Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska – NDH)

"For Faith, Homeland, and Order"

Reich Puppet State

The Independent State of Croatia was reestablished as a fascist protectorate under German supervision following the consolidation of the new European order. Initially formed in 1941 under Ante Pavelić and his Ustasha movement, the Croatian regime was maintained by the Reich as a tool for Balkan control, especially in light of the crumbling Eastern Front.

Despite its appearance of sovereignty, Croatia is highly subordinate to German power, with a strong presence of military advisors, Gestapo officers, and SS units.

Leadership of Ante Pavelić

The Poglavnik (Leader) Ante Pavelić remains head of state, backed by Nazi machinery and supported by the remnants of the Ustasha movement. His government is:

• Ultranationalist and authoritarian, based on Croatian Catholicism and antisemitism.
• Increasingly challenged by popular opposition, especially in rural and Muslim regions.
• Dependent on German military support, as the Croatian state apparatus has been weakened by decades of civil war and occupation.

Pavelić rules from Zagreb with an iron fist, but knows his regime would collapse without Berlin's support.

The SS Handschar Division

Croatia permanently hosts the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS “Handschar,” composed primarily of Bosnian Muslims, trained by German officers and fanatically anti-communist.

• Stationed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are tasked with anti-partisan repression, protection of strategic routes, and control over disloyal minorities.
• Though formally part of the Waffen-SS, the Handschar division is viewed with suspicion by the Ustasha due to ethnic and religious differences.
• The division has been accused of atrocities in Serbian and dissident Muslim villages.

Anti-Croatian Islamist Militia

In response to both Croatian domination and SS brutality, a radical Islamist militia has emerged in the Bosnian mountains and rural southern regions. This militia:

• Opposes both Pavelić’s regime and the Handschar SS, whom they see as traitors to Islam.
• Receives limited and clandestine support from Albanian militias and ex-Yugoslav communist networks.
• Advocates an ultra-conservative political Islam, and demands Islamic autonomy independent of Zagreb and Berlin.

Tensions between the Islamists, the Handschar SS, and the Croatian regime have led to irregular clashes, ambushes, targeted assassinations, and brief uprisings.

Current Situation (1946)

The Independent State of Croatia stands on the brink of internal collapse. Though still maintaining its façade as an Axis ally, it is in reality a battlefield of competing interests: German, Croatian nationalist, and Balkan insurgencies. Pavelić clings to power only through terror, prison camps, and the military control Germany enforces through its SS units.

Meanwhile, the southern mountains and villages boil with resistance: radical Muslims, Serbian partisans, and communist cells await the moment to destroy the puppet state and forge a new future for the Balkans.