Romania Wank

[Zagan]

Romanian Irredentism in 1907

Legend:
Dark Green: Romania (called "Middle Romania" - "România de Mijloc" by nationalists)
Light Green: Maximal area claimed by nationalists

Note: In some areas there were little or no ethnic Romanians, but alas "it would be nice to have them, wouldn't it?"

 

[Zagan]

VII. The First Balkan War

On 5 October 1908, Bulgaria (which already controlled / was united with Eastern Rumelia) proclaimed its independence from the Ottoman Empire.
Bulgaria was, de facto, already united and independent, although not de jure. Most European countries treated Bulgaria as being independent. Not Romania, though. Even more than the Sovereign Power (Ottoman Empire), Romania had always insisted to consider Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia as two separate autonomous Ottoman provinces.

Less than an hour after news of the proclamation of independence reached Romania, the Romanian Army started to cross the border without any preparation or declaration of war or anything.
The Romanian government gathered quickly and issued a proclamation stating that two Ottoman provinces had rebelled and Romania is sending peace-keeping forces in order to end the rebellion and help mantain the integrity of the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottomans protested both the Bulgarian declaration of independence and the Romanian invasion, but did not even mobilize their army.
Austria-Hungary deplored the unilateral Romanian intervention and called for negotiations. Russia protested energically and threatened with a mobilization. Serbia offered to help the Bugarians for fear it could be next and asked for Russian help.
Bulgaria was in a very precarious position. Almost all its army was deployed in the south, facing a possible Ottoman invasion with the northern border left almost undefended. Now it was faced with the daunting task of quickly moving its army northwards, over the Balkan Mountains in order to contain the Romanians.
Bulgaria asked almost everyone for help: Serbia, Russia and the Central Powers. But time was running out.

After 24 hours, the Romanians have advanced to the Balkan Mountains, cutting the Bulgarian army almost in two. Vidin, Rusciuc (Ruse), Silistra, Turtucaia were occupied, Nicopol was bypassed and Tarnovo besieged. A Romanian army was heading to Burgas, trying to cut off Southern Dobrudja and another was going straight for the capital, Sofia.
In fact, most of the Bulgarian army was still south of the Balkan Mountains unable to do anything to save the country.

While Serbia was calling for mobilization, Austria-Hungary anounced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, deepening the crisis. Now Serbia forgot about the Bulgarians, more important being the Bosnian issue.
An European war looked more and more probable with Austria-Hungary, Russia, Germany and other European Powers being quickly trapped into the quarrel.
Anyway, for Bulgaria it was too late. After only 3 days of fighting the Romanian army had overwhelmed the northern part of the country, reaching the Ottoman border at the Black Sea in the east and capturing the Bulgarian capital city in the west.
The Bulgarian government capitulated, the army was disbanded and all Bulgarian territory swiftly occupied by the Romanian forces in the following days. The war was over in a week.

The Romanian army's performance was mediocre, but the Bulgarian army was badly misplaced and had very low mobility.
While the Romanian people was enthusiastic because of the quick and decisive victory, the government and the army was rather cautious and worried by the army's performance and the reactions of the Great Powers.
In order to appease the Great Powers and especially Russia, it was decided much to the consternation of the Romanian public not to annex Bulgaria. Romania continued instead with the legal fiction of Bulgaria being an Ottoman territory and the Romanian army being there only to help mantain Ottoman suverainity over the rebelled provinces.

Now, the "facts on the ground" meant that a general war has been avoided and diplomacy would kick in.
The Great Powers (Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and the Ottoman Empire) gathered again in Berlin in order to work out the problem. Romanian and Bulgarian representatives were neither invited not allowed to take part in the negotiations.
While the diplomatic effort was trailing in Berlin, the Romanians proceded with completely dismantling all traces of a Bugarian state. The local Romanians were suddenly in power and with the help of their brethren were quickly taking over the country under the cynical display of the Ottoman flag.

The Great Powers eventually reached a compromise in February 1909, which seemed very harsh towards Romania and very much angered the Romanian public.
The Berlin treaty was revised, the main points being:
1. The annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary was officialy recognized.
2. The Sandjak was fully reintegrated into the Ottoman Empire.
3. Serbia, Montenegro and Greece got nothing. The union of Crete with Greece was not recognised, but nothing was done to anull it de facto.
4. The independence and unity of Bulgaria was recognized.
5. Romania was considered guilty of an unprovoked invasion without a declaration of war and plausible motive.
6. Romania had to evacuate Bulgaria in one month.
7. Romania had to pay reparations to Bulgaria.

 

[Zagan]

VIII. New Treaty of Berlin Aftermath

So, what happened?
- Romania lost 800 men in combat and millions of Lei in the logistics of the invasion.
- It had damaged its status in Europe, being considered something of a rogue country, dangerous and aggressive.
- It lost the support of its allies, probably scared by its expansionism.
- It strenghened the resolve of Russia and the Russo-Serbian friendship.
- It got an independent internationally recognized Bulgaria at its southern border and lost contact with its people living in the Ottoman Empire with which it now lacked a border.
- It was humiliated beyond any expectations
- It was pressed by all Great Powers, including its so called allies to quickly withdraw its army and provisional administration from Bulgaria
- It had to pay 15 millions Lei in gold to Bulgaria (a lot of money)
- The nationalists started country-wide strikes and demonstrations against the treaty and all kinds of disturbances.

Now, what options really had the Romanian government?
Actually, none. It had to comply, or else all its neighbours would invade and everything will be lost, maybe forever.
So, Romania duly accepted the treaty, protesting lightly that it was imposed under duress.

And then all hell broke loose. The nationalists attacked government buildings and occupied some, manning barricades in many cities. The government collapsed. The Great Powers warned of a possible intervention in order to calm down the anarhists. The aging King called the army to restore law and order in Romania.

The army obliged. Martial law was proclaimed and the nationalists were mopped from the streets and goverment property. After about a week calm reigned all over Romania. Many leaders of the uprising ended up in jail, only to be freed a few month later. Romania reafirmed its compliance to the treaty and quickly retreated all its army and fledgeling administration from Bulgarian territory. It was over. Or was it?

The fact was that this new independent state called Bulgaria was actually another Romanian state. The Romanian plurality had been swept into power and the ethnic Bulgarians had no way to reverse the situation.
The Bulgarian Knyaz Alexander abdicated and fled to Austria-Hungary. A regency was quickly put in place with the task of finding a new Knyaz from an European dynasty. It did not do its job, though. Maybe they did not try too hard...
The Regency, the government, the army, all the central and local administration of Bulgaria was comprised almost exclusively of the formerly oppressed ethnic Romanians. The ethnic Turks continued their flight across the border with the Ottoman Empire finding the life under Romanians rule as unsavory as under the former Bulgarian rule. Romania quickly paid all the reparations, providing thus much needed money for the now Romanian Bulgaria.

The next census yielded the following results: 58% Romanians, 28% Bulgarians, 12% Turks, 2% Others. It was really the end for any hope of an actual Bulgarian State to exist ever again.
But things got worse for the Romanians in Serbia, Greece, the Ottoman Empire and Hungary. The pace of assimilation increased steeply. And Romania could do nothing... for now.

In the next 4 years, Romania further improved its military capabilities and helped Bulgaria do the same, providing all kinds of aid in order to strengthen Bulgarian economy and raise the living conditions of the dominant Romanian majority. Slowly the Romanian and Bulgarian economies got interconnected and the border became nothing more than a theoretical line on the map. Of course, the armies stayed separated, in order to mollify the Great Powers.

 

[Zagan]

IX. The Second Balkan War
(OTL First Balkan War)

[As in OTL]
In 1912, the geopolitical situation in Europe was favorable to the Christian Powers in the Balkan Peninsula in their centuries-old struggle against the Ottomans. The Great European Powers were theoretically commited to the teritorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire, but unwilling or unable to act.
So, the Balkan League (Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece plus a lot of Romanian "volunteers" in the Bulgarian army) attacked the Ottoman Empire and quickly (more quickly than in OTL) overwhelmed the thinly spread Ottoman army. Romania was officially neutral.

The Treaty of London ended the war in March 1913, ceding almost all Ottoman European territory (with the exception of a small sliver of land at the Marmara Sea) to the Balkan League, without properly defining the borders between its members. A tiny Albanian state was created much to the horror and consternation of the Serbs, Montenegrins and Greeks which had all plans for its territory.

The borders between the League's members were mostly defined by the military situation and based on status-quo, which pleased no one.
Bulgaria got all Thrace (except the small still Ottoman part) and North-Eastern Macedonia with Salonica and Mount Athos.
Montenegro became part of Serbia by an act of the Parliament sanctioned by a dubious referendum and got the Sandjak, Kosovo and North-Western Macedonia.
Greece got the rest of Macedonia and most of Epirus.

 

[Zagan]

X. The Third Balkan War
(OTL Second Balkan War)

The seeds of the new war were already planted before the peace treaty was even signed.
Greece wanted Salonica, Athos and Northern Epirus.
Serbia wanted Northern Albania, but since it did not get it, refused to honor its word and cede Vardar Macedonia to Bulgaria.
Bulgaria (the Romanians) wanted to get all (or as many as feasable) Romanian Lands.
Turkey wanted some parts of Eastern Thrace back.

Bulgaria pressed Serbia to evacuate Vardar Macedonia, but to no avail.
So, after Serbian refusal, Bulgaria invaded Vardar Macedonia, attacking Serbian forces. As per a secret alliance, Greece and then the Ottoman Empire joined the war against Bulgaria.
Finally, Romania entered the war as well in order to help Bulgaria avoid certain defeat. The mighty Romanian army crossed the Danube again, merged with the Bulgarian army and striked against Greece.
It swept through the Aegean Macedonia, passed the Pindus Mountains and occupied Epirus getting to the Ionian Sea. The Serbian and Greek forces were thus separated.

In the same time, the Romanians in Serbia finnaly revolted, setting the country ablaze. The Serbian army was caught between the advance of the Romanian army and the Romanian National Revolution behind the front lines. The Romanian conscripts rebelled as well and the Serbian army started to disintegrate from within.

The Ottomans wisely retreated behind the border and called for an armistice. As the Serbian state and army collapsed, the Romanians pushed further south in Greece and invaded Albania which collapsed completely after one month of independence. When Larissa fell, Greece sued for peace. Romania ignored the offer, continued its opperations in Thessaly and pressed south towards Attica.
Only when Russia mobilized its armies in Bessarabia, aware of the danger, Romania agreed to make peace with Greece and the Ottomans.

The peace was concluded in Bucharest (Pacea de la București).
- Romania got nothing.
- Bulgaria got nothing.
- An independent Macedonia was created from the Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek parts, including Southern Epirus (Greek) and Northern Epirus (Albanian).
- Serbia (and Montenegro) lost its part of Macedonia, but got a part of Northern Albania.
- Italy got Corfu from Greece, Valona from Albania and official recognition of its possesions of Libya and the Dodecanez.
- Austria-Hungary got a protectorate over the rest of Albania. The Romanian nation in Albania got official status.
- The Ottoman Empire mantained its border on the Enez-Kıyıköy line in Eastern Thrace.
- Greece lost Corfu, all newly conquered territories and Thessaly was made autonomous for the local Romanian population.
- Britain got official recognition for its possesion of Cyprus.
- Russia got nothing but enbitterment.
- Union with Bulgaria was proposed but rejected by the Great Powers.

Macedonia was actually the third Romanian State.
And, as the Treaty was signed, the victorious Romanian Revolution in Serbia seamlessly transformed Serbia into the fourth Romanian State. The next year's census looked like this: 44% Romanians, 32% Serbs, 16% Albanians, 8% Others.
In Macedonia, the census told the following: 64% Romanians, 11% Bulgarians, 11% Greeks, 9% Albanians, 5% Others.
The 4 Romanian States signed an alliance as Romania finally withdrew from the Central Powers. Their economies and military forces were fused in practice if not yet in theory.

 

[Zagan]

Romanian States in 1914

Legend:
Dark Green: Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia
Thached Green: Thessaly (Autonomous Province of Greece) and Albania (Austria-Hungary Protectorate), areas with rights reserved for the Romanian minorities.
Light Green: Maximal area claimed by nationalists

 

[Zagan]

XI. Before the Great War

The Romanians basically got what they wanted in the Balkans. Now they tried to keep it that way. It looked as a tough challenge, because stormy clouds were converging upon them. The best way was too keep a low profile, anger no one anymore and try to play nice. Because they weren't too strong yet to face either the Central Powers or Russia.
The greatest problem to the Romanian countries right now were the Romanians themselves, the nationalists. Emboldened by the latest succeses they demanded even more, failing to understand that it was simply not possible.
And the worst situation was not in old Romania, where the political situation was stable, but in the new Romanias. Here there was only one Romanian party, the National one. So, in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia, the ruling party was the Romanian National Party. And they also lacked the moderating influence of the King, their Regencies being totally controlled by the nationalists as well.
The patience of the nationalists was running low. They wanted to unite the countries NOW!

Austria-Hungary and Russia were nervous. Something had to be done.
on 30 September 1914, the army carried simultaneously 3 coups d'etat, in Sofia, Belgrad and Salonica. The governments and Regencies were deposed, the Parliaments were disolved and pure military rule was strictly enforced. The nationalists were more or less silenced and the ethnic minorities allowed basic rights.

In the same time, the 4 economies were further unified and enocomic growth started to be felt even in the remotest corners of the former Ottoman provinces.
The 4 armies were continously strengthened and new technologies were incorporated, like aviation, armored vechicles and even a few tanks.
In 1915, the 4 Romanian states had more population, more internal cohesivity, a comparable economy and a much stronger combined army than Austria-Hungary. Only if it were not allied with Germany!

Anyway, this cat and mouse game could not go on forever. Austria-Hungary could not simply wait to be overwhelmed by the evergrowing power of the Romanians. They had to act as soon as possible or later prepare to surrender large parts of their Empire.
The Russians were not so stressed. Their Empire was much larger and powerful than Austria-Hungary and the Romanians there were completely invisible. Poor, uneducated and afraid of the political police Ohrana they did not even dare to speak Romanian in public, much less organize politically in any meaningful way.
And Russia wanted nothing from Romania. It wanted instead to "liberate" the Little Russians and Ruthenians from Austria-Hungary. The fate of the Bulgarians and Serbians was quickly forgotten and Russia started to side with the Romanians.
In the same time, the Romanian States started to get friendly with France and Great Britain, the other two powers of the Entente. The Romanians did not actually enter the Entente in order not to further antagonize the Central Powers. But it was to late. In the summer of 1916 Austria-Hungary decided that it had enough and must do something about the Romanian menace.

 

[Zagan]

XII. The Start of the Great War

On 8 August 1916, Austria-Hungary handed an ultimatum to Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia.
It had 18 points:
1. To limit the ground forces to 100.000 soldiers each.
2. To limit the navy in the Black and Aegean Seas.
3. To disband the navy from the Ionian and Adriatic Seas.
4. To disband the aviation.
5. To disband the motorized armoured units including the tanks.
6. To allow Austrian-Hungarian military observers to oversee the reductions.
7. To allow free passage on the Danube for all Austrian-Hungarian and German ships, with no taxation.
8. Several economic and mining concessions.
9. To stop supporting the Romanians from the Empire in any way.
10. To solemnly declare that the Romanians in Austria-Hungary are a minority and should not take control of Transleithania, Bukowina, Galicia, Lodomeria, Bosnia, Croatia, Dalmatia, Albania or any other territories.
11. To solemnly declare that their countries have absolutely no territorial ambitions towards Austria-Hungary.
12. Serbia to cede a small territory at the Adriatic coast in order for Austria-Hungary to get a land connection with Albania.
13. To allow Austria-Hungary to annex Albania.
14. To renounce all national rights for the Romanians in Albania.
15. To keep the 4 states separate and to never attempt to unite them.
16. To put foreign princes on the thrones of Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia.
17. To never attempt to join the Entente.
18. To allow national and political rights to Bulgarians, Serbs, Albanians, Greeks, Turks and Jews.

The Romanian States tried to stall at first, with no avail.
Austria-Hungary declared general mobilization and threatened war if the ultimatum was not fully accepted in 3 days.
The Romanian States ordered general mobilization and asked the Entente for help. The answer was evasive.

On 10 August 1916, in Bucharest (București), Sofia (renamed Serdica - the old Roman name), Belgrad (renamed Alba Danubiana) and Salonica (renamed Săruna - its name in the local Romanian dialect, Aromanian) was simultaneously issued a proclamation stating that:
1. The Romanian people from Romania proper (renamed Dacia), Romanian Bulgaria (renamed Thracia), Romanian Macedonia and Romanian Serbia (renamed Moesia) for ever unite their countries in one united and undividable country, Romania.
2. The shameful Habsburgic ultimatum is rejected in its whole.
3. Romania breaks all diplomatic relations with Austria and Hungary and declares war to both Austria and Hungary.
4. Romania calls for the complete dissolution of the Habsburgic Empire and the liberation of all its peoples.
5. Romania calls for all the Romanians in the Empire to leave its armed forces and to revolt against the Empire.
6. Romania calls for Romanian Hungary (Western Dacia and Pannonia) to be reunited with Romania.
7. Romania calls for Austria to cede Bukowina, Bosnia, Dalmatia and Albania to Romania.
8. Romania suggests that Germany annex the remainder of Austria since it is a majority German Land. German unity should be finally achieved this way.
9. Romania suggests that Lodomeria be made into a German Protectorate.
10. Italy should annex the Austrian Littoral with Trieste. Italy should negotiate with Romania the incorporation of some Italian Adriatic cities.
11. Romania declares itself part of the Entente.
12. Romania calls for all European Powers to accept this proclamation.

No less than 5 days passed until the Austrian and Hungarian armies crossed the border into Romania. The war has started.

 

[Zagan]

XIII. The Romanian Invasion

The Austrian and Hungarian armies were expelled from Romania in 2 days and the Romanian armies started their unrelented advance into Hungary and Austria.

The North Army invaded Bucovina and quickly overwhelmed the extremely poor Austrian defence there. By 21 August all Bucovina was in Romanian hands. The Romanians did not advance any further, but stopped at the Tscheremusch (Ceremuș) and trenched there. The idea was to not antagonize the Russians which wanted Galicia for themselves.

The Center Army invaded Transylvania and thrusted westwards as quick as possible. The Great Romanian Uprising helped this a lot.
On 25 August Klausenburg (Cluj) the capital of Transylvania was secured.
On 29 August the front line stabilized on the Western Carpathians. The whole of Transylvania was Romanian, but the offensive stalled and no further progress could be made.

The West Army invaded Bosnia and conquered the whole province by 24 August with the help of the Great Romanian Uprising there. By 28 August Slavonia, Croatia and Dalmatia were invaded. In Slavonia and Croatia, the Romanians met unusual resistence and were forced to retreat in Bosnia.
Dalmatia was quickly pierced and the Romanians reached the Adriatic in several places, izolating several pockets of Austrian army.

The South Army conquered Albania in 4 days and then headed north through Romanian territory in order to help the West Army with its offensive.

The East Army did not see any combat yet, since it manned the eastern borders with Russia and the Ottomans.

But the European Powers began to be tangled one by one into the ever growing conflict.
On 20 August, Germany declared war and send its large and powerful army into Austria-Hungary to help their allies fight the Romanians.
On 18 September, the Ottoman Empire invaded Romanian Thrace from the south-east.
On 30 September Russia entered the war invading Austrian Galicia and German East Prussia.
On 4 and 6 October, France and Britain entered the war to help their ally Russia and attacked Germany.
And that's how what at first looked like another Balkan War turned into the Great War.
However, the Entente joining the war was too late for the Romanian offensive. By then, the German forces, superior in both quantity and quality have first pushed the Romanians out of Transylvania and Bosnia and by 6 October managed to invade the Romanian soil.

 

[Zagan]

XIV. The Romanians Misfortunes

On 1 September, when the Romanian army clashed with the vastly superior German army, it was deep into enemy territory, overextended, with very long supply lines and very thinly spread across a very large area. It simply had no chance of keeping its positions.
By September 18, when the Ottoman invasion started, the Romanians have already been pushed back into Romania by the Germans. The concurrent Ottoman invasion only made things worse.

The Russians couldn't help much, being badly beaten by the Germans in East Prussia. Soon the Russian offensive turned into a hasty retreat. What was even worse from the Romanian point of view was that they were not able to occupy Galicia either and Romania's far-northern flank was exposed as well.

The Romanian Army Command quickly realized that the front line is too long and impossible to mantain.
They wanted to retreat to the north of the Danube into the old Romania, mainly because the oil fields were there, but also because no vengeful ethnic minorities meant less risque of sabotage.
However, the King (Ferdinand I was King of the Romanians from 1914) and the Government did not want to evacuate three quarters of the country for various reasons. Their main reason was emotional-political. They did not want so many Romanians from the new provinces to feel abandoned by their new State.
So, despite their better judgement, the military was forced to attempt the defence of the whole country. This was, obviously, impossible.

On 16 September the last Romanian soldiers in Dalmatia capitulated.
On 18 September the Ottomans opened a new front in Thrace.
On 19 September the Adriatic and Ionian fleets were almost completely destroyed by the Austrian navy.
On 20 September the Germans landed in Albania.
On 22 September a huge German force invaded Serbia and advanced towards Macedonia. There was a real danger of Romania getting cut in two if the German army reached Salonica.
On 25 September, the Romanians started an organized retreat from Albania, Epirus and Macedonia towards Bulgaria.
On 28 September the Ottomans captured Adrianopole and pushed on the Aegean Coast in order to make junction with the Germans which were getting near Salonica.
The 30 September Russian entry into the war bought the Romanians at least a few days of respiro.
On 3 October, the Aegean fleet headed for the Greek neutral ports and was interned there.
The entry into the war of Britain and France did very little to help the Romanians since they were very far away and unable to intervene directly. At least the pressure was relieved a little since the Germans had to commit more troups on the Western Front now.
On 19 October the Germans and the Ottomans met near Salonica and by 30 October all Romanian territory south of the Balkan Mountains was in the hands of the Central Powers.
The front stabilized on the mountains: The Carpathians in the north and the Balkans in the south. Both the Germans and the Romanians were exhausted and the war effort turned into trench warfare in horrendous circumstances - montanous terrain and frosty winter weather with an unusually high amount of snow.

 

[Zagan]

XV. Fortress Romania

The next 2 years were very hard for the Romanians, both in the free Romanian territory and in the occupied regions. All kinds of hardships inherent to wars plagued the Romanians: curfews, disease, food rations, aerial bombardments, hospitals overwhelmed with thousands of injured soldiers, the loss of more than half of the country to the enemy, dispair.
But Romania was not beaten and stood firm against its formidable opponents.

One problem was that the front line was still too long. After much thought, the Russian army was invited in Moldavia to keep the Eastern Carpathians Front. After the Russian Revolution it will be realized what a horrible mistake it was to allow the Russians in the country.

In France the front was stable and little intensity warfare was the norm.
In Russia however, the war was raging with full intensity.
The Italian entry in the war in June 1917 at the Entente side did little to change the overall balance. The Italian offensive bogged down in the Alps.
The Great Romanian Uprising in Austria-Hungary had been brutally suppressed and many Romanians lost their lifes in its aftermath.
The British captured the German colonies and won a few battles against the Ottomans but overall little progress was made by either side.

It appeared that Russia was slowly losing ground, but no immediate German breakthrough was possible. However the Russian State and Army were crumbling from the inside. If the overall situation in Romania was bad, in Russia it was abbysimal. Nothing could prevent anymore the imposion of the Russian State and the complete German victory in the east.

It March 1919, the Russian Emperor was forced to abdicate and the Russian Empire became the Russian Republic. The Russian war effort was however less and less efficient. The Republic was never stable and in December, the Communist Revolution plunged Russia into full fledged civil war and destroyed it almost completely.
The Eastern Front collapsed completely and the Germans captured Poland, the Baltics, White Russia, Little Russia, New Russia, Crimea, Bessarabia and Romanian Moldavia (since it was also guarded by the Russian army, now in disarray; the Romanian army could not take over quick enough to avoid it).
Finland got its independence right away and conquered Russian Karelia as well. Finally, the Germans captured Russia's capital Petersburg and the communist government moved to Moskow. The Russian civil war continued to rage in the rest of the former Empire.

Romania was now entombed in German hold territory, completely cut off from the outside world.
In February 1920, the Central Powers began a collosal offensive against Fortress Romania. The Romanians defended themselves with heroism and scored a few sensational victories against the aggresors.
But, by April it became clear that the army can not hold for much longer. On 5 May 1920, Romania asked for an armistice and the war paused...

In June, the Germans started to press the Romanians to accept a peace treaty and officially exit the war effort on the Entente side. The peace conditions were incomprehensibly harsh. Romania would be dismanted and a lot of territories would be lost. The Romanian side stalled the negotiations for as long as possible. However, by August the German's patience started to erode. Romania get another ultimatum: abide all the drastic conditions and sign the peace by 31 August or the Central Powers will end the armistice and attack Romania again in force.

But things were going to change.
In April, the Americans entered the war on the side of the Entente.
By May fresh American troops brought much needed relief on the Western Front.
In the summer, the Ottoman Empire was slowly losing the war.
By August the whole Ottoman army was collapsing and on 27 August it capitulated.
The British and French navies sailed in the Bosphorus and occupied Constantinopole, taking the Sultan into custody. For the Ottomans, the war was over.
On 28 August Greece declared war to the Central Powers.
On 30 August a new front was opened as the Greek army helped by Italian, French and British expeditionary corps attacked the German troops in the southern part of Romania.

In these conditions, Romania declined to sign the peace treaty and the war with Germany and Austria-Hungary restarted on 1 September 1920.

 

[Zagan]

XVI. The End of the Great War

On 3 September, the Germans broke the Romanian defenses on the Siret River and poured into the Baragan Steppe. Bucharest was evacuated, the King and Government of Romania moving to the temporar capital of Tarnava south of the Danube.
On 16 September Bucharest fell to the Germans.
By 2 October, no Romanian soldier faught north of the Danube. Romanian held land was now limited to the thin area between the Balkan Mountains and the Danube, including Dobrudja.
The Germans also kept pushing from the west and on 9 October captured Sofia. That would be their last victory in Romania.

On 11 October, the Entente armies pushing north from Thrace got to the Balkan Mountains and linked with the Romanian Fortress.
It was about the time. The local population, augmented with countless refugies was starving. And the September loss of the oil fields meant that the oil reserves could not have lasted for much long.
Now food, equipment, medicine, ammunition and oil from the Entente started to pour into Romania.

Total disaster has been narrowly avoided.
Now was the time for the Romanian Reconquista.
Time to strike again northwards, eastwards, westwards, until all Romanians will be free from oppression, united into a Gigantic Romania.

On 24 October 1920, the army and central government of Austria-Hungary capitulated.
On 27 October Republics were proclaimed in Vienna and Budapest and the Dual Monarchy was separated in its two halves.
On 28 October the Republic of German-Austria joined the German Empire.
On 29 October the Checzs proclaimed their independence in Prague. They were promptly crushed by the Germans.
On 30 October the Slovens and Croats proclaimed their independence in Laibach and Agram.
On 31 October the Italian army already in Istria started to advance in Dalmatia, Slovenia and Croatia. In the north, it stopped at the Alps.

By 1 November all of Romania was free from enemy forces.
On 3 November the Romanian and Italian armed forces met in Albania, Montenegro, Herzegovina and Dalmatia.
On 5 November the Romanians engaged the Hungarian army for a second time on Hungarian soil. The Romanian-Hungarian was has just started, even before the Great War was completely over.

 

[Zagan]

XVII. War with Hungary

The Entente was not happy with the Romanian plans for annexing the whole of Hungary. They pressured the Hungarian government to evacuate all territory east of the River Tissa to be occupied and annexed by Romania. In return, the Entente guaranteed the safety of the rump Hungarian Republic.
By 10 November the Romanian army was guarding the new Tissa border and was not going to stop there. Romania was no part of the Entente-Hungary arrangements and was not going to abide by them.

On 16 November the Romanians were crossing Tissa heading straight for Budapest. The Entente Powers protested but could not afford to attack their ally for the sake of Hungary while the war with Germany was still going on.
On 26 November Budapest fell to the Romanians. The next day there was no Hungarian soldier fighting east of the Middle Danube any more.
On 29 November the Romanian army got to the Balaton Lake.
On 30 November Gyor fell and Hungary finally succumbed to Romania without any formal capitulation.
By 3 December all of Hungary, Slavonia and most of Croatia were in Romanian hands.

Romania did not annex any part of Hungary, because it wanted all of it.
Annexing Greater Transylvania for example would have produced a rump Hungary with a very low Romanian population, exactly what the Entente wanted. The separation of Croatia-Slavonia from Hungary was not recognized as well in order to annex those territories together with Hungary.
So, Romania went on in Hungary with the same proven to work procedure as in Bulgaria and Serbia. The Romanian plurality (was it really a plurality?) was emboldened and put into power with the mission to destroy the Hungarian State from within.

And a new census, of course.
The Hungarian census: 30% Hungarians, 23% Romanians, 13% Slovaks, 19% Croats, 14% Germans, 1% Others.
The Romanian census: 20% Hungarians, 37% Romanians, 9% Slovaks, 16% Croats, 16% Germans, 2% Others.
What to think of all these numbers?

Only now was Romania ready to fight the Germans again. This time in Russia.

 

[Zagan]

XVIII. Looking at the Neighbours

Having settled the Hungarian issue, the Romanian army was free to look for pray in other directions.

In the south there was its ally Greece, so it was impossible to do anything there. After all, they retreated quickly after liberating some Romanian land alongside the senior Entente members.

In the south-east was the corpse of the Ottoman Empire. However Constantinopole and the Straits were guarded by the French and British. So, nothing to do there as well.

In the south-west there were the Italians occupying parts of Albania, Dalmatia, Croatia and all of Slovenia. They had already evacuated Montenegro of course, since it was Romanian land. War with Entente member Italy was unimaginable, but the border must be agreed on somehow. Diplomacy there.

In the west was German-Austria self declared member of the German Empire but defeated and having an armistice with the Entente. Just like Hungary... First of all, it was not advisable to irritate the Entente again. And second, there was no need to invade German-Austria. There were no Romanians there and in the future it will be nicer to have a friendly German Empire as a neighbour instead of an irredentist vengeful one.

In the north there was this new Polish State sandwiched between Germany and Russia. Better have them as friends. Very few Romanians there as well.

In the east there was the Black Sea, but in the north-east?
Well in the north-east there was nothing. It used to be the Russian Empire there. But there is no Russian Empire any more. Just some kind of a freak state - communist Russia, far, far away.
On the other shore of the Prut River there was a huge abbyss streching on for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers with no stable political entity claiming it, where dozens of small groups fought each other and the German army incessantly. Communists, anarhists, socialists, monarhists, Russians, Ukrainians (what was this nation any way?!), Ruthenes, Little Russians, Tatars, Cossacks, Germans and Romanians. Lots of Romanians.

So, without any doubt, the way to go was to the north-east, deep into Russia.

But first of all, the Poles need a little help.
With Bucovina already in Romanian hands, the Romanian army pushed north, occupied Pokutia and pushed into Galicia destroying the Ruthenian (West-Ukrainian) army and linking with Poland on 12 December.

With that problem solved, the Romanian army finally crossed the Prut River and liberated Bessarabia on 16 December.
With Bucovina, Pokutia and Bessarabia annexed to Romania, finally, after hundreds of years, all the Moldavian lands of Stephen the Great (Ștefan cel Mare) were again under Romanian rule.

Transnistria (the territory between Dnester and Southern Bug) was quickly occupied by 20 December with the help of the dense Romanian population found there.

And on 23 December 1920 the Romanian army crossed the Southern Bug venturing deep into Russia.
At the same time, the German war machine was finally reaching its exhaustion point and the war on the Western Front was quickly approaching its end.

Romania had to act quickly. After all, this Russian adventure was supposed to happen because of the need to engage the enemy, the German army, wherever it may be. Not because of Romanian expansionist policy, right?
If the war was over the Entente might get strange ideas, like the "teritorial integrity of Russia" or the "creation of an independent Ukrainian State" or whatever!
That was the reason why Romania was in such a hurry and just before Christmas, after 4 and a half years of war, horrific death and destruction, sent its war-hardened army into the Russian abbyss, into the unknown. For yet another war!

 

[Zagan]

XIX. Peace in the West

In December 1920, Germany was effectively lost. It was clear to almost everyone with a clear head that the war effort was not sustainable anymore and peace has to be made with the Entente.
There were however, some major obstacles:
1. The Kaiser who was not considered a reliable partner for dialog and according to the Entente "had to go";
2. Most of the army, undefeated on either the Western or the Eastern Fronts. (the only serios setback of Germany had been in Romania)
3. Some part of the civilian population which considered starving better than defeat.

The German government took care of the first two:
First, the most nationalistic generals were sent to the Eastern Front, deep within Russia to fight the communists.
Then, on 27 December the Kaiser was forced to abdicate and leave for neutral Netherlands. The German Empire became a (nominally) democratic republic, although still called officially the German Realm (Reich).
On 28 December the government resigned and a large spectrum political coalition was sworn in power.

On 29 December Germany asked for an armistice on the Western Front. The French demanded the cession of Alsace-Lorraine as a precondition.
Germany reluctantly accepted and on 31 December 1920, all fighting ceased on the Western Front.
The German army retreated beyond the Rhine and 4 different peace negotiations started in Paris between the Entente on one side and Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire on the other sides.

 

[Zagan]

XX. 1921 Paris Peace Conference (1)

From January 1921 to March 1922 diplomats and statesmen from all over the world gathered in Paris for what would became the largest political event the world has ever seen.
Besides the actual Peace Treaties, all kinds of political, economic, juridical and administrative topics were considered and accepted or rejected.
One of the most important and visible result of the conference was the new political map of Europe and the World.
The League of Nations was created and started to work from 1 January 1922, taking over the remainder of the Peace Conference.
Other very important matters were the situation in Russia, the problem of the ethnic minorities, human rights and the fate of the colonies.
The only problem which was considered to be urgent was the chaotic and dangerous state of affairs in Russia, so it was dealt with first.

21 February 1921
Russia
1. Russia has lost the war with the Central Powers and has concluded a separate Peace Treaty with the Central Powers, leaving the Entente. The fact that the Entente has subsequently vanquished the Central Powers is irrelevant to Russia.
2. The Russian Empire is abolished. Russia is a democratic republic.
3. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, White Russia, Ukraine, Crimea and Bessarabia have already been separated from Russia and shall remain so, unless their people freely express their desire for reunification with Russia. Besides uti possidetis, they can include any other territory if clear demographic data and/or an internationally supervized plebiscite indicates so. All these countries shall be independent, democratic republics, except Bessarabia which is an ancient Romanian territory already reunited with Romania.
4. The Civil War in Russia is a danger for the peace and stability in Europe and must be stopped by all means.
5. All factions in the Russian Civil War shall be disarmed and the legitimate government of the Russian Republic shall resume control of Russia.
6. The monstruous, barbaric and anti-Christian Soviet (bolshevic) state in Central Russia represents the greatest threat for the European civilization and must be destroyed as soon as possible.
7. The German and Romanian armies in Russia and its former western territories are allowed and encouraged to continue their actions against all Russian rebels.
8. The other Great Powers pledge to dispatch their armies in Russia as soon as possible in order to help the fight against the rebels.
9. Other nations from the former Russian Empire shall create their own independent states, if they so desire and if the resulting states could be viable. As of now, only the Armenians and Georgians appear to fulfill these two conditions.

It looked like Romania was free to act in Russia.
So far, so good.

 

[Zagan]

XXI. 1921 Paris Peace Conference (2)

14 June 1921
Treaty of Versailles
Germany
1. Alsace and Lorraine are already part of France.
2. Demilitarization of Rheinland for 50 years. (France wanted it to be forever)
3. French control of the coal mines in the Saar Basin for 50 years. (France wanted to annex the area)
4. Important war reparations (France wanted 8 times more money)
5. Posen ceded to Poland. A "Polish Corridor" to be created in West Prussia to link Poland to the Baltic Sea at the Hal Peninsula. (Poland wanted Danzig too)
6. Plebiscites in certain areas of Schleswig (Danes), East Prussia, West Prussia, Silesia (Poles) in one year time.
7. Limitations on the German army.

Strangely, the Entente member which supported Germany the most was Romania which suffered the most in the war against the Germans!
The most contentious issue was the French-Italian proposal of forcefully keeping German Austria separated from Germany. Because of the opposition of the other powers (the principle of nationalities would have been violated etc), the proposal was basically dropped and replaced by another plebiscite (the result of which was obvious).

6 August 1921
Treaty of Saint-Germain
German Austria
1. The Austrian-Hungarian Empire is disolved. Its fleet ceded to Italy.
2. The Austrian Littoral including the Istrian Peninsula ceded to Italy.
3. South Tyrol ceded to Italy (the Germans in its Alpine part should have some autonomy)
4. Dalmatia ceded to Italy and Romania to be partitioned with regard to economic and ethnic criteria.
5. The Protectorate over Albania transfered to Romania.
6. Bosnia ceded to Romania.
7. Bucovina and Pokutia ceded to Romania.
8. Galitia ceded to Romania and Poland to be partitioned according to the ethnic divide.
9. Lodomeria ceded to Poland.
10. A Czech Autonomous Province to be created in the Czech majority areas in Central Bohemia and Moravia. It shall include Prague as its capital.
11. Carniola and other Slovene majority areas from Southern Austria given independence as the new nation of Slovenia, under the tripartite protection of Italy, Romania and German-Austria.
12. If German Austria joins Germany as per the plebiscite, all the clauses of both the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain shall apply to the united country.

Romania wanted to annex Albania, not to merely have a Protectorate over it, but hoped to have it peacefully and voluntarely join Romania later.

 

[thekingsguard]

Interesting TL, but the maps don't work. Which is a shame, I'd like to see greater Romania.

 

[Zagan]

XXII. 1921 Paris Peace Conference (3)

19 December 1921
Treaty of Trianon
Hungary
(under Romanian occupation, but formally independent)
1. The Austrian-Hungarian Empire is disolved. Its fleet ceded to Italy.
2. Fiume ceded to Italy.
3. Romanian occupation for 5 years.
4. Autonomous Regions for Slovaks (north) and Croats (south)
5. Plebiscites in the Vierburgenland (Pressburg, Wieselburg, Ödenburg and Eisenburg) area (Germans), Prekmurje (Slovens) and a few Carpathian areas (Poles)

The Entente wanted Romania to have all the eastern part of Hungary (Transylvania, the Banat, Crișana-Partium, Maramureș and Carpathian Ruthenia) but Romania promptly refused citing mainly geographical and economical reasons for the political unity of the Carpathian Basin. Everybody knew the real reason but nothing was done about it.

Surprisingly, Hungary anounced that the plebiscites are not necessary since those areas have clear majorities of Germans, Slovenes and Poles. Therefore, Hungary ceded all those regions (around 3% of its total area) to German Austria, Slovenian Protectorate and Poland.
Nobody objected, of course and the issue was settled for good.

15 February 1922
Treaty of Sevres
Ottoman Empire
1. The Monarchy is abolished and the Republic of Turkey is created in Anatolia. The Empire is disolved and all its peoples are freed from Turkish rule.
2. The Arabian Lands ceded to the Entente. They should gain independence in due time.
3. The Kurdish Lands ceded to the Entente. They should gain independence in due time.
4. The Armenian Lands given independence as Western Armenia. It should unite with (former Russian) Eastern Armenia.
5. Turkish Thrace ceded to Romania, except the city of Constantinopole and its environs.
6. Constantinopole is a free City-State under the Protection of the Great Powers. Turkey shall move its capital elsewhere.
7. Smirna and its hinterland ceded to Greece.
8. Anatolia (the Turkish rump state) is divided in British, French, Italian and Romanian spheres of influence for economic and military purposes.

Turkey will not sign the Treaty and continue its fight against the Entente in the Turkish War of Independence.

 

[Zagan]

Interesting TL, but the maps don't work. Which is a shame, I'd like to see greater Romania.

What do you mean? How do they not work? I can see them just fine. What can be wrong?