Yugoslavia in T2K

[RN7]

I'm rewriting/expanding my T2K Germany article I posted on this site last year and I'm working on the timeline section at the moment.

What is the general position that members have with Yugoslavia in T2K. My own sources from GDW are a bit contradictory.

Did Yugoslavia break up before the Twilight War or during it.

I was going to include Croatia and Slovenia breaking away and then mention the Bosnian War and NATO peacekeepers, but that wouldn't fit with T2K were Yugoslavia (Serbia) joins NATO at the end of 1996 and sends military forces to aid Romania who is being attacked by the Warsaw Pact.

[Olefin]

Which version of the timeline are you using?

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Olefin

Which version of the timeline are you using?

That would be version 1.0 Olefin which is I think the best. But I am partial to including real world events as well and I would include some aspects of version 2.2.

[Rainbow Six]

Going from memory there are a couple of references to Yugoslavia in the V1 timeline, e.g. when Yugoslavia enters the War in support of Romania and simultaneously requests membership of NATO, which iirc happens at the end of 1996. I've always interpreted those references to refer to an intact Yugoslavia (i.e. with Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, etc all still part of the Federation).

I suppose it could be referring to a "rump" Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia) with the other States having broken away earlier, but my question would be in a V1 timeline where you still have an intact Soviet Union, how likely is it that the break up of Yugoslavia would have taken place in real life, or, like the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Revolution, etc, etc was it only able to occur because of the collapse of the Soviet Union?

Personally, I think if you're working on v1 with an intact Soviet Union there's likely to also be an intact Yugoslavia at the start of the War.

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Personally, I think if you're working on v1 with an intact Soviet Union there's likely to also be an intact Yugoslavia at the start of the War.

Thanks I'll go with that.

BTW does anybody know the date in 1996 when the Turkish Army invaded Bulgaria through Thrace?

[Rainbow Six]

24 December 1996.

From the V1 timeline:

"As Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Soviet troops cross the border, Romania formally withdrew from the Warsaw Pact, declared war on the three invading nations, and applied to NATO for assistance. The first nation to rally to Romania's aid was her neighbor, Yugoslavia. Within 24 hours, three divisions and five brigades crossed into Romania and two days later were at the front under Romanian command. NATO responded shortly thereafter with the offer of full membership in the security organization to both nations, which they accepted. More concrete assistance took the form of the Turkish 1st Army, which launched its offensive against a thin Bulgarian covering force in Thrace on Christmas Eve."

You may find these snippets to also be useful (all V1)

Referencing Yugoslav offensive against the Italians in July

"In early July, Italian airmobile and alpine units crossed the passes into Tyrolia. Scattered elements of the Austrian army resisted briefly but were overwhelmed. By mid-month, Italian mechanized forces were debouching from the Alpine passes into southern Germany, and their advanced elements were in combat against German territorial troops in the suburbs of Munich.
The Yugoslavian Army launched a gallant but costly offensive against northeastern Italy, but soon was stalled. Italy responded with a major counteroffensive which, while draining troops from the German front, quickly shattered the thinly spread Yugoslavian northern grouping."

Referencing the fall of Belgrade to the Italians in September

"The Soviet and Bulgarian forces in Thrace also began a major offensive against the Turks in September. The one-sided use of tactical nuclear weapons broke the stalemate, and by month's end Bulgarian tank brigades were racing toward Istanbul.

Simultaneously, Greek and Albanian troops launched a drive against southern Yugoslavia, and the Yugoslavian Army began to break up. The Yugoslavian expeditionary force in Romania was recalled for home defense, but before it could return, Beograd had fallen to Italian mechanized columns. At the same time, the limited use of tactical nuclear weapons, the increasing numbers of Soviet reserves, and the withdrawal of the Jugoslavians caused the Romanian front to collapse. As Warsaw Pact columns swept through both countries, isolated military units withdrew into the mountains and began to wage a guerrilla war."

Events in 1998 (no specific date)

"In the Balkans, the partisan bands in the mountains of Romania and Jugoslavia had escaped almost untouched, while many Pact regular units had been destroyed in the exchange or had just melted away after it. The Romanians and Jugoslavians began forming regular combat units again, although still structured to live off the land and subsist from captured enemy equipment. At first, there was a great deal of enemy equipment just lying around waiting to be picked up.
There were border changes as well. The Italian Army formed the satellite states of Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia while the Greek Army directly annexed Macedonia. The Albanian Army, always a reluctant ally, first protested, then withdrew from the temporary alliance, and finally began sporadic attacks on Greek military units. At the same time, many Italian and Hungarian units were withdrawn from the Balkans and shifted to Czechoslovakia and southern Germany."

Referencing Yugoslav offensive in August 1998

"In late August, NATO launched its own offensive from the area of Karl Marx Stadt, driving south to penetrate the Pact rear areas in Czechoslovakia. The thinly spread Czech border guard units were quickly overwhelmed and Pact forces in central Germany began a precipitous withdrawal to Czechoslovakia, laying waste to southern Germany as they retreated. A simultaneous offensive by the Jugoslavian Army drove north in an attempt to link up with NATO. The Jugoslavians were halted near Lake Balaton, however, and then thrown back."

As far as I can tell there are no further references to Yugoslavia in the V1 timeline (I haven't had a chance to check any other material such as the Soviet Vehicle Guide yet)