Raid on Drvar

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This article is about a military operation in Yugoslavia. For the Barents Sea attack, see convoy PQ-17.
Raid on Drvar
Part of the Yugoslav Front of World War II
Date May 25 – July 3, 1944
Location Near Drvar, Bosnia
Result Axis operation failed
Belligerents
Yugoslav Partisans Germany
Independent State of Croatia
Chetniks
Commanders
Josip Broz Tito Kurt Rybka (commanding only the special forces)
Strength
One infantry brigade Unknown
Casualties and losses
Partisan claims:
500 killed
1,000 wounded
2,000 civilian casualties

German claims:
approximately 6,000 civilians and soldiers killed

 Partisan claims:
788 confirmed killed
881 wounded
50 missing

German claims:
213 killed
881 wounded
51 missing
v • d • e
Yugoslav Front of World War II

The Raid on Drvar (Croatian, Serbian: Desant na Drvar) was a joint attack by the Axis that aimed to capture Josip Broz Tito alive and disrupt the command structure of the Yugoslav Partisans. It took place in April and May, 1944.
The Germans code-named the plan Operation Rösselsprung (German: Knight's Leap), while the operation is generally known as the 7th anti-Partisan offensive. In ex-Yugoslav terminology it is also known as the Seventh enemy offensive (Sedma neprijateljska ofenziva/ofanziva).

Contents

[edit] Background

The Partisan headquarters were in the hills near Drvar (in today's Bosnia and Herzegovina) at the time. The representatives of the Allies, Britain's Randolph Churchill and Evelyn Waugh, were also present.

Otto Skorzeny was involved in planning of the operation and was supposed to command it but gave up on it after his visit to Zagreb where he realized that the operation's secrecy was compromised. In addition to their own intricate network, the Partisans were provided with intelligence by the British, and they knew that the Axis will launch an offensive operation around Tito's birthday. However, they did not know that it was going to be an air raid. Regardless, orders received by the Partisan units 48 hours before the air raid commenced, were to block all roads leading from towns Bosanski Petrovac, Ključ to Drvar and to stall or slow down any Axis movement coming from those areas. In addition, some strong Partisan formations were positioned southeast of Drvar. Whole Partisan brigades and divisions were repositioned from areas of North Western Krajina and moved to Ključ and Bosanski Petrovac. On the other hand only one company of Partisans from Tito's Escort battalion were actually defending the cave.

[edit] Operation

German SS and paratroopers fought their way to Tito's cave HQ and exchanged heavy gunfire resulting in numerous casualties on both sides. Interestingly, Chetnik fighters under Draža Mihailović also flocked to the firefight in their own attempt to capture Tito. By the time German forces had penetrated to the cave, however, Tito had already fled the scene and escaped: a train was waiting for him that took him to Jajce town.

In the town, there were less then 100 partisans when the operation started. Most of the partisan troops were dislocated in wider area. The students (Partisans) of the Partisan Officer's School, around 60 of them, joined in a fight,sometime taking arms from fallen German troops, prevented a flanking attempt by the German paratroopers. This proved to be crucial for saving the foreign guests (it gave them more time for escape) that were hosted by Tito. When the parts of 6th Lika Partisan division arrived at the battlefield, the air raid was already a disaster and the brigade was ordered to wipe out the remaining Axis troops in the area and to evacuate the wounded and civilians, since it was already known that the Axis tanks and infantry were approaching Drvar from northwest.

It would appear that Tito and his staff were prepared for a quick escape. The commandos were only able to retrieve Tito’s marshal uniform, which was later displayed in Vienna. After fierce fighting in and around the village cemetery, the Germans were able to link up with mountain troops. By that time, Tito, his British guests and Partisan survivors were fêted aboard the British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Blackmore and her captain Lt. Carson, RN.

[edit] Aftermath

German Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers).
German Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers).

According to German reports German casualties were 213 killed, 881 wounded, and 51 missing. The same reports, claimed that 6,000 Partisans were killed. The Partisans denied suffering such losses and reported they lost around 500 men and had over 1,000 wounded, mainly due to heavy bombing by the Luftwaffe. Moreover, Partisan reports claimed over 2,000 civilians were brutally killed by German troops in and around the town of Drvar, they were most likely counted among the alleged 6,000 killed Partisans reported by the SS. Also, it is certain that German loses were higher than the reported 213 since out of more than 800 Waffen SS paratroopers only a dozen survived, hiding in the Drvar cemetery. In fact, it has later been ascertained that the 500th SS Parachute Battalion was practically annihilated during this operation.

[edit] Order of battle

[edit] Allied order of battle

Yugoslav Partisans

  • 6th Lika Division (around 3,500 men)[citation needed]
  • Tito Escort Battalion
  • Partisan Officer School cadets

(among other formations)

[edit] Axis order of battle[1]

Germany

  • Wehrmacht
    • Regimental Kampfgruppe, 373rd (Croatian) Infantry Division 'Tiger-Division'
    • reinforced Reconnaissance Battalion, 373rd (Croatian) Infantry Division 'Tiger-Division'
    • reinforced Reconnaissance Battalion, 369th (Croatian) Infantry Division 'Devil's-Division'
    • 1st Regiment, 'Brandenburg' Division (without 3rd Battalion)
    • 92nd Grenadier Regiment (motorized)
    • 54th Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion
    • 2nd Armored Assault Battalion


Independent State of Croatia

  • 1st Home Guard Regiment, 2nd Home Guard Jäger Brigade


Chetniks

  • Bosnian Krajiški Chetnik Corps
  • 1st Bosnian Corps 'Gavrilo Princip'
  • 501st Dinarski Chetnik Corps
  • 502nd Dinarski Chetnik Corps

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Operation ROSSELSPRUNG - Axis - Order of Battle