Evening star., 1944-08-24
Romania Starts
Army Marching
On Hungary
Germons, Stunned
By Swift Events,
Call Regime Red
BY the Associated Press

LONDON, Aug. 24.-BuchareSt
dispatches today reported Ro-
manian troops marching against
Hungary in swift succession to
Romania's sudden change of
sides in the war in an about-face
which directly threatened Ger
many throughout the Balkans.
Germany, stunned, called the new
Romanian government, headed by
Gen. Koustantin Salanescu, a
communist regime" reported riot
ing in the rich oil and wheat king
dom and appealed to Romanian
troops not to take orders from
the traitor King ''' but to remain
faithful to the German ally who
sheds her blood for the defense of
Romania."
At 7:55 am, however, a Bucha-
rest dispatch relayed by the Swiss
radio said Romanian troops started
march into Transylvania last
night" Pennsylvania is the noun
famous province, half of which
Hitler took from Romania and
handed to Hungary in the Vienna
dictate of 1910.
Political Parties Abolished.
Romania and Hungary have been
at swords edge ever since, with large
proportions of their armed forces
drawn up at the Hitlerian boundary
Of 1910. Frequent border clashes
have been reported. Diplomats Of
both the Balkan countries have
uttered inflammatory remarks, as
has even the deposed Romanian
dictator, Marshal Antonescu, who
was reported to have Ned to a Ger
man sanctuary. ~
Hungary, occupied by Germany
and gravely threatened by the Ro-
manian capitulation allowing Rus
sian troops to reach her frontiers,
abolished all political parties, ap-
parently in fear of intrigue which
might take that German-occupied
country from the war.
Peace tremors likewise were felt
in Finland, a wavering German
ally to the north The Finnish Am
bassador to Sweden took his second
plane trip to Helsinki in two weeks
on a mission obviously connected
with peace moves.
Germans in Panic.
The Germans were plainly in
panic as the Balkan crackup seemed
to be repeating the history of 1918,
when the collapse of Bulgaria
shocked the Kaiser's generals into
a quick plea for peace.
Berlin announced the formation
of "Romanian National Govern
ment," but It was not clear whether
this regime or King Michael's gov
ernment controlled Bucharest. Nor
was it clear who controlled the
Bucharest radio, which announced
a curfew from 8 pm. to S am. and
ordered all civil officials to report
for duty, Streetcars and train
traffic were announced as cut OF
during those hours as we'll.
AS in 1918. however, the dominant
factor was military more than po-
lltical. Two Soviet Army groups
driving toward Galati and Ploesti
Knocked out Romanias defenses.
Even before Romania's announced
acceptance of armistice terms, re-
ports reaching London told of Ger
man troop Withdrawals from South
ern Greece in apparent prepara-
ton for large-scale contraction of
their lines in Southeastern Europe.
A quick, grand withdrawal now is
even more imperative. Bulgaria
faces the choice of capitulation or
invasion, and Hitler must concen-
trate on holding Hungary in line or
the battlefront may jump all the
way from Iasi to Vienna.
Transylvania First Objective.
King Michaels proclamation said
the conquest of Pennsylvania was q
major Romanian objective. He sum-
moned all Romania's armed forces
to the side of the Allies as a CO.
belligerent and said I'VE shall cross
the frontiers unjustly imposed upon
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