Constantin Sănătescu (14 January 1885 – 8 November 1947) was a Romanian general and statesman who served as the 44th Prime Minister of Romania after the 23 August 1944 coup after which Romania left the

Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...

and joined the Allies.

Early life and military career

Sănătescu was born on January 14, 1885, in

Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

. He was the son of the infantry lieutenant Gheorghe Sănătescu (1858–1942), a future general.Leonida Loghin, Aurel Lupășteanu, Constantin Ucrain, ''Bărbați ai datoriei: 23 august 1944 – 12 mai 1945. Mic dicționar'', Editura Militară, București, 1985, p. 369. He graduated from the School of Sons of Soldiers in Iași (1905), then attended the Military School of Infantry and Cavalry in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

(September 1, 1905 – July 1, 1907). He attended military school in the same class with future Generals Gheorghe Mihail and Nicolae Macici, being promoted after graduation to the rank of second lieutenant (July 1, 1907) and assigned to the 5th Roșiori Regiment. Sănătescu was promoted to lieutenant on July 1, 1910, and transferred on October 16 as an instructing officer to the Military School of Active Cavalry Officers. He obtained the rank of captain on April 1, 1915, and was appointed first as the commander of the squadron of the 10th Călărași Regiment and then in the 7th Roșiori Regiment. He fought against

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

during the Second Balkan War (1913).

First World War

Captain Sănătescu took part in the battles of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was promoted to the rank of major on September 1, 1917. From February 15, 1918, he served in the staff of the 16th Infantry Division, then was transferred to the General Staff, and later became an instructor at the Military School of Active Cavalry Officers.

Interwar period

He then attended the Higher War School (April 1, 1919 – November 1, 1920), being assigned to the General Staff after graduation. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on April 1, 1921. On November 2, 1926, he was transferred to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of War and on July 1, 1927, he was promoted to colonel. Colonel Sănătescu was appointed on May 5, 1928, as a

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

in the Romanian Legation in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he remained for two years until June 30, 1930. After returning to Romania, he was entrusted with the command of the Mounted Guards Regiment.Leonida Loghin, Aurel Lupășteanu, Constantin Ucrain, ''Bărbați ai datoriei: 23 august 1944 – 12 mai 1945. Mic dicționar'', Editura Militară, București, 1985, p. 370. He was appointed the Chief of Staff of the General Inspectorate of the Cavalry on October 1, 1933. After a year, he returned to the General Staff, and on June 15, 1935, he became the commander of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on October 16, 1935. After two years in command, he was appointed on November 1, 1937, as Deputy Chief of the General Staff and fulfilled the position during the term of Major General Ștefan Ionescu. From May to December 1939, he served as director of the National Military Circle. On February 27, 1939, shortly after the replacement on February 1 of General Ionescu with General Țenescu as Chief of the General Staff, Sănătescu passed to the command of the 3rd Cavalry Division and was promoted on October 25 to the rank of major general.Decretul Conducătorului Statului nr. 505 din 19 februarie 1942 pentru înaintări în Armata de Uscat, publicat în ''Monitorul Oficial'', anul CX, nr. 44 din 20 februarie 1942, partea I-a, p. 1.157. He then held the positions of commander of the 8th Army Corps, commander of the Cavalry Corps, commander of the Military Command of the Capital during the Legionnaires' rebellion and commander of the 4th Army Corps (1941–1943). As commander of the 8th Army Corps, it was General Sănătescu who stopped the Pogrom from Dorohoi against the

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

that was launched in 1940.

Second World War

When Romania joined the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on June 22, 1941, Sănătescu was the commanding officer of the 4th Army Corps. He participated for two years in the battles on the Eastern Front, standing out in the Battle of Odessa and the Battle of Stalingrad. He was decorated on November 7, 1941, with the '' Order of the Star of Romania '' with swords in the rank of Grand Officer with the ribbon of Military Virtue "for the dexterity with which he led the troops of the Army Corps in the battle of Odessa. Acting with all his might, he definitively defeated the enemy resistance in the South Tătarca region, entering Odessa."Decretul Regal nr. 3.086 din 7 noiembrie 1941 pentru conferiri de decorațiuni de războiu, publicat în ''Monitorul Oficial'', anul CIX, nr. 278 din 22 noiembrie 1941, partea I-a, p. 7.284. He was promoted to the rank of Army Corps General on January 24, 1942. In March 1943, he was called from the front and appointed head of the Royal Military House (March 20, 1943 – January 24, 1944) and then Marshal of the Palace (April 1, 1944 – August 23, 1944). He participated in several meetings with civilians and soldiers close to the

Royal House A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

who planned the overthrow of the Antonescu regime, Romania's exit from the anti-Soviet war and turning around the weapons against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. On August 23, 1944,

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Michael I dismissed and arrested

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

Ion Antonescu. Sănătescu was one of the organizers of the 1944 coup d'état and was a close friend of the king. That evening, Sănătescu was appointed President of the Council of Ministers and formed a military cabinet in which the leaders of the four parties that had supported King Michael had one representative without a portfolio. The Communist Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu also held the position of interim minister of justice. The Sănătescu government was entrusted with the important mission of consolidating the coup by repelling the attack of the German contingents in the country. In the battles between August 24 and August 31, a large part of Romania was liberated, but the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

de facto occupied the country. The appointment of Sănătescu to head the government was made official by a royal decree, which was issued only on September 1, 1944.Decretul regal nr. 1.627 din 1 septembrie 1944 pentru numirea Președintelui Consiliului de Miniștri
/ref> The Sănătescu government sent a delegation consisting of Prince Barbu A. Știrbey, General Dumitru Dămăceanu, Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, and Ghiță Popp to negotiate and sign the Armistice Convention in

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with the

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. The Russians delayed receiving the delegation until their army had fully occupied the Romanian territory. The deed was signed on September 12. On September 15, a working meeting took place between members of the Sănătescu government and participants in the signing of the armistice during which Iuliu Maniu observed that Romania's negotiators had to "accept points that represent a real capitulation, not a free Armistice contract." Also, on September 12, 1944, at the energetic intervention of Sănătescu, Anton Buga, who had been sentenced to death, was released. On November 4, 1944, the Second Sănătescu cabinet was formed, led by General Sănătescu. The cabinet faced the challenges of the

Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...

, supported by the Soviet Union, which requested that it be granted two strategic ministries, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of War. Losing the trust of the leaders of the liberal and peasant parties, which perceived him as too moderate towards the communists, Sănătescu submitted his resignation on December 2, 1944. Sănătescu was promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

on December 6, 1944. He then served as Chief of the Romanian General Staff (December 11, 1944 – June 20, 1945), developing the battle plans of the Romanian Army and leading the military operations until the final defeat of Germany. After the end of the war, General Sănătescu served for a period as inspector general of the army.

Death

Sănătescu died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in 1947 in Bucharest, and was buried at Bellu Cemetery. He was the last general of the Romanian Army buried with full honours according to his rank.

Medals

Sănătescu was decorated with numerous Romanian and foreign decorations and medals, including: * 1 - Ordinul Coroana Romaniei - mini

'' Order of the Crown'', in the rank of Grand Officer with military insignia (May 9, 1941)Decretul regal nr. 1.300 din 9 mai 1941 pentru acordări de decorații, publicat în ''Monitorul Oficial'', anul CIX, nr. 109 din 10 mai 1941, partea I-a, p. 2.486. * 1 - Ordinul Steaua Romaniei - mini

'' Order of the Star of Romania'' with swords in the rank of Grand Officer with ribbon of "Military Virtue" (November 7, 1941) * 1 - Ordinul Mihai Viteazul mini

'' Order of Michael the Brave'' with swords, cl. III * '' Order of Saint Sava'' and a number of other decorations.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanatescu, Constantin 1885 births 1947 deaths People from Craiova Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War Romanian military personnel of World War I Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania Prime ministers of Romania Romanian Land Forces generals Ministers of finance of Romania Ministers of interior of Romania Romanian military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of St. Sava World War II political leaders Romanian anti-fascists Romanian anti-communists Grand Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave Deaths from cancer in Romania Burials at Bellu Cemetery Leaders who took power by coup