Novosti News Agency – Belgrade – Sunday, 9 July 1938
Sources within the Defence Ministry confirm that twenty-five officers and non-commissioned officers have been sent to Germany for training as parachutists. Rumours suggest that following a course of instruction at the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjaeger School at Brunswick-Celle the ‘survivors’ will be posted to a new formation of the Royal Yugoslav Army.
Novosti News Agency – Belgrade – Monday, 17 January 17 1938
Defence Minister Petar Stambolic and General Dusan Simovic, Chief of the Defence Staff, presented to Parliament the results of the Defence Review ordered by Prime Minister Karasec upon his assumption of office. Despite opposition in traditionalist circles the numerous reforms recommended were generally well greeted by the majority of deputies.
Announced at the same time were further orders for military equipment from suppliers in Czechoslovakia, including follow-on contracts for tanks and motor vehicles. Of particular note were the orders placed for the refurbishment of the Army’s artillery park, including 180 examples of the M34 mountain howitzer, the M35 heavy field gun and the M37 heavy field howitzer.
Novosti News Agency – Belgrade – Monday, 21 February 1938
The Defence Ministry announced that it had approved the preliminary design proposals made by the Soko Aircraft Factory pursuant to its contract for Project 220, and that the first tranche of funding had been approved.
Ministry of Defence Headquarters, Belgrade – Friday, 4 March 1938
General Dusan Simovic, chief of Yugoslavia’s defence staff was meeting with his service chiefs, Vice Admiral Danis Asner of the Naval Staff, Major-General Todor Milicevic of the Air Staff and General Milan Radenkovic of the Army General Staff. It was but one of a series of staff meetings that had become a regular feature of their Fridays.
“The Prime Minister wants the recommendations of the Defence Review implemented immediately,” Simovic said with mild exasperation; he was as aware as any of the difficult road the Yugoslav military had embarked upon. “Training is the bottleneck,” Radenkovic replied with an even deeper sense of frustration. “We are opening schools and training academies as fast as we can, but you cannot change people over night. We need time.”
“Time is something we do not have; we cannot wait until the time is right for everything. Which of our divisions has the best trained and educated soldiers?” replied Simovic, knowing the answer. “The Guards, of course” was Radenkovic’s immediate response.
“Then we will convert the Guards Division to the ‘38A Establishment. The troops surplus to requirements can be used to staff cadres of some of the new formations.” General Simovic seemed to have already made up his mind.
“His Majesty will not be happy,” replied the army chief. “That will be the Prime Minister’s problem” Simovic smiled.
“Milicevic,” the Defence Chief barked, “Parliament is all up in arms about the sorry state of the Air Force. You’ve seen the recommendations. Where do we stand?”
“Sir, we are still reviewing the mess left us by General Bozovich and his cronies. We’ve got too few aircraft of too many types – maintenance is impossible. It will be another buying spree until we can get the domestic industry off the ground.” The airman shrugged. “And it will take a lot of dinar to make that possible!”
“I know,” Simovic responded. “I want your final recommendations within the next two weeks. And speaking of money, Asner, Parliament is up in arms about those submarines. What was the navy thinking?”
Asner drew himself up and inhaled sharply. “That was something worked out by my predecessor and Prime Minister Lorkovic had made personal representations to the South African government to pull it off. I know that the boats are not much more than scrap iron, their presence will drive the Italians mad, and they cost us more than half the normal construction budget that quarter. But we could not get out of the deal.”
Simovic bowed his head. “Yes, sometimes we are bound by the agreements of our predecessors. Let us all keep that in mind as we evaluate our course ahead.” He paused, “What’s next?”
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