章 109: 109
The conditions I demanded from Pavelic are as follows:
Prohibit the massacre of Serbs and, if possible, only deport them, and do not discriminate or oppress other religions, such as Greek Orthodox or Islam.
As you may have guessed, it was Ustasha who steadily carried out all of this.
In addition to Serbs and Jews, the Ustasha severely oppressed Greek Orthodox believers and Muslims, creating a vicious cycle in which more and more people sympathized with the Partisans.
The final condition was that Croatia's ports, shipyards, railways, mines, and steel mills would be managed by Germany.
Croatia's annual bauxite mining volume is approximately 500,000 tons, which accounts for more than 40 percent of Germany's total aluminum demand.
Pavelic knew that his life depended entirely on my decision, so he accepted the conditions I proposed without hesitation.
There seemed to still be some dissatisfaction regarding the Serb, Greek Orthodox, and Muslim issues, but judging from the fact that no refutation was made, it seemed like they were trying to accept it as is.
"As Croatia cooperates with Germany, Germany will also help Croatia's development as much as possible. Yes, first of all, Croatia will need German science and technology to develop. And you will need weapons to protect your country."
"also! "The President truly has deep feelings!"
When the support of weapons and equipment to arm the new Croatian army was mentioned, the remaining dissatisfaction on Pavelic's face disappeared and a bright smile replaced it. It's easy, it's easy.
On April 18, the third day of the invasion of Yugoslavia, Hungary declared its participation in the war.
Hungary had already been supporting the invasion of Yugoslavia by providing us with its own iron and airstrip, but upon seeing the German army's propaganda, it must have decided that it had something to gain by participating in the war before it was too late.
"What happened to Bulgaria?"
"Bulgaria has also expressed its intention to participate in the war, but it is expected to take some time as the movement and deployment of the military has not yet been completed."
Romania, which has good relations with Yugoslavia, maintains strict neutrality, but Bulgaria, which hates Yugoslavia as much as Hungary, is preparing to enter the war.
In actual history, Bulgaria followed Germany into joining the Axis powers, but frequently clashed with Germany over the issue of massacres of Jews, and cooperated to some extent by giving way to the German army during the invasion of Yugoslavia, but did not directly participate in the invasion. However, here I was cooperating with Germany much more actively than in history because I had solved the Jewish problem and concluded an early peace agreement with England.
"Are Petar II and his henchmen still in Yugoslavia?"
"They fled to Romania as of yesterday, Mr. President."
Heydrich said with a wry smile.
Petar II, the ultimate culprit in starting the war, and the heads of government quickly packed up their belongings and fled to Romania.
It is said that while they fled to the safety of Romania, they actually gave instructions to the people and military to fight until the end.
Whenever you start a war, you end up in a position of being invaded, so you have to go to a foreign country. It reminds me of Kim Il-sung standing in Pyongyang after the South Korean army advanced north.
These guys are truly pathetic. If that's the case, we shouldn't have started a war.
"Do Serbs know about this?"
"You don't know yet."
"Then you should tell me."
***
April 19, 1941
Gradishka, Yugoslavia
"It's an air raid!"
"Everyone evacuate!"
"Holy shit!"
The soldiers, who had barely survived the German bombardment and had gathered like bees in front of the field kitchen truck to fill their hungry stomachs, threw away their food and hurriedly ran to the trenches when they heard the sound of an air raid. Like everyone else, 19-year-old Private Radovan Pajekivic had no choice but to give up his food and return to the trenches.
"Fucking German bastards. "You can't even eat!"
After being bombarded for two days, the Yugoslav soldiers were exhausted and starving as they could not even eat a piece of bread or drink a sip of water.
I thought I had finally filled my stomach, but this time it was an air raid... . Radovan was going crazy and jumping around.
However, the word air raid was meaningless, and only one German plane appeared in the sky.
The Fw189 Uhu (Eagle Owl) reconnaissance aircraft was nicknamed 'the flying picture frame' by the Soviet military during the German-Soviet War because of its unusual appearance.
"Fire anti-aircraft fire, you bastards!"
When only one enemy plane was visible, the company commander shouted. However, the soldiers could only stare blankly at the enemy plane hovering in the sky.
When the company commander gave the order again, several people fired anti-aircraft fire with rifles, but it did not reach the enemy plane.
"Huh?"
"what?"
As thousands of leaflets were distributed from the underside of the Fw189, the Yugoslav soldiers who were expecting a bomb were dumbfounded.
After completing its mission, Fw189 turned around and returned, and the soldiers crawled out of the trench, picked up the leaflets that had fallen on the ground, and began to read them.
"… ..!?"
"What the hell does this mean?"
Radovan, who was reading the leaflet, could not help but believe his eyes.
The leaflet stated in Serbian that high-ranking government officials, including King Petar II and the Prime Minister, had fled to Romania.
They ordered us to fight, but they actually ran away to a foreign country? The soldiers were quite shocked by the content written on the leaflet.
If this were true, the government was no different from abandoning them.
For Radovan, who had enlisted despite his family's opposition out of patriotism, the news that the king had abandoned them was a huge shock.
"Don't believe what's written on the leaflets! "It's a lie from the Germans!"
Since it was too late to instruct the soldiers not to pick up the leaflets, the company commander claimed that the words written on the leaflets were propaganda made up by the Germans.
The soldiers who heard what the company commander said were skeptical.
As they say, this is an instigation by the German military, and the King may remain in the capital. But, but… .
What if this is true? What if the king really fled abroad and they were abandoned?
The king abandoned the country and ran away, so is there any reason for them to fight for their country?
Moreover, the opponent is the German army, which is said to be the world's strongest army. The Polish, British, and French armies were no match for the German army, and saying that they, who were only third-rate soldiers, could fight and win against the German army was like saying they could break a rock with an egg.
The entire company was confused, unable to decide between truth and lies, and another commotion broke out.
"The enemy! "It's the Germans!"
A cavalryman on horseback appeared and reported that German troops were approaching.
"German soldiers. What are you talking about?"
"The front line is 30km away from here?"
"Fuck, it's not a lie! "It's really German!"
Before the soldiers could inquire about the details, the cavalryman quickly left, saying he had to urgently deliver the news to headquarters.
What the cavalryman said was not a lie. A moment later, the sound of rolling wheels was heard, and the reconnaissance team announced the appearance of German troops.
"Damn, was it real!?"
"Then it must be fake? "Get in the trenches quickly!"
"Lord, company! "Ready for battle!"
Radovan entered the trench, forgetting his hunger, and grabbed a machine gun.
The Chauchat machine gun he used was produced in 1915, at the height of World War I, and was notorious for frequently malfunctioning.
Will we be able to fight the Germans with these antiques? .
The German army that soon appeared had only armored vehicles and no infantry.
The German army's three armored vehicles were all Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma armored vehicles, and the vehicle in the lead was equipped with a huge loudspeaker.
-Yugoslav army, listen!
When the Serbian language came out of the loudspeakers, the Yugoslav army realized what the Germans' intention was for installing loudspeakers on armored vehicles.
The German army was now urging surrender.
-Your king, prime minister, and commander-in-chief abandoned you and fled to Romania. They forced you to sacrifice your lives to fight, but they themselves ran away for their lives. Are you going to give up your only life for these pathetic people?
You only live once. You have already lost the war. However, the President showed mercy and promised that if you surrendered calmly without fighting, he would send you all back to your hometown as soon as possible. The President never breaks his promises. The British, French, and Italian soldiers had already been liberated from captivity and returned home.
Think of your family and the people back home who are waiting for you to return alive and safe. I will give you 5 minutes. If you surrender, we will save you and send you home. If you do not surrender, we will have no choice but to fight you. Think carefully.
"… .."
5 minutes. They were only allowed 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, the German army will begin its attack, and the Yugoslav army, which does not have a single anti-tank gun, will melt like ice exposed to sunlight.
"Hey, Radovan. What do we do?"
"… .."
Radovan struggled with the question of his motivation. He enlisted with the intention of fighting for his country, but when he was faced with the threat of death, he wanted to live.
The survival instinct inherent in all living creatures from birth was screaming like crazy. To lay down her weapons and surrender. Then you can live.
As time passed, the soldiers became more anxious. Five minutes became three minutes, and now they only had one minute left. In 60 seconds, the Germans will begin their attack.
While everyone was struggling between life and death, six soldiers quietly raised their hands and stood up. Then he came out of the trench and started walking slowly.
"Um, those bastards… .!"
The enraged company commander took out a pistol and aimed at the surrendering soldiers, but could not pull the trigger. He noticed that the entire company was looking at him.
The company commander, who was receiving attention from the company members, noticed one thing. If he pulls the trigger here and now, he won't survive. Before the Germans kill him, his men will kill him.
When the company commander slowly lowered the muzzle of his gun, the company members had no more hesitation. The soldiers left the trenches, leaving their weapons behind, and Radovan and his comrades also left the trenches.
Across the entire front, Yugoslav troops were surrendering one after another.
***
Petar II belatedly broadcast a broadcast admitting that he had fled to Romania.
Because the German army was so powerful, they had no choice but to abandon the capital and flee, and not many Yugoslavs responded to the king's statement that he would fight until the end.
The Croatians, who already had a deep grudge against Serbia, turned their backs on them long ago, and even the Serbs, who were absolute supporters of the king, were shocked by the fact that the king and government had abandoned their people and fled abroad.
The Yugoslav army, whose morale was already low, collapsed even faster, and it was common for entire divisions to disintegrate before friendly forces even showed up.
April 21st.
Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, fell to friendly forces.
The next day, Bulgaria entered the war and the Albanian army also launched a counterattack and entered Yugoslav territory.
The remnants of the Yugoslav army were either crushed by the offensive of our forces, the Hungarian army, and the Bulgarian army, or they abandoned their weapons and fled.
Our troops were unable to catch the fleeing enemies, because there were so many enemy soldiers who surrendered that just managing them was overwhelming. It couldn't have been a truly amazing reason.
April 23rd.
Unlike the king, Yugoslav Army Commander-in-Chief Danilo Kalapatovic, who remained in Yugoslavia and commanded the army until the end, signed the surrender document.
With this, the invasion of Yugoslavia ended with a major victory for the friendly forces within a week.
On April 24th, I flew to Belgrade in a Ju52 to celebrate the victory of the invasion of Yugoslavia.
Downtown Belgrade had suffered severe damage from friendly air raids, and I felt an insidious sense of satisfaction as I watched the Hakenkreuz flag waving across the collapsed buildings.
Keitel's report that our troops' damage was very small also made me feel excited.
During the invasion of Yugoslavia, our forces suffered 190 casualties and injuries, 4 tanks and armored vehicles were lost, and only 15 aircraft were shot down.
70,000 Yugoslav soldiers were killed, 400 tanks and vehicles were destroyed, 50 aircraft were shot down, and 340,000 people were taken prisoner, while our troops suffered less than 200 casualties.
It is unprecedented in history to take over a huge country called Yugoslavia, which covers half of the Balkan Peninsula, and suffer this much damage.
The whole of Germany was in a festive mood, and all radio stations broadcast German songs and Horst Wessel's songs to celebrate the victory to their heart's content.
With Horst Wessel's song playing in our-occupied Belgrade, I awarded medals to soldiers who made outstanding achievements in the invasion of Yugoslavia.
The place where the awarding ceremony was held was the New Royal Palace, where the Yugoslav royal family lived. It had been bombed and destroyed, and piles of rubble were piled up throughout the building, but I deliberately ordered them to be left unattended and not removed.
"Shouldn't these things be taken in pictures to make our victory stand out even more?"
In addition, it can bring even greater shame to the enemies. Imagine holding a victory ceremony at the Presidential Palace, where the national army was destroyed. How cool is this?
In that sense, I deliberately instructed people to take pictures that showed piles of rubble and broken windows.
"From now on, medals will be awarded."
The first recipient of the medal was Brauchitsch, who established and led the invasion of Yugoslavia.
He received the Knight's Cross for his actions in the invasion of Poland, and was awarded the Knight's Cross with White Leaves, a higher rank than the Knight's Cross, for his contribution in leading the successful invasion of Yugoslavia.
Brauchitz was followed by Wilhelm List, commander of the 12th Army, and Ewald von Kleist, commander of the 1st Panzer Army.
Since these two men had already received the Knight's Cross, they were awarded the German Cross in Gold.
The fourth recipient was SS Senior Lieutenant Paul Hauser, who led the 1st SS Panzer Corps and was the first to cross the Yugoslav border.
Hausser, who was an experienced soldier, showed performance that lived up to my expectations and silenced the Wehrmacht generals who opposed the creation of the SS Panzer Corps.
I hung the Knight's Cross around his neck and shook his hand.
"From now on, there will not be any talk of the SS being lacking in resourcefulness."
"Thank you, Mr. President. "It's all thanks to the President's trust in me."
"This person, what did I do?"
The last recipient of the medal was SS Captain Fritz Klingenberg, the only general-level officer among those awarded the medal.
Klingenberg, the commander of the motorcycle company, received instructions from his superiors to seize the bridges over the Danube River, and when he moved, he discovered that all bridges over the river had been broken.
An ordinary commander would have reported this to his superiors and waited for the main unit to arrive, but he crossed the river on a yacht with six company members, and when he encountered the Yugoslav army, he surrendered, threatening that "a large army will appear soon." requested.
The Yugoslav army, deceived by Klingenberg's lies, surrendered without delay, and Klingenberg and six SS soldiers encouraged the Yugoslav soldiers they met on their way to Belgrade to surrender.
In this way, Klingenberg arrived in Belgrade with thousands of prisoners, and the mayor of Belgrade, surprised by the size of Klingenberg's 'horde', presented the key to the city hall to Klingenberg and declared surrender.
In recognition of his performance, which seemed like something out of a sitcom, Klingenberg was promoted to SS Major and awarded the Knight's Cross.
"When I tell this to my grandchildren later, they will be shocked."
"I think you'd be more bored than that, Mr. President."
"Khahahaha!"
I knew this and this were out of the range of normal people, but you have a unique sense of humor, right? The more I see him, the more I like him.
Now that Yugoslavia has collapsed, all that remains is Greece.
Greece, which until the day Yugoslavia was invaded, had the courage to agree to an armistice if southern Albania was recognized as Greek territory, only when Yugoslavia collapsed within a week did it announce that it would accept Germany's request to return to its pre-war borders.
But what should I do with this?
The train has already left a long time ago.
You didn't listen when I spoke kindly, so now you have to pay the price.
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