Clash at Poljana – The WW2 Battle That Was Fought A Week After VE Day

Clash at Poljana - The WW2 Battle That Was Fought A Week After VE Day

Last January, MHN.com published an article about a series of battles from history that were fought the opposing sides had already agreed to suspend hostilities. The piece included such dust ups as the Battle of New Orleans, which was waged between British redcoats and American troops in January 1815 - two weeks after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.

THE CHETNIKS

Chetniks pose with German soldiers

 A German military officer converses with Kosta Pecanac (the pre-war president of the Chetniks) and Dazafer Deva (a collaborator from Kosovo) in Podvjevo.

 Pećanac Chetniks. The Pećanac Chetniks, also known as the Black Chetniks were a Chetnik irregular military force which operated in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia under the leadership of vojvoda Kosta Pećanac. They were loyal to the German-backed Serbian puppet government and fought against Yugoslav Partisans and the Chetniks of Draža Mihailović from 1941 to 1943.

From the beginning Tito's claim to lead Yugoslav resistance was challenged by Col. Dragoljub ('Draza') Mihailović, who formed in mid-I941 his mainly Serbian 'Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army' ('chetnik' is the traditional Serbian name for guerilla) on Ravna Gora Mountain in Western Serbia, although until March 1943 Kosta Pecanać controlled 8,000 rival Chetniks in Macedonia. Mihailović's Chetniks had mobile (active) and territorial companies, formed into battalions and brigades led by civilians styled 'chieftain' (vojvoda) or by Army officers. Some 10,000 Chetniks fought alongside the Partisans in July 1941, and by 1943 there were 30,000 mobile troops. After November 1941 Partisan-Chetnik cooperation deteriorated into armed hostility; for Mihailović, now Minister of War to the Yugoslav government-in-exile, and receiving Allied aid, saw in Tito a deadly rival, and Communism as anathema to his Serbian' nationalism. After January 1943 his troops were re-designated 'Yugoslav Army of the Homeland', fighting Germans, Italians, Croats and Partisans alike.

Throughout 1942 Chetnik fortunes steadily improved. In January 1943 they were re-organised, and based on a three-man 'trojka' cell. Between 15 and 30 Trojke formed a company, three companies a battalion, three battalions a brigade, three to five brigades a 'corps', named after a local river or mountain and often only 2,500 strong. Troops were under ten Area Commands-Serbia (Corps I to 37); Stari Ras (38 and 39); Montenegro-Sandjak (40 to 45); cast Bosnia-Herzegovina (46 to 54); Western Bosnia (55 to 57); Dalmatia & Coast (58 to 63); Slovenia-Istria (64 to 67): Southern Serbia (i.e. Macedonia) (68); Backa-Baranja; Srem. Mobile forces were extracted from these units and designated 'Flying Brigades' and 'Shock Corps'.

With early 1943 came disaster. The Chetniks were badly mauled by Tito at the Neretva River, and retreated from Bosnia and Montenegro into Serbia to defend the Chetnik heartland. Meanwhile Allied aid was switched to the Partisans, whom King Petar now recognised. In March 1944 Mihailović re-formed his corps into 'Groups of Corps' 1 to 12, and 'Groups of Shock Corps'. The elite 4th Group of Shock Corps, with 9,000 men, defended South-West Serbia, but after initial success was forced back. The arrival of Soviet troops compelled a dispirited Mihailović, now totally isolated, to retreat in October with his depleted forces to take refuge in the Bosnian mountains. His hostility to the Partisans had led his movement along a dangerous path, beginning with a simple disagreement over immediate objectives, but leading in many cases to outright collaboration with Axis forces against the Partisans. This had robbed the Chetniks of their credibility, both at home and with the Allies.

Occupation and resistance in Yugoslavia

Ragusa, Yugoslavia, The Italian army entering the city, 18/04/1941.

In the Balkans (Yugoslavia and Greece) German forces were supplemented by sizable Italian forces and by equally strong Croatian and Bosnian collaborationist contingents (about eight to ten divisions' worth). This increased the number of occupying troops to about the same as those in France. Despite these additional forces, the Balkans were the most restless area in the Nazi empire, and about 24,000 German troops died there during the war, plus many more Italians and pro-Axis locals (who also kept large parts of the Balkans relatively pro-German and quiet). In contrast, only about 12,000 Germans were killed during the North African campaign.

The Germans invaded Yugoslavia in early 1941, but Italians (who had attacked Albania in 1939) comprised most of the occupation troops until 1943, abetted by locally recruited Croat and Bosnian collaborators. A Resistance formed immediately, but because of the multicultural composition of Yugoslavia, and the enmity between Communists and monarchists, there was more fighting between partisans than with the occupying Italians. 

The Invasion of Yugoslavia (code-name Directive 25 or Operation 25) was the Axis powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The invasion ended with the unconditional surrender of the Royal Yugoslav Army on 17 April 1941, the annexation and occupation of the region by the Axis powers and the creation of the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, or NDH).

The Italian Second Army crossed the border soon after the Germans. They faced the Yugoslavian Seventh Army. The Italians encountered limited resistance and occupied parts of Slovenia, Croatia, and the coast of Dalmatia. In addition to the Second Army, Italy had four divisions of the Ninth Army on the Yugoslavian border with Albania. These formations were so situated against a Yugoslav offensive on that front. Around 300 Ustaše volunteers under the command of Ante Pavelic accompanied the Italian Second Army during the invasion; about the same number of Ustaše were attached to the German Army and other Axis allies.

The Independent State of Croatia was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. The state was technically a monarchy and Italian protectorate from the signing of the Rome agreements on 19 May 1941 until the Italian capitulation on 8 September 1943; but the king-designate, the Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta, refused to assume the kingship in opposition to the Italian annexation of the Croat-populated Yugoslav region of Dalmatia.

After Italy left the war in 1943, German troops took over the occupation. The partisans grabbed many of the Italians' weapons, and many anti-Fascist Italians even joined the partisans: One whole division more or less went over to them intact. While the Italians had usually been relatively easygoing during their occupation, the Germans were a lot tougher. Many of the non-Communist partisans collaborated with the Italians, and then with the Germans, to gain advantage over the Communist groups. Moreover, the Communist partisans were largely Serbs, while the monarchists were largely Croats. The other ethnic groups in Yugoslavia also tended to take sides against each other rather than against the occupying army. The Germans took advantage of this; to the extent that they raised two SS divisions comprised of Muslim Yugoslavs and then turned them loose on Christian civilians and partisans. Still, the partisans were a tough bunch and the Germans managed to assist the guerrillas by butchering suspected partisan sympathizers. This turned more of the population, and partisans, against the Germans. By this time, the Allies realized that, although they had been sending most of their aid to the non-Communist partisans, it was the Communist partisans led by Josip Broz (Tito) who were most energetically fighting the Germans. So by late 1943, the Allies got behind Tito and his Communist partisans. Throughout 1944, the partisans became stronger and stronger, and eventually, the Yugoslavs earned the distinction of being the only partisan army to liberate its own country without the aid of Allied troops. The Yugoslav partisans were even able to keep the Red Army out of the country. Meanwhile, by the end of the war, the non-Communist groups in the country were disarmed (and many killed) and a Communist government set up.

PARTISANS WITH ARMOR

Allied Aid To Yugoslav Partisans British armored cars, American tanks, anti-tank guns, and other equipment suitable for mountainous warfare are being supplied to Marshal Tito's Yugoslav partisans for use against German forces trapped in Yugoslavia. Dec. 1944 Vehicle in the pic appears to be a re-badged Brit AEC Armoured Car.

The Yugoslav partisans, among their other distinctions, maintained some armored forces throughout their four-year battle for liberation. Guerrillas rarely operated tanks. For one thing, they had a hard time obtaining them. Moreover, tanks require a lot of maintenance, supply, and other support. Guerrillas keep moving and customarily travel light. But the Yugoslavs had two things going for them. First, for the initial two years of their war, the major occupation force consisted of Italians. Not very eager to battle partisans, the Italians often followed a "live and let live" policy. This allowed the partisans sufficient leeway to maintain those tanks they captured from the Italians.

Neither the Italians, nor later the Germans, sent much armor to Yugoslavia and most of what was used were light tanks captured earlier from the French. Italians also used their own light tanks, knowing these were not of much use against heavier British and Russian models in other areas where Italian units were in combat. By 1944, the partisans had over fifty captured tanks in running condition, organized into several "battalions." Later that year, the British supplied the partisans with a battalion of fifty-six light tanks and twenty-four armored cars. The crews for these vehicles were trained in Italy and landed (with their vehicles) in Yugoslavia in November 1944. The battalion then fought its way inland. The Russians equipped a partisan tank brigade (sixty-five T-34s) which then went to Yugoslavia and fought alongside other partisan units. Thus when the Germans finally evacuated Yugoslavia, they had to do so in great haste lest they be trapped by guerrilla armored units.

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Lot of captured tanks made it's way to Yugoslavia - R-35, H-35/39, Somua, Char-B1bis, etc... Also older German tanks were used - Pz-35/38, Pz-I/II/III, some of them rare models - Pz-If etc...

Yugoslavia in 1941 had 65 R-35, and M.28 (Reno-Kegresse - improved FT-17), FT-17. Only really capable vehicle was M.32 (Skoda S.I.D) armed with 37mm M.36 Gun (same gun as a German 37mm Pak) and ZB-30 coax, but there were only 8 of those. Later partisans captured some of German and Italian tanks (CV-33, L6, M13/39) and used it till Brits send M3 Stuarts and Russians send T-34/85. Some of Stuarts were modified with captured 75mm Pak guns (sort of Marder relative), and some got quad 20mm AA-guns. Pak version was used till 1951.

The German SOMUA used in anti-partisan operations in Yugoslavia were captured by partisan units and put into use, and at least one was used by the Yugoslav 1st Tank Brigade alongside its M3A3 Stuarts.