369th (Croatian) Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

In the battle of Stalingrad, the 369th Croatian infantry regiment recruited from among the Croatian volunteers was completely destroyed, as a result of which the Wehrmacht had to recreate the Croatian unit. Back in September 1942, Croatian volunteers began to undergo military training at training grounds near Stockerau and Döllersheim , and a new military unit was soon formed, which was approved in January 1943 . It was the 369th Legionary Division, which inherited all the basic attributes of the destroyed "Croatian Legion." Initially, it was prepared for battles on the Eastern Front, however, it conducted most of the hostilities on the Yugoslav Front.

In January 1943, the division received a baptism of fire in Banovina , encountering the 7th Bani division of the NOAU as part of Operation Weiss I. During this operation, as well as operations Weiss II and Schwartz, the division was subordinate to the command of the 9th Croatian SS mountain corps under the command of General Rudolf Leters. She participated in the Battle of Sutjeska , where she defeated the group of Yugoslav partisans, however, during the operation, Schwarz fell into the trap of the Hene group and was nearly destroyed by units of the 1st proletarian division .

In August 1943, it was reassigned to the 2nd Panzer Army , in October 1943 it joined the 5th SS mountain corps and, as part of the new corps, collided with units of Yugoslav partisans in eastern Bosnia, Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia. During these battles, the division again suffered enormous losses that even the recruits of German and Croatian volunteers could not compensate for. After these battles, the Italian Legion San Marco and the German penal 19 / 999th battalion from Greece arrived in the division. In the battle of Vukov-Klants in October 1944, the division again converged in battle with the Yugoslavs (already from the 1st Dalmatian brigade ). After the reorganization, she was transferred to the Mostar region, from where she was forced out in February 1945. The division was forced to retreat to Austria with huge losses. She provided resistance until May 15, 1945 - only on that day she surrendered to the troops of Yugoslavia.

Like other divisions that fought on the Yugoslav front of World War II, this division became famous for its crimes in Yugoslavia - it organized massacres during the operations of Weiss I and Weiss II, and also organized the massacre in Sinska-Krajina in March 1944. In total, 1695 civilians became victims of the division. Division commander Fritz Naidholdt was sentenced to death by a court in Belgrade in February 1947 ^[2] .

• Croatian formations of the Third Reich

• Franz Schraml: KRIEGSSCHAUPLATZ KROATIEN , Kurt Vowinckel Verlag, Neckargemünd 1962
• Tomasevich, Jozo (1975). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: The Chetniks . 1. San Francisco: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804708576 .
• Tomasevich, Jozo (2001). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: Occupation and Collaboration . 2. San Francisco: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804736154 .

• 369. Legionnaire Division - Axis History Factbook
• Croatian Volunteers in the German Wehrmacht in WWII by Allen Milcic - feldgrau.com
• 369. Infanterie-Division (kroatische) , Lexikon der Wehrmacht (German)