|
German Führer Adolf Hitler thought he had the Balkans sorted out to provide a secure southern front. He forced the Yugoslav governent to adhere to the Axis. A popular revolt occured in Belgrade against joining the NAZI-dominated Axis. The revolt led by students overthrew the regency under Prince Paul. They installed the youthful King Peter and rejected the treaty that Prince Paul had signed with the NAZIs. Hitler was enraged with the coup. He decided to punish and cow the Serbs by desrtoying Belgrade by a Luftwaffe terror bombing. Wehrmact and Luftwaffe military units had already been positioned in the Reich and and allied states (Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria) for such an intervention, although the target was believed to be Greece. Hitler called the invasion, occupation and dismemberment of Yugoslavia “Operation Punishment” or “Operation 25.” Belgrade was subjected to Luftwaffe terror bombing for rejecting the alliance with the NAZIs. Waves of Luftwaffe bombers and Stukas without warning began bombed the Serbian capital (April 6). Yugoslavia did not have a modern airforce or anti-aircradt defenses. A reader in Belgrade writes, "There is a monument to the Nazi air attack on April 9th at the start of operation Punishment. The gallant Serbian air force did all it could to defend Belgrade and shot down Nazi planes but there were too few Serbian Air Force personal and too few planes. The pilots were shot out of the sky one by one. Some survived and escaped to Britain and joined the RAF."
There were no civil defense preparations. The Luftwaffe bombed Belgrade relentlessly for 4 days. No one know how many were killed. Estimates varied from 5,000 to 17,000 civilians. Belgrade, a beautiful and ancient center of Serbian culture and history, was reduced to rubble. It is unclear what Hitler's plans for Yugoslavia were before tghe coup that rejected the Axis. Yugoslavia was a state centered n Serbia which had valiantly resisted the Central Powers in World War I. I was populated by Slavs which gave him anither reason to despise the Yugoslav state. After the coup, Hitler was determined to destroy Yugoslavia, especially Serbia.
Military resistance in Yigoslavia, even in Serbia, quickly collapsed. Serbia had proven to be an important ally in World War I and the Serbian Army continued to fight even after the Central Powers overan Serbia itself. There was no effective resistance to the German invasion. The Wehrmact spearhead by Panzers swept through Yugoslavia from both the north and west. The reaction to the German invasion varied. In Croatia they found a sympathetic population that treated them like liberators.
German Führer Adolf Hitler thought he had the Balkans sorted out to provide a secure southern front. He forced the Yugoslav governent to adhere to the Axis. A popular revolt occured in Belgrade against joining the NAZI-dominated Axis. The revolt led by students overthrew the regency under Prince Paul. They installed the youthful King Peter and rejected the treaty that Prince Paul had signed with the NAZIs. Hitler was enraged with the coup. He decided to punish and cow the Serbs by desrtoying Belgrade by a Luftwaffe terror bombing.
It is unclear what Hitler's plans for Yugoslavia were before the coup that rejected the Axis. Yugoslavia was a state centered on Serbia which had valiantly resisted the Central Powers in World War I. It was populated by Slavs which gave him another reason to despise the Yugoslav state. After the coup, Hitler was determined to destroy Yugoslavia, especially Serbia.
Wehrmact and Luftwaffe military units had already been positioned in the Reich and and allied states (Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria). Hungary had been a relativelly willing ally, Romania and Finally Bulgaria had been forced into the Axis as Hitler had tried to do in Yugoslavia. The movement of troops into Romania and Bulgaria was in part of the shift of the Wehrmacht east for the upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union. An intervention in the Balkans had also been forseen, although the target was believed to be Greece. Hitler called the invasion, occupation and dismemberment of Yugoslavia “Operation Punishment” or “Operation 25.”
Belgrade was subjected to Luftwaffe terror bombing for rejecting the alliance with the NAZIs. Waves of Luftwaffe bombers and Stukas without warning began bombed the Serbian capital (April 6). Yugoslavia did not have a modern airforce or anti-aircradt defenses. A reader in Belgrade writes, "There is a monument to the Nazi air attack on April 9th at the start of operation Punishment. The gallant Serbian air force did all it could to defend Belgrade and shot down Nazi planes, but there were too few Serbian Air Force personal and too few planes. The pilots were shot out of the sky one by one. Some survived and escaped to Britain and joined the RAF." There were no civil defense preparations. The Luftwaffe bombed Belgrade relentlessly for 4 days. No one know how many were killed. Estimates varied from 5,000 to 17,000 civilians. Belgrade, a beautiful and ancient center of Serbian culture and history, was reduced to rubble.
The invasion of Yugoslavia or (Operation Punishment/25) is somtimes described as a Axis invasion, in fact it was almost enitely an all German operation. All the serious fighting was done by the Germans who in sharp contrast to World war I secured a stuningly swift victory with virtually no casualties. The Wehrmacht launched a three-rong attack on Yugoslavia aimed at taking Belgrade and the Luftwaffe began the terror bombing of Bekgrade orderd by Hitler to punish the Serbs (April 6). The swift German victory was due to superior German preparation, tactics, and equipment. The Yugoslav Army was affected by ethnic divisions the country. Zagreb radio announced the establishment of an independent Croatian republic under their nationalist leader Ante Pavelic (April 10). A major factor in the German victory was that the Yugoslav Army attempted to defend the entire country rather than concentrating forces. The Axis countries (Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria) proceeded to occupy and deismember defeated Yugoslavia. Germany's Axis allies play a minor role in the campsaign. The Italian and Hungarian Army launched limited attacks on Yugoslav positions (April 11). The Bulgarian participation was to occupy Mancedonia already taken by the Germans. King Peter fled the country (April 14). The Yugoslavs surrendered only 11 days later (April 17). Former Foreign Minister Cincar-Markovic signed the armistace with the Germans.
Military resistance in Yigoslavia, even in Serbia, quickly collapsed. Serbia had proven to be an important ally in World War I and the Serbian Army continued to fight even after the Central Powers overan Serbia itself. There was no effective resistance to the German invasion. The Wehrmact spearhead by Panzers swept through Yugoslavia from both the north and west. The reaction to the German invasion varied. In Croatia they found a sympathetic population that treated them like liberators. The unexpectedly swift collapse of the Royal Yugoslav Army opened the way for the invasion of Greece. Neither the Greeks or Briish were prepared for such a stunning German victory in Yugoslavia. What Hitler did not anticipate after his stunning victory was the development of a major guerilla war in Yugoslavia which would require him to deply a major force in the Balkans.
Navigate the CIH World war II Section:
[Return to Main Balkans military campaign page]
[Return to Main Balkans campaign page]
[Return to Main World War II campaign page--first phase]
[Return to Main World War II country page]
[About Us]
[Biographies]
[Campaigns]
[Children]
[Countries]
[Deciding factors]
[Diplomacy]
[Geo-political crisis]
[Economics]
[Home front]
[Intelligence]
[POWs]
[Resistance]
[Race]
[Refugees]
[Technology]
[Totalitarian powers]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Return to Main World War II page]
[Return to Main war essay page]
[Return to CIH Home page]
