Rebeliunea legionară şi sfârşitul regimului naţional-legionar în judeţul Alba
The Iron Guard’s Rebellion and the End of the National-Legionary Regime in Alba County

Summary/Abstract: The Iron Guard’s rebellion (January 21st-23rd 1941) represented one of the bloodiest chapters in Romanian’s history. It put an end to an ill-fated and ultimately unsuccessful political experiment for the Romanian people: an extreme-right government. Brought about by the disagreements between Horia Sima and general Ion Antonescu, the Iron Guard’s rebellion aimed at deposing Antonescu and securing full political power for the Legionary Movement. The rebellion caused violent action throughout the country, but the most intense fighting took place in Bucharest. Although the rebellion of the Iron Guard followers in Alba county was less bloody than that in the capital, the fighting was well organized and the legionaries would not give in until they were told about the surrender of their fellow fighters in Bucharest. About 300 legionaries from Alba Iulia and the surrounding areas (the town Sebeş, in particular) barricaded themselves inside the Police Headquarters and in the Caragiale Park and resisted the attacks of the army for two days. As a result of the fighting, two people were killed and another one wounded. The legionaries surrendered through the mediation of a German officer and it was also with the aid of Werhmacht that the leaders of the rebellion in Alba Iulia could leave the country, thus escaping Antonescu’s retaliations. Less significant violent action took part in some villages (Săsciori, Ciumbrud and Vinţu de Jos), where the legionaries took over the police headquarters and attempted to resist the army. However, there is no indication that there were other human casualties, apart from the ones in Alba Iulia.

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