Review article
THE FIRST REBELLION IN THE NAZI ARMY – THE UPRISINGOF THE 13TH PIONEER BATTALION OF THE 13TH DIVISION »CROATIA« ON 17 SEPTEMBER 1943 IN VILLEFRANCHE-DE-ROUERGUE
Zdravko Dizdar
; Institute of Contemporary History, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Eager to meet the tendency of Bosnian Muslims to seek independence from the Independent State of Croatia under a direct protectorate of the Third Reich, Germans wanted to create the 13th SS division »Croatia« and its 13th pioneer battalion in May 1943 exclusively of Muslims, while the Croatian government wanted to have both Muslims and Catholics included. After a training period in Germany, the battalion, made up mostly of Muslims, was moved to Villefranche-de-Rouergue in southern France. Midnight of the 16 Setember 1943, a planned rebellion broke, which was the first resistance movement in France. The insurgence, however, was crushed, and many were killed or arrested; very few escaped and joined the French resistance movement. Because of its »Croat connection«, this theme was not a welcome subject of research in former Yugoslavia, and this article is the first step in that direction.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
210121
URI
Publication date:
1.4.1994.
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