Time Slip Reiwa Japan

081 - Yugoslav Conflict - 2

The German domination of the Balkans was not something that France and Italy could simply overlook. For France, while preoccupied with its minor conflict in French Indochina, it saw its rival Germany aiming to expand its influence, and this was something France could never tolerate. For Italy, having become a rival to Germany, it could not allow Germany to expand its power in its vicinity. Furthermore, there was the unresolved issue of "unredeemed Italy."

Germany's ambitions extended not only to regions of former Austria but also to territories of the former Venetian Republic across the Adriatic Sea. Mussolini, who had made the resolution of the unredeemed Italy issue a policy priority, could not ignore Germany's actions.

Both countries, in conjunction with the three Balkan nations, raised concerns about Germany's aggressive policies in forums such as the League of Nations Security Council and the General Assembly as negotiations for their participation in the Third Reich began. However, due to France's diplomatic resources being drained by the conflict in French Indochina, Italy took the lead in these efforts. Nevertheless, neither the Security Council nor the General Assembly was particularly proactive.

The issue did not lie with Italy's diplomatic capabilities; it was simply that the G4, the main players in the League of Nations excluding France, were not enthusiastic about taking action. Whether in the Security Council or the General Assembly, participating countries always looked to the G4's stance when it came to matters that could potentially lead to war. Hence, even Poland (the mad dog nation of Central Europe), which stood firmly against Germany, hesitated to take a hardline approach.

The reason for the G4's passivity was that both Japan and the United States, like other nations, had a hidden desire to postpone any costly war with Germany if possible. *1 Japan and the United States recognized that the League of Nations actively involving itself in the Yugoslavia issue could potentially trigger a war with Germany. In the midst of this, the victims were Yugoslavia and Romania. However, these nations were independent states, and their governments made a conscious choice to leave the League of Nations and align with Germany. The common understanding among the G4 was that if they chose to do so, they would bear the burden and sacrifice as a matter of self-responsibility.

. . .

Chaos in Yugoslavia

High-ranking military officials who deemed the government's pro-German policy unacceptable decided to overthrow the government through a coup. They aimed to seize control of the widespread military forces throughout the country and swiftly take over government buildings and other key locations. However, the decision by the military officials to attempt to control the entire military gave the government time to respond. Military units loyal to the government and the police, under the government's control, detected the movements of the coup plotters and reported them. Speed was of the essence in this plot.

At this point, the anti-government military officials controlled 40% of the military, while the government still had the remaining 60% and the police. The government attempted to strike down the coup plotters all at once. Indeed, the coup plotters faced a comprehensive crackdown.

However, the problem was that young officers among the coup plotters, in their determination to defend their country at any cost, put up fierce resistance against the military and police units sent to quell the coup, resulting in significant casualties. Yugoslavia was in chaos, with the military in disarray and the police dysfunctional.

In this dire situation, Germany extended a helping hand, offering assistance in the form of military and police deployments. The police forces were security police, particularly the Gestapo, tasked with political missions. Of course, their purpose was not to maintain the security of Yugoslavia but to crack down on anti-German elements within Yugoslavia. The military forces sent, however, were not regular German troops. They were the Waffen-SS.