Mjere vlasti Nezavisne Države Hrvatske za pripremu i provedbu evakuacije Slavonije i Srijema (jesen 1944. - proljeće 1945.)
MEASURES AND PLANS OF THE AUTHORITIES OF THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROATIA FOR EVACUATION OF SLAVONIA AND SRIJEM (AUTUMN 1944 – SPRING 1945)

Summary/Abstract: In this paper the author presents how the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH) prepared and conducted the evacuation of Slavonia and parts of Srijem (Sirmium) during the last months of the World War II. During the autumn of 1944 Soviet Red Army and Tito’s Partisans captured Belgrade and eastern Srijem. With such turn of events northeastern borders of NDH came in the vicinity of the Eastern front. Because of such negative development representatives of German Reich decided to evacuate ethnic Germans from Srijem and Slavonia to Reich. Possible Soviet and Partisan invasion of northeastern parts of NDH forced its authorities to plan and partly conduct evacuation of these areas. Evacuation plans included the evacuation of civilian population as well as goods toward the central Croatia. But during late 1944 and early 1945 German army and Croatian Armed Forces managed to halt the further advance of Partisan forces and retained control of parts of Sirmium and Slavonia into the early 1945. Because of the withdrawal of German army in spring of 1945, accompanied by the offensive of Tito’s army, NDH authorities were fi nally forced to conduct complete evacuation of Srijem and Slavonia during the April of 1945, withdrawing toward west and the Croatian capital Zagreb. In early May of 1945 NDH authorities, armed forces and large number of Croatian civilians began the withdrawal toward the Western allies, abandoning Zagreb and moving through Slovenian lands toward present day Austria. The article also presents general guidelines of NDH authorities prepared during late 1944 that covered the problem of evacuation of its authorities, population and goods from the parts of its territory that were in danger of falling into the hands of Partisans and other enemies. Evacuation of Srijem and Slavonia in April of 1945 was partly conducted along these guidelines. NDH government also made plans for withdrawal of its leadership, army and parts of civilian population to German Reich, in case that Croatia had to be completely abandoned. But this was never carried out, because German Reich capitulated in May of 1945 and could no longer offer a safe heaven for representatives of NDH.

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