Collaboration and resistance in occupied Yugoslavia Yugoslavia: History & Disintegration Dr Dejan Djokić

Video intro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d2JjJ_Zm1U&feature=related [up until 6:11]

Partition of Yugoslavia in WWII

1 million (out of 16m) Yugoslavs died in WWII, probably majority killed by other Yugoslavs 1,709,000 – official figure in socialist Yugoslavia 1,014,000 Bogoljub Kočović, Žrtve Drugog svetskog rata u Jugoslaviji (1985) 1,027,000 Vladimir Žerjavić, Gubici stanovništva Jugoslavije u Drugom svjetskom ratu (1989) Breakdown according to ethnicity (Kočović, p. 111): Serbs (including Montenegrins): 537,000 (7.2% of all Serbs) Serbs (excluding Montenegrins): 487,000 (6.9%) Montenegrins: 50,000 (10.4%) Croats: 207,000 (5.4% of all Croats) Muslims: 86,000 (6.8% of all Muslim Slavs in Bosnia-Herzegovina & Sandžak) Jews: 60,000 (77.9%) Slovenes: 32,000 (2.5%) Roma: 27,000 (31.4%) Yugoslav Germans: 26,000 (4.8%) Yugoslav Albanians: 6,000 (1.0%) Macedonians: 6,000 (0.9%) Yugoslav Hungarians: 5,000 (1.0%)

Nature of conflict A multi-layered conflict: wars of resistance, collaboration, ethnic wars, ideological wars, civil wars, local wars Nazi terror: e.g. the Kragujevac massacre in Serbia: 2,800 men shot dead in one day in October 1941; some 25,000 Serb civilians executed in Serbia in Autumn ‘41 However, most Yugoslavs probably killed by other Yugoslavs

Collaboration Independent state of Croatia (NDH) Ante Pavelić (1889-1959) Ustaša ideology: anti-Serbianism, anti-Semitism, anti-Communism cult of the [Croat] nation (Aryan origins) cult of the [Croatian] state cult of the leader (poglavnik) Terror and genocide Concentration camps (e.g. Jasenovac) Postwar vision: an independent ‘Greater’ Croatia within Hitler’s ‘New Order’ Collaborators among all Yugoslav groups (Ljotić & Nedić in Serbia, ‘White Guards’ in Slovenia, Bosnian Muslim ‘Handžar’ SS division, etc).

Independent State of Croatia (Puppet Nazi state) Serbs in Croatia ‘proper’: 125,000 (17.4%) Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina: 209,000 (16.7%) Jasenovac: 85,000 (50,000 Serbs) Around 200,000 Serbs expelled Up to 200,000 converted to Catholicism Some 75% of Croatia’s Jews killed Communist and pro-communist Croats and Bosnian Muslims also executed Bosnian Muslims officially regarded as Croats

Ante Pavelić, poglavnik (leader) of the Independent State of Croatia, 1941-45

Pavelić meets Hitler, June 1941

Ustaša massacre of Serbs

Bosnian Muslim SS Division Handžar

Četniks Col. Draža Mihailović (1893-1946) , promoted to General, December 1941, War Minister, January 1942 Predominantly Serb, although some Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Slovenes also joined the movement No well-developed ideology: pro-Western, anti-communist, royalist Not a single movement (Dalmatian, Montenegrin and Bosnian Četniks often acted independently); No clear strategy: poor leadership and discipline Engaged in fighting Partisans, more than the Germans and Italians Collaboration Failed to attract significant non-Serb support, and responsible for massacres of non-Serbs (particularly Muslims and Croats), as well as Serbs suspected of being pro-Partisan Postwar vision: a Serb-dominated Yugoslav federation, under the Karadjordjević dynasty

Allied pro-Mihailović propaganda

German warrant 1943, 100,000 Reichsmarks in gold for Mihailović, dead or alive

Gen. Mihailović (saluting) and US Col Gen. Mihailović (saluting) and US Col. McDowell (to his left), occupied Serbia, 1944

Partisans Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980) Communist Party of Yugoslavia Pan-Yugoslav support (although by 1943 predominantly Serb as well) ‘Brotherhood and unity’ Successful resistance (the largest in occupied Europe), clear ideology and strategy Turning point: secured Western support, and captured Italian weapons in 1943 AVNOJ: 29 November 1943, Jajce Postwar vision: a communist-led Yugoslavia, a federation of 6 republics and equality among the Yugoslav peoples (interwar Yugoslavia its main ‘Other’)

German warrant 1943, 100,000 Reichsmarks in gold for Tito, dead or alive

Marshal Tito (left) and Gen. Koča Popović

Tito (right) with members of the British mission at his headquarters in Drvar, Bosnia, 1944

Time, 9 Oct 1944

Why did the Partisans win? Leadership Military strategy Ideology External (British) support Lack of a viable alternative – no one else could have liberated and re-united Yugoslavia Why Yugoslavia again in 1945?