Karlovac operation ( Serbohorv. Karlovka operation / Karlovačka operacija ) - the offensive operation of the Yugoslav army (SA) against German and Croatian troops during World War II. It was carried out from April 30 to May 7, 1945 by the troops of the Karlovac operational group of divisions of the 2nd Army with the aim of liberating the city of Karlovac . It ended with the liberation of Karlovac, as a result of which Army Group E lost the last strong defense node defending Zagreb from the south. The capture of Karlovac allowed the 2nd Yugoslav Army to begin to pursue the retreating German and Ustash-Croat troops west of Zagreb in the direction of the towns of Celje and Kranj . This achieved the main goal of the operation - the elimination of the German threat to the flank and rear of the 4th Yugoslav army [1] .
| Karlovac operation | |||
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| Main Conflict: Yugoslav Front of World War II | |||
 Soldiers of the 3rd shock division cross the Dobra river | |||
| date | April 30 - May 6, 1945 | ||
| A place | Karlovac , Croatia , Yugoslavia | ||
| Total | Victory of the Yugoslav Army | ||
| Opponents | |||
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| Forces of the parties | |||
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Content
Operation Plan
The directive of the Supreme Commander of South Africa, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, dated April 22, 1945, set the 2nd Yugoslav Army to continue "vigorous advancement in the general direction to Karlovac - Novo Mesto and further northwest" with the aim of defeating the enemy’s forces in the lower reaches the Una River, along the right bank of the Sava River and in the Karlovac area [1] .
The 2nd Army, which included the 3rd , 4th , 10th and 39th divisions from the 2nd and 5th Corps, as well as the 34th Division from the 4th Corps, reached 24 April the boundary of the Una River and the city of Karlovac. To ensure effective command of the army forces, which were to act in diverging directions, two operational groups of divisions were formed:
- Unska operational group - 23rd, 28th, 39th and 45th divisions, to force the Una River and advance in the direction of Zagreb;
- Karlovac operational group - 3rd, 4th, 10th and 34th divisions, for mastering the city of Karlovac. The total number is about 25,000 people [1] .
According to the operational plan of the headquarters of the 2nd Army, the Unska operational group of divisions, after the liquidation of German strongholds on the Una River, was to develop an offensive by the territory of Turopol , stop the German communication line Zagreb - Karlovac and strike at the Karlovac group of Germans from the north-east, while providing cover from the side of Zagreb. The Karlovac task force was to enter the line Toun - Ogulin - Vrbowsko and take Karlovac. The Karlovac task force was to begin to carry out this task immediately, regardless of the development of events in the direction of hostilities of the Unska group [1] .
Operation Progress
Karlovac was defended by the German-Croatian troops of the 91st Army Corps , consisting of the 104th Jäger Division, the 2nd and 4th Police Regiments, the 1st Battalion of the 20th Jäger Regiment, the 96th Airborne Engineer Battalion and units of the 13th Ustash-Domobran division, with a total number of about 15,000 people [1] .
On April 30, the 4th Division attacked and squeezed parts of the 104th Jaeger Division in the sector between the rivers Mrezhnitsa and Korana . On May 1, other parts of the Karlovac operative group went on the general offensive. In two days of fighting, overcoming the enemy’s resistance in successively prepared positions between the Dobra and Koran rivers, the Yugoslav divisions advanced to the Brodzhani-Ladveniak- Duga-Resa -Novigrad-on-Dobri-Netretich line. On the night of May 2 to 3, the Yugoslavs continued their attacks on the entire front and, after a fierce struggle, took control of the German defense line. At the end of the day, the 34th and 10th divisions bypassed Karlovac from the flanks. In the east, near the village of Brodzhani, the 10th division crossed the Kupa River and formed a bridgehead. In the west and north, the 34th division made its way to the Kupa River north of the mouth of the Dobra River, attacked and took the village of Ozal by the next morning. Meanwhile, the 4th Division continued to conduct fierce battles and only at night on May 5, after several attacks, knocked out the enemy from the line of Turyansk-Brda - Vinitsa - Mrezhnitsa - Karlovac.
On the night of May 5-6, the 4th Division, together with units of the 3rd and 10th Divisions, began the assault on Karlovac. By morning, the enemy in heavy street battles retreated to the northern part of the city. In order to ensure an organized retreat of their troops to Zagreb and Samobor , the Germans held the defense of the Karlovac-Zagreb communication line, fighting off attacks of the 10th and 34th divisions from the east and west. Particularly stubbornly, the German units defended the bridgehead on the right bank of the Kupa, covering the escape routes from Karlovac. On the evening of May 6 , operating in the direction of Vukomerichke-Gorice - Samoborsk-Gora , the 23rd Serbian division from the Unskoy task force, trying to cut off the communication line Zagreb-Karlovac, attacked the Germans near the village of Klincha Sela and actually threatened the Karlovac group Germans. On the night of May 6-7, the German units hastily retreated from the Karlovac region, having previously discarded the 10th and 34th divisions from the communication line Karlovac - Samobor . At the same time, German units defending in the northern part of the city were destroyed and Karlovac freed. On May 7, fierce fighting continued on the section between Klincha-Sela and the Kupa River. This successfully completed the Karlovac operation [1] .
Loss of Parties
The losses of the German-Croat forces amounted to about 3640 dead and about 420 prisoners. The total losses of the Karlovac operational group amounted to 2269 people, including 531 dead, 1670 wounded and 67 missing [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 MLADENKO COLIĆ. PREGLED OPERACIJA NA JUGOSLOVENSKOM RATIŠTU 1941-1945. - Beograd: Izdaje VOJNOISTORIJSKI INSTITUT, 1988 .-- S. 383-387.
Literature
- Encyclopedia of Yugoslavia ( Encyclopedia of Yugoslavia ). Volume 5. “The Yugoslav Lexicographic Plant”, Zagreb, 1962.
- Franz Schraml: KRIEGSSCHAUPLATZ KROATIEN , Kurt Vowinckel Verlag, Neckargemünd 1962. (German)
- Karl Hnilicka: DAS ENDE AUF DEM BALKAN 1944/45 , Musterschmidt-Verlag Göttingen (Gebundene Ausgabe - 1970). (German)
- Erich Schmidt-Richberg: DER ENDKAMPF AUF DEM BALKAN , Vowinckel (Gebundene Ausgabe - 1955). (German)
- Military Historical Institute: THE END OF THE OPERATION FOR THE DECORATIVE ANGULAS 1944-45 , Belgrade, 1957.
- Oslobodilachki rat of the people of Yugoslavia, 2, transferred and admitted from, Kiev 2 - Military History Institute, Belgrade, 1963. P.628-630
- Milovan џelebџiћ: A FRIEND OF ГО UGOSLOVENSKY ARMYЈ , Military Publishing House and Novinski Centar, Belgrade, 1989.
- Dusan Baiћ: FOURTH HOUSES OF NEW HUGOSLAVES , Military Publishing House and Novinsky Center, Belgrade, 1990.
- Radovan Vukanoviћ: RATNEY WAY THREE DIVISIONS , Military factory Tsentar, Belgrade, 1970.
- Drago Karasiјevi: FOURTH KRAISHISHKA KNOW DIVIZIЈA , Military Publishing House and Novinsky Center, Belgrade, 1988.