Führer Directive No. 25
총통 지령 25호
Führer Directive No. 25 was the German war directive issued by Adolf Hitler on 27 March 1941, immediately after the Yugoslav military coup. It ordered Yugoslavia to be treated as an enemy and destroyed as a state, while setting the political and strategic direction for the Balkan campaign in coordination with the invasion of Greece.
In depth
The directive stipulated that Yugoslavia was to remain an enemy even if the new government declared its loyalty. It planned a converging attack toward Belgrade from the Fiume–Graz and Sofia areas, the destruction of the Yugoslav army, territorial separation, and the seizure of the Danube route and the copper mines at Bor. It ordered the Luftwaffe to attack Belgrade and Yugoslav airfields and linked the assault to Operation Marita against Greece. The Axis invasion began on 6 April 1941, after which Yugoslavia surrendered and was partitioned among occupying powers and client regimes.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (supports the directive's date, German title, response to the 27 March 1941 coup, order to destroy Yugoslavia as a state, invasion plan, and partition consequences)
- encyclopedia.ushmm.org (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, supports the coup, Hitler's order on 27 March, 6 April invasion, Axis partition, and occupation consequences)