Operation 25. On the morning of 16 April 1941, in the hall of the Czechoslovakian mission in the King Alexander Street in Belgrade, delegates of the German, Italian and Hungarian armies awaited for the Yugoslav signing of the capitulation. Also present were photographers from the German 691st Propaganda Company, Fremke and Neubauer, and film and sound recording of this (failed) event was planned as well. At the central spot of the room was hung a large picture of the German leader Adolf Hitler, the man who ten days earlier bombed this city, out of personal revenge. The Germans demanded (a humiliating) unconditional surrender, about which they did inform the Yugoslav High Command, but only half a day earlier; because of the paralysed communications (a result of Hitler's bombing), their conditions reached the High Command (at Pale) on the day of the very meeting, on 16 April. The Yugoslav representatives set off to Belgrade from Sarajevo a day and a half earlier, on 14 April, and did not even have an authorisation to sign a capitulation, or any kind of agreement. The Yugoslavs came to negotiate and ask for a honourable truce, and not to unconditionally capitulate; the Germans came to demand an unconditional capitulation, and not to negotiate. The meeting was soon over, and postponed to the following day. Nevertheless, the photographs of the unsuccessful meetings were published – and still are often presented as the official images of the capitulation of Yugoslavia, in both German and Yugoslav archives. Pictured (from left to right): Colonel General Maximilian von Weichs, commander of the German 2nd Army, Divisional General Mihailo Bodi and Lieutenant Colonel Radmilo Trojanović from the Yugoslav High Command, the interpreter (a German Major) and Colonel József Vasváry, Hungarian military attaché in Belgrade. The capitulation was signed the following day, 17 April, by Divisional General Radivoje Janković and (ironically) former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Aleksandar Cincar-Marković – the man who three weeks earlier signed the Tripartite Pact with the Germans.
Text: Ivan Ž.
Photographer: Heinz Fremke, 691st Propaganda Company.
Date: 16 April 1941.
Location: Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Original caption: "The final act of the Serbian collapse. In Belgrade, the quartermaster general of the Serbian Army has come before Colonel General Weichs, to offer surrender on behalf of his government. The German demands were announced by Colonel General Weichs, in the presence of the Italian and Hungarian military attachés. The picture shows Colonel General Weichs (left) listening to the Serbian government's appeal for ceasefire. To the right: Serbian General Mihailo Bodi, his adjutant, the interpreter and the Hungarian military attaché."
File source: DPA / Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 04.05.2015.
NOT ALLOWED: removing source credits from the files – using text without crediting the original author – using files and information for political propaganda and commercial purposes.
Operacija 25. Ujutro 16. aprila 1941. godine, u sali čehoslovačkog poslanstva u Ulici Kralja Aleksandra u Beogradu, predstavnici nemačke, italijanske i mađarske vojske iščekivali su jugoslovensko potpisivanje kapitulacije. Prisutni su bili i fotografi iz nemačke 691. propagandne čete, Fremke i Nojbauer, a planirano je i filmsko i tonsko snimanje ovog (neuspelog) događaja. Na centralnom mestu u prostoriji okačena je velika slika nemačkog vođe Adolfa Hitlera, čoveka koji je deset dana ranije ovaj grad bombardovao, iz lične osvete. Nemci su zahtevali (ponižavajuću) bezuslovnu kapitulaciju, o čemu jugoslovensku Vrhovnu komandu jesu bili izvestili, ali samo pola dana ranije; zbog prekinutih veza (posledica Hitlerovog bombardovanja), njihovi su uslovi u Vrhovnu komandu (na Palama) stigli tek na dan samog sastanka, 16. aprila. Jugoslovenski opunomoćenici u Beograd su krenuli iz Sarajeva dan i po ranije, 14. aprila, a ovlašćenje za potpisivanje kapitulacije ili bilo kakvog sporazuma nisu ni imali. Jugosloveni su došli da pregovaraju i traže jedno časno primirje, a ne da bezuslovno kapituliraju; Nemci su došli da zahtevaju bezuslovnu kapitulaciju, a ne da pregovaraju. Sastanak je ubrzo završen, i odložen za sledeći dan. Bez obzira na sve, fotografije ovog neuspešnog susreta su objavljene – i još uvek se često vode kao zvanične slike kapitulacije Jugoslavije, i u nemačkim i jugoslovenskim arhivama. Na slici (sleva nadesno): general-pukovnik Maksimilijan fon Vajhs, komandant nemačke 2. armije, divizijski general Mihailo Bodi i potpukovnik Radmilo Trojanović iz jugoslovenske Vrhovne komande, prevodilac (nemački major) i pukovnik Jožef Vašvari, mađarski vojni ataše u Beogradu. Kapitulacija je potpisana narednog dana, 17. aprila, od strane divizijskog generala Radivoja Jankovića i (igrom ironije) bivšeg ministra spoljnih poslova, dr Aleksandra Cincar-Markovića – čoveka koji je tri nedelje ranije sa Nemcima potpisao Trojni pakt.
Tekst: Ivan Ž.
Fotograf: Hajnc Fremke, 691. propagandna četa.
Datum: 16. april 1941.
Mesto: Beograd, Jugoslavija.
Originalni natpis: "Završni čin srpskog sloma. U Beogradu je pred general-pukovnika Vajhsa došao komandant pozadine srpske vojske, da u ime svoje vlade ponudi predaju. Nemačke zahteve izneo je general-pukovnik Vajhs, u prisustvu italijanskog i mađarskog vojnog atašea. Na slici je prikazan general-pukovnik Vajhs (levo) dok sluša zahtev srpske vlade za prekid vatre. Nadesno: srpski general Mihailo Bodi, njegov ađutant, prevodilac i mađarski vojni ataše."
Izvor fajla: DPA / Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 04.05.2015.
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