April 6, 2016
It was 1941, April, when the smell of gunpowder, smoke and ashes ruined one of the most beautiful months in Belgrade. The serenity of this spring morning was disrupted by the sounds of German planes and death-dealing projectiles. The streets were resonating with spine-chilling sounds and deafening fear. The most devastating attack in the history of the Serbian capital – the Nazi bombing of Belgrade – had just begun.
[Without war being declared or a warning sent by the Nazis, the Germans attacked on the 6th of April, 1941], and the capital of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia lost a significant part of its residential buildings and infrastructure as well as many cultural monuments. Over 200 German bombers flew over Belgrade on that hellish morning. In four air strikes they deployed over 360 tons of bombs. However, the devastation didn’t end here.
In the following two days, 484 aircraft took part in the attack on Belgrade and of these, 234 were bombers and 120 were fighter aircraft. The precise number of casualties remains unknown but it is supposedly around the 2,274 mark. The German estimates of the Yugoslav casualties were between 1,500 and 1,700.
In these cruel attacks on Belgrade, the parts of the city around the Main railway station, Slavija, Senjak, the city centre and the Terazije square, governmental buildings in Nemanjina street and those in Knez Miloš street, and most of the residential area in Dorćol were severely damaged. The National Library, once located in Kosančićev venac, was completely destroyed, with over 300,000 books (which was the entire library fund) including invaluable copies, lost in the fire.
According to Darko Ćirić, a renowned historian, out of 19,641 buildings which existed in Belgrade before the war, 9,365 were destroyed or damaged. 8,000 families were left without a roof over their heads.
According to numerous historical experts, the April attack was Hitler’s retribution for the 27th of March, 1941 when the ruling trio of Cvetković-Maček and the regent Pavle Karađorđević were overthrown [in a coup] for signing a pact with Germany. This is why many think that the bombing was Hitler’s personal vengeance and therefore had a political-terrorist character.
The coup of March 27 basically determined the fate of Yugoslavia and paved its road to the group of countries opposing Nazi Germany. As soon as news of the coup reached the people, in Belgrade and in the whole of Yugoslavia, mass street demonstrations took place in support of the coup.
"Bolje rat nego pakt” (roughly translated “Better a war than the pact”) and “Bolje grob nego rob” (“Better the grave than a slave”) were the words that marked the famous coup. Soon after, Winston Churchill, Britain’s leader, stated that “Yugoslavia found its soul.” [Shortly after that, the brutal attacks by Germany began.] Yugoslavia was torn into pieces and the Nazi occupiers formed the so-called Independent state of Croatia...
The Yugoslav army capitulated on the 17th of April.
If you would like to get in touch with me, Aleksandra, please feel free to contact me at email@example.com
Aprili ya 1941 ilikuwa mwezi wa kwanza wa mwaka wa vita, wakati harufu ya risasi, moshi na majivu iliharibu moja ya miezi bora zaidi ya Belgrade. Utulivu wa asubuhi hiyo ya masika ulivurugwa na sauti za ndege za Ujerumani na makombora yenye kuua. Barabara zilikuwa na sauti zenye kuogopesha na hofu yenye kufadhaisha. Shambulio lenye uharibifu mkubwa zaidi katika historia ya mji mkuu wa Serbia - mabomu ya Nazi ya Belgrade - yalikuwa yameanza tu. "Hata hivyo, ""bila vita kuangazwa au onyo kutumwa na Nazi, Wajerumani walishambulia Aprili 6, 1941,"" na mji mkuu wa Ufalme wa Yugoslavia ulipoteza sehemu kubwa ya majengo yake ya makazi na miundombinu, pamoja na makaburi mengi ya kitamaduni." Ndege za kivita zaidi ya 200 za Ujerumani zilipaa juu ya Belgrade asubuhi hiyo ya kuzimu. Katika mashambulizi hayo ya angani, makombora zaidi ya tani 360 yalitumiwa. Hata hivyo, uharibifu huo haukukoma hapa. Ndege 484 zilishiriki katika shambulio la Belgrade, 234 zilikuwa za mabomu na 120 zilikuwa za kivita. Idadi halisi ya majeruhi bado haijulikani lakini inakadiriwa kuwa karibu 2,274. Takwimu za Ujerumani za majeruhi wa Yugoslavia zilikuwa kati ya 1,500 na 1,700 Katika mashambulizi hayo ya kikatili dhidi ya Belgrade, sehemu za jiji karibu na Kituo Kikuu cha Reli, Slavija, Senjak, kituo cha jiji na uwanja wa Terazije, majengo ya serikali katika barabara ya Nemanjina na yale katika barabara ya Knez Milos, na sehemu kubwa ya eneo la makazi huko Dorćol ziliharibiwa sana. Maktaba ya Taifa, iliyokuwa katika Kosančićev venac, iliharibiwa kabisa, na vitabu zaidi ya 300,000 (ambayo ilikuwa mfuko mzima wa maktaba) ikiwa ni pamoja na nakala za thamani, zilipotea katika moto. Kulingana na Darko Cirić, mwanahistoria mashuhuri, kati ya majengo 19,641 yaliyokuwapo huko Belgrade kabla ya vita, 9,365 yaliharibiwa au kuharibiwa. Familia 8,000 ziliachwa bila nyumba. "Kwa mujibu wa wataalamu wengi wa historia, shambulio la Aprili lilikuwa ""mlipuko"" wa Hitler kwa ajili ya Machi 27, 1941, wakati wa tatu wa Cvetkovic-Mosheck na regent Pavel Karađorđević walipoangushwa kwa kuashiria mkataba na Ujerumani." Hii ndiyo sababu wengi wanafikiri kwamba mabomu hayo yalikuwa kisasi cha kibinafsi cha Hitler na kwa hiyo yalikuwa na tabia ya kigaidi cha kisiasa. Mapinduzi ya Machi 27 yaliamua hatima ya Yugoslavia na kuufanya kuwa sehemu ya kundi la nchi zilizopinga Ujerumani ya Nazi. Habari za mapinduzi hayo zilipofika kwa watu, katika Belgrade na katika Yugoslavia nzima, maandamano makubwa ya barabarani yalifanyika ili kuunga mkono mapinduzi hayo. "Bolje rat nego pakt<unk> (kwa ujumla kutafsiriwa <unk>Bora vita kuliko mkataba<unk>) na <unk>Bolje grob nego rob<unk> (<unk>Bora kaburi kuliko mtumwa<unk>) walikuwa maneno ambayo alama mapinduzi maarufu. Muda mfupi baadaye, Winston Churchill, kiongozi wa Uingereza, alisema kwamba <unk>Yugoslavia ilipata nafsi yake.<unk> [Punde baadaye, mashambulizi makali ya Ujerumani yalianza.] Yugoslavia ilivunjwa vipande-vipande na washambuliaji wa Nazi wakaunda kile kinachoitwa Jimbo la Uhuru la Kroatia... Jeshi la Yugoslavia lilijisalimisha Aprili 17. Kama unataka kuwasiliana na mimi, Aleksandra, tafadhali kujisikia huru kuwasiliana na mimi katika email@example.com