Operation Southeast Croatia: Difference between revisions

{{Good article}}

{{Infobox military conflict

* {{flag|Nazi Germany|name=Germany}}

* {{flag|Independent State of Croatia}}

}}

|combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Yugoslav Partisans flag (1942-1945).svg}} [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisans]]

* {{flagicon|Independent State of Croatia}} nine [[Croatian Home Guard (Independent State of Croatia)|Croatian Home Guard]] artillery batteries

* {{flagicon|Independent State of Croatia}} [[Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia|ZNDH]] support

}}

|strength1 = 30,000–35,000 troops

}}

|casualties2 = {{plainlist |

}}

|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Yugoslavia}}

|}}

 

 

The insurgents in the area of operations included some groups of the [[League of Communists of Yugoslavia|communist]]-led Partisans and some of [[Serb]]–[[Chauvinism|chauvinist]] [[Chetniks]]. Although the Partisans and Chetniks had already irrevocably split in the [[Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia|German-occupied territory of Serbia]] following [[Operation Uzice]] in late 1941, this had not yet happened in eastern Bosnia, and in some areas they were still cooperating. As a result, differentiating between the [[wikt:rank and file|rank and file]] of the two groups was difficult, as even the communist-led insurgent groups consisted mainly of Serb peasants who had little understanding of the political aims of their leaders. While there were 20,000 Chetnik insurgents located within the area of operations, they offered no resistance to the German–NDH forces and many withdrew east across the [[Drina]] river to avoid being engaged. This contributed to the complete unravelling of Chetnik–Partisan cooperation in eastern Bosnia. The Partisan main force was able to evade the Germans, infiltrate through the Italian cordon to the south and establish itself around [[Foča]].

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Zvornik]]

| lat = 44.3833

| long = 19.1

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Sarajevo]]

| lat = 43.8425

| long = 18.3282

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Tuzla]]

| lat = 44.5388

| long = 18.6743

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Srebrenica]]

| lat = 44.1

| long = 19.3

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Olovo]]

| lat = 44.1286

| long = 18.5816

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Višegrad]]

| lat = 43.7827

| long = 19.2911

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Vlasenica]]

| lat = 44.183333

| long = 18.933333

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Rogatica]]

| lat = 43.8

| long = 19

When the local leaders appointed by overall Chetnik leader [[Draža Mihailović]], Majors [[Boško Todorović]] and Dangić, became aware of the commencement of Operation Southeast Croatia, they advised other Chetnik commanders that the operation was targeted at the Partisans, and there was no need for the Chetniks to get involved. Following this, their units withdrew from their positions on the front line, let the Germans pass through their areas, or went home.{{sfn|Tomasevich|1975|p=160}} Many withdrew across the Drina into the German-occupied territory of Serbia to avoid being engaged,{{sfn|Hoare|2006|p=185}} which severely weakened the Partisan positions with the result that they suffered significant casualties and lost a great deal of territory. These actions severed any remaining cooperative links that remained between the Chetniks and Partisans in eastern Bosnia.{{sfn|Tomasevich|1975|p=160}}

 

 

===19–23 January===

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Igman]]

| marksize = 12

| lat = 43.783333

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Han Pijesak]]

| lat = 44.0833

| long = 18.95

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Sokolac]]

| lat = 43.9375

| long = 18.7972

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Vlasenica]]

| lat = 44.183333

| long = 18.933333

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Rogatica]]

| lat = 43.8

| long = 19

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Kladanj]]

| lat = 44.2225

| long = 18.6928

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Srebrenica]]

| lat = 44.1

| long = 19.3

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Višegrad]]

| lat = 43.7827

| long = 19.2911

|combatant1 = '''[[Axis powers|Axis]]:'''<br/>{{flag|Nazi Germany|name=Germany}}<br />{{flag|Independent State of Croatia}}

|combatant2 = '''[[Allies of World War II|Allies]]:'''<br/>{{flagicon image|Yugoslav Partisans flag (1942-1945).svg}} [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisans]]

|commander2 = {{flagicon image|Yugoslav Partisans flag (1942-1945).svg}} [[Josip Broz Tito]]<br />{{flagicon image|Yugoslav Partisans flag (1942-1945).svg}} [[Todor Vujasinović]]

|strength1 = 20,000–30,000 troops<br>five Panzer platoons<br>one armoured train

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Igman]]

| marksize = 12

| lat = 43.783333

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Sokolac]]

| lat = 43.9375

| long = 18.797222

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Rogatica]]

| lat = 43.8

| long = 19

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Bratunac]]

| lat = 44.183333

| long = 19.333333

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Srebrenica]]

| lat = 44.1

| long = 19.3

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Vlasenica]]

| lat = 44.183333

| long = 18.933333

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Rogatica]]

| lat = 43.8

| long = 19

| NDH 1941 east

| label = <!--- [[Han Pijesak]] --->

| lat = 44.083333

| long = 18.95

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Olovo]]

| lat = 44.128611

| long = 18.581667

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Bosansko Petrovo Selo]]

| lat = 44.633333

| long = 18.366667

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Foča]]

| lat = 43.5

| long = 18.783333

| NDH 1941 east

| label = [[Goražde]]

| lat = 43.666667

| long = 18.983333

| location = Boulder, Colorado

| isbn = 978-0-914710-48-6

}}

* {{cite book

| last = Hoare

| first = Marko Attila

| year = 2006

| title = Genocide and Resistance in Hitler's Bosnia: The Partisans and the Chetniks

| location = New York

| isbn = 978-0-19-726380-8

}}

* {{cite book

| oclc = 659474181

| chapter = 5: The Early Movement and Axis Countermeasures I. Yugoslavia

}}

* {{cite book

| last = Pavlowitch

| first = Stevan K.

| year = 2007

| title = Hitler's New Disorder: The Second World War in Yugoslavia

| isbn = 978-1-85065-895-5

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=R8d2409V9tEC

}}

* {{cite book

| location = Belgrade, Yugoslavia

| isbn = 978-86-13-00290-1

}}

* {{cite book

| last = Redžić

| first = Enver

| title = Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Second World War

| publisher = Frank Cass

| isbn = 978-0-7146-5625-0

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mXiSKULRN

* {{cite book

| last = Shepherd

| location = Cambridge, Massachusetts

| isbn = 978-0-674-04891-1

}}

* {{cite book

| last = Tomasevich

| first = Jozo

| year = 1975

| title = War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: The Chetniks

| isbn = 978-0-8047-0857-9

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yoCaAAAAIAAJ

}}

* {{cite book

| isbn = 978-0-8047-3615-2

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fqUSGevFe5MC

}}

{{refend}}

 

 

{{DEFAULTSORT:Operation Southeast Croatia}}

[[Category:Battles and operations of World War II|Southeast Croatia]]

[[Category:Battles involving the Independent State of Croatia|Southeast Croatia]]

[[Category:Anti-partisan operations of World War II|Southeast Croatia]]

[[Category:Military operations of World War II involving Germany|Southeast Croatia]]

[[Category:1942 in Yugoslavia]]

[[Category:1942 in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]

[[Category:January 1942 events]]