Romania

From the architectural diversity of so many wonderful buildings, to grey communist standardization, the Romanian capital is a city which wears both its rich history and deep wounds on its sleeve. Having suffered heavy bombings at the hands of both Allied and Axis forces during the war years, Bucharest is …

Romanian IAR-80 aircrafts are pictured as they return from the factory after undergoing repair work in 1943 or 1944. The IAR 80, Romania’s top fighter plane, first flew in 1939, and at the time it was comparable in performance with similar aircrafts of more advanced military powers. However, due to …

Nicolae Ceausescu (second from left, with jacket) pictured with other detainees in the Targu Jiu concentration camp, sometime in 1943. A shoemaker, Ceausescu joined the Communist party in 1932, at only 14 years old, and gained a reputation as an agitator and a thug. Between 1936 and 1944, Ceausescu spent …

Adolf Hitler with Romanian Prime Minister, Marshal Ion Antonescu (center, saluting), at the Wolf’s Lair (Wolfsschanze) in February 1942. On the left of the image is Dr. Paul Schmidt, chief interpreter of the German Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, Adolf Hitler assured Marshal Antonescu that he personally guarantees Hungary and …

Bucharest North Train Station, the largest railway station in Romania, Spring of 1948 (according to the top-left banner) vs modern times. Notice the communist insignia in the middle of the historical photograph, and the banners which advertise some kind of conference for a youth organization. By 1948, King Michael I …

One of the very few surviving images (and the only one of decent quality) of the “Romanian Goliath”, a Romanian version of the German Goliath tracked mine. This version had no armor, but was much larger, six time heavier, and better equipped to handle trenches and difficult terrain. It was …

On August 23rd 1944, King Michael I of Romania (pictured here with Adolf Hitler at the New Reich Chancellery in Berlin, 1940) staged a coup to overthrow Romania’s head of state and Hitler supporter, Marshal Ion Antonescu. With the tides of the war turning and with the Soviets already inside …

Two Romanian soldiers with a ZB-53 machine gun in Nalchik, Russia, 1942. The ZB-53 was a 7.9mm caliber Czechoslovak machine gun. Following the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, many ZB-53’s were captured and used in the war under the new name of MG37(t). The weapon was also heavily used by the …

A Romanian IAR-81C aircraft being inspected by Soviet personnel after a crash, sometime between 1942 and 1944. The IAR-81C was an upgrade on Romania’s main WW2 fighter, IAR 80. The IAR 80 first flew in 1939, and at the time it was comparable in performance with similar aircrafts of more …

A US Air Force B-24 Liberator heavy bomber during an attack over an oil refinery in Ploiesti, Romania, during Operation Tidle Wave. Operation Tidle Wave was a bombing raid by the United States on August 1st, 1943, targeting the oil fields of Romania around Ploiesti, which were key to the …