7 Dec.
45
Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria, as
territorial acquisitions are to be promised to these states; the
Adriatic coast for Italy, the Banat for Hungary, and Macedonia for
Bulgaria.
"This plan assumes that we speed up the schedule of all
preparations and use such strong forces that the Yugoslav collapse
will take place within the shortest time."
Well, of course, the Tribunal will have noted that in that third
paragraph 2 days after the pact had been signed and the
assurances given because there has been a coup d'etat and
it is just possible that the operations against Greece may be affected,
the destruction of Yugoslavia is decided upon without any question of
taking the trouble to ascertain the views of the new government.
Then there is one short passage on Page 5, the next page of the
document, which I would like to read:
"5) The main task of the Air Force is
to start as early as possible with the destruction of the Yugoslavian
Air Force ground installations and to destroy the capital Belgrade in
attacks by waves . . ."
I
pause there to comment; we now know, of course, how ruthlessly this
bombing was done when the residential areas of Belgrade were bombed at 7
o'clock on the following Sunday morning, the morning of the 6th.
THE PRESIDENT: The 6th of April?
COL. PHILLIMORE: The 6th of April.
Then again still in the same document, the last part of it, Part V at
Page 5; a tentative plan is set out, drawn up by the Defendant Jodl and
I would read one small paragraph at the top of the following page, Page
6:
"In the event that the political
development requires an armed intervention against Yugoslavia, it is
the German intention to attack Yugoslavia in a concentric way as soon
as possible, to destroy her armed forces, and to dissolve her national
territory."
I read that
because the plan is issued from the office of the Defendant Jodl.
Now passing to the next document in the bundle, C-127, I put that in as
Exhibit GB-125. It is an extract from the order issued after the meeting
from the minutes of which I have just read, that is the meeting of the
27th of March recorded in 1746-PS, Part II. It is worth reading the
first paragraph:
"The military Putsch in Yugoslavia
has altered the political situation in the Balkans. Yugoslavia must,
in spite of her protestations of loyalty, for the time being be
considered as an enemy and therefore be crushed as speedily as
possible."