Splintered Wind: Russians and the Second World War in Yugoslavia

The Second World War in Yugoslavia was characterized by a multi-layered civil war. The events of 1941-1945 were caused primarily by the expansion of Germany which tried at first peacefully, and later on by military means, to subordinate the territory of Southeastern Europe. In occupied Yugoslavia, two resistance movements emerged with different foreign patrons: pro-British and later pro-American Četniks and pro-Soviet Partisans. Četnik commanders and the government in exile made a number of grave political miscalculations, consistently opposing the USSR, losing the Anglo-American support and ineptly making advances to Germans. In contrast, the Partisan leaders proved to be skillful tacticians and wise strategists, dexterously maneuvering between the USSR and Western Allies and drawing on support of Moscow, London and Washington, while at the most difficult moments they entered into negotiations with Germans. This monograph is a comprehensive analysis of the role of the Russian whirlwind which splintered into red and white streams, whose wind gusts raised a storm in the remote Balkans. What role did the Russian emigration play in Yugoslavia during the Second World War? How numerous were Nazi collaborators from historical Russia (The Russian Empire and the USSR) and how did they contribute to the German-led anti-resistance struggle in the Balkans? How did the Comintern train and prepare the future Yugoslav Partisan leaders prior to the war? What was the relationship between Četniks and the USSR? How did Soviet security services and diplomats influence the events in Yugoslavia during the Second World War? The author seeks to illuminate these and other related questions, drawing upon numerous archival and personal sources, as well as the literature which is of yet little known to English-speaking scholars.