section_path: History/Unification and the Kingdom of Romania/World War II
section_name: World War II
paragraph_text: World War II
  
  In 1941, as an ally of Nazi Germany, Romania entered World War II by declaring war on the Soviet Union. A shift in fortunes only became discernible after the defeat at Stalingrad and the subsequent change of the USSR from a defensive to an offensive posture. On 23 August 1944, with the Soviet army having been present in northern Moldova since March, King Mihai I forcibly removed Marshal Ion Antonescu from power, as he refused to sign an armistice with the Allies of World War II. Following Antonescu's outright refusal, King Mihai I ordered the dismissal and arrest of the marshal, and Romania switched sides to join the Allies.