The mysterious murder that turned Bucharest into a battlefield. The event that triggered the war between Antonescu and the legionnaires

A bizarre assassination, whose author is not really known even today, ignited the powder keg in Romania in 1941 and triggered what has remained in history as the legionary rebellion. In three days, the strongest Romanian far-right movement was annihilated.

Horia Sima and Ion Antonescu PHOTO wikipedia

With the dismemberment of Greater Romania in the summer of 1940, the Carlist dictatorship also fell. King Carol II was pushed from behind to abdicate and leave the throne, once again, to his son Mihai. The de facto leader of the Romanian state, however, was General Ion Antonescu, the one who, in September 1940, had negotiated with Hitler to take over power. When he took power, Antonescu decided to rule together with the Legionary Movement, a far-right nationalist formation, led at that time by Horia Sima.

Antonescu did not have legionary sympathies, as it will soon prove, but he needed the support of a political force with a plug in the electorate. Against the backdrop of the economic crisis of the 1930s, the Legionary Movement had gained popularity. The legionnaires managed to become one of the most important political forces in the country in the elections of 1937. Later, they were martyred by the regime of Charles II, their leader, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, being killed on the king's orders. In short, Romania had become, from September 14, 1940, a legionary national state. This political cohabitation, Antonescu-legionaries would last exactly 138 days and would end in blood. The powder keg was ignited by a bizarre event, a mysterious assassination whose perpetrator and whose rationale are still not fully known today.

Antonescu and the legionnaires, a complicated and increasingly tense relationship

Between Antonescu and the legionnaires there was a total contradiction of opinions, visions and mode of action. From the very beginning. For a while, however, all these contradictions were masked or overlooked. From one month to the next, or rather from one week to the next, the relationship between Antonescu and the legionnaires became more and more complicated. The legionnaires had people in the Government and their teams in the territory had started to make trouble without giving an account to Antonescu. In fact, for the legionnaires, General Antonescu was what Hindenburg was for the Nazis. That is, a puppet that they hoped to escape later and gain ultimate power.

“The legionnaires considered Antonescu as a kind of Hindenburg, as a kind of screen, behind which they could impose their power“, also specified the historian Gheorghe Barbul. However, they were sorely mistaken about Antonescu. He could not stand the action of the legionnaires. “The general had a conservative, paternalistic, authoritarian vision, which was largely due to his military training. He was alien to any ideological and revolutionary innovation, his political program, brought to the attention of public opinion through numerous appeals appearing in the press, emphasized efficiency, honor, work, order and peace, elements that he considered indispensable for the development and prosperity of a state”. specified Mihail Dăescu in “The legionary rebellion and the end of the national-legionary regime in Alba county”.

The legionnaires introduced over Antonescu's head, “Romanization”, meaning the process of annihilation of foreign elements in the field of business and production. The legionnaires also promulgated measures restricting the right to work for Jews. In a country with an economy severely affected by the beginning of the war but also by territorial losses, the “Romanization of the economy” had a disastrous effect. “They led to true acts of self-will on the part of the legionnaires and their sympathizers who used their acquired positions to enrich themselves by taking over and terrorizing Jewish businesses”writes Mihail Dăescu.

At the same time, the “Legionary Police” was established, which had become an instrument of revenge, purification and support of the interests of the guards. Antonescu was dissatisfied with this independence of the Legionary Police and the abuses committed by it without the general's knowledge or approval. “An immediate cause, which led to the sharpening of the contradictions between the general and the Legion, was the activity of the Legionary Police, which, through the excesses committed, created an atmosphere of terror, since October the whole country was gripped by anarchy and violence. The murders, the descents, the illegal arrests, the mistreatment of the citizens, the robberies or being kept in chains”Dăescu added.

Antonescu openly declared himself dissatisfied with the activity of the legionnaires and their desire to control the state. “If there are two Police in the state, two Justices, two conceptions and two political and economic leaderships, if everyone interferes, if everyone orders and intervenes when and how they want, the collapse, in the internal and external circumstances in which the Country finds itself, will come precipitously”, specified Antonescu. In this context it was clear that there was going to be a power struggle.

On the one hand, the legionnaires wanted to eliminate all their political opponents, leaving Antonescu behind, and the general wanted to get rid of the legionnaires who risked raising the people against him or bringing chaos to the country, which neither Antonescu nor Hitler wanted. The relationship between Antonescu and the legionnaires had become like a powder keg ready to explode.

A mysterious murder

The spark was produced by a bizarre event. In a Romania that had openly sided with Nazi Germany, a German officer was killed in Bucharest. And precisely at the moment when the relations between Antonescu and the legionnaires were the most tense. More precisely, on the night of January 18 to 19, 1941, close to 1:00 a.m., in front of the Ambassador Hotel in Bucharest, on Take Ionescu Boulevard, number 10, Major Hemuth Döring, one of the members of the German Military Mission in Romania, was fatally shot. What was the German officer looking for at the Ambassador Hotel? This is no mystery. The German Military Mission was housed there. However, the identity of the killer has remained a great mystery until today. A Turkish citizen with Greek citizenship who is said to have worked for the British secret service was arrested. His name was Demetrios Sarandos and he was said to be an anarchist. But after interrogations and evidence, no evidence could be found of his clear involvement in the assassination. Furthermore, no conclusive testimony was obtained either.

What is certain is that Antonescu reacted almost immediately and dismissed the legionnaire interior minister Constantin Petrovicescu on January 20, 1941. The reasons were clearly formulated in the communique issued on January 22, 1941. “To strengthen the internal order, which lately calls for new measures of tranquility and authority to put an end to the acts of anarchy, the appropriation of wealth for personal purposes and which lead to economic disorder. Because the Minister of the Interior, 9 hours after committing an assassination against a brave German officer, in the very center of the Capital, had not taken the measures required by the circumstances of the crime. Because he had not ordered a guard at the headquarters of the German Military Mission”the release states.

With the dismissal of Petrovicescu, the war between Antonescu and the legionnaires began. And this in the conditions where, as early as January 18, Antonescu sounded the alarm to the legionnaires, abolishing the “Romanization commissions”.

“In the evening of January 20, there was a demonstration of 10,000 legionnaires, who demanded the removal of “satanic” elements from the leadership of the country and the formation of a legionary government”writes Dăescu.

The legionnaires had switched to conspiracy theories and were trying to get people into the streets, causing a stir. Based on this, they hoped to bring down Antonescu. “Romanians! A German major was assassinated on the orders of England by an agent of the Intelligence Service on the streets of the Capital. The protectors and defenders of this assassin, a Greek by origin, are Eugen Cristescu, the head of the Secret Service, the former confidant of Armand Călinescu and Alexandru Rioşanu, the man of the Jews and the Greeks. Instead of these satanic elements being removed, the brave general and man of the sea was forced to leave the government character, General Petrovicescu, because that's what the English Legation and Masonry ordered. We ask General Antonescu to do justice for the Romanians. We ask for the replacement of all the Judaized people in the government.” he wrote in the legionary manifesto.

Iron Guard annihilated in three days

How did Horia Sima and the leading legionnaires know that Antonescu had already agreed with Hitler, a few days before, during the visit made by the head of state to Germany. Hitler was clearly following Antonescu's hand. He needed stability on the border with the USSR for the implementation of the Barbarossa plan. Numerous legionary groups and legionary labor associations took to the streets with slogans such as “We want a legionary government!”, “Long live Horia Sima, the commander of the Legion!”, “Death to the Masons and the Jews!”. In response, Antonescu dismisses all legionary prefects and orders the army to ensure control of all important buildings in the city. The General Director of the Police, legionnaire Alexandru Ghica, and Constantin Maimuca, the head of General Security, were also replaced by Antonescu.

Then the fighting began in full force. The legionnaires arm themselves and go on the offensive. On January 21, 1941, he occupied the barracks of the public guards located right next to the building where the Presidency of the Council of Ministers was located. Then, one by one, they occupy the Faculty of Law, police stations, radio stations and other public institutions. In response, Antonescu quickly mobilizes the army and takes it to the streets.

Six regiments and a battalion settled in Piaţa Victoriei. They opened fire on all the buildings occupied by the legionnaires and went on the assault to clear them of the guards. On January 23, the legionary rebellion was defeated. However, reprisals followed and over 2,700 legionnaires were tried and convicted.