THE APRIL WAR OF 1941 IN YUGOSLAVIA - The First Army Group of the Yugoslav Army at War against the Wehrmacht

The April War of 1941 is one of the pivotal events in the history of Yugoslavia. It marked both an end and a beginning. It concluded a period that began with the formation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, but also, due to its “certain incompleteness,” gave rise to a new process, which culminated in leading to an ideological, civil, and religious war that took place on the territory of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945.

Although it lasted only twelve days (April 6 – 17, 1941), many controversies are tied to its causes, course, and consequences. Due to its “incompleteness,” numerous stereotypes are linked to it as well, ranging from the belief that the army did not resist at all, to the notion that everyone betrayed their country during the war. Some of these stereotypes were shaped by its contemporaries, the creators of great victories in the Balkan Wars and World War I, as well as their successors who grew up in that triumphant tradition, struggling to comprehend the swift collapse of the state and its armed forces. To explain such a situation, they often resorted to creating stereotypes that have persisted to this day. On the other hand, new stereotypical views of this war emerged later under the influence of communist ideology and its historiography.