhulme Trust in the
United Kingdom which awarded me a senior research fellowship, thereby
allowing my college, University College, London, to release me from my
teaching and administrative duties; and to the Center for Advanced Holocaust
Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington,
DC which granted me a William Rosenzweig Family Fellowship for the
academic year 2000-1. I am especially grateful to Dr Paul Shapiro, Director
of the Center, and to Dr Radu Ioanid, Head of the International Archival
Programs Division, who both gave me warm encouragement in my research
and expert navigation around the unique Romanian microfilm collection of
the Center. That collection lies at the heart of this book.
In Washington, DC I was also fortunate to receive precious insights into
the Antonescu era from my friends Mircea Raceanu and Dr Ernest Latham.
Ernest has been a generous host during my visits to Washington, as has
been Ruth Sulynn Taylor. To both go my heartfelt thanks.
In Romania Claudiu Seca~iu of the Council for the Study of the Securitate
Archives (CNSAS) facilitated access to the Antonescu files while they were
in the temporary custody of that body. Dr ~erban Papacostea, Professor
loan Chiper and the library staff of the 'Nicolae Iorga' Institute of History
helped me to identity and access secondary Romanian literature and ·
relevant journal publications. I have drawn enormous benefit from the
discussion of my research with Dr Papacostea and Professor Andrei Pippidi.
Lya Benjamin and General Mihai Ionescu were generous with their time
and their critical observations of existing scholarship - doubtless my own
study will attract their incisive attention. Marius Oprea, Armand Go~u,
Stejarel Olaru and Drago~ Petrescu of the Institute for Recent History were
valuable sparring partners in analysing the Antonescu regime and its
immediate aftermath.
My friends at the Babe~-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca created the condi
tions, both cerebral and culinary, in which I could reflect at length on the
results of my work in the archives. Professor George Cipaianu was my anchor in
Cluj, extending a warm welcome in his home and providing me with countless
opportunities to review the progress of my study with him and his colleagues
Dr Virgiliu Tirau, Dr Uviu Tar au, Ottmar Tra~ca, loan Ciupea, Dr Marius Bucur,
Professor Gheorghe Mandrescu, ~tefan Matei, and Dr Toader Nicoara.
I owe my colleagues in the Department of East European Languages
and Culture of SSEES, UCL, special thanks for taking over my share of
vii
viii Hitler's Forgotten Ally
administrative duties during my research leave, especially Dr Alex Drace-Francis
who covered my teaching commitments, and Dr Rebecca Haynes who
smoothed my path in dealing with Antonescu's uneasy alliance with the
Iron Guard. My greatest debt is to Dr Maurice Pearton. Maurice read the
manuscript of the book and gave it its final shape. His knowledge and
understanding of twentieth-century economic and political history saved
me from a number of critical errors. I record here with affection my gratitude
for his unstinting assistance and guidance throughout the entire course of
this project.
Abbreviations of Primary Sources
ANIC Arhivele Nationale Istorice Centrale (The Central Historical
National Archives (formerly the State Archives) Bucharest)
ASRI Archive of the Romanian Information Service [the Security
Service]
CNSAS Consiliul National pentru Studierea Arhivelor fostei Securitati
(National Council for the Study of the Archives of the former
Securitate)
DGFP Dowments on German Foreign Policy, Series D: 1937-45, 14 vols,
Washington, DC, London and Arlington, Virginia, 1949-76
MAE Arhiva Ministerului Afacerilor Externe (Archive of the Ministry
for Foreign Affairs, Bucharest)
MAN Arhiva Ministerului Apararii Nationale (Archive of the Ministry
of National Defence, Pite~ti)
PRO formerly the Public Record Office, now the National Archives,
London
USHMM Archives of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
ix
X
:

Miles
N *ea 80 100 1¥==;!
S.S.R . Black S 20 40 60 E==sl ¥!1
U. 0 1¥
st
e
ar
h
c
u
B
· ...._ ........ ...._ . LGARIA
·' A BU
NI
A
M
O
General Government f ..,:: ~-......_.r-...... Poland J \.. '"'-· ;--....._ A J ." ( I ·"'-. "' R SERBIA
"' "\.,.. l....;.r LOVAKI 1
\ j. S I"
.-· er er er
MANY . .,-" j Romania 941-1942 1920 Fronti 1941 Fronti1942 Fronti
GER 1 ..•.••..••.. ... --