At the time of the second world war, North Macedonia was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. On April 6th 1941, German armed forces launched the invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia quickly subjugating the nation. The area of modern-day North Macedonia was known as Vardar Banovina and axis control was divided between Bulgaria, German-occupied Serbia, and Italian-controlled Albania. 

Initially, the communists in Yugoslavia had decided to remain neutral in the war and were happy enough to sit and watch the ‘imperials’  fight each other. That changed when Nazi Germany declared war on the Soviet Union. It then became the duty of every communist to resist the Axis powers, wherever and whenever they could. 

This galvanised the Macedonian communist Partisans of the People’s Liberation Army of Macedonia into action. On October 11th 1941, partisan insurgents attacked Axis targets in the city of Prilep. The date of these first assaults is considered to be the beginning of the campaign of political and military resistance in Macedonia. 

The Macedonian resistance played a key part in the victory over fascism in the region. After the war, the resistance had created a renewed sense of Macedonian nationalism. The Communists, having taken a lead in the resistance would go on to overthrow the Yugoslav monarchy in November 1945 and proclaim the People’s Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 

Croatia’s resistance began on June 22nd 1941. That is also marked with a public holiday, Anti-Fascist Struggle Day. #OccasionalDigest #Macedonia