The creation of the new country[]
Croatia joined in the fight in World War II in the year 1941. It started out as a new country after Hitler won the war against Yugoslavia. The new country was established on:
April 10, 1941, and was called N.D.H. which would mean Independent State of Croatia.
Flag of NDH
Debates of who would lead this new country were made between two candidates. The candidate proposed by Mussolini was Ante Pavelić, the leader of the Ustaša, who had been held in Italian hospitality since Mussolini came to power, Mussolini was hoping that Italy might profit somehow if Pavelić came to power. The candidate proposed by Hitler was Stjepan Maček, who as the leader of the HSS(Croatian peasant party), the most popular party in Croatia. But Maček sensed that joining the Axis would be bad for his political career, so the Italian proposal was chosen. Ante Pavelić came to the new N.D.H. a few days after it was established. Soon he decided to repay Mussolini for his hospitality to him and the Ustaša by giving Italy part of the territory of N.D.H.: the territory closest to the sea, and most of the islands. When the new country was established, the public was mostly happy, thinking that Croatia was finally free, but soon enough they felt that Croatia was loosing too much money on this war. The Ustaša were kiling Jews, Serbs, Gypsies and everybody that opposed them. Soon a new rebellion was created. It was the Partisans of Yugoslavia.
The Military and Police force[]
The armed forces of N.D.H. were divided primarily into two forces: The army called the Domobrani, literal translation defenders of the Homeland.
The Domobrani flag
The other force was more of a police force. It was called the Ustaša.
The Ustaše Flag
The differences between the Ustaša and the Domobrani were: the Ustaša were recruiting volunteers and were much lesser in numbers, while the Domobrani were recruiting like any other army. The Croatian army was very well supplied had great logistics and wasn't short of men. What it did lack were officers. In reality they did have officers but they were former Yugoslavian officers and were mostly mistrusted by the Ustaša, the Ustaša tried to fix this by recruiting former Austro-Hungarian officers. But they were too old and still not trained in modern warfare. The Ustaša were again trying to fix this by making officer schools, and sending officers to train in Italy and Germany, but now it was already too late to change the outcome of the war.
The Rebellion armies[]
The leader of the new rebellion was Josip Broz Tito, the future leader of the Federative Yugoslavia. The Partisans were at first weak and could only do diversions. The first diversion in Croatia was done the 22. of June 1941.
The Yugoslavian Partisan flag
This army slowly started to grow. Stealing supplies from the Axis and constantly getting volunteers. This was one of the only armies that allowed women into it's ranks, though they were usually given minor jobs.
The partisans weren't the only army in Yugoslavia trying to oppose the axis. At the same time another rebellion was growing. It was called the Četnici.
the Četnik flag
the Četnici were led by Draža Mihajlović. They wanted to drive away the axis and create a new Serbia which would be called Velika Srbija(Greater Serbia.
Greater Serbia and the idea of it's neghbours
The Četnik soon realized that the Partisans were a greater threat to them then the axis, and decided to join up with the axis against the Partisans. This was realized by the Allies not earlier then in 1943. Before that they thought the Četnik were the Allies and the Partisans the enemy.
Ustaša crimes within N.D.H.[]
The Ustaša are responsible for approximately 700 000 deaths. It seems that the Ustaše only gave one order about Gypsies and Jews. Total annihilation of both. The crimes were so bad, so inhuma, so monsterous that even the SS and some german officers were thinking of stopping them. In some occasions they even intervined. The Ustaša were also copying the germans by building concentration camps. The worst of them all was Jasenovac. It is said that the Ustaše crimes were the most severe out of all the fashist crimes in Europe. Out of 40 000 gypsies that lived in N.D.H. 23 000 were killed. Out of 10 000 Jews that lived there 1500 were left alive. The serbs todey claim that the Ustaša killed 1'000'000 Serbs, this is immpossible though as there wernt soo many in N.D.H. to begin with.
Military operations[]
During the WWII. period the N.D.H. was mostly fighting against the Partisans, but it also helped the Germans in the attacks in the U.S.S.R. and in North Africa. Also 10 Croatian officers volunteered to help in Spain.