(RO: "Intrarea ruşilor în Bucureşti: o căruţă la care erau înhămaţi un cal şi o vacă" - Dl. Coposu despre 23 august 1944)
(FR: À propos de l'arrivée des Russes à Bucarest: un chariot auquel étaient attelés un cheval et une vache – Monsieur Coposu à propos de 23 août 1944)

Eye witness- Corneliu Coposu

About the arrival of Russians in Bucharest in 23 august 1944 : ”A cart where there were sturdy a horse and a cow”. Flacara, 31 august 1943

The day of 23 august still wears and perhaps will wear for a long period of time the impression of the communists’ lies.

We cannot know when the real history of communism would be written, but when this work would be done, there would be an unforgettable witness: Corneliu Coposu. We are now presenting you some fragments that contain some remembrances referring to the day of 23 august 1944, remembrances that Corneliu Coposu has reminded in front of our editorial staff.

“The greatest challenge is that, for a long time, at the museum of history of the communist party, there was a drawing on a quarter of the wall, with the arrival of the glorious red army in Bucharest and that I had appeared beside this army, even if ,at the same time, I was in prison.”

What would happened if there had not been the Coup d’etat from 23 august 1944?

Perhaps Romania would have had the fortune of Bulgary. Anyway, our losses had been bigger and bigger. Was there always present the risk of failure? The stroke state from 23 august 1944 was a great adventure and now, I tell objectively that if the Germans had not been afraid they might have ended the military action in 2 hours. They were deeply affected by sorrow and despair because of their failures! The retreated armies have had many failures in the direct confrontations with Russians! Is the way by which the glorious red army struggled to free the capital? The Russians arrived in Bucharest in 28 august I had “the honor” to welcome them, because nobody else wanted this honor. They were all afraid of them. The provisory mayor of the capital, Dombrovschi was supposed to welcome to them. He said he did not want to come there, because they would catch him. I was general secretary of the ministry council and I had gone there together with Dombrovschi’s daughter Nina, who was able to speak their language. Having knowledge about the Russian’s preferences for the new cars, we went there with an older car and we waited for them at one side of Colentina. The Russians appeared. When I saw them, I told myself: “There are the winners of Wermacht?!” There was a cart with a horse and a cow. Horrible arrival! At the end, a man who was a little drunk appeared and he didn’t seem to be a general, but however he was a General, the leader of the military column. I assured them that they are welcomed and that they would not have troubles! They didn’t fired any guns at that moment and none in Bucharest or other parts of the country, because the Germans were taken prisoners by our army. But however, this thing did not prevent them the day after to give an official statement that “After terrible struggles, the glorious Russian army has freed Bucharest”! There was only one victim at the liberation of Bucharest , a second lieutenant who was drunk and who has shot himself by mistake! He was buried with funeral honors in the public market from Crangasi!

What do you think about marshal Antonescu?

Antonescu was the only leader of a country occupied by Germans who had benefit from a special esteem from the side of Hitler. Antonescu had created him a special impression, and mainly through the aspect that he had the courage to tell Hitler about the foolishness of the decisions taken at Viena and to always ask him to look again at those decisions. He was the greatest General Romania has ever had, and a good patriot, but he had no capacity to make valid political judgments and he was not able to understand that Romania should not have been at his disposal for his military honor and that Romania’s interests are prior to his interests asked by his position of General.