Operation Margarethe II

[1][2][3][4] Although initially abandoned within a few weeks at the start of 1944,[5] after King Michael's coup on 23 August 1944 and Antonescu's arrest, Hitler ordered the operation to commence.

Antonescu refused to relinquish his territorial claims on Hungary, so he was not asked to participate in Margarethe I. Hitler, however, was reassured that Romania had no intention of defecting.

Although there was no time to fully implement the plan,[8] Hitler's order called to immediately arrest Michael and his "cabal of traitors", suppress the eventual uprising, and form a new government presided over by a pro-German general if Antonescu was not available.

As a response, the Military Command of the Capital ordered the Romanian anti-aircraft units to open fire on any German aircraft in the air.

[10] Due to the war declaration and Gertsenberg's failure to overthrow the new government, General Reiner Stahel, who specialized in suppressing the Warsaw Uprising, was sent as a replacement.

[10] The same day, a message authorized by the King and government requesting an urgent USAAF air raid over the airports was sent to the command in Cairo by Valeriu Georgescu, a former collaborator with the Special Operations Executive.

[13] The next day, on 26 August, a bomber force of several hundred B-24 Liberators destroyed the German positions in and around Băneasa and Otopeni.

In the defense of the capital, the Romanian fighter pilots claimed 22 German aircraft destroyed in aerial battles and another five on the ground.

Romanian Air Force losses amounted to four aircraft shot down (including one friendly fire incident), and another 30 destroyed on the ground.