The Promise of a Clean Regime | An Independent State of Croatia TL

[Shutzer]

Oh, shit... Did you just butterfly out the Operation Anthropoid? I can't think of any other person to instill such fear in Kvarternik than Heydrich.

And to be completely frank, the time line somewhat fits, especially if he was called back for consultations with Hitler before the assassination attempt.

 

[John_Smith]

Nice to see Kvaternik and Hitler meeting, but Kvaternik complaining about Homeguard being divided, as well as political troubles, will not end well. And to make matters worse, the SS is going to interfere, with what I am assuming are plans to raise a Croatian SS unit.

On the other hand, Maček and Co. seem to be scrambling for allies, trying to counteract Kvaternik, and it seems that they are relatively unsuccesful, at least for now. It is all shaping up to be a disaster of epic proportions, a disaster Croatia can not afford, especially considering that Italians and Pavelić would be more then happy to exploit any weakness, and that there are still Četnik and Partisan units roaming around the country. This infighting helps no one except Communists, and Homeguard has to reform and this split has to be healed as soon as possible, unless the entire organization becomes permanently crippled and divided, unable to perform its duties.

Well, at least there were some good things mentioned, with Sisak Refinery being expanded with Romanian aid, which will help, if only as to appease Germany. Meeting between Kvaternik and Hitler may result in further German-Croatian military cooperation, especially in regards to Croatians being trained in Germany, and perhaps some material aid as well, due to the Croat performance against Italy and being "Goths", thus more worthy.

King Filip does seem to like big gestures and grandiose names, with nickname such as "Golden Lion" and what not, but it does add a depth to the story. It is also a convinient way to explain why Croatian military formations are/will be named in such a grandiose manner.

But I do wonder what is going on with Partisans, ot seems they have been quiet for too long, and what has happened to Gruić?

Great work as always, and I hope that we will see some of the economic centred chapters soon, if only to get a somewhat less bleak perspective then what is offered by both foreign and internal politics, as well as poor military performance.

Some things you should really keep to yourself, and this may very well come to bite Kvaternik in the ass if the situation spirals out of control too much. Both sides have to be quick before they have to try and appease a new, vicious and powerful player appearing on their chessboard, something that the iron-hearted Reichsprotektor will likely indulge in.

The SNS/SOKHD are far from being the only ones that Kemfelja's camp can contact, though with how recently they've joined the game of politics, they seem like the ones who could be influenced easily in the eyes of Maček and the rest, but newer parts of Sticks and Stones will see others join in for their own reasons that will be further explained. It will definitely be horrifying for the Croats if such a thing were to happen, but with a stubborn Kvaternik and an unrelenting Čanić, someone will have to break the stalemate somehow, and the more time passes, the bigger role desperation takes on, and with such events taking place, who knows who will crack first and make the issue known to everyone...

Only goes to show what an smart political move both sides made. For now, that is... after all, the more closer both nations grow (militarily and economically), the more likely they are to share the same fate as the war unwinds and starts showing bits and pieces of its outcome.

That nickname will play a larger part in the story as it goes on and as the Allies start gaining the upper hand, and the King will certainly want to have it known all across the land, from Gorski Kotar to New Belgrade and from the Mura river to Neum as well as elsewhere. He is royalty, after all, and while his outer veneer shows a purported man of the people, in his mind he certainly uses that as a smart political move especially since he started in such an unforgiving position (being a foreigner set up by a monarch who just warred with the nation he will now rule over).

I will have to make an update on them soon, just have to find a good place to squeeze them in, many of them went underground, some were arrested and sent to Lepoglava (though none of the big cats, unfortunately for the Croat government) while others just gave up on the cause after finding no concrete purpose in it. Many, though, are planning something under the covers, and provided that a fifty-four-year-old Gruić survived the absolutely unforgiving winter and everyday stresses of a seemingly aimless trek across the Bosnian highlands, they might just have an ace up their sleeve that will throw a wrench in the works for the Reformist v. Teuton struggle.

Indeed, during the summer of '42, there will be one chapter to set everything up and show how Maček and Filip plan to make the lives of their constituents better (after all, the most powerful party in the nation is called the Croatian Peasant Party...), it will be focused mostly on the peasantry, though people in the cities (especially the working class) will also get their due, in more ways than one.

Oh, shit... Did you just butterfly out the Operation Anthropoid? I can't think of any other person to instill such fear in Kvarternik than Heydrich.

And to be completely frank, the time line somewhat fits, especially if he was called back for consultations with Hitler before the assassination attempt.

That I did! I'm glad my specific words and descriptions managed to be upfront about just who that intimidating SS higher-up might be. Due to butterflies that arose from Hitler changing up his schedule (as mentioned before, Hitler did not meet Croatian leaders for a whole year, which is very different from OTL and the Independent State of Croatia government), it also resulted in some of his meetings with generals, SS commanders and his most trusted Nazis being moved, thus ensuring that by some chance of fate, Heydrich evades Anthropoid, though the operation was still drawn up, but it failed to materialize once Kubiš (one of the assassins) was compromised and killed in an ambush in Prague in early June under unknown circumstances.

And one minor, unrelated tidbit of information: the last photo of the latest chapter has some meaning and foreshadowing stuck to it, it wasn't merely my desperate need to cram as many photos into my chapters as humanly possible (though there is some truth to it as well, but once you manage to find a good purpose for something, it would be a shame to see it go to waste).

 

[John_Smith]

Croatia's second summer since the promise of a clean regime, while calm on the military front, certainly witnessed many sociopolitical as well as economic upheavals, majority of whom served to stabilize the Axis-backed puppet state and make it a worthwhile addition to the new world order that was being built at the time. The nation's leadership sought to provide a better way of life for its constituents, hoping to to quell the issues that had arisen during the Banovina's short life. Things such as the peasantry's dissatisfaction about the unfulfilled promises of smaller taxes and the decrease of government bureaucracy as well as the lack of attention aimed at saving them from poverty and nigh starvation finally came to the forefront of Maček's worries, with the shackles of the ruling regime in Belgrade now broken and thrown away.

Socially, while men still „ran the world“, so to speak, significant changes already began happening within the Croat populace with regards to gender equality as a significant political event took place within occupied Slovenia. The Liberation Front (OF) denounced one of their own – the Old Rights Party (Stara pravda). Headed by geologist Črtomir Nagode [1], the group of liberally-oriented intellectuals founded in May 1941 was soon at odds with Boris Kidrič and his fellow Communists who dominated the OF's make-up over the behavior the Communist-sponsored Security and Intelligence Service (VOS – Varnostno-obveščevalna služba) continuously displayed in its loyalty to the leading OF group. In June, a new wave of refugees poured in from Axis-occupied Slovenia, forced to do so not only due to the growing divide within the strongest resistance group, but also due to the OF-enforced doctrine of Cultural silence (kulturni molk in Slovene, kulturna tišina in Croatian) that ordered cessation of all cultural activities and events connected with the German and Italian authorities in Slovenia who they saw as too oppressive towards Slovene culture. This proved a disaster, as many intellectuals, writers and cultural workers decided to pack up and leave after hearing of the Croatian government's laid-back approach toward their own displays of loyalty to the Slovene people and anything connected to their beloved nation, seeing no purpose in remaining in their homeland and being silenced for their patriotism.

Among those who left their homes were many women, some of the most notable ones being pedagogue Angela Vode [2], poet Anica Černej [3] and writer Mira Kramer Puc [4]. While many of their own worldviews differed, sometimes wildly, all of them shared one thing in common – the air of independence, an aura of controlling one's own destiny regardless of gender and a worthwhile cause to fight for. Such things were not unheard of in Croatia, of course, with popular children's writer Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić and HSS politician Mara Matočec being notable examples, though they were few and far between. With the surge of new intellectual heavyweights into the fray, together with Queen Mafalda [5] and Matočec's wholehearted support and with Maček's laissez-faire approach towards the issue, the feminist movement, miraculously enough (considering the circumstances of World War II), began taking root in Croatia, with the Slovenian National Council as well as parts of the government itself funding exhibitions and showcases of female writers, artist, painters and the like that soon resulted in many new women who desired to have their voices heard entering the public conscience. In time, many women who defined contemporary Croatian history cite taking direct inspiration from the actions of Vode and her colleagues during the 1940s.

A group of women holding bouquets of gladioli in a field, September 1942 (photo by Tošo Dabac)
​

Politically, the ruling Coalition, renamed as such due to King Filip's distaste for republicanism, still dominated the landscape with only token opposition from the HOSP under Budak, who tried to have his views be known to everyone and spread just as well, though with Ivanko Farolfi's hegemony over the media, the only thing he can hope for is civil debate within the National Parliament that, more often than not, results in complete dismissals of all his proposals.

The beloved King, though, had different plans in mind. While Maček scrambled to find suitable solutions for his people's woes, the Golden Lion contemplated forming a new political party aimed to loyally serve his own interests, many of whom started to differ ever so slightly from the Ban's. Indeed, stories say that he even had the decree written down before him, and the only deed left to be done is to put away his signature onto it and let the world know. But against all odds, such a thing never materialized, and we may never know why. Some say it was his providence that made him consider the implications of such an event, that a civil war might break out between his royalists and Maček's own loyalists, while some say he considered simple discussion and manipulation of the Coalition's members far simpler than tearing down the Parliament and reestablishing a new order. Alas, we may never know the full story behind this particular happenstance, as Filip worked with the HSS and other participants of the Coalition until the very end.

Instead, Filip decided to introduce some new reforms into the system, some more symbolic than others, one example of which is the introduction of cockades (kokarde) that began to be used by politicians and civilians alike to denote their respective party affiliation, either as a pin or a badge worn on their right breast, while other forms of showcases of loyalty became prohibited, such as flags and specific coats of arms centered around party imagery. It might seem peculiar at first sight, but Filip's wishes of homogenization of his Kingdom's different peoples brought up to him numerous times by Maček seem more than reasoned upon finding its origin in different German state cockades worn by the German Imperial Army officers during World War I, when Filip served in Belgium and later Ukraine as part of the Hessian Dragoon-Regiment No. 24.

Croatian party cockades in 1942, clockwise from top left:​

• Croatian Peasant Party (HSS)
• Croatian Muslim Organization (HMO)
• Independent Democratic Party (SDS)
• Slovenian National Council (SNS)
• Volksdeutschers (Croatian Germans)
• Croatian Restored Party of Rights (HOSP)

Economically, well-aware that Croatia depended heavily on agriculture, Minister of Agriculture Ragib Čapljić, with Maček's guidance, launched an initiative on July 7, 1942 under the official name of HPGO (Hrvatski program gospodarstvene obnove – Croatian Economic Recovery Program), though it later came to be referred to as the Čapljić Plan (Čapljićev plan in Croatian). It encouraged land collectivization and creation of democratic peasant collectives (seljačke zadruge in Croatian) in order to easily acquire newer, more efficient farming equipment in the way of governmental subsidies granted to each collective over a certain period of time. Unfortunately, most peasantry had little-to-no means of affording enough money to buy the necessary equipment, and with the government saving its money forcing Čapljić to think outside of the box. After some time, he decided to combat the issue by meeting with industrialist Aleksandar Ehrmann after the latter was recalled from Portugal following his unsuccessful attempts at gaining recognition from the adamant Portuguese government. Ehrmann's ownership of the First Yugoslav Wagon, Machinery and Bridge Factory [6] in Brod na Savi made him the most favorable candidate for Čapljić to seek financial support from, though the issue of Ehrmann's Jewish ancestry almost proved too great a hurdle to overcome had it not been for Trade Minister Mažuranić's timely intervention, who greatly helped Čapljić with numerous parts of the HPGO. Mažuranić sought financial backing for the numerous peasant collectives from Ehrmann's pocket as well as the removal of the Yugoslav name from his company's to IBM (unknown at first, later it was revealed that IBM were Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić's initials, whose legacy her younger brother wished to honor by renaming the company) while offering the old diplomat complete immunity and safety from the Gestapo and the Germans. Ehrmann refused at first, not believing that Mažuranić had the authority to grant such privileges, but King Filip personally attended one of their many meetings, promising the businessman that Mažuranić meant every word that had left his mouth. And so, Aleksandar Ehrmann became an honorary Aryan and the IBM company was created, with a great portion of its funds ensuring that most collectives, if not all, had at least a tractor, enough fertilizer and a wide-ranging array of seeds able to be used starting in the summer of 1942. This proved a tremendous success in many areas, though less so in ethnically mixed areas (such as northern Herzegovina) where people of different ethnic backgrounds refused to join the collectives out of distrust and prejudice, leaving almost all similar areas in the same position as they started lagging behind in resources and equipment as peasant collectives conquered the scene. Sometimes, things even turned violent, with Internal Affairs Minister Besarović having to order the Gendarmerie to intervene in certain areas after brawls and occasional bloodbaths broke out between people who desired collectivization and those who did not, one notable example being the fight on the river Bosna close to Sarajevo in late August 1942 between Muslim peasants seeking collectivization and Serb villagers who did not. In the end, the fight claimed seven killed and twenty four wounded, but had it not been for the Gendarmerie's intervention, the number could have been much higher.

The issue of the Reich demanding workers of its satellite states be sent into Germany to aid the war effort definitely showed its damaging effect in Croatia, with estimated fifty five thousand people being sent there to slave away in horrific conditions, many rarely even getting the payment that their hard work entailed. This caused Vladko Maček to ask Cardinal Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac for help in order to accommodate the large loss of able-bodied workforce. Stepinac readily accepted, and over the summer, all of his sermons began utilizing specific words that praised the government and its new incentive, sometimes all but subtly, to all the attendees present during mass. Soon after, a noticeable number of other priests throughout Croatia, be it Catholic, Muslim or Orthodox, started preaching the words of Maček's program and even serving as interim inspectors that had the duty of overseeing the funds that were distributed to the collectives, resorting to calling out the unruly peasants who misappropriated the funds during masses, often resulting in comedic reactions from the crowd as well as the guilty person. Mira Kramer Puc's amusing description of one such occurrence in her peasant realist novel Soil and Sky (Tlo in nebo; 1943) shows just how much the common folk feared their beloved messengers of God:

The priest, an older fellow, she could witness it from the discoloration of his eye and countless cuts the old age had given him on his forehead. Viktorija carefully observed as everyone else stood up together with her for the old man's final, momentous words, catching her breath before he spoke with a respectful, albeit firm tone.

„Our Lord had granted us sagacious leaders, people of great knowledge and foreboding shrewdness who leave nothing to be desired. They are our guiding stars on this Earth, and with them we have got to follow our path to salvation and happiness on this land. With these important words in mind, and with my duty of carrying out His divine word, I must inquire sir Ado to stand up.“

The whole crowd froze completely, all their eyes pointing toward the direction of the baffled man. Clutching his dusty hat with incredible pressure, the fifty-something-year-old man remained standing as everyone else sat down, still gawping incredulously at him. Ado's eyes bulged out in shock, looking as if they were about to pop out of his skull and into the poor old lady's unkempt hair who sat in front of him. He displayed fear as his uncomfortably thin pencil mustache moved together with his mouth in hopes of creating coherent sentences before the calm priest.

„I have noticed that you have still not bought the combine harvester that the money was entrusted upon you for, sir, though I cannot help but wonder where you found that shiny new pair of gentlemen's shoes. The poor box, perhaps?“

His dry humor earned a chuckle and a quiet laugh from the select few attendees, including Viktorija, who could not help but feel pity at the peasant who most likely never expected this sort of stand-off when he greedily stored the money into his pocket.

Ado looked as if he was about to faint. His legs looked and felt wobbly, his hands shaking wildly upon hearing of the messenger's knowledge of his wrongdoings.

„I-I I didn't mean it! I swear!“

„Actions speak louder than words, sir, the Lord understands that, and rewards as much according to the adage.“

He found it hard to breathe, and before he could seek forgiveness for this most reprehensible of punishments, he collapsed onto the floor in form of a sweaty, disheveled mess, though his shoes bore the most shine in the heap, despite fierce competition from his skin. Viktorija's apathy could not be stronger at that moment, only smiling at the most improbable sight before her sore eyes.

Alojzije Stepinac provided generous help with letting Maček's detailed program be received well by the common folk
​

One memorable example of Čapljić's program at work is the tobacco industry. Cigars and cigarettes were always marks of high society, and Filip wanted his Kingdom to be in the lead in that area as well. He ordered two factories built, the larger one in Virovitica (Bilogora County) and the smaller one in Udbina (Lika-Krbava County), and soon Croatian tobacco became a meaningful export, with Axis soldiers all throughout Europe enjoying a smoke of Krbava field tobacco as the war began grinding to a halt. At the later stages of the war, in early 1943, through significant backing of a few industrialists Filip fostered close relations with, the fields began to be expanded, and with that came the opportunity to go independent with their own brand. Filip, unsurprisingly, adored the idea and gave it his go-ahead. Soon after, Krbava cigarettes became a favorite throughout all corners of the country, from the Mura river in the far north all the way to Neum in the coastal south. Noted for their mild taste with hints of sweetness in their flavor and a heavier tobacco smell, they soon became a symbol of the royal family, with Filip personally promoting the product over several radio commercials and photographs. Inadvertently, the Golden Lion began a trend of corporatist tendencies that would become a staple of the leaders hailing from that particular region of the world, with them openly listing corporations and different interest groups backing them without shame or reservation and more often than not serving not their own political interests, but the interests of their donors and backers even if they diverge greatly from their own.

King Filip (right) holding a Krbava cigarette, with Queen Mafalda (left) in front of their garden in Brezovica
​

The nation's leaders could take solace in the fact that, despite the increasingly untenable military situation, at least everything else was on the up and up and going according to plan, and in this time of growing divides, common goals need to be found in order to keep the people united under a common banner of cooperation and trust. Croatia seems safe, but for how long? How long before the mounting pressures within its armed forces finally tip it over into the bottomless pit from which it will never arise again?

*****
​

[1] Held a doctorate in Geology and Political Science. The split between his party and the OF happens pretty much like IOTL.
[2] Among the first women's rights activists in Slovenia, elected president of the Women's Movement in Yugoslavia, published numerous think pieces dealing with social justice (The Woman in the Contemporary World from 1934, The Woman and Fascism from 1935).
[3] Professor of Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics at the Ljubljana University.
[4] Mira Kramer Puc's first few novels (that started to be published in 1941) describe life in the comfortable world and aristocratic atmosphere of family traditions where a culture of fairly earned wealth, respect and pride prevails in the end, and she soon started juxtaposing respect with irony, enthusiasm with repulsion, class allegiance with attempts to escape from it, etc., all of which became one of her works' most recognizable traits.
[5] The Golden Lioness herself. Despite hailing from the royal family, she is almost the polar opposite of Filip, a friendly, approachable, non-combative person that deeply cares for the people around her.
[6] As its name implies, the company constructed bridges, wagons and machinery throughout Europe during the interwar period, its first bridge being constructed in 1926 over the Tisza river near Titel, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

 

[Triune Kingdom]

Excellent work as always. I am glad that we have moved away a bit from politics, and into economic matters.

So let us break this down:

1. Slovenian immigration is helpful, strenghtening Croatia, but could prove to be troublesome, especially if Filip tries to use them to cause problems for Maček and his government. I also like the idea of kokarde coming into use, and that Filip does seem to cooperate with the Coalition for the forseeable future.

2. IBM company will be very useful, as it is shown here, and its owner does get a title of "honorable Aryan", for his troubles. It is a suprisingly advanced company for its location, and it ability to build large metal bridges, rail tracks, rolling stock and steam engines, would certainly go a long way in advancing the economy. Good work.

3. Agriculture is expanding and modernizing, Zadruge will help with that, and while collectivization may not be appreciated by everyone, it is not forced by the state, it is more along the lines of small companies, where people willingly join up. There may be some problems, especially as some people may see it as a Communist measure, but on the other hand it also weakens the Communists somewhat. But I do wonder where do they acquire fertilizer and tractors from?

4. Very good point about tobbaco, I have completely forgot about that, and it is a luxury product that could bring in substantial income, especially with Royal support. It is also rather valuable export item, and Germany could likely be a greatest importer of it, which could enable Croatia to go on a bit of a shopping spree for some things, especially those of non-military character. Good work.

Of course, this chapter has only covered agriculture, and a relatively small part of it at that, with agricultural reforms and tobbaco taking most of the limelight. We still need to see more of the industrial side of things, various ironworks, textile mills, shipyard in Split.....

It is also worrying that the conflict within the military has yet to be resolved, and that Commies are still keeping quiet. When they strike it is not going to be pretty, especially if military has not yet gotten itself sorted out.

Lastly, very much liked how the priests are working alongside the government, to ensure that as much money is spent properly, and does not end up spent for other matters.

Excellent work, as we have been taught to expect. Keep it up.

 

[John_Smith]

Excellent work as always. I am glad that we have moved away a bit from politics, and into economic matters.

So let us break this down:

1. Slovenian immigration is helpful, strenghtening Croatia, but could prove to be troublesome, especially if Filip tries to use them to cause problems for Maček and his government. I also like the idea of kokarde coming into use, and that Filip does seem to cooperate with the Coalition for the forseeable future.

2. IBM company will be very useful, as it is shown here, and its owner does get a title of "honorable Aryan", for his troubles. It is a suprisingly advanced company for its location, and it ability to build large metal bridges, rail tracks, rolling stock and steam engines, would certainly go a long way in advancing the economy. Good work.

3. Agriculture is expanding and modernizing, Zadruge will help with that, and while collectivization may not be appreciated by everyone, it is not forced by the state, it is more along the lines of small companies, where people willingly join up. There may be some problems, especially as some people may see it as a Communist measure, but on the other hand it also weakens the Communists somewhat. But I do wonder where do they acquire fertilizer and tractors from?

4. Very good point about tobbaco, I have completely forgot about that, and it is a luxury product that could bring in substantial income, especially with Royal support. It is also rather valuable export item, and Germany could likely be a greatest importer of it, which could enable Croatia to go on a bit of a shopping spree for some things, especially those of non-military character. Good work.

Of course, this chapter has only covered agriculture, and a relatively small part of it at that, with agricultural reforms and tobbaco taking most of the limelight. We still need to see more of the industrial side of things, various ironworks, textile mills, shipyard in Split.....

It is also worrying that the conflict within the military has yet to be resolved, and that Commies are still keeping quiet. When they strike it is not going to be pretty, especially if military has not yet gotten itself sorted out.

Lastly, very much liked how the priests are working alongside the government, to ensure that as much money is spent properly, and does not end up spent for other matters.

Excellent work, as we have been taught to expect. Keep it up.

It is a welcome change of pace, to be sure, especially as Act IV nears its end and much of it starts resorting to politics yet again. The deeper we venture into 1942, the more those kinds of things will sadly start mattering, seeing as the fate of the entire country depends on whatever happens on that particular stage.

1. A nice influx of people willing to provide their skills and talents, be they of a physical or intellectual variety, to the new nation they're calling their home never hurt anyone. Already, the relationship between the Slovenes and the Croats is infinitesimally better than IOTL, and I can hardly picture an event such as the Gulf of Piran dispute ever happening ITTL. You do raise a good point, the more refugees there are in Croatia, the higher the possibility of possible political manipulation by whoever finds them most suitable for their own ends. That being said, Filip does seem to have successfully found some common ground with the Coalition, though God only knows (and the author) how long that will last, and with an opportunist such as Filip at the helm, it hardly seems like much time will pass before it almost inevitably happens.

2. Thank you! It will provide the backbone for the upcoming developments that are about to take place (all of which were outlined in the Čapljić Program), and Croatia needs all the possible help it can receive to keep its economy from going down the toilet like it had in OTL Independent State of Croatia in 1942, 1943 and later.

3. As is the case with all policy enacted by the government, there will be vocal proponents as well as opponents of the measure, though the do-what-you-will attitude pursued by Maček and co. certainly helps matters a lot, even if Oružništvo sometimes has to intervene. Farm tractors are mostly bought from Sweden, Switzerland and Germany and some from Italy (little-to-no trade between countries does not explicitly mean no trade at all), though due to expenses IBM had to resort to creating their own - those being simple two-wheel tractors that could do the job just fine, it is all a great cost but a worthy one if it means you get to save yourself from the Nazi's wrath. I do admit I phrased myself poorly in the chapter itself, as I did not go into much precise detail on the topic. As for fertilizers, they are imported from Hungary (Nitrogénművek) but mostly Germany (BASF).

4. Kind of hard to overlook it since it is damaging my lungs on a daily basis, though by my own volition, but sometimes even the most obvious things tend to give that one spark of inspiration that can result in something meaningful coming from it. As it stands, cancer sticks and tobacco in general will give an important boost to the economy, and with the King's personal popularity and his consistent endorsements of it, it will certainly gain a foothold within the populace as well, including the imports that have brought a lot of money into the treasury that will be of much value later on.

Correct, the other half of the economy will be covered at a later date, with a possible third chapter to back them both up if such a need arises, but rest assured, they will be here soon!

They very much took the whole underground resistance thing seriously, but it is completely understandable why they would choose to do so - they are, after all, in enemy territory, belonging to a foe that has German-Romanian assistance to call upon as well the ever-important support of the people. There is no chance another insurrection will end well for them, and Tito knows it well. Once he finds a suitable location away from the watchful eye of the world, he will try and insert himself into the game in other ways, just like he always tried to do IOTL...

Fortunately for Maček, Stepinac could see the dire need for the Church's cooperation with the government, and he complied with his wishes. Maček did, after all, succeed in fulfilling Stepinac's hopes of an independent Croatian nation, and with much less bloodshed and instability in comparison to the Ustaše of OTL, so it would only be fair of him to help as much as he can.

Thank you very much! I sincerely hope I will not disappoint with the upcoming chapters, I have a grand set of twisted events and goings-on that will portray just how much of a messed up situation the whole Home Guard conflict is, everyone who has something to gain and lose from it, and how it will all be brought to an end.

 

[Unknown]

Hope Croatia survives to the end of the war and beyond...

 

[Tanner151]

I read this timeline off and on, the concept is fascinating and unique. I read the update with the Croatian Officer talking to Hitler. Loved it.

How is the overall war progressing? Essentially the same as OTL?

 

[Triune Kingdom]

And one minor, unrelated tidbit of information: the last photo of the latest chapter has some meaning and foreshadowing stuck to it, it wasn't merely my desperate need to cram as many photos into my chapters as humanly possible

I really did try and find out who were those two men behind Hitler and Kvaternik were, but picture is a bit grainy and I was unable to recognize them. The man on the left did look like a Rommel of all people, but I doubt that it is him. So, some hints please?

How is the overall war progressing? Essentially the same as OTL?

From what was posted, it seems so. Atlantic campaign is still being fought as OTL, there should be no changes to Pacific/South-East Asia Campaigns, only place outside of the Balkans that should feel some changes is likely to be North Africa. Due to the large numbers of Italian troops there, confusion that happened once Mussolini was replaced should have some effects on the course of the campaign there.

On the Balkans, changes are much more numerous, with Communists being a shadow of what they were IOTL, with Chetniks also being less numerous ITTL. Croatian military is somewhat better off, but it is riven with internal struggles, which may allow both Partisans and Chetniks to do substantial amount of damage.

Still, we are slowly going into summer/fall of 1942, and tide of war is slowly, but surely turning in favour of the Allies. NA campaign is grinding to its conclusion, Operation Torch is 3 to 4 months away and when it happens, Afrika Korps is done for. Once that happens, Sicily and Italy are likely to be invanded and Med is going to become an Allied lake. Then, some further changes may occur, as contact between various Balkan factions and western Allies will become much easier and more common.

Glad to see somebody other then me commenting on this TL.

 

[Changundramon]

Germany will be stronger, and more able to resist the Allied push, as partisan activity in former Yugoslavia is not a thing. Stalingrad would probably be a win for Germany.

 

[Tanner151]

I feel that Germany may do slightly better in Italy and the Eastern Front due to a more stable Balkans but this may not do more than add a few more months to the war, at most.

I’d have to read the timeline in full in a short amount of time so I have all the info presented.

I feel like Croatia could be a pretty powerful regional power in the ensuing Cold War.

 

[Unknown]

And the longer the Third Reich lasts, the more likely it is that the atomic bomb gets dropped on Germany...

Boy, would that trigger butterflies...

 

[Triune Kingdom]

Germany will be stronger, and more able to resist the Allied push, as partisan activity in former Yugoslavia is not a thing. Stalingrad would probably be a win for Germany.

Well, Croatia is relatively quiet in regards to partisans for now, but who knows how long that is going to last. We must also take into the account the situation in neigboring countries, especially Serbia, Italian held Dalmatia and Ragusa, from where trouble could come. Homeguard is also crippled by both infighting between the Old Guard and the Reformers and blinded by its successes against Italians as well. Old Guard is likely to oppose any and all reform, since it could be said that they are suffering from "victory disease" of sorts, since their troops have perfromed rather well against Italians, but divisions are not especially suited for counter-insurgency operations, brigades would do much better as was proven IOTL.

As for Eastern Front, only major change from OTL is somewhat stronger Croatian Airforce Legion and Latin Legion, but I do wonder how would additional bomber squadron and extra 12 thousand men change things. We also must consider that there is no Croatian Naval Legion in the Black Sea, and while I would not call their presence crucial, they did free up German troops for other duties.

I very much doubt Stalingrad ends up in German hands, that was a failure on the strategic level, and 12 thousand troops are very unlikely to change things much.

I feel that Germany may do slightly better in Italy and the Eastern Front due to a more stable Balkans but this may not do more than add a few more months to the war, at most.

I’d have to read the timeline in full in a short amount of time so I have all the info presented.

I feel like Croatia could be a pretty powerful regional power in the ensuing Cold War.

True, less need for troops in Croatia may mean that there is an additional division or so of second line troops in the East, meaning that partisan activity is somewhat reduced in some areas, meaning that line of supply are more secure and that more supplies and reinforcements get to the front line, but I do not know how much of an impact that is going to have on the general course of the war.

Italy too, Allies never had great advances in Italy mainly due to the terrain, and while situation may be better for the Axis then IOTL, one does have to take into the account that Italian morale is much shakier then IOTL, due to the Italo-Croatian war and Mussolini being replaced. We must wait and see I think.

In the grand scheme of things however, Germany may just be better off, if only in single digit percentages at best. Much more stable Croatia, which is able to both relatively succesfully police its territory, Croatian military will not have vast appetite for arms and equipment and is likely to need much less then they recieved OTL, and as we saw in previous chapter, Croatia may end up exporting much of its spare agricultural product to Germany, both foodstuffs and other things, such as already mentioned tobbaco. Then there are other raw materials, such as timber but also iron/steel from its two relatively modern ironworks (which were modernized by Germans before the war) at Zenica and Mostar respectively. These industries, along with newly renamed IBM, were capable of some rather sophisticated things, and could build relatively large modern bridges, rail tracks, ITTL two-wheeled tractors, steam engines, rolling stock and locomotives, all things that Germans would be very glad for, even if most of them are used in Croatia, since that means that Croatia is not buying/asking for those same things, and some of that may very well end up in German hands, especially if they are willing to give other things to Croatia.

Croatia could also produce some weapons, but I would say that @John_Smith should hold the final decision on that, he is the author after all.

 

[pjmidd]

Germany will be stronger, and more able to resist the Allied push, as partisan activity in former Yugoslavia is not a thing. Stalingrad would probably be a win for Germany.

Stalingrad will go like OTL, logistics are just the same so no more supplies/men can actually take part. Given the scale of the Eastern front, all the limits after the first push are basically logistical ones, its really why the Germans could not just mass everything at Moscow, railways were maxed.
As to the rest, on the scale of things, its not a lot that's freed up in terms of fighting power, most will be garrison troops that are using older kit and comprised of men not considered fit for the front line units.

 

[Triune Kingdom]

@John_Smith If you do not mind answering, what is going on with Oklopni Samovoz ITTL? It seems that it was built roughly in May of 1942, with 5 vehicles in total, so it seems reasonable to assume that they could do the same in TTL too, if not in greater quantity. Looking through what few scraps of information are availlable, it does seem to be a decent vehicle, especially considering the utter lack of experience in building and operating AFVs Homeguard of OTL had, as well as various industrial constraints they were facing. It was armed with a single HMG, a Schwarzlose in fully rotating turret and was capable of carrying 15 armed men, so I presume that is not counting the crew of the vehicle.

Main obstacle to greater amount of production is likely going to be lack of suitable chassis, since Croatia posseses no automotive industry of any sorts, barring TTLs IBM production of two-wheel tractors. In fact, OTL Homeguard had less motor vehicles then a single German division had, but I was unable to find out was that refering to infantry or motorized division. Still, motor vehicles of any sort would be very hard to procure, since Germans took as many as they could and Croatia is going to have to pay substantial aum to get more of them.

But still, this type of vehicle could prove to be immensely useful for the Homeguard, even if it is constrained to the roads due to its likely underpowered engine and/or poor off-road performance. It could provide yeoman service as internal security vehicle, give infantry support and of course serve as a primitive APC/IFV of sorts, providing whichever unit it is attached to a mobile reserve of sorts.


Second, in relation to the Čapljić program, have there been any infrastructure project planned? Things like roads, railways, bridges and irrigation projects, relatively large Keynesian style projects, which perhaps would be the most solid proof of positive change Maček and Co. are bringing to Croatia. Entire Croatian infrastructure of this time period could do with a bit of overhaul and expansion, especially railways (they could do with that in present day TBH), for both military, but even more importantly for economic reasons. Other things could prove equally important, such as draining/irrigating some areas in an effort to make those areas suitable for agriculture and/or increase their output. Some rivers could see investment, both to make them passable for traffic, thus adding to the infrastructure of the country, but also dikes/enbankments could be built, to prevent floods.


Lastly, I do want to return a bit to some parts mentioned in the latest chapter. IBM (and I do love that name BTW), is mentioned as building two-wheel tractors, which is a tremendous boost, do you perhaps have some more details on them and are they planning anything more ambitious in the future, or is all their attention taken by production of these vehicles?

If it does not spoil/reveal anything, is IBM going to be building any locomotives of their own? They should have the capability to do so (they did IOTL), and with more functional country around them, all needed raw materials should be availlable from domestic sources. So it is rather plausable that IBM could build at least a few locos, presumably German design?

It was also said that Croatia purchases fertiliser from firms both in Germany and Hungary. Has there been any thought given to starting up their own production, no matter how small it may be, because those foreign purchases are still drawing away valuable funds, funds that could perhaps be spent on something else. I do believe that Croatia could be able to start domestic production, Haber-Bosch process should be relatively well known in chemists circles, university of Zagreb should know about it, and while necessary machinery may not be within their production capabilities, most of the European nations of the time could help with that, either Axis or neutral, such as Switzerland or Sweden.

Hope you answer these questions soon, and as always, I am eagerly awaiting more!
Keep up the good work.

 

[John_Smith]

My sincere apologies for such a late reply, school got in the way, however I managed to start up the following chapter, and it should be out by the end of the week, if everything goes according to plan.

I have to admit that I am amazed at the fairly large amount of replies the recent chapter received, and I am thankful for everyone who takes the time out of their day to read and enjoy this story, it really is an amazing feeling!

Now, I will reply to everyone in a generalized message as not to create a large incomprehensible mess.

The war's progression as of July 07, 1942:

• Pacific Theater (or any other front where Japan wages war on its enemies, frankly): identical to OTL, no major changes could, in my eyes, occur from a relatively minor PoD such as the one that I had chosen and developed
• Western Front: quite similar to OTL, though there are some minor changes that will prove to be impactful in the long run, such as Reinhard Heydrich becoming the Militärbefehlshaber in Frankreich (as I believe was about to happen IOTL before his death) after succeeding von Stülpnagel following the meeting with Hitler and Kvaternik on the 1st anniversary of Barbarossa. The failure of Anthropoid, though, could result in more desperation from the Brits (also Czechs and others) to strike at the heart of the enemy, so we may expect more assassination attempts on important Axis figures, both big and small, until at least one of them succeeds
• Eastern Front: not that many changes for now, some additional troops to the 501st won't contribute that much, seeing as they suffer from the same problems as IOTL, and larger numbers don't mean a lot when you will still starve to death under the freezing covers of snow in the middle of nowhere. I did say for now, as additional twelve thousand men in the East will provide an outcome to the Battle of Stalingrad that is different from OTL, which may also provide some changes in the Continuation War, though I am still contemplating whether such a thing occurring would be realistic or not
• North Africa: better progress for the Western Allies against Rommel who has to contend with unruly Italians who are having trouble coping with the fall of Mussolini. Will likely result in a shorter campaign in North Africa, but we will see what happens and how everything will unravel.
• Balkans: as you're all aware, it is a total mess.
  • Slovenia is in a civil war between the Axis authorities, the Communist-dominated OF and remnants of the TIGR (who fought for Slavic independence from Italy since the 1920s). Largely quiet since Kidrič (OF head honcho) decided against openly fighting the Axis, instead recruiting new rebels under the cover of anonymity before finding an opportune time to strike.
  • Croatia is firmly under the control of the King and the Ban, and the Coalition dominates its political landscape, though there are problematic areas such as the Italian Governorate of Dalmatia where Communists lead the open revolt due to Maček's fears of reprisals and another war with Italy if he were to commit his time and money to fighting a proxy war against the vicious Dinara Army.
  • Ragusa is a complete hellhole. Pavelić rules with an iron fist, and with the territorial expansion that followed after Operation Durmitor (more on that in a later chapter that will be focused solely on the statelet) and a large influx of Serbian population, even more blood was shed, and it seems that with each passing day, the government gets even more careless and simply brutal against anyone they even suspect is working against them. Such a thing could have happened to Marko Došen (whose death was mentioned here) cough cough, though I am an unreliable narrator after all, so it is entirely up to you to deduce why he could've possibly died right then and there.
  • Serbia got the short end of the stick, for sure. The Draškić Government, the ZBOR, Communists, Mihailović's Chetnik Detachments, Black Chetniks, former Head Commissioner Milan Aćimović plotting behind the scenes, the SS/Wehrmacht, General Milan Nedić forming his own power base... those are only some of the factions that have a decent chance at overthrowing the shaky Draškić Government, and who knows when and if such an event might occur...
  • Montenegro is largely calm after Operation Durmitor due to Farinacci's Heydrich-style tactics used against the rebels, though there may be plots brewing in the Black Mountain for another go at the Italian governor...
  • Albania is quite similar to OTL, with the Albanian Communist Party only gaining traction during summer of 1942, though there are some rumors of Tito and Hoxha talking about joining forces, perhaps even combining both Parties into a single unit...

Wrong picture, thought of the one with three shot glasses, two up, one turned. Honestly, I could not find who those men were either, so I guess their identities will be left a mystery for the time being.

I would not go as far as having Germany be nuked, seems kind of excessive with such a minor PoD, though again, I get most of my ideas on a whim, so anything is possible, if a right chain of events is triggered.

Indeed, victory against Italy is one of the major talking points that the Teutons regularly flaunt, and with such stubborn leadership on both sides, it seems increasingly likely that some outside factor would have to contribute to the fight in some way so the deadlock may finally be broken. More on that later...

While the Teuton v. Reformist civil war might need outside factors to deduce its outcome, perhaps the Western Allies will need some inside factors to help them with their plans in Italy. Farinacci, after all, is acting like an uncivilized animal, acting much in the same vein as Pavelić, and that type of conduct can easily create an assortment of new enemies, both abroad and at home. You can't shoot an idea, I believe Tom Dewey said, and the same thing applies with Farinacci (which I promise I will cover in one of the chapters focused solely on Italy's affairs).

Correct, oklopni samovoz is created identically as IOTL, and I am well aware of how neglectful I am with regards to military matters, but I believe it would be best to save all this information for a grand initial chapter for 1943, when the Home Guard finally sorts itself out. There may be more of them made, but it all depends on how skillful Filip is with granting honorary Aryanhoods to a wide assortment of industrialists for their money while evading the watchful eyes of Kasche and the Gestapo. It all depends on the Golden Lion and his political maneuvering.

As for the Čapljić program, there will indeed be more projects. I had in mind the construction of some new hydroelectric power plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then there is the expansion of the Sisak refinery already mentioned before, new workers' settlements on the outskirts of major cities that would provide cheap housing for the working class and other people planning to move there, expanding the already existing factories in Split, Zenica and many other towns as well as the irrigation projects, though I'm unsure which river would be most desirable for such an undertaking, I have to find maps showing different kinds of soil in Croatia and Bosnia first, and then many other things in order to make the best assessment of the situation. Naturally, all of those things will be showcased in the upcoming economy-centered chapters, hopefully they will not disappoint, seeing as there is a lot of information to cover!

There is still money left even after the construction of two-wheel tractors, though there may arise a problem of having them break down, because at first, most of the material utilized for them was quite expensive and of high quality, but after seeing the demand for them being so high, the IBM decided to cut back a bit on them in order to save money for other projects while trying to please their would-be customers. We will have to see what the future holds for that kind of company policy. As for design, I did not give it much detailed thought, other than they should be similar, if not identical to the stuff that the Swiss SIMAR produced in the 1930s.

Of course, I forgot to say this before, but seeing as not much has changed on the economic front in comparison to this exact same time IOTL (no forceful nationalization, for one), everything that a company such as IBM produced IOTL will continue being produced ITTL, seeing as Maček's laissez-faire approach toward the industrialists leaves them all only to worry about the Gestapo and the Nazis, who may still get hindered by Filip's generous offers, as was the case with Ehrmann in the previous chapter. The design, predictably, will have to be German, a Croatia is still firmly in the German sphere of influence after everything that had occurred in 1941.

For now, foreign imports will have to do, but Čapljić seems like a man with a plan, so such a development is certainly in the realm of possibility, although I have not given it much thought until you brought it to my attention, and thank you for that! I will think more about this as I continue writing, because it seems doable, all I got to do is find some real-life chemists who were present at the Uni and decide whether they would be formidable enough for the task at hand.

Again, thank you all for your replies and inquiries, I am incredibly grateful to have all of you read and comment on my story, it means a lot, and it certainly provides more inspiration for future stuff that will come soon!

 

[Triune Kingdom]

Thank you for your reply.

As for the changes occuring due to the POD I do agree with most of the things written, but I do have to say a few things.

Pacific should go as OTL for now, as there is very little chance that different Croatia will have an impact there. However, Indian Ocean could see some changes if the British manage to wrap up North Africa quicker, as that area was constantly starved of men and resources, but I do not know how much of an impact that could have. At the very least Commonwealth forces could advance further into Burma/Malaya then they did IOTL.

It is very reasonable to presume that there is going to be Italian Campaign ITTL too, since Stalin is screaming for a second front and Western Allies are likely to oblige him. Main obstacle Anglo-Americans face in the Med is the lack of specialized landing craft, so it is reasonable to presume that invasion of Sicily and Italy is going to go according to OTL timetable. But if the North Africa is secured earlier, Med will be opened for Allied shipping sooner, which could have substantial impact on the shipping availlable to the Allies, since ships do not have to go around Africa, which means that other changes could follow.

Changes in the West I am not sure about, since I do not know how will Heydrich impact the situation. Maybe we are going to see much weakened French Resistance, causing problems for the Allies when they invade? But then again, Allies will have much more shipping availlable to play around and chances of Germans actually managing to stop them are miniscule, and I would dare to say that with butterflies flying around Allies may yet do better then OTL.

Eastern Front may see more changes, but I am less knowledgeable about it. I am interested to see what Latin Legion gets up too, and especially how that may change the Stalingrad battle. Also of interest is the mention of Continuation war, Finland and Croatia are not two countries one may expect to see cooperating, or even having any contact at all, so I am very eager to see where you take this.


Balkans are a mess, but it is not like we could expect anything else. Croatia seems like an island of peace in comparison to most of its neighbors, but one does wonder how long will that last, especially with Dinara army causing problems and Communists biding their time.


As for Croatia, its military may be compared to a giant, but with clay feet, especially since there are conflict between various factions within it. War with Italy has given them a lot of false confidence, and they are in fact behind where they were IOTL organisation wise, since I believe Mountain Brigades were created around April/May of 42, if I am not mistaken. But I am interested to see who/what is this "factor" who will push them to reorganize their military.

It is good to hear that Oklopni Samovoz still comes into being, and hopefully more then 5 get built ITTL. Maybe its name should be changed to something even more "novo-hrvatski", but putting that aside, internal security of Croatia would certainly be increased with more of them, and would make Croatia somewhat less dependant on Germany, even in a very small way. They would be roudbound, since I do not see civilian truck chassis, weighed down by armour performing well off-road, but just having them around may serve as a detterance to any possible foes, as well as being practicaly invulnerable to most of the things both Partisans and Četniks could throw at it, at least for the time being.


As for the economy I must say that I am very pleased to hear how things are progressing. Tractors especially, that is a great step forwards, and even of they are not all that reliable, they will still help a lot in mechanising the agriculture.

Investment into industry in general is a good news as well, especially government being more or less hands-off in regards to economy. Some things may yet end up as government property, industries that may be considered vital or strategic in some way, such as oil refinery, so that should be recognized.

Hydroelectric dams are also good news, even if they are only for local needs, not a part of unified electric network. If you have trouble placing them just look where most of the dams are today in Croatia and BiH and you should have a better idea. Electricity matters a lot, not just economy wise, but it is one of the most notable signs of progress to a lot of people, and the dams may serve as both a valuable propaganda piece, as well as a source of jobs for a great many people.

Getting homes built around cities to house workers for the expanding industries is a nice too. They are very likely to do what was done IOTL, creating relatively simple homes, with 3 rooms+kitchen, decent yard, a tool shed/timber storage and a chicken coop. Considering these homes will have both running water as well as electricity, they are going to be a massive improvement over many homes in the country at the time. Suburbs, Croatian style .

As for IBM building locomotives, I do believe they are capable of doing so, and they should start building them as soon as they can. Railways are crucial to Croatia since motor transport is practicaly nonexistant, and only way to transport people and goods in any reasonable time and quantity are railways. What locomotives should they be building I do not know unfortunately, steam locomotives are not something I know in any great detail, but considering that Germany is here, something along the lines of Kriegslok types are a very likely option.

Lastly, in regards to the production of synthetic fertilizer I do consider this to be rather important to Croatia, with its massive reliance on agriculture, which can benefit immensely from having access to it, both in greater quantity and at a lesser cost, then relying on imports. We are after all talking about technology that has been around for nearly 30 years, so it is well within the realms of possible that at least a few Croatian chemists know about the principles behind it. Even if hardware needed for it is impossible to produce domesticaly (which I think Croatia could just about do in my very uneducated opinion), Switzerland could sell some, as they did during WW1 for Austria-Hungary, if I am not mistaken. And let us not forget Germany too could provide at least some expertise......

That is all from me, keep up the good work.

 

[John_Smith]

Contemplating over the things that have passed long ago seemed like an unwise venture, now that he thought about it closely. Perhaps keeping himself calm and collected was the smarter route to take, considering where he found himself at that particular moment, though he could not help it. His thoughts kept wandering to his childhood, when he was merely a little boy, enjoying the amused gazes his parents sent in his direction as he played some childish games with Tomislav and Andrej [1], his beloved brothers who still carried the flame of all the memories each time he saw them in the present. And it hurts. Being a naive ten-year-old who didn't know any better, he felt as if a brick wall had descended on his tiny shaking form upon receiving the news of that godforsaken car ride in Marseille...

He clearly remembers air being knocked out of his lungs as his mother spoke almost incomprehensibly through tears, barely above a whisper, and his world crashing down afterwards. His father had passed too early, leaving him and his brothers to struggle to find their rightful place in the world without one of their parents. Despite uncle Paul and his mother trying to counsel him at every step of the way, it still did not feel the same. He missed Father, but he also understood that his legacy would live on so long as he accomplished at least the modicum of his father's achievements. He was called the Unifier (Ujedinitelj) after all, and the young king was aware that now, without even a piece of land under his control, the similarities between his and Father's own position in 1915 grew ever more apparent, and the fiery desire for proving himself, both to his late father and to his people, burned deep inside his loins with each new return to reality.

Minister Jovanović advised to openly announce his arrival to the United States of America, in order to make his existence known to the American people, and so he did [2]. He knew that with all the attention aimed at him, he had to make the most out of his time spent with President Roosevelt. In his speech before Congress, Peter II stressed Yugoslavia's importance to the USA in the post-war world order and insisted on avenging the embarrassing defeat of his nation due to Croat betrayal that had occurred almost immediately after the Bombing of Belgrade. Whilst such passionate, perhaps even phobic rhetoric might've possessed a harsh veneer of strong self-righteousness if spoken by an older man, much of it came off as mere dramatic ramblings of an angered teenager, much to the chagrin of congressmen present for the speech, who ended Peter's fifteen minutes of fame with an awkward applause. The young King played back the delivery in his mind, at points regretting some of his chosen words to describe almost a fourth of his traitorous constituency before quickly reminding himself that Father had done the same during his reign, and so will the loyal Son.

King Peter II (center of the rostrum) addresses the House of Representatives in the company of Sam Rayburn (right of center), 43rd Speaker of the House
​

Then also came the issue of marriage. Despite being only eighteen, the young man was more than aware of the need to seal the pact with someone who would bring more than enough support to his harried cause. Much of the royalty escaped Western Europe once the Nazis invaded, allowing the torchbearer of the Karađorđević dynasty some semblance of choice in the matter of deciding who he would receive significant help from as well as bear him his heirs to the Yugoslav throne he was about to restore. His first choice was Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark whom he met in April 1942, though he was advised not to continue his meetings with her by Minister Jovanović and especially his mother, Queen Maria, who warned Peter that having a leader marry during a national emergency would cause immense backlash, according to Serbian tradition, thinking it may show the royals as out of touch with the distressed commoners. The young King, already wary of the men he blindly placed his trust in, decided to heed his few remaining allies' warnings, and broke all contact with the princess [3]. Luckily for the royal Yugoslav family, a sudden, wholly positive event after a series of unfortunate happenings allowed Peter to compensate for the loss after a chance encounter with Princess Elisabeth, second daughter of the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, shortly after one of his rare few meetings with Premier Churchill in the King's capital. As late night walks began to be counted in fortnights, then weeks, then months, a realization dawned on Peter one starry night in early July as he observed the papers of a potential Greek-Yugoslav post-war confederation he grew distant from with each new day – she is the one. Despite being forbidden from proposing, his heavy heart could still be soothed with the fact that, upon revealing the situation to her, she replied that she would wait for him, her words illuminated with honesty and earnestness.

Unfortunately, he could rest only for a moment.

„A sight most peculiar, wouldn't you say?“

Peter looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he looked up at the other occupant of the room whose words retrieved his jumbled thoughts back to reality. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's rigid figure stood close to the White House windows, peeking through the minuscule space in order to observe some thing or the other happening outside. His sturdy, untouchable posture made the President of the United States resemble a natural leader, an Atlas bearing the weight of the world on his dog-tired shoulders, a duty he was dead-set on fulfilling after the horrors of December 1941.

„Pardon me, Mister President?“

„Come.“

He beckoned with a cautious move of his hand, and Peter obliged. Much as he would have preferred to remain seated and continue attempting to convince Roosevelt to throw his weight behind the Yugoslav throne, Peter knew better than to refuse his ally's offer, and with curiosity poking his insides, he stood up and joined Roosevelt by his side, peering through the small slit where light passed into the Oval Office. Not seeing much at first, his sight was quickly directed by Roosevelt's index finger.

In the distance, a large crowd had assembled outside the fences that closed off the Executive Mansion from the remainder of Washington DC. None of them seemed all that pleased about the King's publicized visit to America, if hundreds of resentful protest signs waving in the gentle summer breeze were anything to go by. „Death to Yugoslavia“, „Save the Croats, Mr. President“, „Shame on Yugoslavia“ written in both English and Croatian, and at least a couple dozen large pieces of carton attached to wooden sticks that had his kingly name overwritten with a menacing red X. It seemed obvious to him – they were out for blood. He felt ice beginning to flow through his veins as his throat ran dry with anger. Roosevelt noticed his contracted pupils, and decided to close the blinds and allow the pleasant darkness to engulf the increasingly constrictive office.

„K-k---…“

„What is it, Your Majesty?“

„Disperse them, please.“

„I am afraid that cannot be done.“

„Why?!“

„There were--- are no transgressions made by the protesters that would warrant such a rushed response.“

„They are Axis spies! All of them! They demand of you to recognize their little fascist wet dream all the while they destroy the equitable order your own man built not even three decades ago!“

„With all due respect, but if such a thing were to occur on American soil, they shall be dealt with accordingly. Insofar as this protest goes, it is conducted fairly and obediently to our own laws, therefore I shall merely let it pass quietly.“

Indeed, FDR was right in his calm, measured response. The protest, whose organization began with the public announcement of Peter's American tour in mid-June, started early on Tuesday, July 21 with the assembly of fifty protesters at 7 AM, though by 4 PM there were about twelve hundred protesters gathered in front of the White House, chanting the Croatian national anthem and combining it with many native insults aimed at Peter II and the former Yugoslav regime. According to some sources, the American Croats of the Croatian Fraternal Union [4] funded the train tickets for some people from as far as California, though the vast majority of the men, women and children carrying the signs were either from Pittsburgh [5] or from the American capital itself.

„I must have my nation back.“

„I understand, Your Majesty, but my people need to keep their focus on the Japanese before anything else. We have already promised to commit our forces to North Africa soon in order to send the Germans and the Italians into the Mediterranean Sea where they belong, but before we take back Europe, we must gauge our people's fighting ability, and there is no better nor more fitting testing ground than the sands of Africa.“

Stalling – not an honorable tactic by any means, as grouchy Churchill would say, but it will have to do to calm the young royal for now. He knew not what was to happen to post-war Europe, especially since the British Prime Minister had his own grand, idealistic visions of what was to happen, though he seemed as unsure of what he was saying as his own thoughts were, so much was still left up in the air.

Peter seemed on the verge of hyperventilating, but FDR's offer of a cigar and a glass of water helped calm him down, and he remained in the White House until the crowd dispersed and it was deemed safe for him to leave. It was an arduous process, and during the night, as everyone slowly left for their homes after one final folk song about some rising Ban or the other [6], Peter played back his trip to New York that happened a few days ago.

One group of protesters in front of the White House, July 21, 1942
​

Not surprising at all, he thought to himself as he observed the old man's apartment, the entire scene reminding him of all those American films where a mad, strangely-accented scientist's lab attacks the watcher's eyes with kooky goings-on and eccentric details. Not a particle of dust could be seen, either in the air or on the numerous surfaces [7] across the suitably decorated apartment. The numerous unconventionalities still did not prevent Peter from concluding that quantity, indeed, was far from being the same as quality, as one of his advisors noted in passing, „This man does not have a penny to his name…“, remarking that many of the things found positioned across the scientist's apartment could be found in New York's flea markets, all worn with years, possibly decades of use.

The reasons for visiting Room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel were innumerable, though the one that was considered most urgent by the exiled Yugoslav government was the need for political recognition of their cause by non-political and non-military persons alike, and what better candidate could Slobodan Jovanović decide on than the man himself – Nikola Tesla. A living legend by now, stories of the Smiljan-born man's achievements were plentiful, his reach history extending well into his eighth decade on this planet. The whole world bowed to Tesla as a sign of respect for all the inventions he had provided for its inhabitants, but all the embroidered words of lionization would have been lost to anyone who had the displeasure of seeing the man at eighty-six years of age for the first time.

Silver hair and a frighteningly thin frame hidden almost completely beneath his simple black coat, his aquiline nose was centered beneath two eyes that Peter felt pain for each time he looked deep into them. Years of betrayal, false promises and arduous work took their toll on the old man, his light blue orbs [8] screaming the fact to everyone who gazed into them. Fortunately for the young exile, the mere fact that Tesla, despite his well-known pro-hygienic obsessions, declared that shaking hands with him is allowed, gave an assuring sign that things would proceed smoothly from then on. And they certainly did, as well as the visit to Mihajlo Pupin's [9] room at Columbia University and Roosevelt's mention of minor Lend-Lease aid about to be sent to Minister Mihailović in occupied Yugoslavia by the end of the year.

Most of the meeting was a blur in the mind of the King, his nerves simply getting the better of him at the exciting prospects of finally conversing with the most famous living Serbian man, thus he could hardly remember the exact words that were exchanged almost two weeks back. All he recalled were showers of praise raining down onto his cause and all the people who stood behind him, and he more than welcomed the change in comparison to seemingly disinterested Roosevelt and Churchill.

Peter was more than hopeful, because if a man of Tesla's stature, one who had gone through so much suffering, backstabbing and enmity from everyone around him, managed to so eagerly assert his words in support of the young Karađorđević, then surely there was no fault to everything that the royal espoused. Or so he thought. Immediately after leaving Tesla's apartment, photos with the King, the scientist and members of the Jovanović cabinet were widely publicized in all pro-Yugoslav diaspora newspapers and publications, giving Peter II additional faith in what he hoped would be a post-war Yugoslavia with him at the helm, and all its internal enemies thoroughly taken care of, with force if necessary.

After the protesters dispersed, Peter took the first chance for catching up on his sleep, and as he dozed off in his hotel room in Washington, Tesla's words, some more exaggerated than others, followed his troublous path to unsure dreams filled with invasions, guerillas, shrewd politicians and heaps of bloodshed.

„I am certain that you would grow up to be a great ruler…“

„I am proud to be a Serb and a Yugoslav…“

„Our people must not perish…“

„I cannot wait to live to see the moment when you finally come back to a liberated Yugoslavia…“

„Preserve our unity…“

„Guard Yugoslavia…“ [10]

And so he shall.

Nikola Tesla (left) moments after his handshake with King Peter II (right)

*****
​

[1] In an attempt to strengthen Yugoslav unity, King Alexander I chose for all his sons to be born in a different country of Yugoslavia. Firstborn Peter (named after Alexander's father) was born in Belgrade (Serbia), secondborn Tomislav (named after the first King of Croatia) was planned to be born in Zagreb, but bad weather prevented it, so he was born in Belgrade as well, while thirdborn Prince Andrew was born in Bled (Slovenia).
[2] IOTL Peter entered the United States unannounced, if this Serbianna article is to be believed, but ITTL he has decided to publicize every single movement of his in order to bolster his image, both in the eyes of the Western Allies as well as the Yugoslav diaspora whose funds will be more than helpful if Peter is to retake Yugoslavia.
[3] IOTL the King did not listen to his advisors, and news of the engagement produced outrage in Peter's homeland, leading to his reputation taking a major hit. ITTL, knowing full well that he has to be careful after Maček turned almost a third of the nation against him, decides to break contact with the Princess, thus the OTL marriage never comes to pass.
[4] Hrvatska bratska zajednica (HBZ) is the oldest as well as largest fraternal benefit society of North American Croats whose headquarters are located in Pittsburgh, PA. Founded in 1894, its main goal, from its inception to today, is the preservation of Croatian culture in North America.
[5] One of the areas in the US with the largest Croat population.
[6] Referencing the patriotic song Rise, Ban (Ustani, bane) that yearns for the return of a Croat as skilled and as glorious as Ban Jelačić. Interestingly enough, despite being one of the most popular patriotic songs in Croatia, it was written by Ognjeslav Utješinović Ostrožinski, Croatian Serb writer, politician and participant of Gaj's Illyrian movement.
[7] Tesla was a notorious germaphobe, fearing all types of uncleanliness, as shown by his tendency to always wash his hands three times in a row (part of his rather specific obsession with the number three).
[8] According to Tesla, years upon years of intense brain usage changed his eye color from dark blue to lighter shades, though there is no scientific evidence to back up his claim.
[9] Most likely the second most famous Serbian inventor of all time, right after Tesla. His numerous patents are included on this list.
[10] Tesla's actual words, at least according to King Peter II himself, who quoted Tesla's words in his diaries A King's Heritage.

 

[John_Smith]

Thank you for your reply.

As for the changes occuring due to the POD I do agree with most of the things written, but I do have to say a few things.

Pacific should go as OTL for now, as there is very little chance that different Croatia will have an impact there. However, Indian Ocean could see some changes if the British manage to wrap up North Africa quicker, as that area was constantly starved of men and resources, but I do not know how much of an impact that could have. At the very least Commonwealth forces could advance further into Burma/Malaya then they did IOTL.

It is very reasonable to presume that there is going to be Italian Campaign ITTL too, since Stalin is screaming for a second front and Western Allies are likely to oblige him. Main obstacle Anglo-Americans face in the Med is the lack of specialized landing craft, so it is reasonable to presume that invasion of Sicily and Italy is going to go according to OTL timetable. But if the North Africa is secured earlier, Med will be opened for Allied shipping sooner, which could have substantial impact on the shipping availlable to the Allies, since ships do not have to go around Africa, which means that other changes could follow.

Changes in the West I am not sure about, since I do not know how will Heydrich impact the situation. Maybe we are going to see much weakened French Resistance, causing problems for the Allies when they invade? But then again, Allies will have much more shipping availlable to play around and chances of Germans actually managing to stop them are miniscule, and I would dare to say that with butterflies flying around Allies may yet do better then OTL.

Eastern Front may see more changes, but I am less knowledgeable about it. I am interested to see what Latin Legion gets up too, and especially how that may change the Stalingrad battle. Also of interest is the mention of Continuation war, Finland and Croatia are not two countries one may expect to see cooperating, or even having any contact at all, so I am very eager to see where you take this.


Balkans are a mess, but it is not like we could expect anything else. Croatia seems like an island of peace in comparison to most of its neighbors, but one does wonder how long will that last, especially with Dinara army causing problems and Communists biding their time.


As for Croatia, its military may be compared to a giant, but with clay feet, especially since there are conflict between various factions within it. War with Italy has given them a lot of false confidence, and they are in fact behind where they were IOTL organisation wise, since I believe Mountain Brigades were created around April/May of 42, if I am not mistaken. But I am interested to see who/what is this "factor" who will push them to reorganize their military.

It is good to hear that Oklopni Samovoz still comes into being, and hopefully more then 5 get built ITTL. Maybe its name should be changed to something even more "novo-hrvatski", but putting that aside, internal security of Croatia would certainly be increased with more of them, and would make Croatia somewhat less dependant on Germany, even in a very small way. They would be roudbound, since I do not see civilian truck chassis, weighed down by armour performing well off-road, but just having them around may serve as a detterance to any possible foes, as well as being practicaly invulnerable to most of the things both Partisans and Četniks could throw at it, at least for the time being.


As for the economy I must say that I am very pleased to hear how things are progressing. Tractors especially, that is a great step forwards, and even of they are not all that reliable, they will still help a lot in mechanising the agriculture.

Investment into industry in general is a good news as well, especially government being more or less hands-off in regards to economy. Some things may yet end up as government property, industries that may be considered vital or strategic in some way, such as oil refinery, so that should be recognized.

Hydroelectric dams are also good news, even if they are only for local needs, not a part of unified electric network. If you have trouble placing them just look where most of the dams are today in Croatia and BiH and you should have a better idea. Electricity matters a lot, not just economy wise, but it is one of the most notable signs of progress to a lot of people, and the dams may serve as both a valuable propaganda piece, as well as a source of jobs for a great many people.

Getting homes built around cities to house workers for the expanding industries is a nice too. They are very likely to do what was done IOTL, creating relatively simple homes, with 3 rooms+kitchen, decent yard, a tool shed/timber storage and a chicken coop. Considering these homes will have both running water as well as electricity, they are going to be a massive improvement over many homes in the country at the time. Suburbs, Croatian style .

As for IBM building locomotives, I do believe they are capable of doing so, and they should start building them as soon as they can. Railways are crucial to Croatia since motor transport is practicaly nonexistant, and only way to transport people and goods in any reasonable time and quantity are railways. What locomotives should they be building I do not know unfortunately, steam locomotives are not something I know in any great detail, but considering that Germany is here, something along the lines of Kriegslok types are a very likely option.

Lastly, in regards to the production of synthetic fertilizer I do consider this to be rather important to Croatia, with its massive reliance on agriculture, which can benefit immensely from having access to it, both in greater quantity and at a lesser cost, then relying on imports. We are after all talking about technology that has been around for nearly 30 years, so it is well within the realms of possible that at least a few Croatian chemists know about the principles behind it. Even if hardware needed for it is impossible to produce domesticaly (which I think Croatia could just about do in my very uneducated opinion), Switzerland could sell some, as they did during WW1 for Austria-Hungary, if I am not mistaken. And let us not forget Germany too could provide at least some expertise......

That is all from me, keep up the good work.

I agree, it all depends on how quickly Rommel is defeated in Africa, and I'm still deciding on just how much he would be hindered by demoralized Italians as Americans slowly start joining that particular theater.

Additionally, despite how tough and rigid Farinacci's new system seems, it really is even more unstable than you may already think it is. Think NDH in 1941 but in a country the size of Italy... If WAllies play their cards right, they may have a shot of knocking out Italy faster than IOTL.

Heydrich's appearance will certainly prove to be a gigantic burden to the resistance, and with him in France, the Jews in France are going to be in a world of trouble. Again, changes always warrant someone getting screwed while others triumph, and I think that is the whole point of a fair and balanced alternate history, which I hope to achieve here. With the chance of Allies progressing in Europe faster, many of its remaining innocent citizens will die due to a tyrant surviving his intended demise from OTL.

Believe me, I am just as interested as you are into the final outcome of it all! It is a fairly complicated idea already, and it is going to take a lot of time to properly incorporate into the rest of the story, but I'm still hopeful it will all end up going well in the end (writing-wise at least, who knows what characters will get screwed over more with the changes I had in mind...).

Some regions are more fortunate than others, places such as Zagorje, Slavonia and East Syrmia are fairly quiet and stable, while places with large former JNS-voting blocs (Bosanska Krajina/Bosnian Frontier, Eastern Bosnia) are much more prone to rebellion and instability as the Coalition has trouble trying to set up shop there.

There will be loads of those, some more obvious than others, but I hope to see them all make some sense in the end, because it really is complicated, even more so when trying to come up with a fitting way to introducing them all into the story, but there will be at least five more parts focused solely on the conflict itself, and everything will be established when the story calls for it.

I think that having quite flawed vehicles is to be expected, especially when there are no specialized industries for creating them in Croatia, but even in that case, having more of them will be more than welcome if guerillas start coming out of the woodwork again, just so the dependence on Germany becomes lessened, even by little.

I agree, some things deemed important will be nationalized, of course, but most things are still left to do according to what they deem is most fitting, which creates a much better working relationship between many industrialists in Croatia and the Croat government. Oil, whenever the Sisak refinery is finally expanded, will be among the largest and most important nationalized industries that the war-time government will have in its possession.

I will consider them all, thank you for your input! Hopefully everything will be successfully covered in the next economic chapter, but if not, there's always the third one to add.

It seems quite plausible, as well as doable, so I will keep it in mind and try to develop the idea into something worthwhile that would realistically help the Croat cause.

 

[Changundramon]

Didn't Tesla consider himself a Croat of Serb lineage, in real life?

I had no idea that America-based Croats actually held protests in real life.

 

[John_Smith]

Didn't Tesla consider himself a Croat of Serb lineage, in real life?

I had no idea that America-based Croats actually held protests in real life.

IIRC he called Croatia his homeland, while by nationality he considered himself a Serb. With such a split I'd say it is understandable of him to want to see Yugoslavia restored, where both his place of birth and place of origin are fused together, plus in his (>86-year-old, apolitical<) eyes Maček could have easily tainted himself by aligning/plotting with the Axis to break Yugoslavia apart, especially with the feverish amount of propaganda that the Jovanović cabinet is trying to sell to the diaspora (whom he was a part of).

They actually didn't. Very quickly after the establishment of the NDH IOTL, the HBZ declared its support for the American government in hopes of distancing itself as much as possible from Pavelić's regime, even proclaiming it equal in status and respect to the Nedić regime in Serbia. The US government also cracked down on the pro-Ustaše Domobran publication, which also waged a devastating propaganda war against the Serbian National Defense (Srpska narodna obrana) and its Američki Srbobran publication which additionally crippled its work, but ITTL, with an almost universally beloved figure leading the country, the HBZ looks on the Kingdom in a much more favorable light, and with contacts from embassies and consulates in neutral countries, the HSS managed to get into contact with the diaspora and organize a large peaceful protest against King Peter II and to hopefully make FDR realize that the Croats could be trusted (even if the whole idea behind the protest is quite idealistic), which is precisely what happened in the latest chapter.