Original subtitles

October the 9th, 1934, Marseille, France, 4 .15 in the afternoon.

King Alexander I of Yugoslavia is being driven through the streets of the old

fort at the start of a state visit.

Suddenly a man rushes forward, leaps on the running board of the car, and opens

fire at point -blank range with a large handgun.

Why has the Yugoslavian king been shot?

October the 9th, 1934, Marseille, France.

Just minutes after arriving in France on a state visit, King Alexander I of

Yugoslavia has been shot.

He now lies back in his car seat, motionless and deathly pale.

When the crowd lining the route realize what's happened, there's pandemonium.

Alexander's driver now heads for the city police headquarters, which are

by.

As he does so, everyone wants to know who has targeted the king, and more

importantly, why.

Alexander has kept an iron grip on Yugoslavia since becoming king in August

1921.

He abolishes parliament, tears up the constitution, and establishes himself as

virtual dictator.

This makes him a great many enemies.

And none is more dangerous than a shadowy secret society of Croats known

Utasha.

By steadfastly refusing to recognize Croatia as a separate state and

it remains part of Yugoslavia, Alexander, a Serb, has earned their

hatred.

Situated in southeastern Europe and stretching a thousand miles along the

Adriatic coast, the kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes emerged from

War I in 1918 as a weak and disunited nation.

The country, which would later become Yugoslavia, is a volatile mix of three

main cultures, Catholic, Russian Orthodox and Muslims, together with

smaller ethnic groups.

The kingdom, which at the time relies mainly on agriculture, is in dire

economically.

Improving its financial health, as well as bringing together such a diverse

population, each with its own history, religion, administrative and legal

systems, would prove a monumental task.

As the country slowly recovers from World War I, the Serbs, who represent

50 % of the population, are determined that everyone should be subservient to

them. There is no way they are going to give autonomy to the Croats, who have

only half their number.

Nonetheless, the avowed aim of the Utasha, the Croat secret society, led by

lawyer, Ante Pavelic, is the breakup of Yugoslavia and the removal of Alexander.

One of the society's most violent and committed members is a man called Vlada

Chernozemsky. Otherwise known as Vlada the Chauffeur, he's Pavlich's personal

bodyguard and has a well -earned reputation as a vicious and ruthless

He considers the assassination of Alexander as a sacred duty, and he's

determined that someday he will be the one to carry it through.

Meanwhile, Alexander wants to make the country more secure, and to this end,

Yugoslavia has been part of what's known as the Little Entente since the early

1920s.

Its members consist of Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia.

They came together to form a mutual defense pact against Germany and Hungary

the years immediately following the end of World War I.

But the country which represents most of a threat to Yugoslavia at the time is

Italy, presided over by Benito Mussolini since October 1922.

The strutting, bombastic dictator is determined to seize back territory, in

particular the Dalmatian coast on the western shores of the Adriatic, ceded to

Yugoslavia at the end of World War I.

On July 4, 1933,

The little Entente further consolidates its position by signing a non

-aggression pact with the Soviet Union.

And a year later, on February 9th, 1934, Alexander hedges his bets even further

by joining the Balkan Entente, along with Romania, Greece and Turkey.

However, this particular pact is formed to protect its members from attack by

another Balkan country.

notably Bulgaria or Albania, rather than Germany.

But none of this really matters to the Croat nationalists. All they want is

their own separate state.

But King Alexander stands in their way. So now the vengeful leaders of the

Utasha, the Croat secret society, are actively plotting his assassination.

King Alexander of Yugoslavia was born on December 4, 1888, at Chetinya,

Montenegro.

He is the second son of Prince Peter, who would become King of Serbia in 1903.

In 1898, Alexander enrolled at a military school in St. Petersburg,

up for the sons of members of Tsar Nicholas II's court.

It would not be until 1909, six years after his father is elected king, that

Alexander returns to live permanently in Serbia.

March 27, 1909.

Alexander is officially named heir to the throne when his elder brother,

George, is forced to step aside because of his erratic behavior and unstable

temperament.

On the outbreak of the Balkan War in 1912, Alexander takes command of the

Serbian First Army, serving with great bravery and distinction in the campaigns

against Bulgaria and Turkey, both Muslim countries.

Two years later, on June 24, 1914, King Peter, now in extremely poor health,

appoints Alexander Prince Regent of Serbia.

Then, just four days later, the heir to the throne of Austria -Hungary, the

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, together with his wife Sophie, is assassinated by

Bosnian Serb nationalists while visiting Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital.

July 28, 1914.

With the full backing of Germany, an outraged Austria -Hungary declares war

Serbia.

Two days later, Russia comes in on Serbia's side.

The slide towards the start of World War I is now seemingly unstoppable.

At the outbreak of World War I in the summer of 1914, Prince Alexander is

appointed commander -in -chief of the Serbian army.

He goes on to score early notable victories against invading Austro

forces.

However, his success would not last, and the following year the Serbian army and

the government retreats through Albania to exile on the Greek island of Corfu.

Here, together with the rest of the high command, Alexander reorganizes and

regroups his fighting forces.

At the same time, he begins to lobby the British and French governments to back

him in his desire to create what he calls a Greater Serbia by absorbing the

neighboring states of Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, and

Slovenia.

They are sympathetic to his cause, especially when the Serbian army plays

an important role in the final Allied push on the Western Front in November

1918.

So, as the armistice is declared on November 11th, it looks as if Alexander

get his way and eventually form the independent nation of Yugoslavia.

And as well as having the British and French behind him, Alexander now enjoys

the support of Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States.

December 1st, 1918, Croatia.

Delegates to the Yugoslav National Council in Zagreb formally acknowledge

Alexander as regent in all the Yugoslav provinces.

He adopts the title Prince -Regent of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

August 16th, 1921.

Alexander's father, Peter I, dies in Belgrade. Alexander is now king.

a title he relishes.

But as Alexander consolidates his grip on his kingdom, the Croats begin to

resent being subject to Serb rule, especially as they had always thought

inferior.

Paradoxically, however, one of the leading Croats, Stefan Raditz, would

trusted friend of Alexander as they reach an accommodation on how the

should be governed.

But on June 20, 1928, Radic is shot while taking part in a parliamentary

He dies a few weeks later.

Alexander is devastated.

Punisza Pacic, the assassin, hopes that by killing Radic, he will put paid to

any kind of peaceful coexistence between the two sides and create turmoil

throughout the country.

The death of the immensely popular Radic precipitates a political crisis as the

Croat members of parliament withdraw to Zagreb.

The chaos engendered by the assassination is greatly welcomed by

Mussolini, the fascist dictator of neighboring Italy.

If Alexander loses control of the country, Mussolini is determined to move

and seize territory along the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea.

Mussolini already has a powerful ally in the Croat camp, extreme nationalist

Ante Pavelic.

If Alexander is out of the way, reasons Mussolini, he can install Pavelic as a

puppet ruler.

Italy would then dominate the entire Balkan peninsula.

January 6, 1929, Belgrade.

Faced with the possibility of a political meltdown, Alexander dissolves

Parliament and annuls the Constitution.

The next day, a group of highly disaffected Croats get together.

And this is how the Utasha comes into being.

The Utasha's leader is Ante Pavlic, a man who has long been passionately

to Alexander and everything he stands for.

October 29th, 1929.

Alexander changes the country's official name to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and

divides it into nine newly named provinces.

Previously, there had been 33.

Two years later, Alexander introduces a new constitution.

Under its terms, all executive power is transferred to him as he consolidates

his grip on the country.

Meanwhile, as time goes by, French Foreign Minister Louis Barthoud is

increasingly alarmed at the way things are turning out in Europe.

He's long mistrusted Mussolini. Now he's faced with an even worse threat, Adolf

Hitler, elected Chancellor of Germany in January 1933.

And unlike many of his contemporaries, Barthou has actually read Mein Kampf,

book written by Hitler while serving a brief prison term in Germany in 1924 for

his part in a plot to seize control of Bavaria.

Barthou knows exactly what Hitler's all about.

He's convinced it won't be long before he starts expanding the German borders

force of arms.

Italian dictator Mussolini loses no time in making overtures to Hitler.

He recognizes him as a kindred spirit.

At the same time, Mussolini is actively supporting the Uttasher.

Furious at Alexander's seemingly open contempt for him, he puts pressure on

secret society to get rid of the king.

But he realizes it will be difficult to get at him while he's on Yugoslavian

soil.

Then, in the spring of 1934, Mussolini learns that Alexander has been invited

make a state visit to France later that year.

Mussolini tells Utasha that Alexander must not leave France alive.

October the 9th, 1934, Marseille, France, mid -afternoon.

King Alexander I arrives off the coast at the start of his state visit to

France.

His ship, the Dubrovnik, drops anchor in open water a short way out.

Alexander is then brought to shore in a launch.

French Foreign Minister Louis Barthoud is at the quay to greet him, along with

various city officials and dozens of newspaper reporters and photographers.

Troops snap to attention, and an orchestra strikes up with the Yugoslav

French national anthems to greet Alexander, resplendent in an admiral's

Once the initial formalities are over, he climbs into a large, open -top

limousine.

Barthou sits beside him.

General Alphonse Georges, chief of the French general staff, takes a seat

further forward.

As he settles into the car, Alexander glances nervously around him.

Today is Tuesday.

It's the day of the week on which three members of his family have died

previously.

A deeply superstitious man, Alexander normally refuses to undertake any public

duties on a Tuesday.

But today, as the car sets off, he knows he has no choice.

He could have no idea of the horror which lies ahead. As a Natasha assassin,

Vlado the chauffeur mingles with the crowds along the route.

He's there to kill King Alexander.

And because he supports Alexander, 72 -year -old Bartu is also marked for

Escorted by two mounted cavalry officers, Alexander's car is travelling

more than five miles an hour as it passes the city's stock exchange.

The king is delighted at the enthusiasm of the people lining the streets to

watch him pass by.

But then suddenly, a man rushes forward, leaps onto the running board of the

car, and starts firing a long -barrelled Mauser pistol at point -blank range.

It's Vlada.

Vlasak, the driver of the royal car, turns round in his seat and tries to

him off.

But it's too late.

King Alexander is slumped, deathly pale in his suit.

He's been hit twice.

Batu is also hit, blood pumping from a wound in his upper right arm.

In the chaos which ensues, General Jor is wounded.

And a policeman who tries to grab Vlada is also shot.

Two onlookers are killed by stray bullets.

Police struggle to contain the panic -stricken crowd as horrified screams

the air.

Now one of the cavalrymen, Colonel Piolet, starts slashing at Vlada with

saber.

The assassin goes down.

A policeman shoots him in the head.

But Vlada is still alive.

Then the crowd move in.

Unable to control the furious mob, the police stand back.

There's nothing they can do, as Vlada is kicked unconscious.

However, they do manage to recover the murder weapon.

Now the king is rushed to police headquarters, where a physician looks

of life.

But it's too late.

Alexander is already dead.

One bullet has grazed his heart, the other is lodged in his abdomen.

Meanwhile, only having been hit in the arm, Louis Barthoud is not considered to

be in any real danger.

But the bullet has severed an artery.

And due to a tourniquet having been tied in the wrong place, around his wrist

instead of above the elbow, Bakhtu is still bleeding heavily.

He's given an immediate blood transfusion, but it's hopeless.

He's lost far too much blood already and dies within half an hour.

Later that evening, in a closely guarded room, another man dies of his injuries.

It's Vlada, the Athasi, and he dies without saying a word.

The next morning, less than 24 hours after he arrived, a slow, stately

takes Alexander's body through the streets of Marseille towards the

Fearful that another assassin might now launch an attack on Alexander's widow,

Queen Marie, her car is completely surrounded by police outriders on

The grief -stricken queen accompanies the king's coffin as it's taken on board

the Dubrovnik for the voyage back to the port of Split in Yugoslavia.

As news of Alexander's death reaches his own country, the people are stunned.

The general Croat population is subdued, fearful that the Serbs will now turn on

them.

Mussolini is delighted, but as he waits for the country to descend into bloody

civil war, he sends a hollow message of sympathy to the Yugoslav government.

Even Hitler.

expresses his outrage at the assassination.

Meanwhile, in a precautionary measure, the British government orders Royal Navy

warships into the Adriatic.

The last thing they want is Mussolini launching an invasion of a weakened

Yugoslavia.

But the Italian dictator has no such intention.

The death of Alexander means he no longer regards Yugoslavia as a threat to

own territorial ambitions.

Alexander's funeral in Belgrade a few days after his assassination is attended

by royals and leading statesmen from all over Europe.

Mussolini and Hitler are not among them.

A solemn crowd, half a million strong, watch in disbelieving silence as the

funeral procession passes by.

Alexander is succeeded by his son Peter, but because he's only eleven, The

country is now to be ruled by a Regency Council, headed by Prince Paul, his

first cousin.

October 13th, 1934.

Barthou is given a state funeral in Paris.

The mourners include British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and Hermann

Hitler's deputy Fuhrer.

As soon as the funerals are over, the hunt for the men behind the murders gets

underway.

No one believes Vlada acted alone.

Now both the Yugoslav and French authorities seek his accomplices.

They compile a dossier on the Utasha.

Much to Mussolini's relief, this implicates Hungary, where members of the

society trained, rather than Italy, as the instigators behind the plot.

But there are still those who consider this a whitewash. They're much more

inclined to blame Mussolini.

This worries Pierre Laval, who succeeds Barthou as Foreign Minister of France.

He threatens to withdraw French support from Yugoslavia if they don't exonerate

Italy.

In fact, he's so anxious to keep Mussolini on side in the face of the

German menace that in January 1935, France and Italy sign a pact unifying

foreign policy.

He's backed by Anthony Eden.

Both men are fearful about Hitler's future intentions, and they want Italy

their camp if war comes to Europe.

By February 1936, a number of Uttasha members have been rounded up, and

brought to trial in France.

They're sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island, the notorious penal

colony eight miles off the coast of French Guiana in South America.

Later, their leaders, including Ante Pavelic, are also tried, but in

However, as they're sentenced to death, they're all holed up in Italy, well out

of harm's way.

September 1, 1939.

German troops invade Poland, and Europe is plunged into war.

Two years later, Hitler attacks Yugoslavia.

The country collapses within two weeks, although partisans will carry on the

fight against German occupation.

Meanwhile, the Croats, with the full backing of Hitler, set up an independent

state. They will strip the Serbs of almost everything they own, imprisoning

great many and slaughtering any who oppose them.

Uttasa leader Ante Pavelic is welcomed back from Italy.

He will now preside over the murderous new regime.

but his strings are pulled by Hitler from Berlin.

Yugoslavia has ceased to exist, at least on paper.

And despite the earlier efforts of Pierre Laval and Anthony Eden,

still dictator of Italy, has sided with Hitler.

He hopes he will be rewarded with an expansion of Italy's territory, in

particular the annexation of Yugoslavia on the other side of the Adriatic.

The assassination of King Alexander I, as well as Louis Barthoud of France, on

that fateful autumn day in Marseille a few years earlier, was to have far

-reaching and devastating consequences.

As Eden is reported to have remarked, when Vlada killed both men, he was

the first shots of the Second World War.