Ion Antonescu

Ion Antonescu (1882-1946) was the (leader) and prime minister of Romania for most of World War II, after leading the overthrow of Carol II in 1940. A firm anti-Semite, Antonescu independently implemented policies, based on the Nazi model, that were responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 Jews. Under Antonescu, Romania entered the War on the side of the Axis. He survived one coup attempt by the Iron Guard party, a like-minded politicial rival whom Antonescu smashed with the aid of Germany. Antonescu allocated troops for the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

When the tide turned against the Axis, Antonescu attempted to reach a peace with the Allies in 1944, but was instead successfully toppled. He was tried in 1946 for war crimes, convicted, and executed.

Ion Antonescu in Hitler's War
In 1939, Ion Antonescu was a power to be reckoned with in Romania, although Romania itself remained neutral in the European war. When American Peggy Druce considered travelling to Hungary and then Romania to get back to the United States, American diplomat Constantine Jenkins warned her that Marshal Antonescu and his followers might not allow her to cross into their country.