Hitler's Forgotten Ally

Marshal Ion Antonescu is, perhaps, the most controversial figure in modern Romanian history. That country's leader from 1940 to 1944, he was executed, at the end of the war, for ordering Romania's participation in the German invasion of the Soviet Union, and for crimes against humanity. Even, however, before the post-war Communist regime met its own demise, efforts were underway to secure the Marshal's rehabilitation, although an objective assessment of Antonescu's actions has hitherto been hindered by the paucity of serious studies of his government. A serious study of the Marshal's regime should, however, be of interest not only to those interested in modern Romanian history and politics but also to any scholar of the Second World War and the persecution of the Jews. His regime provided essential materials (especially oil) to fuel the German war machine and contributed the third largest army to the Axis alliance. Moreover, under Antonescu's leadership, Romania was responsible for the deaths of more Jews (some 300,000) than any other country, bar Germany. It is, therefore, especially welcome that Dennis Deletant, the foremost British expert on twentieth-century Romania, has produced an impressively-researched and engagingly-written study of the Antonescu regime

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