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In fiction, I have come across fleeting reference to a "shadowy little war in Carinthia", fought just after World War One, as the new Yugoslavia sought to add Carinthia to its territory, and the Carinthians weren't having this.
I have also seen brief reference to a Carinthian Freikorps, but no Freikorps book I have seen gives much detail on them. Could they have been the ones who resisted the Yugoslavs in this supposed war?
Would their uniforms have been based upon Austro-Hungarian styles?
Any information on this obscure conflict would be welcome.

Hi Bratwurst Boy,

try a google search for "Kärnten Abwehrkampf".
Here are two sites (in German unfortunately) with some basic information including photos
http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop.k/k176863.htm
http://www.kab.or.at/
There you'll also find some books listed if you want to dig further into the matter.
The volunteer actions in Austria are indeed omitted in many works about the Freikorps but at least Ernst von Salomon's "Das Buch vom deutschen Freikorpskämpfer" should contain some reference as he knew Hans Steinacher personally who had been one of the most prominent figures in the Carinthian affair.

Best regards
Torsten

Hi Guys,

It is also worth mentioning that Carinthia was the scene of some quite heavy fighting during the Austrian Army's successful suppression of the Nazi coup attempt of 25 July 1934. This arguably saw the heaviest fighting in Europe in the 1930s outside the Spanish Civil War.

Cheers,

Sid.

Hello Sid,
who was fighting who? And on what side of the hill was the Yugoslav Kingdom?

Was perhaps Austrian Army versus Nazi + Yugoslavian ?

Where was the hearth of the Carinthia inhabitants? For the Nazi (it's possible, it's a diehard land) and for the Yugos menawhile (It's impossible, it would mean to give up their region to the same Slav minority they had fought fiercely in 1919). What a mess!

EC

Hi Enrico,

This was in Austrian Karnten only. The Yugoslavs were bystanders.

In late July 1934 the Austrian SA and SS attempted a coup against the Austrian Government, Army and various Austrian nationalist political militias equivalent to the SA and SS.

The Austrian Army beat the Nazis in a couple of days and several thousand fled Austrian Karnten into Yugoslavia. There the Yugoslavs peacefully disarmed and interned them until November or December. They were then shipped to Germany on German liners hired for the occasion.

Cheers,

Sid.

Nazi volunteers who had the Slav Yugoslavian help against Austria (and, in being, Italy, France and Hungary).
What could hope belgrade favouring such a putsch? Not Carinthia, I believe (or the SS were ready to sell the kernel of Austrian nationalis to get the power in Wien).
The more we study this matter the more it's darker, except if we don't start from the principle Himmler (and not only Heydrich) was ready to join the devil himself for absolute power not considering any of the boasted "ideals" of nazism.

Bye
EC

Hi Enrico,

No. The Austrian Nazis had NO Yugoslav help against the Austrian Government in July 1934.

The Austrian Nazis fled to Yugoslavia because they had been defeated. They couldn't go to Italy because Mussolini supported the Austrian Government and had mobilised troops on the border. (Mussolini was furious because the Austrian Nazis had murdered the Austrian Chancellor Dolfuss on 25 July shortly before he was due to fly to meet Mussolini. Dolfuss's family were already house guests of the Mussolini family and the Duce had the painful job of telling Mrs. Dolfuss of her husband's murder.)

Yugoslavia was at the time the only place the Karnten/Carintyhian Nazis could flee to. The Yugoslavs disarmed them and imprisoned them in internment camps. Hitler negotiated their removal to Germany at the end of 1934.

To repeat, the Yugoslavs did not support the Austrian Nazi coup attempt in July 1934.

Cheers,

Sid.

Bratwurst Boy wrote:In fiction, I have come across fleeting reference to a "shadowy little war in Carinthia", fought just after World War One, as the new Yugoslavia sought to add Carinthia to its territory, and the Carinthians weren't having this.

Carinthian Freikorps repulsed two attacks commanded by major Lavric, whose force consisted of Slovenian troops of Imperial army. Their success was reversed when Serbian troops led by marshal Stepa Stepanovic overwhelmed them in 1919. Carinthia was under occupation till the population voted to rejoin Austria in plebiscite.

I have also seen brief reference to a Carinthian Freikorps, but no Freikorps book I have seen gives much detail on them. Could they have been the ones who resisted the Yugoslavs in this supposed war?
Would their uniforms have been based upon Austro-Hungarian styles?
Any information on this obscure conflict would be welcome.

Yes, Freikorps was the force resisting Slovenian incursion. As for their uniforms, they were obviously Austro-Hungarian ones. Freikorps was drawn out of remains of Austrian army and it's doubtful that Carinthian authority, in such a crisis, had time to issue new uniforms.