The Annexion

Abstract

On April 6, 1941, at six in the morning, the Axis powers, without any declaration of war, attacked Yugoslavia. In Slovenia, operations were particularly rapid. The Italian Second Army, commanded by General Vittorio Ambrosio, was involved on the “Giulia front,” that is, on the part of the border between Italy and Yugoslavia that corresponded with Slovenia. The Second Army was made up of the Fifth and Eleventh Army Corps. The Fifth Army Corps had, under it, the Sassari, Bergamo, and Lombardia divisions, while the Eleventh Army Corps, under the command of General Mario Robotti, was formed of the Re and Isonzo divisions. There were few clashes and already by April 11 the Italians had their first successes with the occupation of Logatec and Sussak. On the same day, General Mario Roatta (at the time head of the army general staff), in a lightning strike, entered Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, with two platoons of motorcyclists, in order to take the city before the Germans did. On April 15, the front completely collapsed, and Yugoslav troops began to surrender en masse. On April 18, at noon, the unconditional surrender signed at Belgrade the day before came into effect.¹