“We are probably on the brink of the most horrible total war”

The doctrines of the Second World War from the point of view of Slovene politics in the years 1939-1941

Abstract

Slovene politicians addressed the question of military doctrine soon after the start of the new global conflict. Both the Liberal and the Catholic camps believed that the war was total in character; at the same time, they pointed out another key feature of the new military conflict – the Blitzkrieg principle. Both camps, and the Socialist wing of the Marxist camp in particular, stressed the importance of modern military means in the new war. They particularly pointed out the role of the air force, paratroopers, motorized units, naval mines and submarines. Meteorological conditions were likewise considered an important factor in the successful execution of military operations, as well as the dangerous effects of propaganda, psychological warfare and the role of radio in it. The Liberals also advocated the doctrine of all-round support of the civil population towards the armed forces (the army is the nation), while the Socialists warned about warfare whose purpose was to deliberately exhaust the enemy’s economic power and decimate the soldiery in a military conflict. In the years 1939-1941, the Communists addressed the question of military doctrine from the point of view of their revolutionary goals, which included organization, preparation and execution of an armed rebellion and a takeover of power that would be based on guerrilla or partisan-type fighting. This was the ground on which they conducted partisan warfare in the years 1941-1945.