In May 1941 he was awarded the Order of the Crown, Knight rank. Soon after, on June 22, Romania joined Operation Barbarossa in order to reclaim the lost territories of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, which had been annexed by the Soviet Union in June 1940. Dabija served as an officer in the Romanian Army, participating in the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union. On October 15, 1941, Captain Dabija was sent to the Eastern Front in command of the 5th Company/38th Infantry Regiment from the 10th Infantry Division. In February 1942 he took part in the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula; for his actions in this battle he was awarded the Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd class with spades, and the German Cross in Gold. He further distinguished himself at the Battle of the Caucasus and during the Crimean offensive in 1943–44. Promoted to Major, he was wounded twice, and finally evacuated back to Romania. In October 1944 he was awarded the Order of the Star of Romania, Officer rank for feats of arms on the battlefield.