Gun Ownership in Yugoslavia

[DasFapital]

I heard that the general population in Yugoslavia under Tito's rule was well armed and this was one of the reasons the Soviet didn't interfere as heavily in the country. Does anybody know more about this?

[ВАЛТЕР]

The High Schools had a class where students were taught to shoot and disable tanks and whatnot. The Yugoslav Peoples Army's entire military doctrine was one of self-defense and organizing the population against an invader. Every able-bodied citizen was expected to know how to shoot a weapon and organize to fight an occupier. The Partisan experience in WW2 shaped Yugoslav military doctrine greatly.The population in Yugoslavia was allowed to own weapons. They just had to be registered and go through a psychiatric evaluation among other things in order to be deemed fit to own a weapon. I think the reasons the Soviets didn't invade Yugoslavia was the fact that Yugoslavia's mountainous terrain especially in Bosnia would not allow for an occupation. This was one of the reasons the Partisans were so effective. I had family who were officers waiting for the Soviet invasion that never came. They said the entire strategy was to draw them into Bosnia, where (as they put it) "we can slaughter each other for 100 years if need be."

[DasFapital]

Thanks for the info!