“TODAY PLANES ARE ATTACKING BELGRADE”: THE BELGRADE PUBLIC AND THE DANGER FROM AREA BOMBARDING 1918-1941.

Abstract

The tense international situation, the Spanish Civil War and the outbreak of the Second World War influenced that, from the mid-1930s, the danger of air attacks became a daily topic in the public discourse of the then Yugoslav society. Reports from the front followed, allowing readers to become familiar with the devastating effects of the bombing. At the same time, works were published that looked analytically at this topic. Their authors, in a scientific and popular way, tried to bring to a wider readership all segments of the use of aviation in war operations, its consequences and factors that can influence their mitigation. Such articles were an important segment in the education and preparation of the population against the dangers of air attacks. The simulation of aerial attacks through exercises held on Belgrade streets and training grounds represented a direct opportunity for the population to learn about bombing as directly as possible, without consequences. Exercises of this type also enabled state authorities to see shortcomings and assess the possible behavior of civilians during an attack. Analysis of advertisements in Belgrade newspapers clearly showed that in the second half of the 1930s, the threat of bombing became a daily reality for citizens. Overall, there is no key segment of this topic that was not represented in the Belgrade press of the interwar period.