“Wings over Romania” (September 11, 1940)
by Walter J Enright (1879-1969)
14 x 17 in., grease pencil on board
Coppola Collection

A native of Chicago, Enright studied at the Chicago Art Institute. He was listed as an artist in the 1900 census, while he was still living in parents’ household in Chicago. His first wife, Maginel, was an illustrator and the younger sister of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In addition to his work for various newspapers, he also illustrated children’s books, including at least one by Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum: “Father Goose’s Year Book: Quaint Quacks and Feathered Shafts for Mature Children.” Enright was with the “Miami Herald” from 1933 to 1943, and the “Palm Beach Post” from 1943 to 1948.

The treaties that followed WW1 more than doubled the territory and population of Romania. France had historically protected Romania. But after the fall of France in June 1940, Nazi Germany supported the removal of Romanian territory, which happened within weeks.

On September 6, 1940, Romania’s King Carol II was forced to abdicate after the loss of northern Transylvania.

On September 11, 1940, Adolf Hitler sent German army and air force reinforcements to Romania to protect precious oil reserves and to prepare an Eastern European base of operations for further assaults against the Soviet Union, which you can see represented here.

And on November 20, 1940, Romania formally joined the Axis alliance.