Yugoslavia

From Turtledove

Yugoslavia refers to several political entites in the Balkans region. As of this writing, there is no legally recognized entity called Yugoslavia any longer.

The first Yugoslavia was a large multiethnic kingdom in the Balkans created by the victorious allies after World War I. For a matter of days in 1941, Yugoslavia was a fullfledged member of the Axis. However, after the ruling prince was overthrown, Germany invaded and conquered the country, setting up several puppet states including Croatia and Serbia while annexing other territory.

After the War, Josip Tito, a leader of the resistance and devout communist eventually gained control of the country, establishing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Tito successfully removed Yugoslavia from the Soviet Union's sphere of influence, and for the remainder of his life, Tito successfully kept the various ethnic and religious populations at peace. Upon his death, Yugoslavia disintegrated into several smaller states, with substantial bloodshed. A new Federal Republic was established in 1992, but ceased to exist in 2003.

[edit] Yugoslavia in The Man With the Iron Heart

The stiff and brutal resistance Germany met in Yugoslavia was remembered bitterly even after World War II. Nonetheless, German Freedom Front leader Reinhard Heydrich made use of the tactics developed by the Yugoslav freedom fighters.

[edit] Yugoslavia in Worldwar

After the Peace of Cairo, Germany annexed the various pieces of the former Yugoslavia and absorbed them into the Greater German Reich.