1944 in Romania explained

Events from the year 1944 in Romania. The year was dominated by the Second World War. The year started with the Soviet Army assault on Romanian troops and the Battle of Romania. King Michael led a coup d'état during the year and Romania left the Axis powers and joined the Allies. The Romanian army subsequently won victories against German and Hungarian troops.

Incumbents

• King

Michael I of Romania.^[1]

• Prime Minister

• • Ion Antonescu (until 23 August).^[2]
  • Constantin Sănătescu (23 August to 5 December).^[3]
  • Nicolae Rădescu (from 7 December).^[4]

Events

• 29 January – Romania surrenders the Transnistria Governorate to advancing Soviet troops.^[5]
• 5 March – The Uman–Botoșani offensive commences, which lasts until 17 April and ends with a Soviet victory against the Romanian and German Armies.^[6]
• 2 April – Soviet forces cross the Prut and entered Romania, initiating the Battle of Romania.^[7]
• 4 April – Aircraft of the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces commence the first of what will be seventeen aerial bombardments of Bucharest, ultimately killing 5,524 inhabitants, injuring 3,373, and leaving 47,974 homeless.^[8]
• 8 April – The First Jassy–Kishinev offensive starts as Soviet troops advance on Târgu Frumos.^[9]
• 9 April – The First Battle of Târgu Frumos commences between Romanian and Soviet forces.^[10]
• 7 May – The Second Battle of Târgu Frumos closes with Romanian and German forces holding out against the advancing Soviet troops.^[11]
• 12 May – The minelayer Amiral Murgescu is the last Axis warship to leave Crimea, finishing the Crimean offensive.^[12]
• 23 August – King Michael and opposition allies launch a coup d'état, leading to Romania switching allegiance from the Axis to Allies.^[13]
• 25 August – Romania declares war on Germany.^[14]
• 31 August – The Romanian Army defeat the last German troops in Romania.^[15]
• 5 September – Romanian and Soviet forces attack the Hungarian soldiers supported by the German Army in the Battle of Turda. Fighting lasts until 5 October and, although the Allied forces are initially repulsed, the battle ends with the retreat of the remainder of the Axis soldiers.^[16]
• 12 September – Romania signs an armistice with the Allies.^[17]
• 25 October – Romanian and Soviet troops retake the last section of Northern Transylvania from Hungarian troops in the Battle of Carei.^[18]

Births

• 11 February – Dumitru Velea, equestrian.^[19]
• 26 May – Constantin Niculescu, boxer.^[20]
• 4 June – Ion Bașa, ice hockey player.^[21]
• 14 June – Viorel P. Barbu, mathematician and member of the Romanian Academy.^[22]
• 22 September – Ana Derșidan-Ene-Pascu, medal-winning fencer at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics, and President of the Romanian Fencing Federation (died 2022).^[23]
• 28 October – Ileana Enculescu, volleyball player.^[24]

Deaths

• 26 January – Smaranda Gheorghiu, poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, educator, feminist and traveler (born 1857).^[25]
• 9 March – Grigore Antipa, biologist (born 1867).
• 3 April – Octav Băncilă, realist painter and left-wing activist (born 1872).^[26]
• 4 August – Francisc Rainer, pathologist, physiologist, and anthropologist (born 1874).^[27]
• 11 August – Ion Minulescu, avant-garde poet, novelist, and short story writer (born 1881).^[28]
• 15 August – Ștefania Mărăcineanu, physicist (born 1882).^[29]
• 18 August – Alexandru Șerbănescu, fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II (born 1912).^[30]
• 13 September – Grigore Bălan, brigadier general during World War II, killed in action at the Battle of Turda (born 1896).
• 14 September – Paul-Mihu Sadoveanu, novelist and soldier, killed in action at the Battle of Turda (born 1920).
• 17 October – Eva Heyman, Romanian-born victim of the Holocaust (born 1931).^[31]
• 17 November – Magda Isanos, poet (born 1916).^[32]
• Date unknown – Alexandrina Cantacuzino, political activist, philanthropist and diplomat (born 1867).^{[33] [34]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Scurtu, Ioan . Istoria românilor în timpul celor patru regi (1866-1947) . The History of the Romanians under the Four Kings (1866-1947) . 2004 . Editura Enciclopedică . Bucharest . 978-9-73450-441-1 . 191–199 . 2a . RO.
2. Book: Roper, Steven D. . Romania: The Unfinished Revolution . . London . 2000 . 978-0-20369-507-4 . 14.
3. Book: Leonida . Loghin . Aurel . Lupășteanu . Constantin . Ucrain . Bărbați ai Datoriei: 23 August 1944 – 12 Mai 1945. Mic Dicționar . Men of Debt: August 23, 1944 – May 12, 1945: Mini-Dictionary . Editura Militară . Bucharest . 1985 . 370 . 977778092.
4. Vladimirov . Katya . General Nicolae Rădescu: New Sources, New Perspectives, 1940s–1950s . . . 103 . 357 . 2018-08-20 . 0018-2648 . 10.1111/1468-229x.12626 . 610–627.
5. Book: Frieser, Karl-Heinz . The Eastern Front, 1943-1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts . Oxford . . 2017 . 978-0-19872-346-2 . 791.
6. Book: Glantz, David M. . David Glantz . Red Storm Over the Balkans: The Failed Soviet Invasion of Romania, Spring 1944 . Lawrence . . 2007 . 7 . 978-0-70061-465-3.
7. Book: Davidson . Edward . Manning . Dale . 1999 . Chronology of World War Two . London . Cassell & Co. . 187–189 . 978-0-30435-309-5.
8. News: Bombardarea Bucureștilor în '44: mii de morți și sute de clădiri făcute praf . . The bombing of Bucharest in '44: thousands killed and hundreds of buildings destroyed . February 22, 2011 . October 18, 2020 . RO.
9. Book: Hall, Richard C. . War in the Balkans: an encyclopedic history from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the breakup of Yugoslavia . 978-1-61069-031-7 . 2014 . ABC-Clio . Santa Barbara, California.
10. Book: Glantz, David M. . David Glantz . 2007 . Red Storm Over the Balkans: The Failed Soviet Invasion of Romania . . Lawrence . 978-0-7006-1465-3 . 62.
11. Book: Pierre . Tiquet. Hannah . McAdams . The 3rd SS-Panzer Regiment : 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf . Casemate . Havertown . 2020 . 978-1-61200-732-8 . 7.
12. Book: Jipa . Rotaru . Ioan . Damaschin . Glorie și Dramă: Marina Regală Română, 1940-1945 . Glory and Drama: The Romanian Royal Navy, 1940-1945 . Ion Cristoiu Publishing . Bucharest . 2000 . 157 . 978-9-73995-447-1 . RO.
13. News: Eugen . Tomiuc . World War II – 60 Years After: Former Romanian Monarch Remembers Decision To Switch Sides . Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty . May 6, 2005.
14. Book: Gella, Aleksander . Development of Class Structure in Eastern Europe: Poland and Her Southern Neighbors . State University of New York Press . Albany . 1989 . 978-0-58506-470-3 . 172.
15. Book: Axworthy, Mark . Scafeș . Cornel . Crăciunoiu . Cristian . Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945 . Arms & Armour . 1995 . London . 193 . 978-1-85409-267-0.
16. Book: Dénes . Bernád . Charles K. . Kliment . Magyar Warriors. Volume 1 The History of the Royal Hungarian Armed Forces 1919-1945 . Solihull . Helion & Company . 2017 . 129 . 978-1-91217-449-2.
17. Book: http://countrystudies.us/romania/23.htm . Armistice Negotiations and Soviet Occupation . Country Studies: Romania . US Library of Congress.
18. Web site: Ziua Armatei 2019 – 75 de ani de la bătălia de la Carei . Army Day 2019: 75 years Since the Battle of Carei . . 24 October 2019 . RO . 3 February 2022.
19. Dumitru Velea . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418052702/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ve/dumitru-velea-1.html . dead . 18 April 2020 . 3 February 2022.
20. Constantin Niculescu . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418063345/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ni/constantin-niculescu-1.html . dead . 18 April 2020 . 3 February 2022.
21. Ion Bașa Olympic Results . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418074613/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/ion-basa-1.html . dead . 18 April 2020 . 3 February 2022.
22. Book: Felicia . Hristodol . Stelian . Mândruţ . Gheorghe . Hristodol . Bibliografia Istorică a României Volume 12, 2007-2008 : Bibliografie Selectivă . Historical Bibliography of Romania Volume 12: 2007-2008: Selective Bibliography . Bucharest . Editura Academiei Române . 2010 . 978-973-109-214-0 . RO.
23. Oana . Dușmănescu . Interviu: "Cînd faci un sport de drag, nici nu îți dai seama ce sacrifici" . Interview: "When you do a favorite sport, you don't even realize what sacrifices you are making". Gazeta Sporturilor. 10 December 2014. RO.
24. Ileana Enculescu Olympic Results . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418121116/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/en/ileana-enculescu-1.html . dead . 18 April 2020 . 3 February 2022.
25. Book: Bîrlea, Petre Gheorghe . O Româncă Spre Polul Nord: Pe Urmele Smarandei Gheorghiu . A Romanian Woman at the North Pole: In the Footsteps of Smaranda Gheorghiu . Bucharest . Editura Sport-Turism . 1988 . 176 . 26162361.
26. Book: Frunză, Victor . Istoria stalinismului în România . The History of Stalinism in Romania . RO . Humanitas . Bucharest . 1990 . 978-9-73280-177-2 . 214.
27. Book: Ilie Th.. Riga. Gheorghe. Călin. Dr. Fr. I. Rainer. Editura Științifică. Bucharest. 1966. 101. RO.
28. Book: Călinescu, Matei . Matei Călinescu. Tabel cronologic . Ion Minulescu, Romanțe pentru mai târziu și alte poezii . Ion Minulescu, Songs for Later On and Other Poems. Editura pentru literatură . Bucharest . 1967 . XLX . 6434366 . RO.
29. Book: Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie. Joy Dorothy Harvey. The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: L-Z. 2000. New York. Taylor & Francis. 978-0-415-92040-7. 884.
30. Book: Bernád, Dénes. Rumanian Aces of World War 2. Osprey Publishing. Botley. 2003. 1-84176-535-X. 79.
31. Book: Freeburg, Jessica . Fight for Survival: The Story of the Holocaust . North Mankato . Capstone Press . 2017 . 94 . 9781474713535.
32. Book: Sasu, Aurel . Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române . A Biographical Dictionary of Romanian Literature "volume=1 . 791 . Pitești . Editura Paralela 45 . 2004 . 978-9-73697-758-9.
33. Book: Roxana, Cheșchebec . Cantacuzino, Princess Alexandrina . Francisca . de Haan . Krasimira . Daskalova . Anna . Loutfi . Biographical Dictionary of Women's Movements and Feminisms in Central and South Eastern Europe, 19th and 20th Centuries . New York . Central European University Press. 2006 . 92 . 978-9-63732-639-4.
34. Book: Ion, Constantin . Gherman Pântea intre Mit și Realitate . Editura Biblioteca Bucureștilor . Bucharest . 2010 . 276 . 978-9-73836-983-2 . Gherman: The Gap Between Myth and Reality.