War in Balkans
In this last post about the pact between Stalin and Hitler i would like to talk about war in Balkans in spring of 1941. War can be seen as prelude to operation Barbarossa. It was started because Italy under Mussolini attacked Greece in October 1940, but Italians were not doing well. So they asked help from Hitler who was not glad about their attack. He wanted Balkans as quiet place so that he could be able to concenrate on planned operation Barbarossa. Germany tried to lure kingdom of Yugoslavia to join tripartite pact by promising to prince and regent Paul that they will respect country's borders and that port city of Solun/Thessaloniki can go under Yugoslavia after Greece is defeated. UK promised on the other hand correction of border between Yugoslavia and Italy if Yugoslavia will join their side. Prince Paul felt Yugoslavia is weak and indeed signed pact with Germany but that caused great revolt between people specially in Serbia, but also in Slovenia then British supported coup followed on 27th of March 1941. General Dušan Simovič took over government and young king Peter II was proclaimed old enough to rule without regent. Simovič sent some representatives to Greece and some to Soviet union. To talk possible joined operations with the allies if Greece would be attacked by Germany and to make an alliance with USSR which would guarantee Yugoslavia's borders. He realized Yugoslavia is indeed completely surrounded by enemies and to weak to go in war with Germany at this point of time. Alliance with Soviet union could buy time and protection he hoped.
We saw already how important was Balkan for Soviets. They prefered to spread their influence in this region during November 1940 talks with Third Reich. Soviet union at first promised an alliance which will include a security guarantee that if Yugoslavia was attacked that would mean also Soviet union is attacked. Yet USSR and Yugoslavia at end signed just so called treaty of friendship between two states, which had in fact no real value. Molotov informed German side in advance that such contract will be signed claiming Soviet Union 'wants peace like Germany in Balkans'. Treaty was signed on 5.4. 1941. Communist party of Yugoslavia tried to organize big manifestation in Belgrade before Soviet embassy on 6. April celebrating this treaty, but at that day German aggression started. Molotov again said he was sorry about this developement but did not even protest. Comintern apparently ordered to German and Austrian communists that they should tell Hitler what Soviet government was afraid and not ready to do. So they proclaimed how they support 'just fight of people of Yugoslavia against German imperialist aggression'. Schulenburg reported how Soviet leaders were thinking war in Balkan will be longer because of terrain. That would explain why probably also Tito was at first calculating that the war will be longer. He was thinking with the line of Comintern as its old agent.
But when war in Yugoslavia and Greece was finished Soviet union was ready to do further steps to convince Third Reich that they are loyal partner. Yugoslavia was declared completely destroyed by aggressors yet its government still existed in exile in London and its territory was divided between Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary and collaborators from Croatia so called ustashe. Annexation of large parts of territory were made and large new ustasha puppet state was established even before the end of war what was contrary to international law. Soviet union accepted this new situation and broke diplomatic relationship with Yugoslav government on 8.5.1941.
Communist of Yugoslavia started with collaboration with axis forces before 22.6.1941
During the time of war communist party in its propaganda supported war efforts and some communists joined the royal army trying to get positions in armed forces and later communists were hiding weapons of disbanded royal army to use it in planned future Soviet revolution. But very soon it was decided that so called British imperialism together with Yugoslav government in exile and its supporters at home are their main enemies. At the end of April 1941 communist leaders met in Zagreb and decided that they will fight against the government of Simovič and against the British. Communist leader Milovan Djilas who later became dissident confirmed how at the same meeting they decided also to fight against pro-western, non-communist resistance movements and that it is allowed to betray them to occupation authorities. In Slovenia for example in May 1941 members of resistance group called TIGR were betrayed to Italians by local communist. In Serbia in June 1941 before war between USSR and Nazi Germany started communists made propaganda leaflet calling people to fight with force against non-communist resistance movements, because they are like fighting against future soviet regime in Yugoslavia.
As Yugoslav communists also other communists continued with their fight against 'imperialistic war' until 22. 6. 1941 when they completely changed their propaganda. Togliatti for example claimed at the end of May 1941 that the real goal of Italian communists is that people in Italian and British colonies will become free. Communists from Belgium were claiming in June 1941 that Belgians should not look at UK and USA as possible liberators. Soviet news agency TASS reported a few days before German attack how movements of German forces from Balkans to eastern Europe do not have any connections to relations between USSR and Germany.
Hitler and Stalin Pact against Europe, written by Johann Wolfgang Brugel, published in Ljubljana, 2019, pages 237-254.
Bermanov dosje, written by dr. Aleksander Bajt, published in Ljubljana, 1999, pages 774, 822-824.
en.wikipedia.org