Jugoslawen beim Führer. Hitlers Begegnungen mit jugoslawischen Staatsmännern im Zweiten Weltkrieg
Yugoslavs Meet the Führer. Hitler’s Encounters with Yugoslav Statesmen in World War II

Summary/Abstract: Hitler’s visitors fom 1940 to 1944 (3 Yugoslavs, 14 Croats, 1 Serb), portrayed here in varying degrees of detail, represented diverging states: 1). The sovereign Kingdom of Yugoslavia, courted by Hitler, but never put under pressure, until the end of March 1941, 2) the seemingly sovereign Independent Croatian State of the Ustasha fom April 1941 to 1945. In reality, this unstable state depended on Germany and, temporarily, also on Italy. 3). The even weaker rump Serbia, occupied by the Wehrmacht fom April 1941. Only afer several months of eforts, Hitler succeeded in persuading the Yugoslav Government to accede their country to the Tree Power Pact; a step without any practical importance due to a change of government. Until mid-1943, the Croats sought primarily Hitler’s backing against Italian dominance, with which they were partially successful. They always confidently and in some cases successfully represented the interests of their country. Hitler sympathized with the Croatians, due among other things to his Austrian origins. In contrast, he disliked and mistrusted the Serbs, so that he hosted their Prime Minister Nedić only once. Since hardly any information is available about this encounter, its comparative assessment is not possible.

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