{"id":44302,"date":"2025-07-21T10:30:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T08:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/what-the-facts-say-about-the-origins-of-the-greeting-for-the-homeland-ready"},"modified":"2025-07-21T10:30:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T08:30:06","slug":"what-the-facts-say-about-the-origins-of-the-greeting-for-the-homeland-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/what-the-facts-say-about-the-origins-of-the-greeting-for-the-homeland-ready","title":{"rendered":"What the Facts Say About the Origins of the Greeting \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the wake of widespread public response to Marko Perkovi\u0107 Thompon\u2019<\/strong>s recent performance at the Zagreb Hippodrome, debates about the origin, meaning, and purpose of the phrase \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u201d were reignited. Thompson and his audience \u201ctraditionally\u201d opened the song \u201cBojna \u010cavoglave\u201d with this phrase. In response to criticism over the controversial salute, Thompson\u2019s manager, former head of the Police Academy Zdravko Bari\u0161i\u0107<\/strong>, gave an interview to Ve\u010dernji list on July 10, in which he attempted to explain its use (available here<\/a>, archived here<\/a>), and his statement was widely circulated in the media (examples: here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>). Specifically, Bari\u0161i\u0107 stated: <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018For the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u2019 should not be an issue. Let the media organize programs where this is analyzed. That\u2019s pass\u00e9, the greeting goes far back in history, Paveli\u0107 didn\u2019t invent it. Marko has never seen either a Usta\u0161a or a Partisan; he was born much later. If you must know, it\u2019s a salute used by legitimate units in the Homeland War.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, judging by numerous original documents from the NDH period and statements by Usta\u0161a leaders themselves, it remains clear that the author of the \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u201d greeting was indeed Ante Paveli\u0107<\/strong>, later Poglavnik and ally of Hitler<\/strong> and Mussolini<\/strong>. Although all of the sources listed below have long been publicly available, Bari\u0161i\u0107\u2019s statement illustrates the frequent presence of inaccurate interpretations in public discourse regarding the origin of this greeting. Given the authority of the person who made the claim, it risks being further perpetuated. For this reason, it is necessary to once again review several important facts regarding \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready.\u201d <\/p>\n

To begin with, an article published in November 1968 in Hrvatska stra\u017ea \u2013 the publication of the Croatian Liberation Movement in Europe<\/em> \u2013 which was republished in 2017 by Index.hr (available here<\/a>, archived here<\/a>), includes a conversation with Ante Paveli\u0107 conducted in Argentina in the summer of 1957. The conversation focused precisely on Paveli\u0107\u2019s memories and reflections regarding the \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u201d greeting. The text clearly shows Paveli\u0107\u2019s detailed explanation of the circumstances under which the greeting was created\u2014according to his own admission, he personally coined it. The full text appears in the following photograph. <\/p>\n

\"\"
Article from Hrvatska stra\u017ea, 1968<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/em>According to the research of historian Bogdan Krizman<\/strong> (1913\u20131994), one of the most prolific Croatian authors on the Usta\u0161a movement, the earliest recorded use of the salute\u2014consistently referred to by him as the \u201cUsta\u0161a salute\u201d[1<\/a>] \u2014dates to October 1932. At that time, Paveli\u0107 wrote a text for the publication Gri\u010d<\/em>one of the earliest Usta\u0161a newsletters, edited by prominent youth member Mijo Bzik (1907\u20131945).<\/a><\/strong> The article, titled \u201cUsta\u0161e, our fate has chosen us,\u201d<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> was a reaction to the failed armed uprising known as the Velebit or Lika Uprising.
In addition to calling for the continued execution of similar uprisings aimed at overthrowing the Yugoslav state and “everything that stands in the way” of the Croatian people\u2014uprisings for which no “Croatian son” should find it “difficult to grab a machine gun, a bomb, or a sharp dagger”\u2014Paveli\u0107 concludes his appeal with the very sentence “For the homeland \u2013 ready!”, a phrase he would go on to use repeatedly in many of his later writings, including his reaction to the assassination of King Aleksandar<\/strong>.[3]<\/a> From 1934 onward, other Usta\u0161a members and sympathizers began using the phrase as well. It appears in correspondence related to the Lipari camp, described as the \u201csacred slogan of the Usta\u0161e.\u201d[4<\/a>] In a manifesto from November 3, 1934, describing how a true Usta\u0161a should behave, the sentence \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready \u2013 that is the sole meaning of Usta\u0161a life and work\u201d[5<\/a>] appears. Paveli\u0107 continued to define it in this tone even while imprisoned, concluding a January 3, 1935 address with: \u201c[L]et us be true Usta\u0161e, and always worthy of our great slogan For the Homeland \u2013 Ready!\u201d[6<\/a>] <\/p>\n

Interpretation of the phrase as an explicitly Usta\u0161a greeting was also present during WWII. An article in the supplement \u201eNa\u0161 rad- Tjednik Usta\u0161ke mlade\u017ei\u201c, published within the newspaper Hrvatski branik<\/em> during November and December 1941, titled \u201cExplanation of the Usta\u0161a Salute for Usta\u0161a Heroes,\u201d provides a thorough breakdown of the meaning and symbolism of each word in the phrase as seen in the following photograph. [7]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Article from Hrvatski branik, 1941<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is essential to note that although fragments resembling \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u201d appear in some older historical or literary texts \u2014 some of which Paveli\u0107 himself mentions in the Hrvatska stra\u017ea <\/em>article \u2014 this specific formulation does not exist prior to the pre-war Usta\u0161a movement. None of those earlier fragments functioned as a greeting. The Usta\u0161a officials, on the other hand, used it specifically as a salute, and its usage during the NDH period was widespread and ceremonial. What follows is merely a cross-section of numerous instances in which it appeared\u2014always in the form of a salute or a rallying cry, more rarely at the beginning and more often at the end of a text. [8]<\/a><\/p>\n

On April 4, 1941, at 11:20 PM, during preparations for taking power in the puppet state, Radio Station Velebit\u2014defined as \u201cthe station of the Main Usta\u0161a Headquarters\u201d\u2014began broadcasting in Florence, opening with the words: \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready! For the Homeland \u2013 Ready! For the Homeland \u2013 Ready! This is the radio station of the Main Usta\u0161a Headquarters! This is the radio station of the Main Usta\u0161a Headquarters! This is the radio station of the Main Usta\u0161a Headquarters! For the Homeland \u2013 Ready! For the Homeland \u2013 Ready! For the Homeland \u2013 Ready!\u201c. [9]<\/a> The next day, Paveli\u0107 gave his first address on the station, ending with: \u201cLong live the Independent State of Croatia! Long live the Croatian people! Long live the Usta\u0161a army, long live the great and mighty friendly armies! For the Homeland \u2013 Ready!\u201c. [10]<\/a> The establishment of Usta\u0161a rule and the NDH is commonly dated to April 10, 1941, marked by Colonel Slavko Kvaternik<\/strong>\u2019s proclamation, which ended with \u201cGod and Croats; For the Homeland \u2013 Ready.\u201d.[11]<\/a> Paveli\u0107\u2019s first address upon arriving in Zagreb, when he formally assumed the office of Poglavnik, ended with the same salute.[12]<\/a> <\/p>\n

The salute was used to conclude numerous laws, bans, warnings, and threats against targeted groups\u2014such as Serbs and Jews. [13]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Decree on the introduction of a curfew for Serbs and Jews, 1941<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Order on the confiscation of property and restriction of movement for Jews and Serbs, 1941<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Order on the deportation of Serbs, 1941<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was also used to conclude documentation related to deportations to Usta\u0161e camps.[14]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Report on the transfer of Jews to Jasenovac, 1941<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is present in the decisions regarding the awarding of high military honors of the Usta\u0161e army, for example, for service on the Eastern Front.[15]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Decision on awarding the Iron Cross of King Tomislav\u2019s Crown, 1944<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Its use was encouraged “for educational purposes,” as well as in the Church.[16]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Instruction on the use of the salute in religious education, 1941<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was printed on the title pages of elementary school textbooks[17<\/a>], while their contents included Paveli\u0107\u2019s texts such as the one ending with the words:”Just as in a working beehive every bee works for the progress of the entire hive, so must each of us always be: For the Homeland \u2013 Ready!”[18<\/a>]. With statements describing Paveli\u0107 as “the guardian angel of the Croatian people and a noble avenger who is a terror to the enemies of the Croatian nation,” these same textbook texts concluded with the words: “He is ours, and we are his, and always with him \u2013 For the Homeland! Ready!”[19<\/a>]<\/p>\n

\"\"
Reader for the 4th Grade of Elementary Schools, 1942<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It appeared in the header of the propaganda youth newspaper Hrvatski domobran<\/em>, where its meaning was once defined as a fundamental moral principle of the Usta\u0161e.[20]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Front page of Hrvatski domobran, 1942<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Paveli\u0107 continued to use it in exile as a kind of personal motto, even in private correspondence.[21]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Paveli\u0107\u2019s letter from 1953<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the war, even some Usta\u0161a exile groups began discussing whether the greeting should be abandoned due to its strong connection with WWII and the defeat of the Usta\u0161a regime.[22]<\/a> However, the early 1990s\u2014when, as Bari\u0161i\u0107 claims, it was used by \u201clegitimate units in the Homeland War\u201d\u2014saw its reemergence in Croatia. Yet its revival did not distance it from Usta\u0161a ideology. In publicly available footage from the time, prominent HOS members using the greeting also chanted \u201cWho are we? \u2013 Usta\u0161e,\u201d and some commanders addressed their troops as \u201cUsta\u0161a sons.\u201d.[23]<\/a> Dobroslav Paraga<\/strong>, president of the reestablished HSP, was welcomed at party rallies with songs about Usta\u0161a commanders and hailed as the \u201cfuture Poglavnik of the Independent State of Croatia.\u201d[24]<\/a> Marko Perkovi\u0107 Thompson himself, as an HSP activist in the 1990s, publicly expressed admiration for the Usta\u0161a movement, its leaders, and stated in a 1996 boasted in the media about acquaintances with pro-Usta\u0161a \u00e9migr\u00e9 circles, including some retired Usta\u0161e and Paveli\u0107\u2019s daughter. He emphasized that he had received as gifts pictures of Paveli\u0107, Jure Franceti\u0107<\/strong>, and Rafael Boban<\/strong>, and that in the future he expected to receive Paveli\u0107\u2019s novel Liepa plavka signed by him, as well as the \u201coriginal Poglavnik\u2019s flag.\u201d[25]<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"\"
Thompson\u2019s interview in Arena, 1996<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Thompson\u2019s more recent statements may not be as overtly sympathetic to the Usta\u0161a narrative, his and his team\u2019s reluctance to clearly distance themselves from it\u2014including accepting the factual origins of the greeting\u2014demonstrates the need for continued presentation of historical evidence.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, historical sources and documents indicate that the greeting \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u201d originated within the Usta\u0161a movement and was shaped personally by Ante Paveli\u0107. Therefore, Zdravko Bari\u0161i\u0107\u2019s claim does not align with the facts.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[1]<\/a> Compare: Krizman, Bogdan. Paveli\u0107 and the Usta\u0161<\/em>e (Zagreb: Globus, 1978); Krizman, Bogdan. Paveli\u0107 Between Hitler and Mussolini <\/em>(Zagreb: Globus, 1980); Krizman, Bogdan. The Usta\u0161e and the Third Reich<\/em> (Zagreb: Globus, 1986).<\/p>\n

[2<\/a>] For the full text, see: Krizman, Bogdan. Paveli\u0107 and the Usta\u0161e<\/em> (Zagreb: Globus, 1978), pp. 97\u201398.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> For the full text, see: ibid., pp. 198\u2013200. 198.-200.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid. 200.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> For the complete text, see: ibid., p. 200. 200.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> For the complete text, see: ibid., p. 204. 204.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Photograph retrieved from: https:\/\/net.hr\/danas\/vijesti\/dragi-ustaski-junaci-ni-masinerija-ndh-azije-nije-pozdrav-pripisivala-ikome-osim-sebi-03195014-b1c2-11eb-8da1-0242ac130019 <\/a>(accessed July 13, 2025)<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> For further confirmation of the ubiquity of this salute in official NDH documents, see: Sinov\u010di\u0107, Marko. NDH in the Light of Documents<\/em> (Zagreb: Vratna gora, 1998).<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Krizman, Bogdan. Paveli\u0107 and the Usta\u0161e<\/em> (Zagreb: Globus, 1978), p. 384.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> ibid. 385.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> ibid. 401.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> ibid. 415.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Photographs retrieved from: https:\/\/www.wikiwand.com\/sh\/articles\/Za_dom_spremni<\/a> ; https:\/\/www.antifasisticki-vjesnik.org\/hr\/prenosimo\/6\/Ubijanje_ustasa_nije_genocid_nad_Hrvatima\/331\/<\/a> ; https:\/\/partizansko.info\/mostar-u-slikama-oglasi-i-clanci-iz-drugog-svjetskog-rata\/<\/a> (accessed July 13, 2025)<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Photograph retrieved from: https:\/\/www.maz.hr\/2017\/03\/21\/zds-kratka-povijest-krivotvorenja\/ (accessed July 13, 2025)<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Photograph retrieved from: https:\/\/www.telegram.hr\/politika-kriminal\/ovih-13-slika-trebale-bi-biti-dovoljan-dokaz-svim-idiotima-koji-zagovaraju-rehabilitaciju-za-dom-spremni\/ (accessed July 13, 2025)<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> Katoli\u010dki list <\/em>48 (November 1941). Photograph retrieved from https:\/\/www.wikiwand.com\/sh\/articles\/Za_dom_spremni <\/a>(accessed July 13, 2025). <\/p>\n

[17]<\/a> Photograph retrieved from https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/citanka_za_cetvrto_godiste_puckih_skola_1942-ndh\/page\/n1\/mode\/2up?view=theater<\/a> (accessed July 13, 2025).<\/p>\n

[18]<\/a> Ibid., p. 91. (accessed July 13, 2025). <\/p>\n

[19]<\/a> Ibid., pp. 148\u2013149. 148.-149. (accessed July 13, 2025).<\/p>\n

[20]<\/a> Photograph retrieved from https:\/\/www.antikvarijat-vremeplov.hr\/novine-i-casopisi\/nova-hrvatska-ndh-novine\/hrvatski-domobran-broj-31942-5SaXI5fEs<\/a> (accessed July 13, 2025).<\/p>\n

[21]<\/a> Photograph retrieved from https:\/\/www.telegram.hr\/politika-kriminal\/ovih-13-slika-trebale-bi-biti-dovoljan-dokaz-svim-idiotima-koji-zagovaraju-rehabilitaciju-za-dom-spremni\/<\/a> (accessed July 13, 2025).<\/p>\n

[22]<\/a> According to: Ivkovi\u0107, \u017darko. \u201cHow the Usta\u0161e abandoned the salute \u2018Za dom spremni\u2019 as early as 1948.\u201d https:\/\/www.vecernji.hr\/vijesti\/kako-su-se-ustase-jos-1948-odrekli-pozdrava-za-dom-spremni-1201100 <\/a>(accessed July 13, 2025). <\/p>\n

[23]<\/a> \u201cWho are they? Usta\u0161e!\u201d https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3I80tbKcCf8<\/a> (accessed July 13, 2025).<\/p>\n

[24]<\/a> \u201cZlatko Pejakovi\u0107 \u2013 Evo zore, evo dana (1992).\u201d https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SSqo4N_tt9g<\/a> (accessed July 13, 2025).<\/p>\n

[25]<\/a> Complete transcript of the interview available at https:\/\/www.portalnovosti.com\/thompson-i-ustase\/<\/a> (accessed July 13, 2025).<\/p>\n

Funded by the European Union \u2013 NextGenerationEU.<\/em><\/p>\n

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission, nor the positions of the Agency for Electronic Media. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission, nor the Agency for Electronic Media can be held responsible for them. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Historical sources show that the greeting \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u201d was coined by Ante Paveli\u0107 and served as the official salute of the Usta\u0161a movement and the NDH regime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":44323,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[392],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check-en","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ZDS.webp","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ZDS.webp","author_info":{"display_name":"Leon \u0106evani\u0107","author_link":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/author\/leon"},"rbea_author_info":{"display_name":"Leon \u0106evani\u0107","author_link":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/author\/leon"},"rbea_excerpt_info":"Historical sources show that the greeting \u201cFor the Homeland \u2013 Ready\u201d was coined by Ante Paveli\u0107 and served as the official salute of the Usta\u0161a movement and the NDH regime.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}