Exactly 63 years ago Romania has betrayed Germany. On August 23th, 1944 Romanian King Mihai I arrested Marshall Ion Antonescu of Romania (highest rank in army) and switched sides against former ally Germany.
Wilfried H. Lang, an “unknown soldier”, helper of Flackhelfer in the German Wehrmacht reminds the dramatic moments he went through in 1944.
63 years ago Romania under the king’s will turned the weapons against the Germans and passed on the Soviet-American side.
His father moved to Romania in 1920 in Valea Prahovei for a good job, leader in the construction of Astra Refinery.
In 23 August 1944 Wilfried H. Lang retired along with the German troops and he has been one of the last few that defended Berlin with his weapon in his hand. Today Wilfried H. Lang is now 75 years old and he tells us how he lived those moments.
Wilfried H. Lang made in remembrance of the 23 August 1944 day, the movie “Stalingrad an der Donau – Rumänien 1944”. The movie had a great success in Germany in 1994-1995 and the movie director was Günter Czernetzky.
Evacuate from Anglo-American’s way
“I lived with my family in Ploiesti from 1934 on Alexandru II street (today Stadionului Street). After the horrible US bombardment over Ploiesti city and especially over the Ploiesti Refinery from 1 August 1943, we have been evacuated in Boldesti, an oil scaffold at 10 kilometers north from Ploiesti in Valea Teleajenului. Near it there were 2 anti-aerial German positions that were defending Ploiesti from Anglo-American air strikes.
King Mihai I of Romania acts against the Romanian nation
On 23 August 1944 we were all happy because there was no alarm about the Allied air strikes like in the previous days. I mean we didn’t had to worry about one of those horrible Anglo-American air strikes. In the same evening all radio stations were announcing a very important announcement by King Mihai, asking for the listeners to stay online.
I did not paid to much attention on that, I listened to the royal announcement at 9:00PM, about a so called truce with the Soviet army. My dad remain calm and listened on a lower frequency the BBC station from London, that described the situation in East as devastating, but no word about a truce between Romanians and Russians.
The German stations were talking about “elastic retirement”, in reality lost battles on the Eastern front, but no word about the plot that was held against marshal Ion Antonescu. The next day, a tensioned atmosphere has started in the German camp, all remained quiet until the sirens announced a new air strike.
This time there were not the AA German anti-aerial and not the Romanian ones either who shot the fire. I found out lately that 4 German assault airplanes JU-87, bombarded some military objectives from Bucharest.
King Mihai took this incident as a reason to declare war to Germany. Later I found out that king Mihai wasn’t in Bucharest at that time and the declaration of war was signed by him with a day before, when there has been no German attack.
Vlasov’s army and the Romanian formal attack
After an order from Bucharest, all German civilians and even ethnic Germans have been fired from their jobs with no explanation. My dad has been fired too.
After one day, the German AA commander came to as and told us that he has an order to evacuate all citizens and ethnic Germans from the area. My dad stil hesitated but after he had been fired, we all packed up with only few things that fit in the suit-cases. After that, a German truck transported us at a nearby German battalion. In there, there were also a lot of Ukrainian infantry volunteers in the so called “Vlasov’s Army”, dressed in German uniforms but they didn’t speak German.
In 27 August at night, the Romanian AA battalion commander came to us and asked the German commanders to leave that place because they had an order to attack us the next day in the morning.
They both agreed to fire in the ground and to simulate a battle so they could satisfy the order of some crazy militaries from Bucharest that didn’t even knew that the German fire power was 5-6 times stronger then the Romanian one at that time. All ended with a twisted ankle of a Romanian soldier who was running over the field while “attacking”. However the second day, new Romanian troops showed up, that circled us and attacking us over the hill with 88mm throwers.
Without having any real possibily of an efficient fighting, the German commander ordered the retirement in north with the intention to force the Bratocea way so he could then pass in Transylvania. Under the protection of the night, the German line started to move.
“They craved to fight more”
In the morning we reached Cheia. German cooks distributed coffee and sandwiches for the participants. I was extremely amazed to see that some German soldiers threw up their weapons and their munitions and they wanted to surrender. After we reached Sacele, they surrendered to the Romanian army that was represented only by 100-150 soldiers comparing to a couple of thousands of German soldiers. The Ukrainian soldiers didn’t wanted to surrender so they disappeared in the mountains by the Bratocea pass.
Another group of Germans, in which I took part, continued the way, reaching the train station from Brasov-Stupini. From there we took a freight-train that would lead us in north. Two rangers saw us and they tried to stop us but after we pointed our guns towards them they left us alone.
We stopped near the Balauseri village and after a march at night, then we reached the border with Hungary from that time in the morning of 30 August. I was the only one from the group who could speak Hungarian so I swim to the other side of the Mures river, I talked to the Hungarians and the Germans from there sent rubber boats to come get all of us.
I have to say that I had a small bag around my neck that contained a train ticket to a German high-school that I was supposed to reach in 28 August from Ploiesti. Back then I couldn’t realize that thing.
Together with a battalion I reached Turda and from there with the train, I reached Cluj, the second day I left to Germany.
During the night in Vienna, at Ost-Bahnhof (Eastern Guard), a terrible British Royal Air Force air-attack caught us. On 2 September I finally reached the high-school where the director lectured me for arriving late by 2 days.”
160.000 soldiers were captured by the soviets
At 20 August 1944 the soviets broke the western line from Iasi and at south of Chisinau. King Mihai arrested marshal Ion Antonescu on 23 August 1944. Ion Antonescu wanted to end the war himself but not the way the king did it, not by attacking his German allies. On 23 August 1944 the king made an announcement on radio that Romania will change sides and instead of fighting against the Allies, will fight against Germany. On 28 August Bucharest has been freed from German presence but in 30 August the soviet troops stormed in Bucharest and occupied it. Although the Romanians made the truce with the soviets, the soviets disarmed 160.000 Romanian soldiers in Moldova.
German soldiers deported in Siberia
“After 15 years I talked with some veterans of those events. They were very indignant and they told me: “We protected the air space of Romanians for more then 3 years. If we didn’t do that, the big cities from the south of Romania would have been completely destroyed by the Anglo-American airplanes. As a reward, after 23 August 1944 they shot us, and those who didn’t shot handled them to the soviet army who deported them in Siberia where most of them died” says Lang.
After the falling of Berlin, being one of the last fighters, Wilfried Lang returned to Romania to make a career. Being ignored, he returned to Germany where he hired as an oil expert just like his father in 1920, in Romania at the “Royal Dutch” from Campina, with a great success.
Symposium with king Mihai
Wilfried H. Lang organized on 30 March 1995, the ex-capital city of the Teutonic Knights, Bad Mergentheim, a symposium with the subject “23 August”, where many important people and guests participated, king Mihai participated also.
“At 23 August, the German soldier took the situation from Romania as a betrayal. The discussions showed that king Mihai wasn’t guilty. The king made his duty to “protect” the Romanian nation (he thought that with his decisions he will save Romania). He had to take decissions against the Germans so they couldn’t fight against the Romanians and of course this has been a reason for the German commanders of that time to be extremely carp. A proof that the German perception modified is the fact that none of the veterans that participated at the symposium didn’t accused the king, although some of them after 23 August, they have been arrested in atrocity conditions by the Russians and they made jail time up to 10 years. On the contrary, they shake hands and they showed fully understanding, told us Wilfried H. Lang.
German veterans of war who did jail time up to 10 years in hell-like conditions in Siberia, didn’t chalk it up against king Mihai. Wilfried H. Lang in left, queen Ana in the middle and the king Mihai in the right.
More Historical facts:
-After the soviets occupied Bucharest, they killed one of the most honorable man that Romania ever produced, Ion Antonescu in a masqueraded trial done by Communists such as Ana Pauker and Patrascanu;
-All Romanian diplomats have been killed by the new communist regime. Examples: Gheorghe I. Bratianu, Iuliu Maniu, etc;
-King Mihai I has been forced by Petru Groza (Romania’s first communist dictator) to abdicate;
-The communists virtually outlawed the Christian faith in Romania and they persecuted Christians who Church services but they didn’t outlawed nor persecuted Jews who practiced Judaism in their synagogues;
-Many Germans and Romanians have been deported and killed in Siberia by the soviets;
RELATED ARTICLES
- After Russian Threats, Romania Begins Building the Largest NATO Base in Europe
- German School Bans Children from Drinking Water Because its Offensive
- Russia says to Romania what it said to Ukraine before the Invasion: "Romania is not a nation but a way of life"
- Russia tells EU to F*** Off, saying they will Not Return Romania's 91.5 Tons of Stolen Gold
- EU Orders Russia to Return Romania's Stolen Gold Reserves
Loading ...
another thing: germany protected the airspace of Romania with what? Ploiesti was protected by units of romanian Messerschmitts and Iar80+ very little luftwaffe. What was strong in the area of Ploiesti was the German AA comanded by Kuderna…that failed to protect. See on google reports about the destroyied raffineries in Ploiesti. Reading the article i found the term “jewish UN”. Is the writter a NEONAZY?
In 1941 Germany assured Romania that if we provide oil to the Reich they will give as border integrity and security. So at the time of 23 august 1944 fightings were taking places in Iassi, Targul Frumos, Neamt, Vaslui….in the opperation Kisshinev-Jassy. So the battles were deep inside Romania(Bassarabia was allready under russian occupation). We respected up to 23 august the term of oil delivery to Germany but they didn’t keep their side of contract.
DRAGI NEMTI !
AM VAZUT CUM ATI CIOPARTIT POLONIA INPREUNA CU URSS!
NOI NU AM FOST NICIODATA ALIATI CU ADEVARAT CU NIMENI DOAR NE-AM FOLOSIT DE VOI PENTRU A NE ELIBERA TARA DE OCUPANTII SOVIETICI , FASCISTI SI HORTISTI!
PENTRU TRADARE AR FI TREBUIT SA FIM IN PRIMUL RAND ALIATI !
23 AUGUST 1944 A FOST MOMENTUL IN CARE NE-AM TREZIT !
A FOST O HOTARARE A TUTUROR FORTELOR POLITICE PENTRU SALVAREA TARII DE LA DISTRUGEREA TOTALA !
AL DOILEA RAZBOI MONDIAL A FOST UN RAZBOI DE SUPRAVIETUIRE IN CARE FIECARE A INCERCAT SA ISI SALVEZE TARA !
SCOPUL SCUZA MIJLOACELE!
GERMANIA NE-A TRADATA INCA DE LA INCEPUT.
EI AU PORNIT TOTUL INPREUNA CU MARE LOR ALIAT DE ATUNCI U.R.S.S.
PRIN PACTUL RIBBENTROP -MOLOTOV SI DICTATUL DE LA VIENA AU CIOPARTIT ROMANIA INPREUNA CU URSS,UNGARIA SI BULGARIA IAR ACUM AU TUPEUL DE NAZISTI IMPUTITI SA NE ARATE CU DEGETUL SI SA NE ACUZE DE TRADARE ?!
PAI LA CE SE ASTEPTAU ???
Hey, I am Romanian -American and did worked in a high job, here’s the real fact: A Romanian furrier was sent to the German officers on the front lines with documents about the German attack in the Kursk area (battle) but he instead crossed the front lines and defected to the Russians with the documents , giving Russians the chance to attack first, taking by surprise the Germans and turn the war around. So much for the stupid Romanian people, even today, they still the same,lazy, stupid, thives you name them…got it ?
Dumnezeu Sal binecuvinteze si sa l ocroteasca acolo sus pe singurul nostru MARESAL ION ANTONESCU. Germania si alte tari vor trebuii sa recunoasca puritatea poporului roman tocmai datorita acestor amprente istorice clare.
The former king Mihai was a german from Hohenzollern family,so a german betraied the germans!He ,as his father had a jewish lover who advised him to do that!His dnasty was brought to the throne after the romanian patriot king A.I.Cuza was overthroned by masonry. The germans were not protecting romanians cities,but the oil fields they needed for war!The germans betraied romanians before these facts by sharing romanian territory with the soviets by Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact,giving a part from Moldavia to the soviets,by Wiena Diktat,giving Transylvania to the hungarians and Cadrilater to bulgarians! In these territories to many athrocities and crimes ow war come over romanians due to its german friends.Romanians delivered food and oil for the germans,in return they should give weapons,but they didn’t so the romanians had to stay by germans on the eastern front poorly armed, sent where the fights were the most ferrocious to a sure death! When the germans retreated from the russian territory,they let the romanians behin,hitting with the bayonettes the hands of these romanian soldiers who try to grab the truks the germans were retreating.Antonescu was a naiv guy who was arrested by a kid(Mihai),who protected the jewish instead of letting the germans do their job with them and who distroied the romanian nationalist party Garda de Fier! And the romanians didn’t have any written deal about the war with the germans! The reliable germans allies!
Andrei Filotti….. read the whole damn thing before posting your stupid comment you imbecil! Lang hasn’t been part of the Wehrmacht nor does in this article say so. It says about HIS FATHER being part of the Wehrmacht while Lang was only a child who OBSERVED things and now relate them to us.
I am not disputing the facts. However, according to the data in the article Mr. Lang was 13 years old when the events occurred. He could hardly have been part of the Wehrmacht in Romania.
I have also tried to find the movie Stalingrad an der Donau but have found no record of the movie or its director Czernetzky in the international movie database IMDB.
Something “stimmt nicht” with the information provided in the article.