Operation Margarethe II
# Operation Margarethe II

During World War II, Operation Margarethe II was the name for a planned invasion of Romania by German forces in conjunction with those of Hungary and Bulgaria if the Romanian government decided to surrender to the Allies and switch sides. Planning for Margarethe II began in January 1944, some months after planning for Margarethe I, the occupation of Hungary. The draft plan is dated 26 January. It was abandoned within a few weeks, while Margarethe I went ahead in March. The main cause of its abandonment was the visit of Romanian leader Ion Antonescu with German leader Adolf Hitler on 26–28 February. Antonescu refused to relinquish his territorial claims on Hungary, so was not asked to participate in Margarethe I. Hitler, however, was reassured that Romania had no intention of defecting. Romania in fact switched sides in August 1944 after a coup d'état overthrew Antonescu, but the operation could not be implemented.

