The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-04-19
SATURDAY. APRIL IS. ls4l
AS YueosLAVIA FALLS

With the unconditional surren-
der Of the second Yugoslav army
corps under General Mironovitch
at the ancient Bosnian capital of
Saraieyo. where the World War
had its origin in 1914. organized
resistance TO the Nazis in the king
dom OF the South Slavs comes TO
an end
Guerilla groups are still fight
Ing in the massive Glump OF noun
talns that borders the Adriatic
Sea north OF Albania and const-
tutes the ancient free states OF
Montenegro and Herzegovina.
Other guerillas are carrying on
war in the tangled jungle OF peaks
along the Bulgarian border in old
Serbia.
These forces Of Serb noun
tain GERS who know every foot OF
their native mountains may hold
out for some time and have con-
siderable nuisance value. PROB
ably Yugoslavia will present
major police problem TO the Nazi
authorities for several months, but
as a military force the fugoslav
army has definitely passed out
OF the picture.
Although Yugoslavia's fighting
men were doomed to defeat from
the first the Serbian divisions that
constituted the flower of the army
went down battling in a manner
worthy OF their country's heroic
traditions.
no army ever showed in vic
tory higher courage or more reso-
Lutte determination than the Serbs
exhibited in defeat. 1t was not
only the fighting men OF the ma
tion who carried on with stole
heroism in the face OF wounds
and death.
The old, the sick. the women
snd the children also did their
part. The Serbs had been told
that in the battle of France one
OF the principal causes for the de-
feat Of French armies was the
flight Of civilians whose panic
stricken masses so clogged roads
behind the front that the trans
fer Of troops, tanks and guns was
impossible.
Serbian women and those too
old or too young TO fight were told
of this and instructed not to clog
the highways by fleeing danger
IL danger should come. die on
the thresholds OF your homes, II
die you must" said government
circulars. In obedience TO these
orders more than ten thousand
women. children and aged people
died under air attack in Belgrade
alone without budging from their
dwellings; thousands more in
other towns. Serbian roads were
not clogged with refugees.
The reason for Yugoslav defeat
is not far to seek. 1t lies princi-
pally in the fact that this small
nation was faced by a concentra-
ton OF military power against
which II had not the remotest
chance from the outset.
The Nazi army was five times
bigger than the Yugoslav fighting
force and much more than five
times better armed and better
trained The Yugoslav soldiers
we're fine. strong. brave men,
probably among the best speci-
mems Of the human race in Europe
or anywhere else for physical hard
ihood and courage.
They could push a bayonet, WELD
n sword or shoot d rifle as well
as any men anywhere. but the
possession OF these qualities is nc
longer enough to make for supe
riCrity in war
Yugoslayfa is more than ninety
per cent agricultural. It's peas
ants. tend their flocks and herd,
OIL the hills as did Abraham anC
the patriarchs OF old Most ad
vanced method Of transportation
in most districts Is the ox-cart
Much Of the Yugoslay srmys ar
tillery was drawn by oxen.
Against this brave but primitiv,
array was set the greatest collec
ton Of ultra-modern stream.linet
instruments of war that the worlt
has ever seen in the hands OF tn
German army. Like it or not. an
most Americans do not like il
the German army has been one o
the worlds best for three hundre
years.
The result was a foregone con
clusion, but not its speed. o
April 4 this column predicted tina
Yugoslavia had no chance OF SUI
cessful resistance TO Mari stroke,
but that due to the Serb mountain
the war might take three month
or granted sufficient British ait
even longer.
British aid did not come and tn
mountains we're not as helpful a
had been hoped. The drive wa
finished in almost exactly lively
DAYS from the outbreak OF hosti
sties, and with IL comes releas
OF thirty Naki divisions or abot
100000 men for service againi
the hard-pressed British ar
Greeks.
9---O-