Evening star., 1941-04-06
Stage Is Set Curtain About Rise Balkan Theater of
Yugoslavia
In Readiness
For Attack
Nation, a Mixture
Of Many Races,
Created in 1913

fuSOSIdVldlI territory, birthplace OF
the World War, may again become a
battle-ground of decisive Importance
in the world struggle between total
itarianism and democracy.
The assassination of Francis Fer
dinand, heir to the Hungarian
throne, at Sarajevo in June, 1914,
was the match which ignited the
European powder-horn. The first
shots in the World War were fired by
Austrian guns against Belgrade on
July 20, 1914
Less bloody was the crisis which
may put Yugoslavia into war on the
side of the democracieS Between
1:59 and 2:0l am. March 27 the
whole picture of power and politics
in the Balkans changed. AT l:59
Yugoslavia was signed-up member
of the axis: at 2 am. the anti-Nazl,
anti-Fascist elements of the Yugo-
slavian state, headed by leaders of
the army, took over the government
In a bloodleSS coup which may prove
to have been turning point in the
totalitarian war.
World War Background.
To understand the essential back
ground of the situation in Yugo-
slavia and the turbulent Balkans, 1t
is necessary to go back only to the
World War.
Yugoslavia-the government of the
Serbs, CroatS, Slovenes and other
Slavic peoples-originated at the end
of 1918 by union of parts of the
former Austro- Hungarian Empire
with Serbia and, later, with Monte
negro. 1t was an offspring of the
Versailles treaty, conceived in de-
sire to group together all the South
SlavS. YugoSlavia means South
Slavs."
The new Yugoslavia was one of
the most heterogeneous of the post
war states of Europe, fact On which
Germany has been counting heavily
for success in its subverSive system
of conquest by disunity, schism, in
ternal disorder and inspired revo-
luton. YugoSlavia is made up OF no
less than seven sections: l, Serbia
of the 1918 treaty of Bucharest; 2,
Montenegro of 1912; 3, Bosnia and
Herzegovina 4, Dalmatia, except for
the town Of Zara, which went to
Italy. and the islands of Lagosta and
PelagoSa; 5, Croatia -Slavonia, except
for Fiume, also to Italy, but with
some minor additions; 6, Slovenla,
and 7. the Voyvodina or Duchy.
German-Speaking Minority.
The Serbs comprise more than
one-third of the total population OF
13.930.918 (as of 1881 and outnum-
Der any other single element. Not
only are the Serbs dominant; their
capital, Belgrade, was in an out
standing strategical location at the
conveyance of great highways, rail-
ways and the river system and it be-
came the capital of the new nation.
The area of Yugoslavia is $4,000
square miles-three times larger than
postwar Austria.
The Serbs. Croats and Slovenes
compose 85 per cent of the total
population. The largest minority
group is German-speaking, amount
ing to more than 100000 persons
during peacetimeS, but augmented
by recent German inflltratlonS. AS
much as IS per cent of the popula-
ton of some of the YugoSlav areas
bordering Germany is German
speaking: a fact of which much use
Is made by the Nazi propagandiSts.
From the military standpoint,
Yugoslavia combines great power
and serious weakness. She is strong
because of strategic terrain, much
wildly mountainous; her army OF
more than 100000 of the toughest
soldiers in Europe; fiercely nation
alistic spirit, shared by all save, per-
haps, the Croatian neighborS OF the
axis; an ability to throw a monkey
wrench into the machinery of Ger
many's Drang mach OSten - the
march through the Balkans to Tur-
KEY and the east-and the threat
she holds over Italy in Albania. She
is weak because she is geographically
and perhaps socially exposed to in
vasion in the critical north; because
her army is equipped with ''mongrel'
ordnance requiring assorted types OF
ammunition, and by reason of her
dependence on outside sources for
munitions.
Exposed on Northern Frontier.
AS the map shows, YugoSlavia is
mountainous except in the vital
northern areas in the Danube and
Drava River Valleys. The rugged
mountains in the south and west
have served her tough soldiery we'll
in other wars and may do so again.
These mountains are difficult terrain
for mechanical forces, as the Italians
discovered to their sorrow in Greece
and Albania.
Yugoslavias northern frontier
sbuts on Austrian Germany, Hun
gary and Rumania and is strategy
cally the weakest Of all because OF
easy approaches from Central Eu-
rope. The Hungarian frontier, Of
353 miles is the longest single in
ternational boundary and is par
alleled and crossed by important
railways. The Austro-German from
tier is 100 miles long. also tapped
by rail lines. The Rumanian from
tier of 337 miles also is open to the
Nazis. The eastern border with Bull
earia. 283 miles in length. is stra-
logically the strongest of all. 1t en-
bodies strategic changes made after
the World War in the old Serbo-
Bulgarian frontier to provide greater
protection for important railways
and strategically important locations.
The Greek frontier, through which
any Allied and American aid must
move, is 152 miles long; the Albanian,
277 miles, and the Italian 1872 miles.
Heavy Losses in World War.
Serbia fought valiantly through
more than a year of the war but
was overpowered in October, 1915,
when the Bulgarian Army, fighting
with Germany, suddenly fell upon
the Serbian right-rear southeast of
Belgrade This is Of singular inter-
est, in view of present Nazi troop
concentrations in Bulgaria and Ru-
mania. There are news accounts OF
,,oaopoyaiunl sfY,o n7or''