Independent State of Croatia (Germany)

This article is about the specific polity Independent State of Croatia (Germany) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

Was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, after the invasion by the Axis powers. Initially under joint control of Germany and Italy, after the capitulation of Italy it remained under sole German control.

Summary

After the invasion and occupation of Yugoslavia by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in 1941, the Nazis established the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska or NDH) as a puppet regime under the Ustasha movement.

The NDH encompassed most of modern-day Croatia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was led by Ante Pavelić, the founder of the Ustasha, a fascist and ultra-nationalist movement. Pavelić had been given refuge in Italy prior to the war and was supported by Mussolini's government.

The NDH was highly repressive, engaging in the persecution and genocide of Serbs, Jews, and Roma. Concentration camps were established, and hundreds of thousands were killed. It also faced resistance from the Yugoslav Partisans, led by the communist leader Josip Broz Tito.

In 1943, after the collapse of Mussolini's regime in Italy, the NDH came under tighter German control. However, the Partisans continued to gain strength, and by 1944 they had liberated large swaths of the country. The NDH officially ceased to exist in May 1945 as Yugoslavia was reunited under Tito's communist government.

Establishment

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. World War II

Was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945 (it started sooner in certain regions) between the Axis Powers (mainly Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (mainly the Soviet Union, the U.S.A., the U.K., China and France). It was the war with more fatalities in history. The war in Asia began when Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. The war in Europe began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The war ended with the complete defeat of the Axis powers, which were occupied by the Allies.

1.1.World War II (Eastern Theatre)

Was the Eastern European theatre of World War II.

1.2.World War II (Balkan Theatre)

Was the theatre of conflict of World War II that took place in the Balkans.

1.2.1.World War II (Balkan Theatre) - Croatia

After the Italian capitulation on 8 September 1943, the Croatian territories of Italy were occupied by German forces.

1.2.2.Establishment of Democratic Federal Yugoslavia

Democratic Federal Yugoslavia was a provisional state established during World War II on 29 November 1943 through the Second Session of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ). .

1.2.2.1.Partisan offensive in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia

Were a series of partisan offensives against Axis-occupied Yugoslavia during World War II.

Disestablishment

Selected Sources