We Will Conquer the Entire World!

[Zagan7]

Chapter 24. The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact



22 July 1939, Ecrene, Romania
(continued from the previous chapter)

Officer: "My King, My Queen! Your presence is urgently needed in the Capital."

Mihai: "What happened?"

Officer: "Germany and Russia signed a non-aggression pact."

Anne (muttering): "One month earlier..." (aloud) "Give us one hour."

************


Anne: "This is how it begins. The greatest war the World has ever seen. You should pray for us all."

Mihai: "Won't you pray as well?"

Anne: "I can't pray. I don't know whom to pray anymore. I don't know if God exists and I don't know if He is identical to the Creator or not. All I know is that the Creator doesn't really care if He is worshipped or not and He doesn't listen to our prayers. If you still have faith in God, pray to Him."



22 July 1939, Bucharest, Romania

An increasingly agitated Anne had to wait for over three hours before she could speak with Hitler.

Anne: "Adolf, my dear friend!"

Hitler: "Anne, my favourite little witch!"

Anne: "Are you still burning witches at the stake in Germany?"

Hitler: "Not any more."

Anne: "That's good. Otherwise I would have had to turn you into a frog..."

Hitler: "It's quite refreshing talking to you but I believe you didn't call just for some small talk."

Anne: "Indeed... I need to see you. We have to talk."

Hitler: "We can talk now. I'm listening."

Anne: "Not on the phone..."

Hitler: "Why not? Do you want to mess with my head again?... No thanks, I think I'll pass."

Anne: "Somebody may be eavesdropping..."

Hitler: "I'm sure this is a secure line. At least on our side of the border. And on your side... Well, I suppose that you have already hypnotized everybody so there shouldn't be any problem."

Anne: "Not quite everybody... Not yet. I'm still working on it."

Hitler: "Yes, I know that there are still protests. Maybe you need a more powerful spell. Or maybe your powers are not as effective as you say they are... Anyway, you can talk now or you'll have to wait one week or two to meet me in person."

Anne: "No! I can't wait that long. The war..."

Hitler: "Ah, the war..."

Anne: "Yes. You are going to invade Poland together with Stalin. That's why you signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, to divide Eastern Europe between you... You should have told me!"

Hitler (yelling): "The German Reich can conduct its external policy without your approval! We are not a Romanian Protectorate!" (calming down) "Besides, you already knew about it. In fact, we may say that it has been your idea."

Anne: "I thought we were together in this..."

Hitler: "Are we?"

Anne: "Don't you trust me?"

Hitler: "Of course not. Besides empty talking, you didn't give me any clear indication that you are on our side. Our aims seem to be compatible but, again, I only have your word for that."

Anne: "It's one month too early. We have to get ready..."

Hitler: "Ready for what? For war? Do you want your piece of Poland now!?... Stalin would have never accepted that!"

Anne: "No. I mean, we have less than one year before they will demand Bessarabia... And we aren't ready yet..."

Hitler: "Oh, that... Well, I have a surprise for you... You know, it's quite interesting in fact. It seems that you don't know everything after all."

Anne: "What surprise? What is it that I don't know?"

Hitler: "You won't have to defend Bessarabia. I managed to convince Stalin to forget about it. You really owe me big time for this one."

Anne: "Damn! No! What have you done?! Why, my God! Why?!"

Hitler: "Well, that was really unexpected. Even for you."

Anne: "Pray tell me, how on Earth am I going to motivate my people now to wage a war of aggression against Russia? For what? For Transnistria? Millions of casualties for that piece of trash!? When you get all of it for your Lebensraum? No, no, I can't do that. You know what, you screwed it really bad."

Hitler: "I'm sure we'll find a solution."

Anne: "You bet we will. And now we really have to meet. You don't really think that I can turn you into a frog or something, do you?"

Hitler: "No, of course not. Don't be ridiculous... We were just joking..."

************


In the end, Hitler and Anne agreed on a private meeting in the newly inaugurated Kehlsteinhaus for the 25th of July, just a couple of days before the German invasion of Poland.


All of Anne's meticulous plans had been for naught because of a stupid mistake. And it had been her mistake, not Hitler's. She should have told him that she really wanted the Soviet Union to attack Romania before the start of Barbarossa.

For the first time since she had arrived in this World, Anne was not really sure what the best course of action was. Finally, Anne realized that she'd better listen to what others had to say and summoned the Crown Council for the 23rd to discuss the issue with her Ministers and Generals.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 25. A Secret Treaty



23 July 1939, Bucharest, Romania

Anne informed the Crown Council of the current developments and their consequences on her initial plans and asked for advice. A number of ideas emerged and were thereafter hotly debated.

1. To provoke Stalin by invading Pokuttya in the final stages of the Polish campaign on the pretext of protecting the retreating Polish army and administration or the local Romanian population.

The plan was quickly shelved when it was pointed out that it had at least three major flaws: Romania was not yet ready for a war against the Soviet Union and resisting until 1941 was deemed impossible, a perceived support of Poland would seriously antagonize Hitler and a perceived support of Hitler could result in a serious worsening of the relations with the Entente.

2. To provoke Stalin at a later time, when Romania felt ready to withstand a Soviet attack until the start of Barbarossa. A multitude of methods were proposed, most of them impractical or counterproductive.

3. To ask Hitler to award the Ukraine and Crimea to Romania, thus giving the Romanians a reason to fight in the east. Unfortunately, the chances of success were deemed extremely slim as the importance of the Ukraine as the future breadbasket of the German Reich was well known.

4. To drop all pretences and engage in an unprovoked invasion of the Soviet Union alongside Germany, which would undoubtedly result in declarations of war from the Western Allies. It was argued that the planned invasion of Yugoslavia might result in an earlier Entente declaration of war anyway.

5. To maintain a pro-German position in the German-Soviet conflict, albeit short of actually joining the invasion. That way, Romania would be able to focus southwards and fight a one front war against the Entente allies, puppets and colonies. However, that would clearly signal Romania's unreliability to Hitler, with potentially dire results.


In the end, no consensus was reached but the animated discussions helped Anne get a better grasp on the whole situation before her second meeting with Hitler.



25-26 July 1939, Kehlsteinhaus, Berchtesgaden, German Reich

The meeting lasted for more than three hours and proved to be significantly more difficult for Anne that their first one. Hitler was in a better mood, more composed and less impressed with Anne to the point that he had even made fun of her a couple of times.

One by one, Hitler rejected all of Anne's proposals and suggestions while offering plausible and logical justifications. It was clear that Hitler wanted nothing less than to completely tie Romania's fate to the Reich and preclude any possible Romanian defection to the Allies.


After trying everything to convince Hitler and unable to seriously frighten or disconcert him, Anne became increasingly desperate. Out of ideas, Anne clumsingly tried to seduce Hitler. She rised her skirt a few centimetres, slightly parted her legs, licked her lips and talked in what she intended to be a sultry voice but ended up sounding scared instead.

Anne: "Adolf, I want you to know that I will stop at nothing to get what I want..."

Hitler could have pretended he didn't notice but chose to be blunt.

Hitler: "I know that but no, thank you. I'm not interested. And, please, don't degrade yourself like that."


Anne started to cry, stood up and ran to the balcony overlooking the majestic Bavarian Alps. Despite his acrophobia, Hitler followed her.

Anne: "I can't return to my people with nothing!... I just can't..."

In a quick move, Anne kicked her shoes off her feet, then jumped on the balustrade, precariously regaining her footing right on the edge of the abyss. Hitler took a step towards Anne, intending to catch her, but froze when he saw the precipice below. He didn't call the guards, not wanting to startle Anne.

A gust of wind blew Anne's hat from her head, rocking her slightly. Hitler was mortified and didn't know what to do.

Anne: "I'll jump and everybody will think that you pushed me! You'll never meet with a chief of state again!... No! Don't come closer! I swear I'll jump!... I'll get what I want or I'll drag your name in the mud!"

Hitler: "Please, be reasonable. I'm sure you understand that I cannot betray the interests of my country for your sake."

Anne: "Goodbye, then..."

Hitler: "No! Let's talk..."


Anne closed her eyes and jumped head first into the abyss. Hitler ran to the balustrade, collapsed on the floor and vomited his meal.

************


Four minutes later, Hitler heard a knock on the door. It was his valet, Karl Wilhelm Krause. Despite trying to maintain his professional attitude, Krause looked clearly disconcerted.

Krause: "Heil, mein Führer! Her Majesty, Queen Anne of Romania desires to continue the meeting."

Hitler was obviously perplexed but quickly regained his composure.

Hitler: "Is she here? Is she... unharmed?"

Krause: "Yes, mein Führer. Should I send her in?"

Hitler: "Yes, send her in. You may leave."

************


Anne was barefoot, bareheaded, disheveled and a little bruised and dirty but otherwise unharmed.

Anne: "Oh, Adolf, I'm really sorry if I scared you... But, did you really imagine that a mere forty metres fall on those rocks could actually harm me? Come on, let's be serious..."

Hitler: "Yes, of course. Of course not, I mean..."

Anne: "Yes, I knew you'd understand. Now let's get back to business, would we?"

Hitler: "You should take a bath, care for those bruises, change your clothes..."

Anne: "It's no problem. I'm fine... Come on, Adolf, you must come with a better offer. I'm not giving up, you know that. If you send me away, I'll haunt you in your sleep until you cave in... Try to be reasonable..."


Hitler was cowed but not completely. After another four hours of still difficult negotiations, they finally arrived at some sort of understanding.

Anne spent the night in the Kehlsteinhaus and, after a further round of discussions, she and Hitler signed a secret treaty.


Like any decent compromise, the treaty was suboptimal but acceptable for both parts. The following points were included:

1. Germany would favour Romania over Italy when called to arbitrate the partition of Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and any other further conquests. Slovenia would be annexed by Germany.
2. Romania would not join Germany in the initial phase of the invasion of the Soviet Union.
3. Romania would invade the Soviet Caucasus no later than three months after the successful occupation of Turkey.
4. Pokuttya, Transnistria, Georgia, Armenia and most of Azerbaijan (without Baku and the oil fields) would be administered by Romania.
5. Romania would enter the war against the Entente with the invasion of the Middle East no later than three months after the successful occupation of the Soviet Caucasus (in the unlikely event that the Entente Powers hadn't already declared war by then).
6. Romania would officially join the Axis and the Anti-Comintern Pact after or immediately prior to its own invasion of Soviet and Entente territory.

The main points discussed at the previous meeting were also mentioned in the treaty which ended with miscellanious details of the future military and economic cooperation between Germany and Romania. Obviously, the point dealing with the transfer of the undesirables to Romania used a lot of euphemisms.


Anne: "Oh, Adolf, I'm so glad we finally managed to get along. It would have been such a pity for you to have to fight Romania instead of your real enemies... Do you trust me, Adolf? Come on, you know you can trust me, do you? Witches can't lie, everybody knows that..."

Hitler: "I trust you because I believe that it is in the interest of your country to honour this treaty."

Anne: "Of course... But that's self-evident, isn't it?... And I trust you too, Adolf. I think I can read people's souls quite well and you seem to be a very trustworthy man... Besides, if you ever betray my trust, I'll just skin you alive with these little claws of mine... Oh, don't make that face! I was joking, I would never think of hurting you! You are my favourite Führer!... Bye bye. Don't bother, I'll see myself out... Oh, I almost forgot. Good luck with those pesky Poles next week! See you soon..."


Unfortunately for Hitler, that wasn't the last time he had to endure Anne's vicious mental torture.


Anne felt relieved. She was ready to follow her destiny.

The stage is set. Now we must play...

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 26. The Start of World War Two



27 July 1939, Kehlsteinhaus, Berchtesgaden, German Reich

Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler, followed at a distance by Karl Wilhelm Krause, strolled around the Kehlsteinhaus.

Hitler: "Right here. She jumped from the balcony and fell right here."

Himmler studied the small foot steps embedded in the mud.

Himmler: "She was barefoot..."

Hitler: "Yes. She removed her shoes before climbing on the balustrade."

Himmler: "We can see the depressions made by her feet when walking in the mud but there isn't any larger depression made by her body impacting the ground."

Hitler: "I told you she was unharmed, besides some bruises..."

Himmler: "Yes, yes... Her body may be extremely resistant to shock but the ground surely is not."

Hitler: "She may have fallen a couple of metres to the right, on those rocks."

Himmler: "Did you actually see her body hitting the ground?"

Hitler: "No, I did not. I saw her falling down but I turned my eyes away before she hit the ground."

Himmler: "Did she fall with... a normal speed?"

Hitler: "What do you mean?"

Himmler: "Did she fall like a rock or like a piece of paper?"

Hitler: "Oh, normal speed."

Himmler: "I see."

Hitler: "You don't believe me, do you?"

Himmler: "Oh, I believe you, Mein Führer. I surely do. You chose wisely to talk with me... And I think it's for the best to keep this affair private..."

Hitler: "Yes, I think so."

Himmler: "About the bruises... Could you describe them?"

Hitler: "Yes... It's strange... Most of her bruises were on her shins and calves, just above her ankles. And a few scratches on her soles and another one on her right temple."

Himmler: "Was there any blood?"

Hitler: "The scratches were red but not quite bleeding and the bruises were looking... just like normal bruises."

Himmler: "And she jumped head first..."

Hitler: "Yes."

Himmler: "Yet the bruises were above her ankles... How can one bruise her shins and calves in a fall but not her knees or hands? It's as if..."

Hitler: "As if somebody stopped her fall by grabbing her by her legs!"

Himmler: "Somebody... or something... May I see that note again? The one you found in your pocket?"

I don't like to be recorded without my consent. Besides, that is impolite.

Himmler: "Is this her handwriting?"

Hitler nodded.

Himmler: "So... she managed to remove the microphone from your pocket and replace it with this note which was, presumably, pre-written. And you didn't notice a thing."

Hitler: "She was never close enough to reach my pocket with her hand."

Himmler: "Yes, of course..."

Hitler: "So, what do you think?"

Himmler: "She is not perfect. She speaks German fluently but with occasional mistakes. She develops bruises when significant pressure is applied on her skin. Waking barefoot on these rocks bruised her feet. She may have got the bruise on her temple from an errant twig. I believe she is human but..."

Hitler: "But?"

Himmler: "But she is certainly helped by a very powerful being. I'd like to investigate this further but, unfortunately, the funding for the occult studies is very limited..."

Hitler: "Just do it. Hire more men if you have to. Don't worry about the money. This is important for the security of the Reich."

With a grave look on his face, Himmler nodded in silence.



31 July 1939, Danzig, Free City of Danzig

After the collapse of the German-Polish talks following the guarantees issued by Britain and France, the German invasion of Poland seemed unavoidable and imminent.

In that situation, the Nazi dominated Volkstag and Senate of the Free City of Danzig voted the reunification of the Free City of Danzig with the German Reich. Soon after the public announcement of the vote, sporadic fighting broke out between the Polish soldiers and the Danzig Police and SS units.

Germany demanded that the Polish garrison leave Danzig immediately. During the evening, chaotic fighting around the heavily defended Polish Post Office resulted in the deaths of numerous Polish soldiers and Danzig policemen as well as a handful of civilians.



1 August 1939, Europe

At 01:00, the German Reich declared war to the Polish Republic.

Within hours, the Luftwaffe began to bomb and strife the Polish positions, the Kriegsmarine began to shell the Westerplatte peninsula and the spearheads of the Heer crossed the border and started to advance into Danzig, Posen and West Prussia.


During the following days, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa declared war to the German Reich.

The War had begun.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 27. The Fall of Poland



1-12 August 1939

During the first twelve days of the invasion, the German armies advanced deep into Poland, overrunning most of territory west of the Vistula and north of the Narew. The Polish border defences proved useless, the Polish Air Force was decimated, Polish towns and cities were bombed, leading to high civilian casualties, Warsaw was encircled and the Polish Government retreated first to Lublin, then to Lwów and finally to Zaleshiki on the Dniester border with Romania.

On the 12th of August, the battered Polish armies started a fighting retreat towards the Romanian Bridgehead in Eastern Galicia and Pokuttya.



13-18 August 1939

On the 13th of August, the Red Army crossed the long and almost undefended Polish-Soviet border without a declaration of war. In less than one week, the Polish defences collapsed and the Soviet Union occupied the eastern part of Poland, the Kresy, meeting with the Germans on or near the Curzon Line.



14 August 1939

In order to avoid capture, the Polish Government and the leadership of the Polish Army crossed the border into neutral Romania. The entire treasury of the National Bank of Poland, which included more than 100 metric tonnes of gold, was also transferred to Romania.



15-18 August 1939

About 140,000 Polish troops withdrew to Romania and Slovakia. The Polish Government planned to relocate most of their gold and all their soldiers to France to continue the fight against Nazi Germany.



17-19 August 1939

Citing their obligations as neutral powers, Romania and Slovakia interned all Polish citizens present on their territories (soldiers and officers, civilian refugees and the entire Polish Government, about 160,000 people in total).



20 August 1939

The Polish Government and the Polish Armed Forces surrendered. To the dismay of the Western Powers, the Polish campaign was over in less than three weeks.



31 August 1939, Warsaw, Poland

Treaty of Warsaw

• Poland renounced all rights it had in the former Free City of Danzig and recognized its union with the German Reich.
• Poland ceded Teschen, Upper Silesia, Posen and West Prussia to the German Reich (up to the border of 1914).
• Poland ceded to Slovakia both the areas annexed in 1938 and the areas annexed shortly after World War One.
• Poland ceded Pokuttya to Romania.
• Poland ceded the Vilnius Region (Wilno) to Lithuania.
• Poland ceded the rest of the Kresy to the Soviet Union (up to the Curzon Line).
• The rump Poland (roughly coterminous with Congress Poland) became a German Protectorate, just like Bohemia-Moravia.

September - November 1939

The Germans evacuated the areas ceded to Slovakia and transferred them to Slovak control.

The Soviet Union transferred the Vilnius Region to Lithuanian civilian control but maintained a strong military presence in the area. The Soviet Union planned to reannex the region in the near future, alongside the rest of Lithuania.

The Soviet Union did not recognize the cession of Pokuttya to Romania and refused to turn it over. Romania did not press the issue but did not relinquish its claim either.

The Soviet parts of the Kresy were joined to the Byelorussian S.S.R. and the Ukrainian S.S.R. and placed under civilian administration. The sovietization of the annexed areas was started immediately.


The Polish Army and civilian refugees, as well as the Polish gold, remained in Romania, strengthening it and weakening the Western Allies. Anne, Hitler and Stalin were content. The Western Allies were not.

In October, the Romanian Monarchs, accompanied by high ranking diplomats, embarked on a diplomatic tour of Western Europe.

 

[Zagan7]

Romania and Its Environs
1 September 1939
After the partition of Poland
Previous Maps from this series: January 1938, March 1938, May 1938, November 1938, January 1939.


Area: 553,970 km² (0.37% of the World land area)
Population: 40,140,000 (1.74% of the World population)​

Key:
1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Latvia
5. Tunisia (French Protectorate)
6. Neutral Zones (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait)
7. Georgian S.S.R.
8. Armenian S.S.R.

A. Mount Athos (Greece)
C. Moldavian A.S.S.R. (Ukraine)
D. Adyghe A.O. (Russia)
E. Karachai-Cherkess A.O. (Russia)
F. Kabardino-Balkar A.S.S.R. (Russia)
G. North Ossetian A.S.S.R. (Russia)
H. Checheno-Ingush A.S.S.R. (Russia)
J. Abkhaz A.S.S.R. (Georgia)
K. Adjar A.S.S.R. (Georgia)
L. South Ossetian A.O. (Georgia)
M. Nakhichevan A.S.S.R. (Azerbaijan)
N. Nagorno-Karabakh A.O. (Azerbaijan)


Notes:

• Bohemia-Moravia and (rump) Poland are German Protectorates.
• Danzig is part of the German Reich.
• Hatay is part of Turkey.
• Albania is under Italian occupation and in Personal Union with Italy.
• Romania, Hungary and Slovakia (including Autonomous Ruthenia) are in Personal Union.
• In practice, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia are perfectly compliant Romanian Puppet States or, more aptly called Zombie States.
• The Romanian Yellow signifies that Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia are under Romanian control.
• The hard borders (thick black lines) signify that the countries are not (yet) officially merged.
• Pocuttya is administered by the Soviet Union (Ukrainian S.S.R.) and claimed by Romania.

.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 28. Sweet Sixteen



18 September 1939, Foișor Castle, Sinaia, Romania

Two years before, fourteen years old Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma was a normal child living with her family in a Parisian suburban villa. Then, Empress Iulia took over and, two years later, Queen Ana-Iulia had near absolute power in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, ruling over forty million perfectly loyal and loving subjects.

Anne was so engrossed in her thoughts that Mihai's voice startled her. She was having dinner alone with her husband in the Foișor Castle. The trout fillet was already cold and Anne pushed it aside. She wasn't hungry anyway. Anne tried to fake a smile. She knew very well the reason they were there. They were supposed to finally consumate the marriage. She bit her lip. It was really stressful.

Anne: "I'm sorry, I was not paying attention. Could you please say it again?"

Mihai: "If you are done eating, maybe we should get the cake and the champagne."

Anne: "Oh, sure. I'll get the cake. You take care of the champagne, would you."


Anne had never cut a cake before but she managed it quite fine. She missed the servants but they would have only compounded her stress. Mihai popped the champagne and sang Happy Birthday to You, then kissed his wife on her lips. They ate their cake slices in silence and drank their champagne glasses. Anne was sweating. She asked for a second glass, then for a third one.


Anne: "Umm... What do you think? Should we unite the realms now or maybe wait a little longer?"

Mihai: "My darling... Could we skip politics... At least for tonight..."

Anne: "I am so stressed!"

Mihai: "If you feel you aren't ready..."

Anne: "No, no. I'm ready. No, I mean, I'm not, and I may never be. But we really shouldn't postpone this any longer. Now it's the time."

Mihai: "But..."

Anne: "Shut up and take me in your arms... Now carry me to the bedroom..."


Mihai: "Anne, I need to know."

Anne: "What?"

Mihai: "Do you like men?"

Anne: "I don't like men. I only like you. I love you. And that's enough for me."

Mihai: "Do you like women?"

Anne: "No..."

Mihai: "What about Cristina?"

Anne: "Oh, Cristina... I liked what she did with me, although I shouldn't have. I don't know. It's complicated."

Mihai: "What about Cristina's daughter? Do you like girls?"

Anne: "Oh, no! I told you, I only touched her a little, to get even on Cristina, when I was Empress Regnant... I enjoyed the resigned look on Cristina's face when I touched her daughter, her feeling of hopelessness, that's all. I didn't go all the way with Maria but Cristina didn't know that and she was mortified."

Mihai: "So, you aren't..."

Anne: "A lesbian? A pedophile? Oh, Mihai, those are just labels. I'm just a girl who wants to feel good, let's not overanalyse this, shall we?"

Mihai: "Umm... I think I could do what Cristina did..."

Anne: "Oh, you're so nice. Yes, you could... You know what, I'll show you... And we'll have intercourse afterwards... Perhaps I'll feel ready then... You can put me down now."

[...]



19 September 1939, Foișor Castle, Sinaia, Romania

Anne streched her body and opened her eyes. It was already six o'clock and the room was filled with the diffuse and pleasant light of the dawn. She looked at Mihai who was breathing regularly in his sleep. Anne lightly caressed his hair and stood up. A little tenderness in her loins and a small red stain on the towel were the only witnesses of their love making. Anne frowned a little and went to the bathroom to take a bath.


Yes, I have to keep doing this, there is no question about that. Whether I like it or not is not important. It is my duty as a wife and my duty as a queen. The Country needs a heir. Mihai has to be content and in love with me... Our subjects are loyal to the Romanian Crown and State, not to me personally... Besides, it wasn't that unpleasant... I may even get used to that.


Anne: "Elaine, are you around? I want to ask you something..."

Elaine materialized in the bathtub, slightly squeezed in the free space at Anne's feet.

Elaine: "Hello, Iulia... Oh, I like this. The water is so warm and cosy..."

Anne: "Umm, Elaine, can you see if I am pregnant?"

Elaine: "Oh, let me take a look at your tummy. Stay still, please... Well, a spermatozoon has found your ovum but it's too early to tell whether it would stick or not."

Anne: "That's wonderful news, thank you!... Is it a boy or a girl?"

Elaine (squinting): "It looks like an X spermatozoon."

Anne: "And the egg?"

Elaine: "Come on, Iulia. All ova are X, I thought you knew that..."

Anne (blushing): "I forgot... So, it's an XX. That's a girl, right?"

Elaine: "Yes. If it's viable, it would develop into a baby girl... Do you want to keep it?"

Anne: "Of course! Why shouldn't I?"

Elaine: "You are so young. I was afraid he would damage you last night..."

Anne: "No, it was fine..." (blushing) "What did you say? Did you watch us? That's sick!..."

Elaine: "I am here to keep you out of harm's way. If he were to be rough to you, I would have done something..."

Anne: "No, please don't. You don't have to protect me from Mihai. He's nice and gentle. I can handle this on my own... Now go, please. I don't want Mihai to find you here... It's awkward..."


A few moments after Elaine vanished, Anne heard a knock on the door.

Anne: "Come in."

Mihai entered the bathroom, saw Anne bathing and clumsily covered his eyes.

Anne: "I thought we were already past that..."

Mihai: "Umm, Anne, I think I heard you talking to someone..."

Anne: "Oh, no, I was just talking to myself..."

Mihai took a furtive look at his wife and inched closer to the bathtub.

Mihai: "You are absolutely stunning..."

Anne (smiling): "Thanks... You know what? Why don't you wait for me in the dining room? I'll join you for breakfast in a couple of minutes."

************


Anne (sighing): "Coming here alone was a bad idea."

Mihai: "Why? It's you who said you wanted privacy... Besides, I like being here, just the two of us."

Anne: "Because it's me who's fixing the meals, not you!"

Mihai: "I can help..."

Anne: "Great, we'll clean the table together. But later, because right now I'd like to cuddle."

************


Anne: "No, Mihai, stop it! I said I want to cuddle, not to make love again. I'm still sore... Besides, we need to talk..."

Mihai: "I'm sorry... What do you want to talk about?"

Anne: "About the war, about Yugoslavia, about the state visits due in less than two weeks."

Mihai: "But why do you need to talk with me? You seem to know everything and you are much better at politics than me anyway."

Anne: "Because I don't want everybody to know that I'm in charge, that's why. We'll do this the proper way for a change. I'll just sit there and smile nicely and you'll do the taking. And Titulescu, of course."

Mihai: "But I won't know what to say!"

Anne: "Calm down. That's why we need to talk. I'll teach you everything you need to know."

Mihai: "What if I blunder?"

Anne (smiling): "Don't worry, my love. You may blunder, I won't mind. It's not like I intend to uphold any treaty we sign with those countries. After all, sooner or later, they will be our provinces and one doesn't sign treaties with one's own provinces."

Mihai: "Then why?..."

Anne: "I want to confuse them, to muddy the waters. We don't want everybody to unite against us while we're still weak."

Mihai: "I'm not sure I'll be able to do this."

Anne: "I'm sure you will, my love. You are a fast learner..." (winking) "Last night you had no problem to apply what I taught you..."

Mihai and Anne giggled and kissed. They had a long day ahead.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 29. Diplomacy



October 1939, Europe

King Mihai, Queen Anne and Foreign Minister Nicolae Titulescu visited London, Paris and Rome, the capital cities of the three European great powers which had not been involved in the partition of Poland.

Not without some difficulty, Anne managed to play the role of a young, charming and mostly clueless queen, leaving her husband and very capable foreign minister to do all the talking.



3-6 October 1939, London, United Kingdom

The Romanian monarchs were received by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and spent a pleasant afternoon at the Buckingham Palace with the British Royal Family. Sixteen years old Anne befriended thirteen years old Princess Elizabeth. The two young girls spent time together during the following days, while Mihai and Titulescu were busy discussing important matters with Neville Chamberlain.


The Romanian position could be summarized in the following points:

• The Entente failed to protect Poland against German and Soviet aggression, therefore Romania considers the Entente guarantees of Romanian borders and independence to be equally worthless.
• Romania had to temporarily intern the Polish refugees lest it provoked an Axis and Soviet attack.
• Surrounded by potential enemies (Soviet Union, Germany, Italy), Romania and its allies (Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia) wish to maintain their neutrality.
• In case of a Soviet or Axis invasion, Romania and its allies will try to defend themselves.
• In order to maximize their chances to fend off an invasion and increase their geopolitical clout, Romania and its allies wish to form a federation, possibly including also Yugoslavia and Greece.
• Italy and Germany plan to invade and dismember Yugoslavia, knowing that the Entente is unable to intervene and help the Yugoslavs.
• Romania and its allies cannot defend Yugoslavia against the Axis but are willing to intervene and save as much of Yugoslavia as possible from Axis occupation and include it into the Federation.

Chamberlain broadly accepted the Romanian position and suggested that the United Kingdom and the British Dominions would not declare war on Romania and its allies over their planned intervention in Yugoslavia. No treaty was signed.


Anne's friendship with her younger cousin distressed Mihai but Anne insisted that she would never cheat on him and scolded him for not trusting her.



7-10 October 1939, Paris, France

The Romanian delegation was received by President Albert Lebrun and Prime Minister Édouard Daladier at the Élysée Palace.

The Romanian position was identical to that presented in the United Kingdom and the discussions were similar, although the French were somewhat less accomodating than the British. Alas, it didn't matter. The invasion of Yugoslavia would have proceeded even in case of an overt Entente opposition. First and foremost, Anne wanted to influence and confuse the politicians and public opinion in the Entente and neutral countries. Avoiding a state of war with the Entente for the time being was considered desirable but not absolutely necessary.



11-15 October 1939, Rome, Italy

Nicolae Titulescu flew directly to Romania as his presence in Italy would have been unwelcome due to his prior anti-Fascist positions.

Mihai and Anne were received by King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena at the Quirinal Palace. The following day, they met with Benito Mussolini and Galeazzo Ciano for the secret discussions regarding the partition of Yugoslavia.

Because Ciano had previously discussed the issue with von Ribbentrop, the Italians knew that they had to come to an amiable understanding with Romania regarding Yugoslavia and further conquests. While Mussolini was less accomodating, Ciano strongly wanted to avoid a German mediation because he didn't trust the Germans and despised von Ribbentrop.


The Romanians and the Italians quickly agreed on two points: that Yugoslavia had to be destroyed and that the regions containing ethnic minorities ought to be annexed by the neighbouring countries.

Thus, Romania recognized the Italian claims on the hinterland of Fiume, most of Dalmatia and the Adriatic islands and the Albanian claims on Kosovo and parts of Macedonia, Montenegro and the Sanjak. Italy recognized the Romanian claims on the Western Banat and the Timoc Valley, the Bulgarian claims on most of Macedonia and the Tsaribrod and Bosilegrad regions and the Hungarian claims on Prekmurje (Muravidék), Međimurje (Muraköz), Baranja (Baranya) and Bačka (Bácska).

Both Italy and Romania agreed that Slovenia would become a German Protectorate and the rest of Yugoslavia would be partitioned into three states: Montenegro (Italian puppet), Serbia (Romanian puppet) and Croatia. However, that is where the easy part ended.

Italy wanted the whole Sanjak to be joined to Montenegro, the whole Bosnia and Syrmia as parts of Croatia and Italian influence in Croatia, complete with an Italian King and Italian military presence.

Romania wanted parts of the Sanjak, parts of Bosnia and all of Syrmia to remain Serbian territories. Moreover, Romania wanted either a truly independent Croatia or joint Romanian and Italian influence in Croatia.

In the end, it was decided that the Sanjak would be part of Montenegro and all of Bosnia would be part of Croatia while Syrmia would remain Serbian. Italy accepted joint influence in Croatia in exchange for several economic concessions.

The future invasions of Greece and Turkey were also discussed in broad strokes.


After almost two weeks, the Romanian monarchs returned to Bucharest and, after a short break, Anne began to plan the invasion of Yugoslavia and the upcoming talks with the Soviet Union.



29-31 October 1939, Belgrade, Yugoslavia

The Italian Ambassador delivered a note to the Yugoslav Government, asking it to start negotiations regarding the right of self determination of the Italians, Albanians, Montenegrins, Croats and Slovenes from Yugoslavia.

The Yugoslavs asked their allies for support. France and the United Kingdom were non-committal and it was clear that they would be unable to effectively intervene in the Balkans even if they wanted to. Romania offered diplomatic support and indicated that it may intervene in defense of Serbia Proper but not of the rest of Yugoslavia. Greece offered to send volunteers and weapons but declined to enter a war against the Axis. Turkey declared that it was unable to help in any way.



2-6 November 1939, Trieste, Italy

Betrayed by its allies, Yugoslavia decided to negotiate. The Conference of Trieste was attended by Italy, Yugoslavia, the German Reich and representatives of the Italians, Albanians, Montenegrins, Croats and Slovenes from Yugoslavia.

After just two days, it became clear that the Axis would not be satisfied with anything less than the complete dismemberment and subjugation of Yugoslavia. Ciano and his puppets flatly refused to hold any referenda and insisted upon outdated ethnographic maps and egregious historical claims.

The Yugoslav delegation realized that the so-called conference was nothing more than a diktat. They could not accept to lose almost two thirds of their territory, which included millions of Serbs, and become a rump and landlocked Serbian state, completely at the mercy of its enemies. The Yugoslavs issued an official protest, left the conference and braced for the imminent Italian invasion.



4-10 November 1939, Moscow, Soviet Union

Nicolae Titulescu, who had negotiated with the Soviets during his previous tenure as Romanian Foreign Minister, was recieved by the Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. The diplomatic relations between Romania and the Soviet Union were normalized and the Romanian Embassy in Moscow and the Soviet Embassy in Bucharest were reopened.

Behind closed doors, Titulescu and Molotov discussed the partition of Turkey. Bulgaria would annex most of Eastern Thrace, except Istanbul and its environs, the Marmara Sea coast and the Gallipoli Peninsula. Greece would annex Smyrna and its hinterland. The Mediterranian coast of Turkey would become an Italian Protectorate. The rest of Anatolia, except the Nicomedia Peninsula and the Marmara Sea coast would become Soviet. The Straits Area, including Istanbul, would become a Condominium shared by the Soviet Union, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Germany.


After subsequent negotiations with Italy and the German Reich, Titulescu's proposal was eventually approved by Stalin. The invasion of Turkey was tentatively scheduled for the following summer.


Anne was happy. After the start of Barbarossa, the Turks would receive with open arms the Romanian armies liberating them from Soviet occupation. Afterwards, the roads to the Caucasus and to the Middle East would be wide open. Yes, everything was working according to the plan.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 30. The Invasion of Yugoslavia



You may want to review the previous chapter.


7-8 November 1939, Yugoslavia

After the Yugoslav rejection of the impossible Italian demands from the aborted Trieste Conference, war between Yugoslavia and the Axis was certain and imminent.

The chances of mounting a successful defence against the expected Axis invasion were considered slim as the Royal Yugoslav Army, while admittedly rather large, was lacking in modern weaponry, adequate resources, internal cohesion and competent staff. Nonetheless, the Yugoslavs still naïvely hoped that the Entente Powers would come to their rescue.

However, it was sadly clear that France and Great Britain were preoccupied with the defence of Western Europe against a possible German attack and declaring war to Italy over Yugoslavia was not seriously considered. Moreover, with Albania under Italian rule, the Strait of Otranto was all but impassable, the Regia Marina enjoying a clear naval supremacy in the narrow Adriatic Sea. Therefore, a meaningful western intervention in Yugoslavia was not really possible.

While the Romanian-Yugoslav relations were strained and the Balkan Entente was a thing of the past, the full extent of Romania's ambition and potential were still grossly underestimated both in Belgrade and in the West. In fact, a possible Romanian invasion was viewed as a mostly benign event, as a Romanian occupation was considered to be significantly preferable to an Italian or German one.

At that point, most rational people were still dismissing as ludicrous the increasingly pervasive rumours of various praeternatural psychic phenomena occurring in Romania and its Puppets. That situation was obviously going to change in the near future but, for Yugoslavia, that would be too late to matter.

In fact, Yugoslavia was surrounded by enemies, any one of them more powerful than it: Italy in the south-west (Albania), north-west (Istria and Fiume) and west (Zara and the Italian-controlled Adriatic), the German Reich in the north-west and Romania in the north (Hungary), north-east (Romania proper) and east (Bulgaria). As if that was not enough, Yugoslavia was gnawed from the inside by oppressed ethnic minorities (Albanians, Bulgarians, Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, Italians) and constituent nationalities unhappy with the overt Serbian domination (Croats, Slovenes, Muslims).

The only country friendly towards Yugoslavia and which could, in theory, provide some amount of military aid was Greece. However, the Greeks, cowed by Italian, German and Bulgarian threats, decided to remain neutral. Thus, the only outside help received by the Yugoslavs were 2,300 Greek volunteers which were allowed to cross into Yugoslavia by the sympathetic but officially neutral Greek Government.



9 November 1939, Yugoslavia

Shortly before dawn, the Regia Marina began to fire on Yugoslav ships and harbour facilities, the Regia Aeronautica started to bomb Yugoslav cities in Slovenia, Dalmatia and Montenegro and the Regio Esercito prepared the land invasions from Albania and Istria with intense artillery barrages. Yugoslavia and Italy were at war.



10-19 November 1939, Yugoslavia

During the first week of the war, the Italians destroyed most of the small Yugoslav fleet and captured several Adriatic Islands, small amounts of land around Fiume and Zara and significant portions of the less defended territories close to the Albanian borders.

Taking advantage of their clear air and naval superiority, the Italians managed to land important forces in the vicinity of the Dalmatian cities of Split (Spalato), Šibenik (Sebenico), Dubrovnik (Ragusa) and Kotor (Cattaro). Despite their local numerical superiority and almost continuous bombardments which turned large areas of the Dalmatian cities into rubble, the Italians failed to take Split, Šibenik and Kotor.

Thus, the only major city conquered by Italy so far was Dubrovnik and with the important caveat that isolated groups of Yugoslav defenders hidden in the city ruins continued to harass the invaders. Nonetheless, the Italians brought Ustashe Poglavnik Ante Pavelić and a few hundreds of his followers to Dubrovnik where Pavelić proclaimed the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska).

The following day, the Italians conquered Cetinje and proclaimed the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Montenegro, organized as an Italian Protectorate in personal union with Italy and Albania. Thus, Italian King Victor Emmanuel III and his wife Elena of Montenegro became the King and Queen of Montenegro, the Montenegrin origin of Queen Elena supposedly giving legitimacy to the annexation.



20-23 November 1939, Yugoslavia

Ten days after the start of the Italian invasion of Yugoslavia, the situation was chaotic. The Italians controlled most of the Adriatic Islands and part of the Dalmatian Coast, with their attempts to advance inland in Dalmatia being mostly ineffectual. The Italian invasion of southern Yugoslavia, aided by the Albanian Army and facilitated by Albanian uprisings in Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro fared somewhat better, the relatively weaker Yugoslav forces being pushed back between twenty and sixty kilometres. Podgorica was taken after bitter fighting which destroyed most of the town while Priština was swiftly overrun after an Albanian uprising behind the frontline severely disrupted the Yugoslav logistics in that area.

However, the Italians were not content with the military situation either. They had overrun less than five percent of Yugoslavia while having lost more than 25,000 men and significant numbers of tanks and fighter planes, many due to mechanical failures and human error. Moreover, after a few early victories, the pace of the invasion had slowed down considerably with many units bogged down in vicious street fighting or blocked in inhospitable mountainous terrain by determined Yugoslav resistance.

Ante Pavelić's proclamation of Croatian independence did result in a small amount of unrest behind enemy lines, including rather large demonstrations in Zagreb as well as a number of desertions from the Yugoslav Army and the disintegration of several units. However, it was clear that Pavelić had few supporters and a general uprising in Croatia was extremely unlikely.

Moreover, emboldened by the lack of a simultaneous German or Romanian invasion, the Yugoslavs started to transfer troops from the eastern and northern borders to Dalmatia, Montenegro and Kosovo. The Yugoslav gamble appeared to work as the Italians continued to bleed more men and resources in their futile attempts to advance further inland.

After losing two more battles and a large amount of recently conquered land in Kosovo, the Italians finally realized that quickly winning the war on their own was impossible. While Italy would have preferred to be able to crush the Yugoslavs alone, it had become clear that German and / or Romanian assistance was necessary.

To the dismay of Mussolini, both Germany and Romania proved reluctant to intervene in Yugoslavia. Hitler wanted Slovenia but he was waiting for the Romanians to make the first move in order to make them clearly appear as aggressors and tie them to the Axis. Anne wanted to occupy her half of the country but she was waiting for the collapse of the Yugoslav Army and State to become imminent in order to appear as saviours and maintain their relatively good relations with the Entente.

Thus both the German Reich and the Romanian Realms waited for the other one to blink first. Unfortunately for Hitler, while Anne could easily afford to wait, he couldn't. While Romania was not at war with anyone, the German Reich was in a state of war with the Entente, a Phoney War which could turn hot at any moment. Obviously, the small but unpleasant issue in the Balkans ought to be dealt with before that and time was running out.



24-26 November 1939, Yugoslavia

After scolding Anne one more time for her failure to help the Italians, Hitler finally ordered the invasion of Yugoslavia. The Luftwaffe began a devastating campaign of bombardments all over the northern half of the country and the Heer invaded Slovenia the following day.

Maribor (Marburg an der Drau) fell after five hours and Ljubljana (Laibach) after fifteen. Two days later, most of Slovenia was under German control. In Ljubljana, a group of Slovene politicians led by Marko Natlačen, the Ban of the Drava Banovina, proclaimed the secession of Slovenia from Yugoslavia and asked for the protection of the German Reich. Hitler duly approved and Slovenia became the third German Protectorate after Bohemia-Moravia and Poland.



27-30 November 1939, Yugoslavia

The Heer continued its offensive into Yugoslavia, entering Croatia and taking Zagreb which had been previously declared an open city.

With many ethnic Croats and Slovenes deserting, the Yugoslav Army started to disintegrate and the mainly Serb remaining formations began a largely disorganized retreat towards the mountains of Bosnia and Serbia Proper.

In Belgrade, the fifth consecutive day of heavy bombardments led to the largest amount of destruction, most of the city centre being almost completely levelled. With the Heer rapidly approaching the capital, the Regent, Prince Paul, decided to evacuate the Royal Family, the Cvetković Government and the Army High Command to the relative safety of Sarajevo.



1-4 December 1939, Yugoslavia

After the fall of Belgrade, the military and political situation continued to deteriorate rapidly. Three days later, the Italian and German armies were approaching Sarajevo and, faced with the imminent collapse of the Army and State, the Regent decided to send the Royal Family to Greece.



5-6 December 1939, Yugoslavia

The sixteen years old King Peter II, his younger brothers Tomislav and Andrej and Queen Mother Maria of Romania boarded a plane with the destination Salonica. They would never arrive at their destination. [details in the following chapter]

Romania declared that the Kingdom of Yugoslavia had collapsed and the Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian armies would enter its territory to protect the Yugoslav civilians and the Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian minorities.

The Yugoslav Government issued an official protest but stopped short of actually declaring war. The Yugoslav armies stationed in Serbia were ordered to fall back towards Bosnia after offering no more than symboling resistance to the new invaders.

Just hours later, the Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian armies crossed the borders into Yugoslavia and began to advance westwards as fast as possible. Shortly before midnight, the Romanians reached the Tissa near Zrenjanin (Becicherecul Mare), linking with the Germans on the other bank of the river.

The following day, the Bulgarian spearheads in Macedonia linked with the Albanians south of Skopje, thus preventing the escape of the Yugoslav Army remnants to Greece. At that time, the surrounded Yugoslav Army and authorities controlled less than one fifth of the country.

The end of Yugoslavia was in sight. Anne was simply trying to make it as painless as possible under the circumstances.

 

[Zagan7]

The Invasion of Yugoslavia
9 November - 7 December 1939

​

Legend:

• De jure situation shown (before the official dissolution of Yugoslavia);
• National colours as usual;
• Albania is an Italian Protectorate and in Personal Union with Italy;
• Hungary and Bulgaria (and Slovakia) are Romanian Puppets;
• Pale Colours: Areas of Yugoslavia controlled by the invaders (Italy, Germany, Romania) and the Yugoslav Government (7 December);
• Black Lines: National borders;
• Grey Lines: Internal (informal) regions of Yugoslavia
  • Slovenia (except Prekmurje) -- Slovenia -- assigned to the German Reich (Protectorate);
  • Prekmurje, Međimurje, Baranya, Bačka -- assigned to Hungary;
  • Western Banat, parts of Timok -- assigned to Romania;
  • Tsaribrod, Bosilegrad, parts of Macedonia -- assigned to Bulgaria;
  • parts of Macedonia, parts of Kosovo, parts of Sanjak, parts of Montenegro -- assigned to Albania;
  • Montenegro, parts of Serbian Sanjak -- Montenegro -- assigned to Italy (Protectorate / Personal Union);
  • Cattaro (Kotor), parts of Dalmatia, Adriatic Islands, Fiume hinterland -- assigned to Italy;
  • Serbia Proper, Syrmia, parts of Timok, parts of Serbian Sanjak, parts of Kosovo -- Serbia -- assigned to Romania (puppet);
  • Croatia-Slavonia, parts of Dalmatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Croatia -- Independent country (under Italian and Romanian influence);
• Orange Lines: Maximum Italian (and Albanian) advance in Yugoslavia before the German intervention (25 November);
• Green Lines: Italian frontlines (7 December);
• Cyan Lines: German frontlines (7 December);
• Violet Lines: Romanian frontlines (7 December);
• Rose Dotted Lines: Operational limits between the Hungarian, Romanian and Bulgarian armies.

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[Zagan7]

Chapter 31. [Bonus] A Hijacking

The sixteen years old King Peter II, his younger brothers Tomislav and Andrej and Queen Mother Maria of Romania boarded a plane with the destination Salonica. They would never arrive at their destination. [details in the following chapter (i.e. this one)]

Click to shrink...

5 December 1939, Yugoslavia

With the German and Italian forces converging on Sarajevo (the Yugoslav provisional capital after the recent fall of Belgrade), Prince Regent Paul of Yugoslavia decided to evacuate the Royal Family, parts of the Government and most of the treasury to the safety provided by neutral Greece.

While most of the treasury was sent by armoured train to Salonica (via Skopje) during the night, the Yugoslav Royal Family, the Yugoslav Government and almost two tonnes of gold left Sarajevo early in the morning in two airplanes escorted by two Yugoslav Air Force fighters.

The Royal Plane had four crew: the Pilot, the Air Mechanic, the Navigator and the Radio Operator and ten passengers: Queen Mother Maria and her three children, King Peter (16), Prince Tomislav (11) and Prince Andrej (10), one officer, two soldiers, one doctor and two servants.


Note: In order to understand the following events, please remember that Queen Mother Maria was a Romanian princess (the aunt of King Mihai of the Romanians) and a Romanian citizen and, therefore, she was fully loyal to the Romanian State and Crown.

A couple of hours later, and after a short refuel stop in Niš, the Royal Plane was flying southwards, on a route close to the border with still neutral Bulgaria.

Trying to suppress her nerves, Maria checked again that everything was in place to put in motion her treasonous plan. It was an audacious and almost desperate gamble to deprive the future Yugoslav Government in Exile of its sovereign and about one tonne of its gold.

Maria: "Jelena, we would like to have lunch now... Doctor Milenić... Major Stojanović... Gentlemen, soldiers..., it would be our pleasure to share our meal with you in these dire circumstances for our country and people."

The meal was a sombre affair as the exiles were eating in silence, thinking of the future of their country which they were leaving behind, possibly forever. While the diners were enjoying the cookies, Maria was busy counting them again: the major and the two soldiers, the doctor, two crew members, the butler and two of her children, Peter and Andrej. Nine out of fourteen would be soundly asleep in a matter of minutes. Excluding herself, that left out four people: eleven years old Tomislav, who was tucked in bed with a fever because of the flu, Jelena the maid, who habitually avoided sweets, the pilot, who was in the cockpit flying the plane and the radio operator, who was receiving a message.

Andrej, Peter, the soldiers and the air mechanic were the first to fall asleep because they had eaten multiple cookies. When the doctor realized what was going on, it was already too late to do anything about it. He managed to inform the major but it is not certain whether he actually comprehended the implications in the few seconds which remained before collapsing in a deep sleep. The navigator tried to induce vomit but failed and fell backwards, injuring himself slightly. Slobodan, the butler, remained awake for almost one more minute but, besides repeatedly asking the Queen about her reasons, he did not attempt to do anything.

Maria looked around quickly. Tomislav seemed to be unaware of any foul play and, in any case, her own eleven years old feverish child was not expected to pose any danger to her plan. Jelena was kneeling beside her husband and crying. Maria told her that it wasn't poison but just a sleeping medicine. She deferred any questions and ordered Jelena to sit still on the floor near her husband and to keep quiet.


Less than one minute had actually passed since the loud fall of the plane's navigator. Alerted by the noise, the radio operator had left the radio enclosure and had entered the cabin. Everybody was slumped on the chairs, table or floor, seemingly sleepy or asleep, and the Queen Mother was pointing a gun in his direction.

Maria: "You should have a cookie or two. You too, Jelena. It's better to sleep through all this lest you try something stupid and get shot."

Radio Operator Nikolić: "But, Your Majesty, why?..."

Maria: "Either the cookie or a bullet. It's your choice and my time is very limited."

Nikolić charged towards the gun-yielding queen mother yelling "Long live the Motherland!"

Maria pulled the trigger, hitting the man in the centre of his chest. Blood erupted from the wound but inertia propelled Nikolić one further metre until he collided with Maria, knocking her off her feet and falling on top of her. Maria was not a particularly strong woman but she was strong enough to overpower a wounded man who was rapidly losing blood.


Jelena: "You shot him!..."

Maria: "Yes, Jelena, I did. Everything for the Motherland... Jelena, dear, don't try to be a heroine. Just eat the darn cookie!"

Jelena gulped the cookie and laid down beside Slobodan. Seeing no need to wait for Jelena to fall asleep, Maria tended Nikolić's wound to the best of her abilities, quickly checked on her children and went to the cockpit with her gun already drawn.


Pilot Jovanović: "Your Majesty... I heard a gunshot..."

Maria: "Yes. I had to shot your radio operator. He refused to eat the cookie. The rest are asleep."

Jovanović: "But why?..."

Maria: "We have to change course. Sofia must be about fifty kilometres east-southeast. It's a large city, I'm sure you won't miss it, despite the fact that your navigator is taking a nap."

Jovanović: "We have to land in Salonica. I will not disobey my direct orders."

Maria: "We don't have enough fuel to make it to Salonica."

Jovanović: "I am positive that we have."

Maria: "I believe I know this plane quite well. Let's see, where is the fuel tank? Yes, that way, more or less..."

Jovanović: "No, don't!"

Maria fired five bullets through the floor in the approximative direction of the fuel tank then dropped the empty gun and drew another loaded one.

Maria: "Now, we certainly cannot make it to Salonica."

The pilot looked out the window and, sure enough, he spotted the trail of fuel from the punctured tank.

Jovanović: "You are insane!"

Maria: "No, I am not insane. I am just a patriot. Everything for the motherland! Now steer the plane."

Jovanović: "You are a traitor not a patriot... What motherland are you talking about? Romania?"

Maria: "Of course. Once a Romanian, always a Romanian." (pointing the gun to his head) "You have one minute."

Jovanović: "You can't shoot me. The plane will crash and you will die. And your children will die as well."

Maria: "Well, pick one. Either my loyalty to my country is stronger than the love for my children or I have learned how to fly this plane."

Jovanović: "I think I'll call your bluff."

Maria: "Bad choice."

Maria shot Jovanović point blank in his left elbow, shattering it. Jovanović yelled in pain.


Maria: "Wrong answer. Try again."

Jovanović: "I will never betray my country. Just kill me and go to Hell, you stupid bitch!"

Maria nodded. With her gun still in her right hand, she picked the axe from the wall of the cockpit, turned it around with the blunt part forward and hit the pilot in the back of his head with all the force she could muster. Jovanović fell forwards and lost his consciousness.

Stupid patriots! Why can't they understand that the larger the country the better for everyone!


Maria dragged the limp body of the pilot to the floor of the cockpit and sat in his chair. She looked at the controls. They were quite different from what she was used to. Besides, she hadn't flown a plane in more than ten years and it had been a much smaller one. Maria sighed. This is going to be a tough ride.

Maria changed course, heading east-southeast, towards the Bulgarian border. The fighters circled the Royal Plane, puzzled by its sudden change of course and unsure of what they were supposed to do. By the time they received an answer from the Yugoslav High Command in Sarajevo, Maria had already crossed into the Bulgarian airspace.

Eight Bulgarian fighters appeared seemingly out of nowhere and took over escorting the hijacked plane. The Yugoslav fighters did not attempt to cross the border and turned back, reporting the failure of their mission.


Maria was not sure that she would be able to safely land the plane, so she circled the airport a number of times, until the remaining fuel was lost. At least one way to die, that is being incinerated, was thus hopefully averted.

The landing was indeed very tough but the worst was that Maria failed to sufficiently slow down the plane and, after reaching the end of the runway, the landing gear was torn off and the plane turned around violently, lost one of its wings and finally crashed into a large oak.

The emergency rescue services arrived in less than one minute. Amazingly, although all passengers and crew were injured, some of them seriously, there were no fatalities.


Mihai and Anne arrived at the hospital in the evening to greet their aunt and cousins.

Maria and her children were in the same room, attended by a doctor and a couple of nurses. Maria had a couple of bruised ribs, a strained wrist and a deep cut on her forehead. Peter had a broken leg and minor face injuries, including two broken teeth. He was mildly sedated. Tomislav had minor injuries on his legs and spine. Andrej had a concussion. All of them were stable and certainly not in any danger but the doctor decided that the Yugoslav Royal Family must be kept under observation for at least a couple of days.

Anne: "Aunt Maria, cousins! Welcome!... I wished we'd got you in better shape but thank God that you are alive and will be well soon enough... Anyway, Aunt, you are a true heroine now, we'll give you a medal, of course... However, please don't do anything like that ever again. You are family. I love you and I would hate to lose you. You are a Royal Princess, not a Special Forces operative, for God's sake!"

Of course, King Peter and his brothers, as well as the other Yugoslavs from the crashed plane, had felt overwhelming Romanian patriotism since they had been taken into custody after their rescue from the wreckage.


While Anne and Mihai were chatting with their aunt and Yugoslav cousins, the Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian armies were already crossing the borders into Yugoslavia.

Romania declared that the Kingdom of Yugoslavia had collapsed and the Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian armies would enter its territory to protect the Yugoslav civilians and the Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian minorities.

The Yugoslav Government issued an official protest but stopped short of actually declaring war. The Yugoslav armies stationed in Serbia were ordered to fall back towards Bosnia after offering no more than symboling resistance to the new invaders.

Just hours later, the Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian armies crossed the borders into Yugoslavia and began to advance westwards as fast as possible. Shortly before midnight, the Romanians reached the Tissa near Zrenjanin (Becicherecul Mare), linking with the Germans on the other bank of the river.

The following day, the Bulgarian spearheads in Macedonia linked with the Albanians south of Skopje, thus preventing the escape of the Yugoslav Army remnants to Greece. At that time, the surrounded Yugoslav Army and authorities controlled less than one fifth of the country.

The end of Yugoslavia was in sight. Anne was simply trying to make it as painless as possible under the circumstances.

Click to shrink...

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