62 World War Two and the Partisan Struggle
general revolt against probable German and Italian aggression, but also resist
the attempts of the British to involve Yugoslavia on their side in the conflict,
recommending instead “popular pressure on the new government to get it to
denounce the Vienna pact and conclude an agreement of mutual aid with the
Soviet Union.”^63 This bellicose attitude alarmed Moscow, where fear of pro-
voking Hitler was still very much alive. On 31 March 1941, the CPY was advised
to avoid street demonstrations and possible clashes with the authorities. “Do
not expose yourselves, do not allow yourselves to be seduced by enemy provoca-
tions. Do not expose the people’s vanguard to repression and do not send them
prematurely into the fire. The moment of the final fight with the class enemy
has not yet arrived.”^64
Attack on Yugoslavia and the
Call to the UprisingOnce installed, the Simović government did not know what to do. It attempted
to pacify Hitler, proclaiming its fidelity to the recently signed pact. The Führer,
however, did not accept the proffered olive branch. Infuriated, he ordered his
generals to prepare for intervention in Yugoslavia, along with armed interven-
tion in Greece, where the Italians had to be saved from catastrophe.^65
Operation Marita was therefore joined by Operation Strafgericht (court
martial), which began at dawn on 6 April 1941, Palm Sunday according to
the Orthodox calendar. The friendship pact signed in Moscow between the
Soviet government and the Yugoslav ambassador at 2:30 that morning, in the
hope that it would deter German aggression, had no influence whatsoever on
events. As Kardelj recalls, that day the communists were organizing impressive
demon strations in Belgrade, in celebration of the pact with Russia, but the
Germans were quicker.^66 Their planes took off from Bulgaria and, without any
decla ration of war, violated Yugoslav air space and heavily bombed Belgrade,
even though it had been declared an “open city.” A few hours later, at Maribor
(Slovenia), the Wehrmacht crossed the Austrian-Yugoslav border and moved in
the direction of Zagreb. By 8 April 1941, units of the Second German Army were
already in the streets of Belgrade. In the days that followed Yugoslavia was
invaded, practically without resistance, by Italian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian
troops, and dismembered according to Hitler’s plans. On 10 April, the Inde-
pendent State of Croatia (Nezavisna država Hrvatska; NDH) was declared
under the leadership of the Ustaša Poglavnik (leader) Ante Pavelić, who re-
turned from Italy, where his terrorist, fanatically nationalist gang were under
Mussolini’s protection. He extended his control over Bosnia-Herzegovina but
ceded central Dalmatia to Italy, which also got the southern part of Slovenia,
Ljubljana included. Germany occupied Lower Styria and Upper Carniola, and