We Will Conquer the Entire World!

[Zagan7]

Chapter 8. A Betrothal, a Birthday and a Coronation



24 October 1937, Alba Iulia, Romania

Since their arrival in Alba Iulia, Anne was markedly soulful and was even seen crying. Everybody thought that the upcoming engagement ceremony was the cause of her emotions. Obviously, nobody could have suspected that Alba Iulia was the city where she had been born and had spent her childhood more than three hundred years before. Sweet memories, painful memories. Another time, another life, another World.


Miron Cristea, the Patriarch of Romania, welcomed Anne into the bosom of the Romanian Orthodox Church and anointed her with the holy myrrh.

Anne changed her name to the Romanian form Ana and took Iulia as her new Christian name. Prințesa Ana-Iulia de Bourbon-Parma.

Note: We will continue to call her Anne in the remainder of the story as we are already used to it. In dialogues, she may be called Anne, Anne-Julie, Ana, Ana-Iulia or just Iulia, depending upon who's talking and in what language.


Shortly afterwards, the Coronation Cathedral was filled with the fiancées families and guests and the Patriarch, helped by six other priests, officiated the betrothal ceremony, while a children chorus sang religious anthems from the balcony.


Anne spent much of the afternoon with her future mother-in-law, Queen Mother Elena of Romania, with whom she hadn't had the chance to get better acquainted until then.

Anne quickly realized that Elena was still suspicious about her, despite being told by her son and sister-in-law about the angelic manifestation.

Anne: "You don't believe me, do you?"

Elena: "Please, Anne, try to place yourself in my position. It is really difficult to believe in miracles these days..."

Anne: "I understand. Your faith is faltering. Perhaps you should pray more often."

Elena: "You are being rather insolent now."

Anne: "Because you are practically accusing me of being a whore! Because the only other possible reason for this urgency would be a pregnancy!"

Elena: "It wouldn't mean you were a whore, my dear. On the contrary, my son could have taken advantage of your innocence..."

Anne: "I am not pregnant and I am a virgin. Do you want me to have Elaine tell you? Or wouldn't you believe her either? Maybe you want to check it yourself? Be my guest! Just make sure to wash your hands and cut those nails!"

It was too much for Elena who ran away, leaving Anne alone on the bench. Elaine had been busy at that time, so she visited Elena during the following night and alleviated her maternal worries.


That evening, the two fiancées walked hand in hand and Anne gently kissed Mihai on the lips for a split second.



25 October 1937, Alba Iulia, Romania

Anne wished Mihai a happy birthday, kissed him and offered him her present. It was a fully functional wooden toy helicopter, complete with a small motor and bateries.

The two children played with their new toy for almost one hour until being reminded to get ready for Mihai's coronation.

Anne: "I'm glad you liked it. I made it myself."

Mihai: "That's extraordinary, Anne... Maybe our engineers can make a real life machine like that."

Anne: "You're so smart, Mihai. I wouldn't have thought of that!..."


Unlike the engagement ceremony from the previous day, the Coronation of Mihai was a public event attended by representatives from most European countries, the diplomatic corps, members of various Royal and Princiary families, politicians, journalists and tens of thousands of excited onlookers.

Mihai looked fabulous in his resplendent royal attire, adorned with the glistening Steel Crown of Romania and the royal sabre and sceptre. Anne sat quietly in the first row, between the Queen Mother and Princess Elisabeta, watching the spectacle with undisguised interest.

At the end of the ceremony, Anne blew a kiss towards his royal fiancé, the moment being immortalized in an iconic photograph reproduced in papers all over the World.

What a sweet image, wasn't it? A beautiful and innocent young princess, deeply in love with her betrothed, blowing him a kiss while blushing lovely. The whole World was suddenly enamoured with the sweet, fragile and innocent Anne. Only if they knew what she was capable of...


The Regency was dissolved immediately after the Coronation. Mihai I was finally reigning as King of the Romanians.

Carol retained his princiary title and was allowed to stay in Romania. He left the Royal residence, his place being taken by the Queen Mother. Shortly afterwards, Carol retreated completely from politics and public life. Two years later, he became a monk in a remote Moldavian monastery. He spent the rest of his life praising God for his unexpected redemption.


The Party started that night and went on for three days.

Anne should have been happy but she had a problem. The Orthodox Church would not celebrate a wedding from the start of the Christmas fast (14 November) to the end of the Christmas season (6 January). And, as the last Sunday before the fast was the 7th of November, the nine remaining days were deemed completely insufficient to properly organize a royal wedding. Therefore, she had to wait until the 9th of January! Two months, lost because of a technicality!

Time was running out and she would not be ready to act decisively before Germany annexed Austria in March and got a common border with Hungary. Anne was really angry. Something had to be done.

As Mihai was approaching, Anne quickly changed her worried demeanour into a smiling and pleasant one.

Anne: "I was looking for you, my darling. Let's dance!"

He's such a sweet child. I cannot burden him with my worries.




References:

• Patriarch Miron Cristea of Romania
  
• Coronation Cathedral of Alba Iulia
  
• Steel Crown of Romania

.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 9. The Legionary Movement



31 October 1937, London, United Kingdom

Two men were talking in a room full of paperwork and with a couple of large maps displayed on the walls.

"So, what do we have on Rumania?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the usual Eastern European bloodless coup. The new regime is going to be indistinguishable from the former."


They couldn't have been more wrong.



November - December 1937, Bucharest, Romania

With the exception of the occasional meetings with Hulubei or Antonescu, Anne kept a relatively low profile after her engagement, avoiding the media and most social events.


Mihai asked the Patriarch for an exemption to allow them to get married during the Christmas fast.

Two conditions were needed for a marriage exemption: a solemn promise to postpone the consumation until after the end of the fast, which was duly provided, and a reason for the urgency, which was more difficult to explain. While Anne had had no qualms to introduce Elaine to her parents and her future in-laws, she was extremely reluctant to have the Patriarch of Romania meet an actual angel.

"No, Mihai, I can't. It would create a theological storm. Romania needs stability right now, not endless religious bickering."


In the end, Anne accepted that she wouldn't become queen until early January. In the mean time, she began to quietly push her ideas through her royal husband who trusted her blindly.


That period saw a number of important changes taking place in Romania.

The most obvious was the increase in the military budget. Romania ordered tanks and other military equipment, especially from Germany and Czechoslovakia. The indigenous military production was also scaled up, especially that of military aircraft.

The road and railroad networks began to be repaired and extended but the progress was slow.

The quantity of Uranium ore extracted from the mines in Crișana was significantly increased.


However, Anne was not content. She knew that social peace and cohesion were extremely important for the war effort. Unfortunately, the Romanian society was deeply fractured, the most dangerous fault line being that between the traditional parties and the Legionnaires.

The Legion of the Archangel Michael was a mystic-messianic, nationalistic, anti-semitic, xenophobic, proto-fascistic organization, featuring a bizarre death-cult, which enjoyed large mass support, especially in Moldavia and among the students, priests and intelectuals. It was a dangerous force, not to be underestimated.

Anne had seen its future destruction by Carol's and Antonescu's regimes. Hundreds of Legionnaires killed, thousands in exile, tens of thousands languishing in prisons. Those brave but misguided young men were of better use fighting for their country against the red menace. No, the Legion would not be destroyed. It would be defanged and co-opted.



17 November 1937, Bucharest, Romania

Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, the leader (Căpitanul) of the Legionary Movement was working late, alone in his office in the Casa Verde, the central headquarters of the Legion.

Suddenly, while proof-reading a proclamation, he sensed a glow in the periphery of his vision field. Startled, he clutched his gun and turned his head towards the light. And then he saw Elaine, sitting demurely in an armchair, with her wings folded on her back and her hands joined in pious prayer.

Codreanu was overwhelmed with awe and joy. He couldn't utter a word, so he just knelt and joined Elaine in prayer. A couple of minutes later, Elaine stood up, spoke, then vanished into the hyperspace.

"Căpitane, my Leader and your Patron Saint, the Holy Archangel Saint-Michael, had had enough of this. He couldn't stand anymore the treason, the corruption, the vicious plundering of this sacred land. Therefore, last month, he sent a Princess to this country to become your Queen, to deliver your people from their tribulations and to guide this brave nation on the path of redemption and heavenly glory."

"She has already killed Carol's whore and forced him to abdicate and she is tirelessly working for the good of the people. Unfortunately, instead of fully supporting the new regime, your Legionnaires are making her job more difficult than it already is. Stop the infighting, stop the killings, stop the hate, stop it now. Go see her. Talk to her. Offer your support and let Romania shine like the Holy Sun from the Heavens!"

Unable to control his emotions, Codreanu wept. He ripped the proclamation to threads and began to feverishly write another one. Hopefully the right one that time.

The following day, the Legionnaires ceased all actions directed against the authorities of the state as well as against the real and percieved traitors and enemies of the Nation.



23 November 1937, Bucharest, Romania

In order to attract as little attention as possible, Codreanu and Anne met, as if by chance, in the lobby of the Bucharest University. They had a short but crucial conversation. Codreanu thanked Anne and assured her of the full support of his movement. Anne was non-committal and stuck to generalities. In the end, Codreanu felt compelled to talk about his greatest obsession: the Jews.

Codreanu: "But how do you plan to solve the Jewish Question?"

Anne frowned imperceptibily, then smiled. What she said seemed inconceivable.

Anne: "Under my reign, there will be nothing but Romanians in this Country."

Codreanu: "Do you mean... Expulsion or mass murder?"

Anne: "Oh, no, God forbid! Nothing like that. The minorities would simply turn into good Romanians."

Codreanu dared not question his queen. He nodded, bowed and left.

Yes, it would have been a pity to kill such a simple and devoted man. It's much better to have him and his followers eat from my palm.


In the following period, the Legionnaires helped repair roads, bridges and other vital infrastructure and continued their military training, eager to fight against Satan's Red Hordes, for Christ and Nation. The Jews, the Gypsies and the "traitors" were left alone. Obviously, the persecution of the Legionnaries ceased as well.


The violent and highly divisive General Elections scheduled for 20 December were postponed to 17 January. They would never take place.



26 December 1937 - 2 January 1938, Sinaia, Romania

Mihai and Anne spent the New Year's Eve alone in the Pelișor Castle. Anne's parents had been initially opposed but Anne bluntly said that her word, that she won't have sex, was enough.

The fiancées skied, skated and played in the snow like children. It was fun. Everybody should have a little vacation from time to time. Including Anne.

They slept in separate rooms but cuddled together on the couch in front of the fireplace during the day. Telltale signs of affection included caressing their hair, cheeks and hands, eye contact and smiling. They were adorable, blushing with love and guilty pleasure. It was nice.

Finally, at midnight, on New Years' Eve, Mihai and Anne had their first real kiss, the traditional kiss under the mistletoe.


The last days of relative normality were flying fast. It was the calm before the storm.




References:

• Romanian General Elections 1937
  
• Pelișor Castle

.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 10. Queen of the Romanians



7 January 1938, Bucharest, Romania

Two days before their wedding, Anne finally decided to inform Mihai of the profound changes that were to take place in and around Romania immediately after her coronation.

Anne: "Mihai, pay attention please, we have to talk."

Mihai: "Sure. About the wedding?"

Anne: "Not exactly. Listen to me. I have powers, Mihai. Great powers. Everything will change. And we will conquer the entire World."

Mihai: "I'm sorry, I don't follow you."

Anne: "From the moment I am crowned Queen of the Romanians, all our subjects will feel unwavering loyalty for the Romanian Crown and State and an overwhelming desire to assimilate into the Romanian Nation."

"The same will apply for everybody who is under the authority of the Romanian State, residents, people from occupied or annexed territories, prisoners, refugees, and so on. Those not under the authority of the State, such as foreign tourists, diplomats or invaders will be exempted."

"Moreover, that will also apply to those who have been under the authority of the Romanian State at any time in the past. If I am not mistaken, this represents about 90% of the population of Hungary over 18 years of age, the population of Pocuția (Pokuttya) over 18, the population of Tiraspol over 18 and about a third of the population of Bulgaria over 25."

"You understand what that means, do you? No more treason, ever, no more minority issues, no more interethnic strife, nothing. There will be no partisans in occupied territories, no sabotages, no franc-tireurs, no need to leave behind large garrison troops, no need to keep prisoners of war in camps. When we conquer a country, its people join us in the war immediately."

"Romania will keep growing, larger and larger and more powerful with each new annexation and we'll be able to take over more and more land. It's exponential growth. Eventually, we will conquer the entire World."


Anne: "I need to know, are you with me in this or not?"

Mihai: "Do I have a choice?"

Anne: "Of course, my dear. It is still time to back off..."

Mihai: "No, I'm with you. Don't worry, you can count on me."

Anne: "I knew it!"

Anne caught Mihai in a tight embrace and kissed him.

Mihai: "I have a question... This is indeed phenomenal but do we really need to conquer the World? I mean, we can perhaps take over our neighbours and stop before having to fight everybody else. Romania will be stronger and more stable than ever. What's the point of going further?"

Anne: "Because I'm ambitious, Mihai. Because I'm a conquerer. Because I'm a warrior. That's what I am... Besides, if we succeed, there will be no more enemies, no more wars, just eternal peace."

Mihai: "And if we don't?"

Anne: "Then we'll try again and again and again, until we are triumphant."

************


Anne: "I'm afraid we'll have to skip the wedding party."

Mihai: "Why?"

Anne: "We have to inform the Government and the Army immediately after my coronation. There may be some turmoil in the neighbouring countries. We have to be ready for any contingency. They have to know."

Mihai: "I could tell them now."

Anne: "It suffices one traitor and the whole World will know and they'll stop us while we're still weak."

Mihai: "We could postpone the coronation for a couple of days..."

Anne: "Yes, I suppose we could do that. This way, we'll be able to enjoy our wedding. Wonderful idea."

Mihai: "Anne, I have another idea... The Bulgarians and the Hungarians who become loyal to us, does that mean that they will follow our... advice?"

Anne: "We can tell them to stay quiet until we're ready as to not raise any suspicions! Yes! You're the best! I knew I chose the right husband!"


Mihai: "Do you have more secrets?"

Anne: "I do. When the time will come."



9 January 1938, Bucharest, Romania

King Mihai I of the Romanians and Princess Ana-Iulia of Bourbon Parma were united in holy matrimony in the Patriarchal Cathedral.

The wedding ceremony and subsequent party were similar to the engagement ceremony and party from October, albeit at an even larger scale. There were more priests, more guests, more reporters, way more onlookers and a tighter but still unobtrusive security. It is estimated that up to one hundred thousand people filled the nearby Unirii Square, cheering their monarchs.

The matrimony was broadcast live by Radio Romania and most of the ceremony was filmed and then watched in the cinemas by up to one million people during the following weeks.

Anne was splendid in her immaculate white dress but an astute observer could notice the deep anxiety hidden behind her perfect smile.


The elaborate wedding party, organized by Mihai's mother and aunts, ended a couple of days later.

The marriage was not consumated at that time. Mihai did not try to press the issue. Anne moved with her husband and mother-in-law in the Casa Nouă but slept in a separate bedroom. Nonetheless, the couple began to engage in increasingly more overt displays of affection.



16 January 1938, Bucharest, Romania

One week after the wedding, Anne returned to the Patriarchal Cathedral for her coronation. The ceremony proceeded flawlessly and, a couple of hours later, Anne was the Queen of the Romanians, Ana-Iulia, Regina Românilor.

Anne smiled and posed for the photographers, then took the crown from her head, kissed it and put it back on.

Anne's crown was small and simple, a little more than a narrow ring of gold.

It is small now, just like the Country. And, just like Romania, my crown will grow in splendor with each new realm brought under my rule.


After a short cocktail party, the King and Queen of the Romanians went to attend the meeting of the Crown Council, composed of representatives of the Government, political parties, Army and Church.

At the same time, Radio Romania began to broadcast important pre-recorded announcements for the population of Romania and the Romanians from the neighbouring countries.


Hand in hand, Mihai and Anne entered the Crown Council room and sat side by side at the head of the table.

Alea iacta est. From then on, there was no going back. Anne was going to meet her destiny. And drag Romania with her into the maelstrom.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 11. The Crown Council



16 January 1938, Bucharest, Romania

The members of the Crown Council knew that something had happened. They felt it deep inside their bodies and souls. A sudden surge of Patriotism, love and loyalty to their Country, Nation and Monarchy.

Still holding the hand of his wife, Mihai opened the proceedings, summarized the situation in a few sentences and invited Anne to take over.

Speaking softly, Anne started with a short account of the forthcoming events: the dismembering of the Country, the catastrophic World War and the subsequent Soviet occupation, leading to the imposition of a Communist regime, the abolition of the Monarchy, the deaths and incarcerations of millions and the destruction of the way of life and of the very soul of the Romanians.

"And God saw that and He didn't like it, so He entrusted me with this Holy Mission, to save my Country and my Nation from this predicament, win this war and cover us in glory. And God gave me the means to do just that, for anyone who comes under the authority of our Crown is henceforth our loyal subject and a good Romanian."

Anne continued her speech by presenting the details of the miraculous phenomenon she called instant assimilation. She insisted that, with millions of Hungarians and Bulgarians suddenly feeling loyalty towards the Romanian Crown and communion with the Romanian Nation, the situation in Hungary and Bulgaria could become unstable and the Romanian Army ought to be ready to intervene at any time.

Having presented the situation, Anne continued by offering a solution.

"We have less than twenty months until the start of the war and another ten until the dismemberment of our sacred land. In two years and a half, we have to be prepared to withstand a Soviet invasion of Bessarabia. Time is not on our side, therefore we must sacrifice our comfort, allot all available resources to the Army and work tirelessly for the strenghtening of our Country. The fortification of the Dniester and the modernization of vital infrastructure throughout the Country are given priority. The arms industry and the extractive industry should expand their output." [...]

"Drastic times call for drastic measures. Democracy, individual rights and the rule of law are excellent in peacetime but may hinder the furthering of our goals in wartime. Therefore, I proclaim a state of emergency on the entire national territory. It will remain in force for the duration of the war and will be lifted no later than two years after the end of the hostilities. The Constitution and several rights and liberties are suspended for the duration of the emergency. The Parliament will approve the state of emergency tomorrow and dissolve itself. The elections due tomorrow are cancelled. New elections will be held after the war." [...]

"I assume absolute power over the Romanian State, Nation and Army. The King reigns and represents the Country. I rule as Dictator of Romania from behind the scenes. The Government is dismissed. There is no need for a Prime Minister. I will nominate the ministers. You have a list here." [...]

"All able men between the ages of 16 and 50 are called for military training for at least three days per week, those from vital industries being exempted. Women are expected to enter the workforce to compensate for the lack of men." [...]

"The rich will contribute large parts of their fortunes for the war effort. The Bolsheviks would confiscate all their riches and kill or put them in prison anyway. The entirety of the financial reserves of the State will be used to acquire weapons and other necessary materiel." [...]

"The activity of the political parties is suspended. The Legion of the Archangel Michael is nationalized. As a state institution, it will be tasked with public works and the dissemination of state propaganda. The Legionnaires will become part of the Army. There will be no more political bickering in our Country." [...]

"Any questions?"

"Your Majesty..."

"You don't need to be so formal. My Queen would suffice."

Anne patiently answered all questions, then dismissed the Council. Anne and Mihai left the room hand in hand, the same way they had arrived there four hours before.


Radio Romania was continously broadcasting patriotic songs and military marches interrupted by important announcements and communiques.

The short and cryptic message addressed to the Romanians from abroad (Romanians, stay calm and act normally, as if nothing has changed. The situation is fully under control.) was broadcast in Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Hungarian, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian and produced consternation and different degrees of irritation in the neighbouring countries.


Anne was relaxing in a bubble bath after that long and difficult day. And she knew that that had been only the beginning of a long and extraordinary adventure. And that was exactly what she had missed the most during those three hundred uneventful years in that nice but boring place called Paradise.



16 January 1938, London, United Kingdom

"It looks like you were wrong. Something is going on in Rumania."

"Yes, another coup, war hysteria, odd communiques... We are missing something important here."

"You bet we are. We don't even know who's pulling the strings. And we'd better find out."

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 12. A Casus Belli



17-30 January 1938, Romania

In the Capital and other cities, the Police quietly approached several groups of young men and asked them to stage mock demonstations against the coup from the previous day. Mock crackdowns ensued, complete with mock arrests. The foreign media had to show some discontent with the coup, lest it became clear that something was indeed very wrong in Romania.

The incessant dissemination of nationalist propaganda, while no longer needed for internal use, was nonetheless continued for the sake of the foreign media, to offer a plausible explanation for the obvious surge in patriotism.

The leaders of the various ethnic and religious minority groups were kindly asked to tell their members to refrain from officially changing their names or religious affiliation for the time being.

Dozens of people came forth to the police stations, confessed to having betrayed their country, usually by spying for foreign powers, and provided lists with their foreign contacts. They were forgiven, hired by the Romanian Special Services and asked to continue to provide information to their contacts.

About one thousand members of the Communist Party of Romania, most of whom were imprisoned, were expelled from the country and deported to the Soviet Union. They were told to feign continued adherence to the Soviet regime until the upcoming war, when they would be finally able to serve their country by engaging in sabotages and assassinations behind enemy lines.

At the same time, hundreds of ethnic Germans, allegedly dissatisfied with the increased Romanian nationalism, began to emigrate to the German Reich, integrate in the German society and wait for further instructions.

Similarly, small numbers of ethnic Greeks and Serbs were infiltrated in Greece and Yugoslavia.

Numerous nomadic Gypsies began to settle down and look for jobs. They were quickly hired, mainly in construction and infrastructure maintanance.

The entire country was united in a single goal: to win the war and avoid Soviet occupation.


Romania had two possible targets for its expansion before the start of World War Two: Hungary and Bulgaria. Both were small countries, with no alliance with and no guarantees from the Entente, surrounded by enemies (the Little Entente and the Balkan Entente) and with massive Romanian fifth columns ready to help the Romanian Army.

Anne was determined to take both countries as soon as possible. However, the exact order of their conquest was still uncertain. Taking Hungary was trivial, as the massive pro-Romanian population (about 90% of the adult population) meant that a peaceful takeover was guaranteed. Taking Bulgaria was more difficult, as the pro-Romanian population was only about one third of those over 25 years and that did not include any of the recruits.

While the addition of the small Hungarian Army would have been welcome, it could have been offset by a better Bulgarian awareness of the danger. While Anne was still pondering the issue, an opportunity presented itself, deciding the further course of action.



31 January 1938, Bazargic, Romania

Note: Bazargic (called Dobrich by the Bulgarians) is a town in Cadrilater (Southern Dobruja) and the centre of the Caliacra Județ. It was a frequent target of Bulgarian Comitagii (Komitadji) attacks.

A band of eight Comitagii from Bulgaria engaged in one of their frequent raids in Southern Dobruja, in which they attacked the local Romanian authorities and the Romanian colonists. That time, the target was the a police station in Bazargic.

What the Bulgarians didn't know was that three of them were no longer loyal to their native Bulgaria but to the Romanian Crown and had tipped off the police. The reinforced and heavily armed Romanian policemen were waiting for them and, after a short firefight, all six surviving Bulgarians were taken into custody.

Somehow, it just happened that the pro-Romanian Comitagii had documents proving the involment of the Bulgarian authorities in their actions. Obviously, they confessed immediately.



1-3 February 1938, Bucharest, Romania

The Romanian media trumpeted what it called a Bulgarian act of war and Romania lodged a formal complaint against Bulgaria in the League of Nations.

When the Bulgarian Ambassador denied the charges, Romania issued an Ultimatum, asking Bulgaria to (i) officially drop all claims on Dobruja, (ii) disband the Comitagii and send them to Romania to face trial for their crimes and (iii) create a five kilometres wide demilitarized zone on the border with Southern Dobruja.

At the same time, Romania ordered the general mobilization. The following day, Romania received a negative answer to its ultimatum.


However, before Romania could issue the declaration of war, an unexpected event further complicated the international situation. Despite being urged to not act in any way, the Hungarians could not resist any more their newly found Romanian nationalism and an initially inocuous discussion in the Hungarian Parliament degenerated to the point were the elated deputies formally asked King Mihai to accept the Crown of Saint Stephen.

The international community reacted with consternation to the unusual and troubling events unfolding in Eastern Europe. The major powers voiced their concern and asked for moderation and dialogue.


On the third of February, Romania declared war to Bulgaria and the King of the Romanians accepted the Hungarian Crown.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 13. The Conquest of Bulgaria



4-5 February 1938, Bulgaria

Sixteen hours after the declaration of war, the Romanian Army deployed in Southern Dobruja began to cross the land border with Bulgaria.

The war correspondents present on the Bulgarian side were baffled by the bizarre conduct of the military operations. The Romanian soldiers, blessed by military priests, were smiling and singing patriotic songs as if going to a parade and not a real war. Moreover, the invasion had not been preceded by bombardments, as it had been expected. Instead, the Romanian airforce was dropping leaflets urging the Bulgarian soldiers to surrender or desert.

Unbelievably, soon enough the Bulgarian Army began to disintegrate. Hundreds of Bulgarian officers and generals ordered their troops to surrender, fall back or disperse. Tens of thousands of soldiers deserted, surrendered or turned on their brethren or superiors. More than one third of the bombers sent against the Romanian positions landed unopposed in Romanian held territory.

Less than ten hours after the start of the invasion, the remnants of the Bulgarian Army were either fighting with each other or retreating in disarray towards the Balkan Mountains, while the Romanians were following them at a leisurely pace.

During the afternoon, the Romanians began to cross the Danube, virtually unopposed. At the end of the day, one third of the Danubian Plain was under Romanian control. The local population welcomed the Romanian troops with flowers and food in some places such as Varna, Ruse, Plevna, Rahova, Nicopole and others.

The following evening, most Bulgarian resistance north of the Balkan Mountains had ceased and the motorized divisions of the Romanian Army were already heading for the Bulgarian capital.



6 February 1938, Bulgaria

After managing to put down the mutiny with great losses, the Bulgarians regrouped around Sofia, Burgas and the mountain passes leading to the southern part of the country.

The Romanian advance had been so fast that the logistics could not keep up with it. Several tanks and other military vehicles broke down and could not be repaired due to the lack of technicians and spare parts and others had to stop because of the lack of fuel. Moreover, due to faulty maps, a few spearheads got lost in the Bulgarian countryside.

By the end of the day, important effectives of the Romanian Army were converging on the Bulgarian Capital. While most of the infantry was still well behind, many soldiers had reached the frontline travelling by train or using whatever civilian vehicles they could find.

The poor organization of the campaign was again painfully obvious. Tens of thousands of Romanian soldiers were ready to face battle with empty stomachs because the rations did not arrive yet so deep inside Bulgarian territory. Luckily, many Bulgarian civilians had given food to the hungry soldiers, partially allieviating the problem.

Another grave issue was the insufficient supply of fresh water which led to a limited dysentery outbreak, made worse by the lack of medicine.

Important lessons were learnt and, hopefully, would be put to good use in future military campaigns.



7 February 1938, Bulgaria

The haphazard Romanian assault on Sofia was repulsed by the Bulgarian defenders who went on on a counter-attack which managed to root the numerically inferior Romanians.

However, the Bulgarians could not capitalize on their victory, because the bulk of the Romanian forces was going to arrive near Sofia in a matter of days, outnumbering the Bulgarian defenders almost four to one. In fact, the reason for the Bulgarian last stand in front of their Capital was to be able to negotiate an end of the hostilities from a better position.

The Bulgarian Government could not understand the reason for the mass desertions and the mutiny or the support given to the invading forces by the civilian population. They did not know that the fifth column was limited to the northern part of the country and a retreat to Plovdiv could have prolonged the war.

Shortly before midnight, the Bulgarians asked for terms.



8-10 February 1938, Bulgaria

A 48 hours ceasefire was concluded and a Romanian delegation arrived in Sofia to discuss the terms of the Bulgarian surrender.

The Romanian terms were deceivingly light. Besides the acceptance of the ultimatum, Romania asked to occupy the entire Bulgarian territory for the duration of one month, during which time it would search for the Comitagii guilty of attacks in Southern Dobruja.

Considering their situation to be utterly hopeless and relieved that the Romanians did not ask for border changes or reparations, the Bulgarian Authorities signed the conditional surrender of their Army and State.


Romanian casualties totaled 856 killed and about 12,000 wounded or sick. Bulgarian casualties totaled over 6,000 killed, almost 30,000 wounded or sick and about 40,000 prisoners of war who were quickly released to their homes.



11-17 February 1938, Bulgaria

The treaty was registered with the League of Nations who commended Romania for its moderation.


During the following week, the Romanian Army advanced to the Greek and Turkish borders, placing the entire Bulgarian territory under military occupation.


On the surface, nothing had changed in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Government continued to function, the Tsar was not deposed, the country was not annexed. In reality, everything had changed, as the entire population of Bulgaria was loyal to the Romanian Crown and State and eager to assimilate into the Romanian Nation.


Soon, the German Reich would make sure to capture the full focus of the international community, thankfully removing Romania from the unwelcome spotlight brought by the short war with Bulgaria and the Personal Union with Hungary.

 

[Zagan7]

Romania and Its Environs
1 March 1938
After the takeover of Hungary and Bulgaria
Previous Map from this series: January 1938.


Area: 491,530 km² (0.33% of the World land area)
Population: 35,160,000 (1.53% of the World population)​

Key:
1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Latvia
4. Free City of Danzig (LoN Protectorate)
5. Tunisia (French Protectorate)
6. Neutral Zones (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait)
7. Georgian S.S.R.
8. Armenian S.S.R.

A. Mount Athos (Greece)
B. Memel Region (Lithuania)
C. Moldavian A.S.S.R. (Ukraine)
D. Adyghe A.O. (Russia)
E. Karachai-Cherkess A.O. (Russia)
F. Kabardino-Balkar A.S.S.R. (Russia)
G. North Ossetian A.S.S.R. (Russia)
H. Checheno-Ingush A.S.S.R. (Russia)
J. Abkhaz A.S.S.R. (Georgia)
K. Adjar A.S.S.R. (Georgia)
L. South Ossetian A.O. (Georgia)
M. Nakhichevan A.S.S.R. (Azerbaijan)
N. Nagorno-Karabakh A.O. (Azerbaijan)
P. Sanjak of Alexandretta (Syria)


Notes:

• Hungary and Romania are in Personal Union.
• Bulgaria is under Romanian military occupation for a duration of one month.
• In practice, both Hungary and Bulgaria are perfectly compliant Romanian Puppet States or, more aptly called Zombie States.
• The Romanian Yellow signifies that Hungary and Bulgaria are under Romanian control.
• The hard borders (thick black lines) signify that the countries are not (yet) officially merged.

.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 14. Hungary



12 February 1938, Bucharest, Romania

Anne: "General..."

Antonescu (bowing): "My Queen..."

Anne: "What do you think about our performance in this war?"

Antonescu: "We won..."

Anne: "That was a given. We were pathetic, weren't we? I order you to speak freely."

Antonescu: "This little practice war did a very good job to highlight the deficiencies of our armies, especially regarding logistics, tactical planning and discipline. Faced with a more organized opponent, we may have been unable to attain our goals."

Anne: "And who's fault is it? Say it, damn it, I don't bite! It's my fault, isn't it?"

Antonescu: "It is not the responsability of the Sovereign to manage every little aspect of a military campaign. You should lay out the strategic objectives and let us take care of the details."

Anne: "I understand. Thank you for your sincerity. I will remember your advice next time."

Antonescu: "I thought you would fire me."

Anne (smiling): "Oh, no, my dear General, I won't do that, don't you worry. I may be a Dictator but I am a largely benevolent one."



15-16 February 1938, Budapest, Hungary

After the end of the Romanian-Bulgarian war, Mihai and Anne answered the invitation of the Hungarian Parliament and travelled to Budapest to be crowned King and Queen of Hungary.

They were met by a jubilant crowd of up to one hundred thousand mainly adult Hungarians and a small counter-demonstration of about two thousand youngsters.

Mihai addressed the Hungarian Parliament, thanked the deputies for their trust, took the Oath with his right hand on the Holy Bible and accepted the Holy Crown of Hungary. Anne simply stood there with an angelic smile on her face. At the end of the ceremony, she stood on her toes, planted a quick kiss on Mihai's cheek, blushed and covered her face with her palms.

The Regency was terminated and Miklós Horthy was invested Viceroy of Hungary, to represent the King during his absence. The Coronation was scheduled for the following day.

Mihai and Anne were housed in the Buda Castle, the ancient Royal Residence of the Hungarian Kings.


Mihai: "We should have asked for two bedrooms..."

Anne: "There is no need to let everyone know our sleeping arrangements. Besides, the bed seems large enough. We will fit."

************


Anne: "My darling, I know how difficult this must be for you and I am really sorry that I have to deny you your rights as a husband but I am too young for that..."

Mihai: "It's no problem. I understand. We'll wait until you're sixteen."

Anne: "If you must, you may use the services of a woman of ill repute. I'll understand..."

Mihai: "No way! I would never do that! I love you so much, my dear Anne."

Anne smiled content and turned off the lights.

Anne: "Good night, my love! Sleep tight!"

Mihai: "Good night, my love!"

************


The following morning, Cardinal Jusztinián György Serédi, Archbishop of Esztergom, crowned Mihai with the Holy Crown of Hungary as Apostolic King of Hungary and Anne as Queen of Hungary in the Matthias Church of Budapest.

It was the second coronation of our heroes. It would not be the last.


Hungary and Bulgaria maintained their nominal independence, while being perfectly compliant puppet states. That situation was considered optimal for the time being, because it was expected that the European powers might react poorly to a merger of Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria into a single Realm.

The eventual merger of the three countries was planned to take place at the right time, when the international situation was deemed favourable.

After the spectacular gains of February, it was the time for diplomacy, not further military adventures. Romania was twice as powerful than before but still weak compared to the Great Powers.



February 1938, Europe

Three very different people disappeared without trace in three different countries during that month. Nobody realized the connection between the apparently unconnected abductions. The first was an unremarcable Catholic priest from a small Parisian church. The second was a well known German physicist called Werner Heisenberg. The third was a Soviet General called Georgy Zhukov.

There were interesting times ahead.




References:

• The Holy Crown of Hungary
  
• Miklós Horthy
  
• The Buda Castle
  
• Cardinal Jusztinián György Serédi
• Archbishop of Esztergom
• Apostolic King of Hungary
• Matthias Church
  
• Werner Heisenberg
• Georgy Zhukov

.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 15. Consequences



18 February - 19 March 1938, Europe

The Romanian occupation of Bulgaria and the Personal Union with Hungary disconcerted the European Powers. Coupled with a series of odd occurences in the three countries and the total lack of any useful intelligence, those events contributed to an eerie feeling of useasiness. Unfortunately for them and for their countries, most statesmen chose to ignore their gut feeling that something was wrong in Romania.

After the 16th of March annexation of Austria to the German Reich (the Anschluß), the attention of the international community turned back on Germany which was seen as a larger threat to peace in Europe.

Some voices in the Entente countries, and especially in France, were content that their trusted ally, Romania, had swiftly taken over two countries which were viewed as probable future allies for the Axis.

With the effective puppetization of Hungary and Bulgaria by Romania, both the Little Entente (alliance of Romania, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia aimed to contain Hungarian irredentism) and the Balkan Entente (alliance of Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey aimed to contain Bulgarian irredentism) became meaningless.

Germany was not pleased that Romania had robbed it of two potential allies but chose to ignore the issue because of its own plans to annex Austria. Moreover, it is believed that Hitler realized the potential of an alliance with expansionist Romania at that time.

The only country that issued an official protest was Italy, who used to have close links with Hungary but saw its influence being completely replaced with that of Romania. Italy was so annoyed that it even contemplated military action but the lack of a common border precluded that. Nonetheless, Italy began to regard Romania as a threat to its own expansionist plans in the Balkans. That was only the beginning of the long geopolitical rivalry between Italy and Romania which would have important consequences later on.


The fact that Romania respected the stipulations of the Peace Treaty and ended the military occupation of Bulgaria on the 9th of March contributed to the reduction of the tension in the region.

However, while Hungary and Bulgaria remained de jure independent countries, the integration and harmonization of their economies and military forces began in earnest and the schools began to offer Romanian language classes for those interested.



20 March 1938, Bucharest, Romania

The German Ambassador, Wilhelm Fabricius, relayed to the young Romanian King the invitation of the German Führer to visit the German Reich the following month.


Anne: "Yes! We're going to Germany!"

Mihai: "And why are you so happy about it?"

Anne: "Don't you see, Mihai? They need us. They want us as allies against the Bolsheviks. And this makes our position stronger in the upcoming negotiations. I think that I'll get along with Hitler quite well."

Mihai: "I thought you didn't like him."

Anne: "Hitler? That man is a deranged murderer! He wants to kill all Jews and half the Slavs to make room for Germans! Of course I don't like him. However, he is an useful pawn in my plans. While the Axis is fighting the rest of the World, we'll get a free hand to conquer our way to Great Power status."

Mihai: "I'm not sure he'll even want to talk to you."

Anne: "Why not?"

Mihai: "Because you are a little girl."

Anne: "Let me worry about that, would you."

Mihai: "Will you call Elaine?"

Anne: "I'm not sure he'll react positively to meeting her. Besides, I'm not sure that she'll even help me with that."

Mihai: "Why not? She's your friend, isn't she?"

Anne: "Well, not exactly my friend. She's my Guardian Angel, so she's supposed to protect me not only from harm but also from doing wicked things. And helping Hitler start a World War because it suits my plans is certainly not something an Angel might see in a positive light."

Mihai: "So, this isn't God's plan then..."

Anne: "Umm. God sent me to save Romania but He didn't tell me how to do it. I just decided to choose a less honourable way in order to make it easier for us to attain our goals. It's complicated... But you'd better stop worrying, my darling. Leave the worries to me, would you... Come on, give me a kiss."

My God, I screwed it! I'm afraid I'll have to give him more than a kiss if he keeps asking questions!


The visit of the Romanian Monarchs to the German Reich was scheduled for the 26th of April.




The following chapter will deal with the meeting with Hitler. The social, political, military and economic developments in Romania and its puppets between March and the start of the Sudetenland Crisis will be covered in a different chapter.

 

[Zagan7]

Romania and Its Environs
1 May 1938
After the German annexation of Austria
Previous Maps from this series: January 1938, March 1938.


Area: 491,530 km² (0.33% of the World land area)
Population: 35,160,000 (1.53% of the World population)​

Key:
1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Latvia
4. Free City of Danzig (LoN Protectorate)
5. Tunisia (French Protectorate)
6. Neutral Zones (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait)
7. Georgian S.S.R.
8. Armenian S.S.R.

A. Mount Athos (Greece)
B. Memel Region (Lithuania)
C. Moldavian A.S.S.R. (Ukraine)
D. Adyghe A.O. (Russia)
E. Karachai-Cherkess A.O. (Russia)
F. Kabardino-Balkar A.S.S.R. (Russia)
G. North Ossetian A.S.S.R. (Russia)
H. Checheno-Ingush A.S.S.R. (Russia)
J. Abkhaz A.S.S.R. (Georgia)
K. Adjar A.S.S.R. (Georgia)
L. South Ossetian A.O. (Georgia)
M. Nakhichevan A.S.S.R. (Azerbaijan)
N. Nagorno-Karabakh A.O. (Azerbaijan)
P. Sanjak of Alexandretta (Syria)


Notes:

• Austria is a part of the German Reich called Ostmark.
• Hungary and Romania are in Personal Union.
• In practice, both Hungary and Bulgaria are perfectly compliant Romanian Puppet States or, more aptly called Zombie States.
• The Romanian Yellow signifies that Hungary and Bulgaria are under Romanian control.
• The hard borders (thick black lines) signify that the countries are not (yet) officially merged.

.