As Bulgaria begins to establish its occupation structures in its newly acquired territories, good intentions quickly evaporate and ugly harsh realities come to the forefront.

Major Characters in this Episode:

Tsar Boris III

Adolf Hitler

Prime Minister Bogdan Filov

Dr. Karl Clodius

Timeline:

1. 1941, Apr 21-22nd - A conference at the Imperial Hotel in Vienna determines the demarcation line between the Bulgarians and Italians in Macedonia. Italy receives Tetovo, Gostivar, and Kichevo (4,314 sq km with 232,000 people) while Bulgaria receives Ohrid and Resen. The demarcation line is known as the Vienna Line.

2. 1941, Apr 24th - The Clodius-Popov Treaty is agreed to giving Germany the right to use Macedonian raw materials even as Bulgaria governs the territory.

3. 1941, Apr 26th - The Bulgarian government officially establishes the Skopje and Vranje regions.

4. 1941, Apr 28th - The first of many Serb massacres is perpetrated by the Croatian state.

5. 1941, Apr 29-30th - An extraordinary session of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church establishes new dioceses with their centers in Xanthi, Strumica, and Drama.

6. 1941, April - Macedonian communists declare their allegiance to the Bulgarian party.

7. 1941, May 1st - By ministerial decree, all Jewish men between the ages of 20 and 40 are enrolled in labor troops.

8. 1941, May 3rd - By government decree the Aegean Sea Region is established with its capital in Xanthi as well as the Bitola Region with its capital in Bitola. Tsaribrod, Pirot, and Bosilegrad are annexed into the Sofia region.

9. 1941, May 9th - A new organization is established by cabinet decree for the organization and restoration of new lands. It is given a 10 million leva budget.

10. 1941, May 13th - Serbian Chetniks begin fighting Axis forces.

11. 1941, May 15th - Bulgarian troops enter Resen and Ohrid and capture the islands of Thassos and Samothrace in the Aegean.

12. 1941, May 20th - June 1st - German paratroopers successfully conquer Crete, completing their conquest of Greece.

13. 1941, May 22nd Police arrest 7 Bulgarians and foreigners led by Rafael Gosselin, accusing them of being British spies. Three are sentenced to 10 years in prison. The incident is known as the Gosselin Affair.

14. 1941, May 27th - Sofia secures the release of 12,700 Macedonian-Bulgarian POWs from German camps.

15. 1941, May - Radio broadcasts from stations called “Free and Independent Bulgaria” and “Vasil Levski” under the leadership of G.M. Dimitrov and subsidized by the British begin in Palestine. The stations argue against the alliance with Germany.

16. 1941, May - Macedonian-Bulgarian committees working in favor of the ascension of Macedonia into Bulgaria are founded in Lerin, Kostur, and Thessaloniki.

17. 1941, May - A coup in Iraq sees a pro-Axis government take over, prompting discussions with Turkey over war material passing through their territory.

18. 1941, Jun 7th - Hitler and Tsar Boris meet at Obersalsberg.

19. 1941, mid-Jun - Boris meets with Mussolini in Rome.

20. 1941, mid-Jun - Kostadin Lagadinov is freed from a Soviet Gulag in order to become a partisan in Bulgaria.

21. 1941, Jun 18th - Germany and Turkey sign a nonaggression pact.

22. 1941, Jun 22nd - Operation Barbarossa begins, with Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union ending the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.Timeline

Sources:

• История на България в Дати by Vasil Katsunov, Plamen Mitev, Valeri Kolev, Evgenia Kalinova, and Iskra Baeva

• Crown of Thorns by Stephane Groueff

• Bulgaria During the Second World War by Marshall E. Miller

• The Balkans by Misha Glenny

• History of the Balkans: Twentieth Century by Barbara Jelavich

• Yugoslav Communism and the Macedonian Question by Stephen E. Palmer Jr. and Robert R. King