alternatehistory.com

In OTL the USSR occupied Bessarabia in June-July 1940-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_occupation_of_Bessarabia_and_Northern_Bukovina

This military occupation had been prepared as an invasion, but Romania backed down under a Soviet ultimatum.

Romania's territorial losses were just getting started. In September Romania ceded territory to Bulgaria and Hungary as well.

What if the Soviets demanded all Moldavia in their ultimatum of late June or had demanded it right after occupying Bessarabia. How much more territory in Romania could the Soviets have conquered or coerced from Romania with having Hitler start a war right there and then? All of Romania? Moldavia alone? No additional territory beyond OTL?

Could the Soviets have strengthened their leverage to receive all of Romania if they proposed a complete three way partition of Romania to the other claimants of Romanian territory, Hungary and Bulgaria.

The rough division I would imagine would be Moldavia for the USSR, *all* Transylvania for Hungary and *all* of Wallachia and Dobruja for Bulgaria?

If the Soviets pressed such a plan at the end of June, or in July or August, would it have made a Soviet-Bulgarian alliance (sought by the Soviets at the end of 1940) more likely?
Top