diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
index b8ac8f42c..5edfc43ba 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
@@ -413,14 +413,14 @@ public final class DefaultPersister implements Persister {
 		if (t.isPersistCascade()) {
 			// OneToOne exported side with delete cascade
 			BeanPropertyAssocOne<?>[] expOnes = descriptor.propertiesOneExportedDelete();
-			for (int i = 0; i < expOnes.length; i++) {
+			for (int i = 0; i < expOnes.length; i++) {			  
 				BeanDescriptor<?> targetDesc = expOnes[i].getTargetDescriptor();
 				if (targetDesc.isDeleteRecurseSkippable() && !targetDesc.isBeanCaching()) {
 					SqlUpdate sqlDelete = expOnes[i].deleteByParentId(id, idList);
 					executeSqlUpdate(sqlDelete, t);
 				} else {
 					List<Object> childIds = expOnes[i].findIdsByParentId(id, idList, t);
-					delete(targetDesc, null, childIds, t);
+				  deleteChildrenById(t, targetDesc, childIds);
 				}
 			}
 
@@ -1057,12 +1057,33 @@ public final class DefaultPersister implements Persister {
 				Object parentId = desc.getId(parentBean);
 				List<Object> idsByParentId = many.findIdsByParentId(parentId, null, t, excludeDetailIds);
 				if (!idsByParentId.isEmpty()) {
-					delete(targetDesc, null, idsByParentId, t);
+				  deleteChildrenById(t, targetDesc, idsByParentId);
 				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Cascade delete child entities by Id.
+	 * <p>
+	 * Will use delete by object if the child entity has manyToMany relationships.
+	 */
+  private void deleteChildrenById(SpiTransaction t, BeanDescriptor<?> targetDesc, List<Object> childIds) {
+    
+    if (targetDesc.propertiesManyToMany().length > 0) {
+      // convert into a list of reference objects and perform delete by object
+      List<Object> refList = new ArrayList<Object>(childIds.size());
+      for (Object id : childIds) {
+        refList.add(targetDesc.createReference(null, id));
+      }
+      deleteList(refList, t);
+      
+    } else {
+      // perform delete by statement if possible
+      delete(targetDesc, null, childIds, t);				
+    }
+  }
+
 	/**
 	 * Save any associated one beans.
 	 */
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/m2m/TestM2MDeleteObjectWithCascadeToM2m.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/m2m/TestM2MDeleteObjectWithCascadeToM2m.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e7d9e2551
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/m2m/TestM2MDeleteObjectWithCascadeToM2m.java
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+package com.avaje.tests.m2m;
+
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import com.avaje.ebean.BaseTestCase;
+import com.avaje.ebean.Ebean;
+import com.avaje.tests.model.m2m.Permission;
+import com.avaje.tests.model.m2m.Role;
+import com.avaje.tests.model.m2m.Tenant;
+
+public class TestM2MDeleteObjectWithCascadeToM2m extends BaseTestCase {
+
+  @Test
+  public void test() {
+    
+    Ebean.createUpdate(Permission.class, "delete from Permission").execute();
+    Ebean.createUpdate(Tenant.class, "delete from Tenant").execute();
+    Ebean.createUpdate(Role.class, "delete from Role").execute();
+    
+    Tenant tenant1 = new Tenant();
+    tenant1.setName("Tenant");
+
+    Ebean.save(tenant1);
+
+    Permission p1 = new Permission();
+    Permission p2 = new Permission();
+
+    p1.setName("p1");
+    p2.setName("p2");
+
+    Ebean.save(p1);
+    Ebean.save(p2);
+
+    Role role1 = new Role();
+    role1.setName("RoleOne");
+    role1.setTenant(tenant1);
+
+    Set<Permission> permissions = new HashSet<Permission>();
+    List<Permission> permsList = Ebean.find(Permission.class).findList();
+    permissions.addAll(permsList);
+    
+    role1.setPermissions(permissions);
+
+    Ebean.save(role1);
+    
+    
+    List<Tenant> tenantList = Ebean.find(Tenant.class).fetch("roles").findList();
+    List<Role> roleList = Ebean.find(Role.class).fetch("permissions").findList();
+    List<Permission> permissionList = Ebean.find(Permission.class).fetch("roles").findList();
+
+    Assert.assertEquals(1, tenantList.size());
+    Assert.assertEquals(2, permissionList.size());
+    Assert.assertEquals(1, roleList.size());
+
+    Ebean.delete(tenant1);
+
+    List<Tenant> tenantList2 = Ebean.find(Tenant.class).fetch("roles").findList();
+    List<Role> roleList2 = Ebean.find(Role.class).fetch("permissions").findList();
+    List<Permission> permissionList2 = Ebean.find(Permission.class).fetch("roles").findList();
+
+    Assert.assertEquals(0, tenantList2.size());
+    Assert.assertEquals(0, roleList2.size());
+    Assert.assertEquals(2, permissionList2.size());
+    
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/m2m/TestM2mDeleteObject.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/m2m/TestM2mDeleteObject.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0daecd353
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/m2m/TestM2mDeleteObject.java
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+package com.avaje.tests.m2m;
+
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import com.avaje.ebean.BaseTestCase;
+import com.avaje.ebean.Ebean;
+import com.avaje.tests.model.m2m.Permission;
+import com.avaje.tests.model.m2m.Role;
+import com.avaje.tests.model.m2m.Tenant;
+
+public class TestM2mDeleteObject extends BaseTestCase {
+
+  @Test
+  public void test() {
+
+    Ebean.createUpdate(Permission.class, "delete from Permission").execute();
+    Ebean.createUpdate(Tenant.class, "delete from Tenant").execute();
+    Ebean.createUpdate(Role.class, "delete from Role").execute();
+
+    Tenant t = new Tenant();
+    t.setName("tenant");
+
+    Ebean.save(t);
+
+    Permission p1 = new Permission();
+    Permission p2 = new Permission();
+
+    p1.setName("p1");
+    p2.setName("p2");
+
+    Ebean.save(p1);
+
+    Ebean.save(p2);
+
+    Role role1 = new Role();
+    role1.setName("role");
+    role1.setTenant(t);
+
+    Set<Permission> permissions = new HashSet<Permission>();
+    List<Permission> permsList = Ebean.find(Permission.class).findList();
+    permissions.addAll(permsList);
+
+    role1.setPermissions(permissions);
+
+    Ebean.save(role1);
+
+    List<Tenant> tenantList = Ebean.find(Tenant.class).fetch("roles").findList();
+    List<Role> roleList = Ebean.find(Role.class).fetch("permissions").findList();
+    List<Permission> permissionList = Ebean.find(Permission.class).fetch("roles").findList();
+
+    Assert.assertEquals(1, tenantList.size());
+    Assert.assertEquals(2, permissionList.size());
+    Assert.assertEquals(1, roleList.size());
+
+    Ebean.delete(role1);
+
+    List<Tenant> tenantList2 = Ebean.find(Tenant.class).fetch("roles").findList();
+    List<Role> roleList2 = Ebean.find(Role.class).fetch("permissions").findList();
+    List<Permission> permissionList2 = Ebean.find(Permission.class).fetch("roles").findList();
+
+    Assert.assertEquals(0, roleList2.size());
+    Assert.assertEquals(1, tenantList2.size());
+    Assert.assertEquals(2, permissionList2.size());
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Permission.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Permission.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e364f822b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Permission.java
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package com.avaje.tests.model.m2m;
+
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import javax.persistence.Column;
+import javax.persistence.Entity;
+import javax.persistence.Id;
+import javax.persistence.ManyToMany;
+import javax.persistence.Table;
+
+import com.avaje.ebean.annotation.CacheStrategy;
+
+/**
+ * The Class Permission.
+ */
+@Entity
+@CacheStrategy(readOnly = true)
+@Table(name = "mt_permission")
+public class Permission {
+
+   @Id
+   private UUID id;
+
+   @Column
+   private String name;
+
+   @ManyToMany(mappedBy = "permissions")
+   private Set<Role> roles;
+
+   public UUID getId() {
+      return id;
+   }
+
+   public void setId(UUID id) {
+      this.id = id;
+   }
+
+   public String getName() {
+      return name;
+   }
+
+   public void setName(String name) {
+      this.name = name;
+   }
+
+   public Set<Role> getRoles() {
+      return roles;
+   }
+
+   public void setRoles(Set<Role> roles) {
+      this.roles = roles;
+   }
+
+   @Override
+   public String toString() {
+    return "name:" + name + "id:" + id;
+   }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Role.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Role.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..35bd29932
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Role.java
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+package com.avaje.tests.model.m2m;
+
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import javax.persistence.CascadeType;
+import javax.persistence.Column;
+import javax.persistence.Entity;
+import javax.persistence.Id;
+import javax.persistence.ManyToMany;
+import javax.persistence.ManyToOne;
+import javax.persistence.Table;
+import javax.persistence.Version;
+
+/**
+ * The Class Role.
+ */
+@Entity
+@Table(name = "mt_role")
+public class Role {
+
+  @Id
+  private UUID id;
+
+  @Column(length = 50)
+  private String name;
+
+  @ManyToMany(cascade = CascadeType.REMOVE)
+  private Set<Permission> permissions;
+
+  @ManyToOne
+  private Tenant tenant;
+
+  @Version
+  private Long version;
+
+  public UUID getId() {
+    return id;
+  }
+
+  public void setId(UUID id) {
+    this.id = id;
+  }
+
+  public String getName() {
+    return name;
+  }
+
+  public void setName(String name) {
+    this.name = name;
+  }
+
+  public Set<Permission> getPermissions() {
+    return permissions;
+  }
+
+  public void setPermissions(Set<Permission> permissions) {
+    this.permissions = permissions;
+  }
+
+  public Long getVersion() {
+    return version;
+  }
+
+  public void setVersion(Long version) {
+    this.version = version;
+  }
+
+  public Tenant getTenant() {
+    return tenant;
+  }
+
+  public void setTenant(Tenant tenant) {
+    this.tenant = tenant;
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public String toString() {
+    return "name:" + name + " id:" + id + " tenant:" + tenant;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Tenant.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Tenant.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..afa726d2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/model/m2m/Tenant.java
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package com.avaje.tests.model.m2m;
+
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import javax.persistence.CascadeType;
+import javax.persistence.Column;
+import javax.persistence.Entity;
+import javax.persistence.Id;
+import javax.persistence.OneToMany;
+import javax.persistence.Table;
+import javax.persistence.Version;
+
+/**
+ * The Class Tenant.
+ */
+@Entity
+@Table(name = "mt_tenant")
+public class Tenant {
+
+  @Id
+  private UUID id;
+
+  @Column
+  private String name;
+
+  @OneToMany(mappedBy = "tenant", cascade = CascadeType.REMOVE)
+  private Set<Role> roles;
+
+  @Version
+  private Long version;
+
+  public Tenant() {
+  }
+
+  public UUID getId() {
+    return id;
+  }
+
+  public void setId(UUID id) {
+    this.id = id;
+  }
+
+  public String getName() {
+    return name;
+  }
+
+  public void setName(String name) {
+    this.name = name;
+  }
+
+  public Long getVersion() {
+    return version;
+  }
+
+  public void setVersion(Long version) {
+    this.version = version;
+  }
+
+  public Set<Role> getRoles() {
+    return roles;
+  }
+
+  public void setRoles(Set<Role> roles) {
+    this.roles = roles;
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public String toString() {
+    return "name:" + name + " id:" + id;
+  }
+}