Invasion of Yugoslavia

Invasion of Yugoslavia

The invasion of Yugoslavia, also called the April War or Operation 25, was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. It began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was given in "Führer Directive No. 25" by Adolf Hitler on 27 March 1941. This happened after a Yugoslav coup d'état that changed the government.

The invasion started with a big air attack on Belgrade and the Royal Yugoslav Air Force by the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. German land forces also attacked from southwestern Bulgaria. After this, German troops moved in from Romania, Hungary and the Ostmark (now Austria). The Italian Army joined later, attacking towards Ljubljana in Slovenia, through Istria and Lika, and along the Dalmatian coast.

The invasion ended when an armistice was signed on 17 April 1941. The Yugoslav army unconditional surrender happened at noon on 18 April. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was then occupied and partitioned by the Axis powers.

Most of Serbia and the Banat became a German zone of occupation. Other parts of Yugoslavia were taken by nearby Axis countries, including Germany, Hungary, Italy, Albania and Bulgaria. Croatia became the Independent State of Croatia, a new area created by the Axis that included the Srem, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatian lands.

Background

See also: Greco-Italian War and Yugoslav coup d'état

In October 1940, Fascist Italy attacked the Kingdom of Greece but was pushed back into Italian-occupied Albania. German leader Adolf Hitler decided to help Italy. He wanted to protect important oil supplies from Romania and keep the Axis powers strong.

Later, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria joined the Axis by signing the Tripartite Pact. Hitler also pushed Yugoslavia to join. The regent, Prince Paul, agreed on 25 March 1941, but this made many people unhappy, especially in the military. On 27 March 1941, military officers staged a coup, removed Prince Paul, and declared young King Peter II ready to rule.

Preparation

When leaders in Yugoslavia changed, Adolf Hitler called his military leaders to Berlin on 27 March 1941. That day, he issued Führer Directive No. 25, saying Yugoslavia was now an enemy. Hitler was angry about the leadership change and wanted to attack Yugoslavia.

Hungary had agreed to work with Germany on 20 November 1940. On 12 December, Hungary and Yugoslavia signed a peace treaty. But after Germany shared its attack plans on 27 March 1941, Hungary's leaders disagreed. Some, like Regent Miklós Horthy, wanted to help Germany. The Prime Minister, Pál Teleki, wanted to stay neutral because of the peace treaty.

On 1 April, Yugoslavia reorganised its military to prepare for possible defense. On 2 April, Germany started getting ready to leave Yugoslavia, showing that an invasion was coming. On 3 April, Hitler gave more detailed attack plans, promising Hungary land if they joined. Later, Hungary agreed to invade after a new state was proclaimed in Croatia.

Opposing forces

Axis order of battle

The invasion was led by Germany, with help from Italy and Hungary. Germany used parts of its 2nd Army, including tanks and many airplanes. Italy sent two armies with around 300,000 soldiers, and Hungary also joined the attack. The forces were well-equipped and ready to move fast.

Germany attacked from bases in Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. In Romania, German soldiers arrived under the idea of training Romania’s army but were really there to protect important oil supplies and prepare for attacks on the Soviet Union. In Bulgaria, German forces arrived to defend Romania’s oil fields and to support Italy in attacking Greece. Hungarian forces agreed to let German troops pass through and later joined the fighting against Yugoslavia.

Royal Yugoslav armed forces

Yugoslavia’s defenses were not fully ready when the attack began. The army had many divisions but used older equipment and animals for transport. They had few modern tanks and faced problems with incomplete supplies. The air force had around 400 planes, but many were not the most modern types. The navy was small, with a few destroyers and submarines.

Yugoslavia’s army was split into three groups, with the strongest facing Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. Another group defended areas near the Iron Gates and Drava River, and the last group was in Croatia and Slovenia. However, the army was not fully prepared, and some troops were not even in their positions when the attack started. There were also problems within the army, as not all groups were willing to fight together, which made the defense weaker.

Operations

Professor Jozo Tomasevich and others divide the invasion and fighting into two parts. The first part began with the Luftwaffe bombing Belgrade and airfields of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force on April 6. This was followed by German forces moving from Bulgaria towards Skopje. On April 8, more German troops moved towards Niš. By April 10, the Yugoslav Army was falling apart and troops were retreating or giving up.

Italy and Hungary also joined the fight on April 11.

The Luftwaffe and Italian air forces had more planes, better tactics, and more experience. The Royal Yugoslav Air Force tried to fight back but was overwhelmed after 11 days of heavy fighting. Only a few new planes arrived during this time.

Bombing of Belgrade

Main article: Operation Retribution (1941)

On April 6, the Luftwaffe bombed Belgrade heavily in an attack called "Operation Retribution." Many planes attacked the city to break down its defenses. Yugoslav fighters tried to stop them but lost many planes. The bombing made it very hard for Belgrade to resist.

Ground operations

The British, Greek, and Yugoslav leaders wanted to use Niš to slow down German troops. But German forces broke through this area. By April 11, German tanks were all over Yugoslavia, and only troops near Belgrade were still fighting. Belgrade gave up on April 12 after a German officer tricked the mayor.

Italian offensive

In the first days of the invasion, Italian troops took small positions near the border. On April 11, the Italian army moved in and captured Ljubljana, Sušak, and Kraljevica. More Italian troops took Senj, and naval forces took islands along the coast. Split and Šibenik fell on April 15 and 16. On April 17, Dubrovnik was captured.

Hungarian offensive

Main article: Hungarian occupation of Yugoslav territories

On April 12, the Hungarian Third Army crossed the border. They met little resistance and moved into areas like Baranja, Bačka, and Vojvodina.

Yugoslav Albanian offensive

Yugoslav leaders planned to attack Italian forces in Albania while pulling back troops elsewhere. The plan was for the 3rd Yugoslav Army and the Greek Army to secure a path to Greece. The attack began on April 7 towards Shkodër, but it did not go well because German forces kept moving forward.

Naval operations

When Germany and Italy attacked on April 6, the Yugoslav Royal Navy had only a few ships. They tried to attack Italian positions but faced big problems. Some river ships were attacked and damaged by German planes.

Romanian involvement

Romania did not join the invasion but helped Germany by firing artillery at Yugoslav boats on the Danube on April 6. Romanian and German troops also fought Yugoslav forces for several days. Romania got some old Yugoslav planes as a reward, but they could not be used.

Losses

The German forces lost only a small number of soldiers during their attack on Yugoslavia. In twelve days of fighting, some German soldiers were killed, wounded, or went missing. The German air force lost about 60 airplanes.

Italy and Hungary also fought in the invasion and lost more soldiers. The Italian army lost around 800 soldiers, and the Hungarian army lost about 350. Many airplanes were shot down or damaged.

Yugoslav forces lost a large number of soldiers and airplanes. Over 250,000 Yugoslav soldiers were captured, but some escaped to fight with Allied forces in other countries.

Armistice and surrender

The Axis powers won quickly. By April 14, leaders of Yugoslavia asked for peace. The Germans said they would only accept if Yugoslavia gave up completely. On April 17, after just eleven days of fighting, leaders signed an agreement to stop fighting. This started on April 18 at noon.

Some people think the Yugoslav army was not well trained or had bad equipment. Others think problems inside Yugoslavia, like bad leaders and old fighting methods, were bigger reasons for the quick defeat. Different groups had different ideas about why the army lost so fast.

Aftermath

Main article: World War II in Yugoslavia

After giving up in 1941, the country of Yugoslavia was split among Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Bulgaria. Germany controlled most of Serbia, and Croatia was ruled together by Germany and Italy.

People began fighting back quickly. Royal Yugoslav Army Colonel Draža Mihailović started in the mountains of Serbia and Eastern Bosnia. King Peter II and his government far away in Britain made him a general. Later, the Yugoslav Partisans led by Josip Tito also began to fight against the Axis powers. As time went on, the Partisans became the main group working against the Axis, with help from the Allies.