Battle on Lijevca field
Encyclopedia
The Battle on Lijevče field was a battle fought between March 30 and April 8 1945 between the Croatian Armed Forces (the amalgamated Ustaša and Home Guard
forces) and the runoff Chetnik forces of Pavle Đurišić, near Banja Luka
in what was then the Independent State of Croatia
(NDH).
The Croatian Armed Forces were led by General Vladimir Metikoš
, while the Chetniks were led by Voivoda Pavle Đurišić.
. Divisions of the Red Army
had entered Serbia
and were assisting Yugoslav forces in capturing and destroying the Chetniks.
The Army of the Independent State of Croatia
was reorganized in November 1944 to combine the units of the Ustaše
and Croatian Home Guard
into eighteen divisions, comprising 13 infantry, two mountain, two assault and one replacement Croatian Divisions, each with its own organic artillery and other support units. There were also several armoured units. From early 1945, the Croatian Divisions were allocated to various German Corps and by March 1945 were holding the Southern Front. Securing the rear areas were some 32,000 men of the Croatian Gendarmerie (Hrvatsko Oruznistvo), organised into 5 Police Volunteer Regiments plus 15 independent battalions, equipped with standard light infantry weapons, including mortars.
decided to head out with them as there was little escape from Partisan attacks in the region. Before they left, a command was issued by the Chetnik leader Draža Mihailović
(who was at that time in Serbia), to head towards Bosnia where they would join up with an alleged number of 100,000 troops from Serbia.
It was decided that the Chetniks would consolidate in the area between the rivers Bosna, Vrbas
and Sava. On December 5, 1944, Đurišić's Chetniks headed north along the Drina
river, and met up with Mihailović in the village of Kožuhe. With him were 10,000 soldiers, far short of what had been promised. Much of Mihailović's troops in these final months were forcefully mobilized peasants from Serbia who frequently deserted.
There are varying versions of what the Chetniks further plans were:
At the same time, three Ustaša companies from the 10. Ustaša Brigade commanded by General Metikoš headed out from Banja Luka towards Gradiška and took position near the village of Gornje Doline. There they battled with the Chetnik forces. With Chetniks in greater numbers, the Ustaša companies were forced to retreat. Concurrently, the local Croatian population began to flee the area towards Gradiška in fear of the Chetniks. At this time the Chetniks destroyed the villages of Junuzovce and Gornje Doline: it is claimed that they killed 2,500 civilians during this period.
April 2, General Metikoš along with the 6. Croatian Infantry Division attacked the Chetniks not far from Gornja Doline. After half a day of battle, the Croatian forces forced the Chetniks to withdraw. They had also captured a Chetnik officer, Captain Mijuković. He was a Montenegrin by background, a supporter of a Montenegrin independence as well as a follower of Sekula Drljević
. Mijuković did not agree with the Chetnik ideology and he gave the Ustaša officers information about the intentions of the Chetnik command.
as well as an Artillery Group from Nova Gradiška
and two infantry battalions. Generals Metikoš and Sučić met in Bosanska Gradiška and discussed a plan of attack. The fifth battalion of the 10. Ustaša Brigade was sent to the town of Vrbačko to assure against any possible Partisan attacks. That same day at noon Ustaša gunners began artillery fire on the Sanjak Chetnik Corps. At the same time, the Ustaša Armored Group with 24 armoured vehicles and 4 Panzer IV
tanks entered Doline and began to fire their machine guns at the fleeing Chetnik troops. After an hour the battle was over. The Armored Group captured 400 Chetniks, among them some officers, while on the field of battle lay 2,000 dead or injured Chetniks.
During questioning of the captured officers, the Ustaše found that the Chetniks were planning to attack Bosanska Gradiška that very day. They also established the makeup of the Chetnik force: the Sanjak Corps led by Captain Kalajitović; the Drina Corps led by Voivoda Drašković; as well as 5,000 Montenegrin Chetniks led by Voivoda Boško Agram. They also found that the Chetniks had received help from the Germans to get there.
. Just as Captain Mijuković had foreseen, 5,000 Montenegrins deserted the Chetniks in the following days and defected to the Ustaša.
This forced Đurišić to change plans. April 3 he made the decision not to attack Bosanska Gradiška nor Banja Luka, but to take the remaining Chetnik forces across the Vrbas, to take Lijevča field and the villages of Topola, Dubrava and Maglajan. There they would care for their provisions and horses, and begin to head across Mount Kozara
towards Kordun
where they would meet with Voivoda Đujić's troops from Slovenia.
On April 4 Durišić decided to break through the Croatian Army's ranks. In the meantime the Croatian Armed Forces built and strengthened bunkers on the road from Bosanska Gradiška to Banja Luka. The building of the bunkers was overseen by the engineering Lieutenant Colonel Josić. In the bunkers were placed Home Guard troops from 4. Jager Brigade. Every bunker was armed with a mortar and a machine-gun, while each crew numbered thirty soldiers. The bunkers were situated at the intersections of roads: Nova Topoli, Gornja Topola, Maglajan and Laktaš were all fortified. On 40 km of road 22 bunkers were built. In Laktaš, one Armored Group and two Infantry Battalions stealthily moved towards the road near Razboj. General Sučić placed one Armored Group towards Donji Doljani, deployed a battalion with a motorized infantry and a Tank Company behind them in the village of Bukovac. A battalion under Major Ante Vrban was sent towards Vilus to protect against a Partisan attack from Kozara.
troops in the bunkers waited until the Chetniks came closer then opened fire with their machine guns and mortars, which resulted in high losses to the Chetniks, as well as confusion among their ranks. This lasted for the remainder of the day and into the night.
Chetnik Mihajlo Minić later recalled the battle with these words: "The valley of Lijevča field echoes with the thunder of exploding grenades and hand-bombs. Ustaša tanks snorted and sowed fire on all sides. Night turned to day."
However, on April 6 at 6:00am, Chetnik forces under Captain Perišić succeeded in penetrating between bunkers and attacked the Croatian 3rd battalion from behind. General Sučić with part of his own division blocked the Chetnik penetration point, and sent two tank companies to the road from Bukovac to Turjak to help the 3rd battalion. With his remaining troops Sučić set off to hunt down the Chetnik group, which numbered about 1,000 troops. Soon the tank companies reached the 3rd battalion and commenced their attack, killing approximately 500 Chetniks, while the survivors retreated towards Kozara.
The 3rd battalion, strengthened by the arrival of the armoured units, then set out to find the remaining 500 Chetniks. Two days later a battalion from the 4. Croatian Infantry Division under the command of General Zdenko Begić came across these fleeing groups and completely destroyed the unit.
During the night of April 7, due to the attacks by the Croatian Armed Forces, panic struck the Chetnik ranks all the way up to the top command and their forces began to flee across the Vrbas with the intention to spread out into the forests. In the morning Croatian artillery began to shoot down boats attempting the cross and in this way halted the Chetnik retreat.
At this time, Yugoslav Partisan forces opportunistically began a troop build up near Bosanski Petrovac
and Sanski Most
. As the Croatian Armed Forces did not wish to fight a battle on two fronts, the commander of the 4. Division Josip Metzger
decided to launch a final attack on the remaining Chetniks who numbered approximately 7,000.
At 11:00am the 6. and 7. Croatian Infantry Divisions began to attack those Chetniks who had gathered around Razboj. Over Dolina and Glamočani towards Razboj turned the first Armoured Group led by 4 Panzer IV
s, along with a motorized artillery company and motorized infantry. Another Armoured Group headed down the Brezovljani-Glamočani road. From the south the Armoured Group from the 6. Division chased the Chetniks from Kukolk towards Razboj. Behind them came a motorized artillery company and two infantry battalions which began a frontal battle with the Chetniks. The Home Guard troops left their bunkers and returned sharp machine-gun fire.
Under the onrush of Croatian tanks and armoured vehicles, the Chetnik right flank was crushed and Ustaša forces circled to the their rear and began to attack with machine-gun fire. The Chetnik Drina Corps began to crumble while Chetnik forces tried to close the Ustaša penetration. Under ceaseless fire from the Ustaša force accompanied by hand grenades, panic spread across the Chetniks. The Chetniks began to abandon their posts and attempted to flee, but they did so in vain as they were surrounded on all sides. The Croatian Infantry destroyed the resistance of the Chetniks, who soon surrendered. At 1:00pm the battle was over.
The Montenegrins who had earlier deserted the Chetnik ranks buried the dead. The spoils of war were great, five thousand Chetniks were captured, among them Voivoda Đurišić who had hid beneath a carriage hoping to escape by nightfall. He had to be closely guarded to ensure the Montenegrins did not kill him.
where they were killed a few days later. It is unknown what happened to the remaining 3,500 Chetniks. It is likely that they were killed at another location.
Five thousand Montenegrins were moved to Sisak
, where they were left armed and placed under Ustaša command as the Montenegrin People's Army. In May these troops were among the Ustaša and Croatian Home Guard
forces, as well as Croatian civilians, who retreated at war's end towards Austria. At Bleiburg
they surrendered, along with the Croatian Armed Forces, to the British Army
which later returned them to the Yugoslav Partisans. Many were killed during the return trip to the new Yugoslav state, with those survivors being interned at various POW camps.
Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard or also, known as the "Homeland Defenders," was the name used for the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which existed during World War II.- Formation :...
forces) and the runoff Chetnik forces of Pavle Đurišić, near Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
in what was then the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
(NDH).
The Croatian Armed Forces were led by General Vladimir Metikoš
Vladimir Metikoš
Vladimir Metikoš was a Croatian general in the then Independent State of Croatia .Metikoš was born in Banja Luka. During World War I, he was posted on the Italian front as a lieutenant of the Austro-Hungarian Army...
, while the Chetniks were led by Voivoda Pavle Đurišić.
Build-up to the battle
In the fall of 1944, the Chetniks were scattered across the territory of the former YugoslaviaKingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
. Divisions of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
had entered Serbia
Nedic's Serbia
Serbia under German occupation refers to an administrative area in occupied Yugoslavia established by Nazi Germany following the invasion and dismantling of Yugoslavia in April of 1941...
and were assisting Yugoslav forces in capturing and destroying the Chetniks.
The Army of the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
was reorganized in November 1944 to combine the units of the Ustaše
Ustaše
The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border...
and Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard or also, known as the "Homeland Defenders," was the name used for the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which existed during World War II.- Formation :...
into eighteen divisions, comprising 13 infantry, two mountain, two assault and one replacement Croatian Divisions, each with its own organic artillery and other support units. There were also several armoured units. From early 1945, the Croatian Divisions were allocated to various German Corps and by March 1945 were holding the Southern Front. Securing the rear areas were some 32,000 men of the Croatian Gendarmerie (Hrvatsko Oruznistvo), organised into 5 Police Volunteer Regiments plus 15 independent battalions, equipped with standard light infantry weapons, including mortars.
The Chetnik plan
When the German forces began to abandon Montenegro, the ChetniksChetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
decided to head out with them as there was little escape from Partisan attacks in the region. Before they left, a command was issued by the Chetnik leader Draža Mihailović
Draža Mihailovic
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
(who was at that time in Serbia), to head towards Bosnia where they would join up with an alleged number of 100,000 troops from Serbia.
It was decided that the Chetniks would consolidate in the area between the rivers Bosna, Vrbas
Vrbas
Vrbas may refer to:* Vrbas , river in Bosnia and Herzegovina* Vrbas , town and municipality in Vojvodina, Serbia* Vrbas , village in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
and Sava. On December 5, 1944, Đurišić's Chetniks headed north along the Drina
Drina
The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...
river, and met up with Mihailović in the village of Kožuhe. With him were 10,000 soldiers, far short of what had been promised. Much of Mihailović's troops in these final months were forcefully mobilized peasants from Serbia who frequently deserted.
There are varying versions of what the Chetniks further plans were:
- Later, Ustaša emigrants claimed that the Chetniks had sought to attack the Croatian capital ZagrebZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
after the Germans had left. This would have destroyed the Independent State of Croatia, and this would allegedly have shown the AlliesAllies of World War IIThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
that the Chetniks were a "powerful anti-fascist army upon whom they could count on". - Yugoslav Partisan sources say that Mihailović sought to utilize Đurišić's forces to return to Serbia to raise an "anti-communist rebellion". Đurišić did not accept this, refusing Mihailović's commands. He then began to retreat towards Slovenia.
- Chetnik sources claim that Mihailović commanded Đurišić to head toward Slovenia to join with those Chetnik forces which would surrender to the AmericansUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Đurišić's Chetniks eventually headed towards Lijevča field near Banja Luka.
Beginning of the battle
The Croatian Armed Forces which were located in the region numbered 27,940 soldiers. On March 30, Chetnik forces passed the river Vrbas and took the village of Razboj. From there the Sanjak Chetniks headed towards the Sava river and the village of Dolinama on the road toward Bosanska Gradiška.At the same time, three Ustaša companies from the 10. Ustaša Brigade commanded by General Metikoš headed out from Banja Luka towards Gradiška and took position near the village of Gornje Doline. There they battled with the Chetnik forces. With Chetniks in greater numbers, the Ustaša companies were forced to retreat. Concurrently, the local Croatian population began to flee the area towards Gradiška in fear of the Chetniks. At this time the Chetniks destroyed the villages of Junuzovce and Gornje Doline: it is claimed that they killed 2,500 civilians during this period.
April 2, General Metikoš along with the 6. Croatian Infantry Division attacked the Chetniks not far from Gornja Doline. After half a day of battle, the Croatian forces forced the Chetniks to withdraw. They had also captured a Chetnik officer, Captain Mijuković. He was a Montenegrin by background, a supporter of a Montenegrin independence as well as a follower of Sekula Drljević
Sekula Drljevic
Sekula Drljević, also transcribed as Sekule Drljević , was a WWII Montenegrin Nazi-fascist collaborator....
. Mijuković did not agree with the Chetnik ideology and he gave the Ustaša officers information about the intentions of the Chetnik command.
Attack on Bosanska Gradiška is foiled
From records, General Metikoš and the commander of the 17. Croatian Infantry Division, General Marko Sučić, made a decision towards a quick attack against the Chetniks. General Sučić moved an Armored Group that same day from NovskaNovska
Novska is a town in Croatian Slavonia, located between Kutina and Nova Gradiška, southeast of the capital, Zagreb. It has a total population of 13,573 in the following settlements:* Bair, population 6* Borovac, population 276* Brestača, population 911...
as well as an Artillery Group from Nova Gradiška
Nova Gradiška
Nova Gradiška is a city located in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia, population 14,196 . It is located in the historic region of Slavonia, near the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina....
and two infantry battalions. Generals Metikoš and Sučić met in Bosanska Gradiška and discussed a plan of attack. The fifth battalion of the 10. Ustaša Brigade was sent to the town of Vrbačko to assure against any possible Partisan attacks. That same day at noon Ustaša gunners began artillery fire on the Sanjak Chetnik Corps. At the same time, the Ustaša Armored Group with 24 armoured vehicles and 4 Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
tanks entered Doline and began to fire their machine guns at the fleeing Chetnik troops. After an hour the battle was over. The Armored Group captured 400 Chetniks, among them some officers, while on the field of battle lay 2,000 dead or injured Chetniks.
During questioning of the captured officers, the Ustaše found that the Chetniks were planning to attack Bosanska Gradiška that very day. They also established the makeup of the Chetnik force: the Sanjak Corps led by Captain Kalajitović; the Drina Corps led by Voivoda Drašković; as well as 5,000 Montenegrin Chetniks led by Voivoda Boško Agram. They also found that the Chetniks had received help from the Germans to get there.
Disruption of Chetnik command
Because of the unexpected loss of their forward troops, the heads of the Chetnik forces came to a spat and even some armed conflict erupted between officers. Voivoda Đurišić had some of the Montenegrin Chetnik officers shot to placate the rest and to stop any argument. However, this only intensified the dissatisfaction of the Montenegrins who were forcefully mobilized and who did not want to fight for a Greater SerbiaGreater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia applies to the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology directed towards the creation of a Serbian land which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to the Serbian nation...
. Just as Captain Mijuković had foreseen, 5,000 Montenegrins deserted the Chetniks in the following days and defected to the Ustaša.
This forced Đurišić to change plans. April 3 he made the decision not to attack Bosanska Gradiška nor Banja Luka, but to take the remaining Chetnik forces across the Vrbas, to take Lijevča field and the villages of Topola, Dubrava and Maglajan. There they would care for their provisions and horses, and begin to head across Mount Kozara
Kozara
Kozara is a mountain in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. It is bounded by the rivers Sava - north, Vrbas - east, Sana - south and Una - west...
towards Kordun
Kordun
The Kordun region is a part of central Croatia from the bottom of the Petrova Gora mountain range, which extends along the rivers Korana and Slunjčica, and forms part of the border region to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The southern border of Kordun touches the Lika region...
where they would meet with Voivoda Đujić's troops from Slovenia.
On April 4 Durišić decided to break through the Croatian Army's ranks. In the meantime the Croatian Armed Forces built and strengthened bunkers on the road from Bosanska Gradiška to Banja Luka. The building of the bunkers was overseen by the engineering Lieutenant Colonel Josić. In the bunkers were placed Home Guard troops from 4. Jager Brigade. Every bunker was armed with a mortar and a machine-gun, while each crew numbered thirty soldiers. The bunkers were situated at the intersections of roads: Nova Topoli, Gornja Topola, Maglajan and Laktaš were all fortified. On 40 km of road 22 bunkers were built. In Laktaš, one Armored Group and two Infantry Battalions stealthily moved towards the road near Razboj. General Sučić placed one Armored Group towards Donji Doljani, deployed a battalion with a motorized infantry and a Tank Company behind them in the village of Bukovac. A battalion under Major Ante Vrban was sent towards Vilus to protect against a Partisan attack from Kozara.
Main battle
In the morning of April 5 at 2:00am, the Chetniks began a frontal assault on the bunkers, showering them with hand grenades and infantry gunfire. The Croatian Home GuardCroatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard or also, known as the "Homeland Defenders," was the name used for the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which existed during World War II.- Formation :...
troops in the bunkers waited until the Chetniks came closer then opened fire with their machine guns and mortars, which resulted in high losses to the Chetniks, as well as confusion among their ranks. This lasted for the remainder of the day and into the night.
Chetnik Mihajlo Minić later recalled the battle with these words: "The valley of Lijevča field echoes with the thunder of exploding grenades and hand-bombs. Ustaša tanks snorted and sowed fire on all sides. Night turned to day."
However, on April 6 at 6:00am, Chetnik forces under Captain Perišić succeeded in penetrating between bunkers and attacked the Croatian 3rd battalion from behind. General Sučić with part of his own division blocked the Chetnik penetration point, and sent two tank companies to the road from Bukovac to Turjak to help the 3rd battalion. With his remaining troops Sučić set off to hunt down the Chetnik group, which numbered about 1,000 troops. Soon the tank companies reached the 3rd battalion and commenced their attack, killing approximately 500 Chetniks, while the survivors retreated towards Kozara.
The 3rd battalion, strengthened by the arrival of the armoured units, then set out to find the remaining 500 Chetniks. Two days later a battalion from the 4. Croatian Infantry Division under the command of General Zdenko Begić came across these fleeing groups and completely destroyed the unit.
During the night of April 7, due to the attacks by the Croatian Armed Forces, panic struck the Chetnik ranks all the way up to the top command and their forces began to flee across the Vrbas with the intention to spread out into the forests. In the morning Croatian artillery began to shoot down boats attempting the cross and in this way halted the Chetnik retreat.
At this time, Yugoslav Partisan forces opportunistically began a troop build up near Bosanski Petrovac
Bosanski Petrovac
Bosanski Petrovac is a town in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also the name of the municipality. The town and municipality are part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Una-Sana Canton.-People:...
and Sanski Most
Sanski Most
Sanski Most is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Sana River in Bosanska Krajina, between Prijedor and Ključ. Administratively it is part of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
. As the Croatian Armed Forces did not wish to fight a battle on two fronts, the commander of the 4. Division Josip Metzger
Josip Metzger
Josip Metzger was a Croatian military commander.-Second World War:In summer 1944 People's Uprising Corps was formed under General Josip Metzger HQ Vinkovci...
decided to launch a final attack on the remaining Chetniks who numbered approximately 7,000.
At 11:00am the 6. and 7. Croatian Infantry Divisions began to attack those Chetniks who had gathered around Razboj. Over Dolina and Glamočani towards Razboj turned the first Armoured Group led by 4 Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
s, along with a motorized artillery company and motorized infantry. Another Armoured Group headed down the Brezovljani-Glamočani road. From the south the Armoured Group from the 6. Division chased the Chetniks from Kukolk towards Razboj. Behind them came a motorized artillery company and two infantry battalions which began a frontal battle with the Chetniks. The Home Guard troops left their bunkers and returned sharp machine-gun fire.
Under the onrush of Croatian tanks and armoured vehicles, the Chetnik right flank was crushed and Ustaša forces circled to the their rear and began to attack with machine-gun fire. The Chetnik Drina Corps began to crumble while Chetnik forces tried to close the Ustaša penetration. Under ceaseless fire from the Ustaša force accompanied by hand grenades, panic spread across the Chetniks. The Chetniks began to abandon their posts and attempted to flee, but they did so in vain as they were surrounded on all sides. The Croatian Infantry destroyed the resistance of the Chetniks, who soon surrendered. At 1:00pm the battle was over.
The Montenegrins who had earlier deserted the Chetnik ranks buried the dead. The spoils of war were great, five thousand Chetniks were captured, among them Voivoda Đurišić who had hid beneath a carriage hoping to escape by nightfall. He had to be closely guarded to ensure the Montenegrins did not kill him.
Aftermath
After the battle Đurišić, together with 1,500 of his officers and elite Chetniks, were taken to the Ustaša camp at Stara GradiškaStara Gradiška concentration camp
Stara Gradiška was the most notorious concentration and extermination camp in Croatia during World War II, mainly due to the crimes which were committed against women and children. The camp was specially constructed for women and children of Serb, Jew, and Romani ethnicity...
where they were killed a few days later. It is unknown what happened to the remaining 3,500 Chetniks. It is likely that they were killed at another location.
Five thousand Montenegrins were moved to Sisak
Sisak
Sisak is a city in central Croatia. The city's population in 2011 was 33,049, with a total of 49,699 in the administrative region and it is also the administrative centre of the Sisak-Moslavina county...
, where they were left armed and placed under Ustaša command as the Montenegrin People's Army. In May these troops were among the Ustaša and Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard or also, known as the "Homeland Defenders," was the name used for the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which existed during World War II.- Formation :...
forces, as well as Croatian civilians, who retreated at war's end towards Austria. At Bleiburg
Bleiburg
Bleiburg is a small town in the south Austrian state of Carinthia , south-east of Klagenfurt , in the district of Völkermarkt, some four kilometres from the border with Slovenia....
they surrendered, along with the Croatian Armed Forces, to the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
which later returned them to the Yugoslav Partisans. Many were killed during the return trip to the new Yugoslav state, with those survivors being interned at various POW camps.
See also
- Croatian Armed Forces (NDH)
- Croatian Home GuardCroatian Home GuardCroatian Home Guard or also, known as the "Homeland Defenders," was the name used for the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which existed during World War II.- Formation :...
- 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment369th Reinforced Infantry RegimentThe 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment , also known as the Devil Division was a military unit of the Independent State of Croatia's Croatian Home Guard which fought alongside the German Armed Forces on the Eastern Front.-Formation:Croatian leader Ante Pavelić sent a letter to German Führer Adolf...
- Military history of CroatiaMilitary history of CroatiaThe military history of Croatia includes the history of wars, battles and all military affairs fought in the territory of modern Croatia and the military history of the Croats regardless of political geography.- Croatian principalities:...
- Independent State of CroatiaIndependent State of CroatiaThe Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
- Yugoslav Front
- Yugoslav Partisans
- ChetniksChetniksChetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
- Resistance during World War IIResistance during World War IIResistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns...
- Anti-partisan operations in World War IIAnti-partisan operations in World War IIAnti-partisan operations were operations against the various resistance movements during World War II by the Axis powers...
Sources
- Process against Draža Mihailović, Vijesnik 1948
- "Američki Srbobran" October 2, 1950
- "Iskra" München, May 24, 1951 article "Kad je krvca iz zemlje provrela".
- From the records of the crosspoint of Perišić, May 1, 1945 records of Drina
- Alvin E. Conski, account of Draža Mihailović, read out at the meeting of the American congress May 24, 1945
- Boško N. Kostić, "Za istoriju naših dana", Munich
- Thomas, N., K. Mikulan, and C. Pavelic. Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45. London: Osprey, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-473-3.