Ion Antonescu

Although though quite a few other nations provided them with the assistance necessary to wage a war of that scale (thus the term "global" war"), we practically seldom remember the role of Axis powers during the Second World War besides Germany, Japan, and Italy. One of them was Marshal Ion Antonescu's tyranny in Romania.

In 1941, Antonescu, a Romanian army officer who had advanced through the ranks throughout the interwar years, seized total control of the country. Although the nation had already collaborated with the Axis powers before World War 2, Romania became one of Hitler's most trusted allies thanks to his ascent to power and his association with the Iron Guard, one of the most powerful fascist groups in Europe at the time.

Tens of thousands of Romanian Jews were killed during the war under Antonescu's dictatorship because he believed they were pro-Soviet, anti-nationalist, and sympathetic to communism—beliefs shared by the majority of fascists in Europe at the time. Throughout the entire war, Hitler had the highest regard for him, second only to Mussolini.

In August 1944, King Michael, the last king of Romania, orchestrated a coup that overthrew the regime and sped up the Soviet advance. The post-war communist government of Romania tried Antonescu for his crimes and ordered his execution as a war criminal in 1946.

Born: 14 June 1882[1], Pitești, Argeș County, Kingdom of Romania
Died: 1 June 1946 (aged 63), Jilava, Ilfov County, Kingdom of Romania