King Michael's Coup(1944)
Exact site. The pin marks a documented battlefield location rather than a broad area.
Royal Palace (now National Art Museum) on Calea Victoriei, Bucharest
Coordinate source: National Museum of Art GPS 44.44007, 26.09579
Background
The Jassy-Kishinev collapse destroyed Romania's last defensive line. King Michael and the National Democratic Bloc executed a planned coup to remove Antonescu, seek armistice with the USSR, and avoid unconditional surrender.
Campaign: Jassy-Kishinev Offensive 1944
Participants
The Event
King Michael arrested Ion Antonescu and declared war on Germany. The Luftwaffe bombed Bucharest in retaliation.
The 1944 Romanian coup d'état, better known in Romanian historiography as the Act of 23 August (Romanian: Actul de la 23 august), was a coup d'état led by King Michael I of Romania during World War II on 23 August 1944. With the support of several political parties, the king removed the government of Ion Antonescu, which had aligned Romania with Nazi Germany, after the Axis front in northeastern Romania collapsed in the face of a successful Soviet offensive. The Romanian Army declared a unilateral ceasefire with the Soviet Red Army on the Moldavian front, an event viewed as decisive in the Allied advances against the Axis powers in the European theatre of World War II.
“"I am sorry, Marshal, but there was no other way. I have decided to save the country from a total catastrophe." — King Michael I to Ion Antonescu at the moment of arrest, August 23, 1944
Outcome
~8,500 killed and wounded fighting German forces (Romanian); ~5,000 killed, 50,000+ captured (German)
The recorded outcome favored Romania (pro-Allied).
Nicolae Ceausescu, Constantin Agiu and others meet at the entrance of the Red Army in Bucharest (Colentina) on 30 August 1944 Hungarian-American historian John Lukacs praised the coup, writing: "In August 1944, the Rumanians executed the most successful coup d'etat during World War II. With an entire German Army in their midst, they turned around within twenty-four hours and proclaimed their alliance with the Soviet Union, Britain and the United States. (Again the comparison with Italy is instructive: compared to this acrobatic feat, the descendants of Machiavelli were mere bunglers.)". Due to Romania's successful defection, most of the country's economy had survived virtually intact. The ensuing reconstruction of the oil industry showed that Romania had less power of dissension under Stalin than under Hitler. Indeed, "occupation" much more accurately described the Soviet rather than the German presence in Romania.
Historical Record
Significance & Legacy
Shortened WWII by ~6 months. Romania turned its guns on its former ally.
Article 18 of the Armistice Agreement with Rumania stipulated 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, specified that "The Romanian Government and their organs shall fulfill all instructions of the Allied Control Commission arising out of the Armistice Agreement." It also made clear that the Allied Control Commission would have its seat in Bucharest. Romanian historians claimed that the coup shortened the war by as much as "six months." Formal Allied recognition of the de facto change of orientation of Romania in the war came on 12 September 1944.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When was the King Michael's Coup?
- The King Michael's Coup took place in 1944. Aug 23, 1944.
- What was the outcome of the King Michael's Coup?
- The recorded outcome favored Romania (pro-Allied).
- What was the significance of the King Michael's Coup?
- Shortened WWII by ~6 months. Romania turned its guns on its former ally.