World War II in Yugoslavia

World War II in Yugoslavia
Part of the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II and the European theatre of World War II
Map of partisan activity in September 1944
Date 6 April 1941 - 25 May 1945 Location Former territories of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Result Partisan and Allied victory
Belligerents
1941-September 1943 Nazi Germany  • Serbia Italy  • Montenegro  • Albania Croatia Hungary Bulgaria	1941-1943 Chetniks support Yugoslav government-in-exile United Kingdom United States	1941-1943 Yugoslav Partisans support Soviet Union
September 1943-1945 Nazi Germany  • Croatia  • Serbia (until 1944)  • Montenegro (untill 1944)  • Macedonia (1944)  • Albania (untill 1944)  • Slovene Home Guard  • RSI Hungary Bulgaria (untill 1944) Chetniks	1943-1945 DF Yugoslavia  • Yugoslav Partisans Soviet Union Bulgaria (from 1944) United Kingdom  • New Zealand United States Italy LANÇ Yugoslav government-in-exile (1944-1945)

World War II in Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941 when the country was invaded by the axis powers and was divided between Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, and Italian Albania. Puppet regimes like the Independent State of Croatia and the Government of National Salvation were formed. During the occupation, resistance movements were formed. These included the Royalist Chetniks led by Draža Mihailović who supported king Peter II and the Yugoslav government-in-exile, and there also was the Communist National Liberation Army (sometimes called the Yugoslav Partisans) led by Josip Broz Tito who wanted Yugoslavia to be a communist country. Both groups fought with each other against the Axis powers until 1941 when Mihailović’s Chetniks started to fight with the axis against the partisans. On 8 September 1943, Italy joined the allies and Germany started Operation Achse to disarm Italian troops in there occupation zones all across Europe including occupied Yugoslavia. Some ended up in axis hands (sometimes they joined the German army or the Italian Social Republic) or they would join Titos partisans. Soon the Chetniks lost support from the Allies and the government-in-exile and they began to support the partisans. In 1944, the Soviets marched through Romania to the Hungarian border. The German were retreating from Greece and Albania to Yugoslavia. On 30 September 1944 the Soviets crossed the Romanian-Yugoslav border to support the Yugoslavs in liberating there country. The Soviets and Yugoslavs liberated the capital city Belgrade on 20 October. In 1945 the partisan army were transformed into the Yugoslav People's Army and a Provisional Government was formed. Sarajevo was liberated on 6 april (the 4th anniversary of the invasion in 1941). the Yugoslav linked up with the western allies in Monfalcone on 1 May. Germany would surrender on 8 May officially ending the war in Europe. But the last axis forces would be defeated on 25 May in the Battle of Odžak. The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was formed and axis collaborators like Mihailović were executed.

World War II In Yugoslavia Media

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  Map of the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia

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  Adolf Hitler walking on the bridge in Maribor, April 1941

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  Adolf Hitler in Maribor, Yugoslavia in 1941. He later ordered his officials to "make these lands German again".

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  Uprising in Yugoslavia, September 1941

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  Italian armored cars in the Balkans

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  German forces with French-made H39 tanks fording a river

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  German Generalmajor (Brigadier) Friedrich Stahl in conversation with an unknown Croatian Home Guard officer and Chetnik commander Rade Radić in central Bosnia in mid–1942

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  Uprising in occupied Yugoslavia after capitulation of Italy, September 1943

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  Map of German retreat in autumn 1944 (week by week)