After the defeat of the Legionnaires' Rebellion in January 1941, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, with which he participated alongside German troops in the Siege of Odessa in the fall of 1941. He was promoted to major general in January 1942 and then to lieutenant general in January 1944. On 20 January 1942 he was appointed Chief of the Romanian General Staff, a position he occupied until the fall of the Ion Antonescu regime on 23 August 1944, as a result of King Michael's Coup. On that date, Șteflea was temporary placed in command of the 4th Army (23–31 August 1944).