Second anti-partisan offensive
Encyclopedia
The Second anti-Partisan Offensive, known in ex-Yugoslavia
as the Second Enemy Offensive (Serbo-Croatian
, Serbian
, Croatian
: Druga neprijateljska ofanziva/ofenziva), was a battle during World War II
between the Yugoslav Partisans on one side, and German
forces aided by a number of Ustaše
and Italian
troops on the other. It took place in eastern Bosnia
between January 17 and January 23, 1942.
, Birač
and Glasinac. From the south, using the line Kalinovik
-Goražde
-Višegrad
it was planned that Italian forces close this area, but they could not, because they were occupied by protecting own garrisons.
During counter-offensive, a large territory was liberated, notably towns Foča
on January 20, and Goražde on January 26.
In village Bijele Vode, on January 21, the Axis forces attacked 2nd Battalion of the 1st Proletarian Brigade who lost 14 members, and in a same day Germans in Pjenovac attacked a small railway station. During this battle, the 1st Proletarian Brigade and the Romanian Detachment suffered 59 additional loses, including the commander of Romanian Detachment Slaviša Vajner Čiča, the commander of Šumadija Battalion Milan Ilić and the political commissar
of Šumadija Battalion Dragan Pavlović Šilja.
The Main Headquarters of the Partisans and a parts of the 1st Proletarian Brigade retreated across Glasinac and Jahorina
and arrive to Foča
. However, the majority of the brigade was hold in village Srednje so they had to choose another way. They choose the least expected way, very close to Sarajevo. The majority of the Partisan 1st Proletarian Brigade retreated by crossing Igman
mountain near Sarajevo
at temperatures as low as - 32°C
. The Brigade suffered severe casualties due to cold, 172 of 600 soldiers who crossed the mountain were frozen, leading to large numbers of amputations.
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
as the Second Enemy Offensive (Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
, Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
: Druga neprijateljska ofanziva/ofenziva), was a battle during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
between the Yugoslav Partisans on one side, and German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
forces aided by a number of 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 Italian
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
troops on the other. It took place in eastern Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
between January 17 and January 23, 1942.
Offensive
The main goal of the operation was surrounding and destroying Partisan forces in RomanijaRomanija
Romanija is a geographical region in eastern Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Main towns in the region include Pale, Sokolac, and Han Pijesak....
, Birač
Birac
Birac is the name or part of the name of the following communes in France:* Birac, Charente, in the Charente department* Birac, Gironde, in the Gironde department* Birac-sur-Trec, in the Lot-et-Garonne department...
and Glasinac. From the south, using the line Kalinovik
Kalinovik
Kalinovik is a town and municipality in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.Kalinovik is located about 40 kilometres south of Sarajevo, in the middle of one of the karstic landscapes characteristic of the region...
-Goražde
Goražde
Goražde , is a city and municipality in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river. It is located between Foča, Sokolac and Višegrad, and is administratively part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the center of the Bosnian Podrinje Canton.-Location:Goražde is situated on the...
-Višegrad
Višegrad
Višegrad is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Republika Srpska entity. It is on the river Drina, located on the road from Goražde and Ustiprača towards Užice, Serbia.-History:...
it was planned that Italian forces close this area, but they could not, because they were occupied by protecting own garrisons.
During counter-offensive, a large territory was liberated, notably towns Foča
Foca
Foča is a town and municipality in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river, in the Foča Region of the Republika Srpska entity.-Early history:...
on January 20, and Goražde on January 26.
In village Bijele Vode, on January 21, the Axis forces attacked 2nd Battalion of the 1st Proletarian Brigade who lost 14 members, and in a same day Germans in Pjenovac attacked a small railway station. During this battle, the 1st Proletarian Brigade and the Romanian Detachment suffered 59 additional loses, including the commander of Romanian Detachment Slaviša Vajner Čiča, the commander of Šumadija Battalion Milan Ilić and the political commissar
Political commissar
The political commissar is the supervisory political officer responsible for the political education and organisation, and loyalty to the government of the military...
of Šumadija Battalion Dragan Pavlović Šilja.
The Main Headquarters of the Partisans and a parts of the 1st Proletarian Brigade retreated across Glasinac and Jahorina
Jahorina
Mount Jahorina , is a mountain in south-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located southeast of Sarajevo within Republika Srpska. It borders fellow Olympic mountain Trebević...
and arrive to Foča
Foca
Foča is a town and municipality in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river, in the Foča Region of the Republika Srpska entity.-Early history:...
. However, the majority of the brigade was hold in village Srednje so they had to choose another way. They choose the least expected way, very close to Sarajevo. The majority of the Partisan 1st Proletarian Brigade retreated by crossing Igman
Igman
Igman is a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is found directly to the southwest of Sarajevo, bordering Bjelašnica mountain and the city of Ilidža. Igman's highest point, Vlahinja Ridge, is 1502 meters , making it the shortest of the Sarajevo mountains.Igman is a popular destination...
mountain near Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
at temperatures as low as - 32°C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
. The Brigade suffered severe casualties due to cold, 172 of 600 soldiers who crossed the mountain were frozen, leading to large numbers of amputations.
See also
- Yugoslav Partisans
- Yugoslav Front
- Seven anti-Partisan offensivesSeven anti-partisan offensivesThe Seven anti-Partisan offensives, known by some sources in the former Yugoslavia as the Seven Enemy offensives , is a group name for seven major Axis military operations on the territory of former Yugoslavia during World War II, undertaken against the Yugoslav Partisans...
- 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...