Vanco Mihailov

[Soldier of Macedon]

VMRO, Mihailov seems to be absent from Macedonia during WWII, aside from the brief period towards the end of 1944 when he went to Skopje for a few days to (unsuccessfully) create a puppet state. What is your understanding of this?

[VMRO]

Originally Posted by Soldier of Macedon

VMRO, Mihailov seems to be absent from Macedonia during WWII, aside from the brief period towards the end of 1944 when he went to Skopje for a few days to (unsuccessfully) create a puppet state. What is your understanding of this?

He was absent after escaping to Turkey where he went into hiding and lived under fake names whilst financially sponsored by the MPO.

What I've come across is that the Germans offered Mihajlov the reigns to head a puppet state in Macedonia but however due to hostility and the lack of support from the Macedonian people he declined.

I believe he would have had a puppet state if the Germans offered this to Mihajlov the same time the Ustasa were provided their own puppet state as Mihajlov was offered this near the end of WW2 when it was evident the Germans were eyeing defeat and losing ground.

[Soldier of Macedon]

From the limited research I have done for that period, this is a (very) basic chronology of events (if there are any errors, feel free to highlight them). It appears that Mihailov could have returned to Macedonia as early as 1941 if he wanted to, but instead he stayed in Croatia. Is it because he had an axe to grind against the Bulgarian king and authorities or that he didn't agree with their policy regarding Macedonia? Was he looking at the situation from a selfish perspective, in which he wanted control of Macedonia for himself without having to answer to the Bulgarian authorities? Did he ever advocate for the absorption of the whole of Macedonia into Bulgaria?

AMHRC, chime in to our discussion if you can provide some insight.

- In 1934, VMRO United supported a Comintern resolution for the recognition of the Macedonians as a distinct ethnic group. There was a coup d'état in Bulgaria which was led by Zveno, a right-wing military group which was both anti-VMRO (the right faction) and pro-Greater Yugoslavia. Zveno had a generally anti-monarchist policy and began to establish closer ties with Communist Russia (ie USSR). The Bulgarian army disarmed the Macedonian revolutionaries, seizing thousands of weapons and munitions in Pirin Macedonia. Towards the end of that year, Mihailov fled to Turkey, Crnozemski killed the Serb king and the new authorities in Bulgaria had sentenced Mihailov to death in absentia.

- The following year, 1935, the Bulgarian king progressively reestablished his authority over the country.

- In 1938, Mihailov goes to Poland.

- In 1941, Bulgaria allies itself to Nazi Germany and the Tripartite pact. Mihailov is pardoned by Bulgaria, but instead of returning to Pirin Macedonia he goes to Croatia.

- In 1942, the Bulgarian king considered inviting Mihailov back to Bulgaria, but that didn't take place.

- In 1943, the Ohrana units are created in Aegean Macedonia which are in contact with Bulgarian army members (of Macedonian descent) but outside the direct control of the Bulgarian army. Mihailov also obtains permission from Himmler to create battalions of former VMRO members in support of Ohrana. Hitler allegedly expresses his desire for an autonomous Macedonia within the Bulgarian kingdom and under the protection of Nazi Germany. The Bulgarian king apparently agrees to this and the accession of Italian-occupied Macedonia into the Bulgarian kingdom, as Italy had submitted to the allies. But, the same year, the Bulgarian king dies and the supposed plan never comes to fruition.

- In 1944, just before the coup d'état in Bulgaria, Mihailov goes to Skopje for his failed attempt at creating a pro-German Macedonian state. He leaves Macedonia for the last time a few days later, never to return.

[VMRO]

Originally Posted by Soldier of Macedon

From the limited research I have done for that period, this is a (very) basic chronology of events (if there are any errors, feel free to highlight them). It appears that Mihailov could have returned to Macedonia as early as 1941 if he wanted to, but instead he stayed in Croatia. Is it because he had an axe to grind against the Bulgarian king and authorities or that he didn't agree with their policy regarding Macedonia? Was he looking at the situation from a selfish perspective, in which he wanted control of Macedonia for himself without having to answer to the Bulgarian authorities? Did he ever advocate for the absorption of the whole of Macedonia into Bulgaria?

AMHRC, chime in to our discussion if you can provide some insight.

From what i have read a while back from people that were close to Mihajlov was that the Germans did not offer this option to him in 1941.

During the year of 1941, Mihajlov was just an advisor to Pavelic, and it was that year that they allowed Ante Pavelic a puppet state.

It was only in 1944 when Germany was nearing their failure, that german intelligence came and took Mihajlov in a military airplane from Zagreb to Skopie to announce an independent Macedonia as Pavelich had done in Croatia.

Apparently Mihajlov believed that he could have created an independent Macedonian state but only if it was 3 years earlier.

It is reported that he stated “I don’t want to sacrifice my people", not sure if this was due to his belief that Macedonians would turn on each other if he created an independent state or that Macedonia would be used by the Germans as an exit point for their army in Greece.

Here is a statement from Mihajlov in one of his final interviews on October 1 1989 conducted by Boris Vishinski a journalist from Macedonia.

"When the war was coming to its end, the same people encouraged Ivan Mihaylov to proclaim the independence of Macedonia publicly. But this step was a very late one. Therefore, I went to Skopje with my wife on purpose. From Skopje I informed the Germans that I could not accept their suggestion, as it was too late. I added to my refusal that I had no intention of taking the responsibility for the harm that I would bring to my own people because of my actions. The Germans themselves wrote in a book (Digeheime Front by Walter Hagen) that although this answer was not pleasing to them, they believed that Mihaylov had done his duty to his people."

Be mindful that all the above is from sources that we close to him.



I do not know the full factors behind the Bulgarian king and Mihajlov, but it was evident he took the orders from Germany and Italy seriously.

[VMRO]

This is my personal view regarding why he didn't take the German offer regarding Macedonia's independence.

I believe it was due to him being a coward, his whole life he did not partake in any major battle, he was a manipulator and had others do his dirty work. He ran away when the Bulgarian government cracked down on his illegal activities and then country hopped for a few years to which after 1944 settled in Italy (Rome) never working again unless you call working for the MPO a job.

Till his death he lived under a fake name and he would have seen that Germany was losing and turned down the offer to save his own skin to which he escaped back to Zagreb.

Off the topic - He was implicated in the opium trade apparently.



Source: Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 165, 14 July 1934, Page 4

[DedoAleko]

LINK:Dali Vanco Mihajlov beshe sorabotnik na UDBA

[VMRO]

Originally Posted by DedoAleko

LINK:Dali Vanco Mihajlov beshe sorabotnik na UDBA

I watched that emisija.

Not sure why Eftov did not interview Vida Boeva, she was Mihajlov's secretary and still lives in the house Mihajlov lived in until his death.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Can someone give me a general summary of who Mihailov was, what he did and his significance in Macedonia?

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Still searching for a follow up on the man. Seems to be a lot of conflict over him, whether he was a traitorous Vrhovist or a legimate Macedonian revolutionary?

[VMRO]

Originally Posted by Liberator of Makedonija

Still searching for a follow up on the man. Seems to be a lot of conflict over him, whether he was a traitorous Vrhovist or a legimate Macedonian revolutionary?

Mihajlov was an opportunist, his rise to the top spot of VMRO requires extensive research to be done as a 26 year old he stepped right into the central committee of VMRO upon Todor's death.

He used his position to murder in cold blood countless of Macedonian patriots both from VMRO and external to VMRO without the necessary vote as required in VMRO's constitution.

The way i see Mihajlov's era in VMRO is that he was primarily the one who brought the downfall of the organisation and the org lost it's way (Ended up killing our own people instead of focusing on the occupied areas).


In the end he escaped while his followers were being killed and arrested. Retired eventually in Rome whilst being funded by the MPO.

There is more to it but above is the summarised version.