Operation Rübezahl

Operation Rübezahl I
	Part of World War II in Yugoslavia
Date	12–30 August 1944
Location	German-occupied territory of Serbia and German-occupied territory of Montenegro
Belligerents
Germany; Montenegrin Volunteer Corps; Free Arabian Legion; Independent State of Croatia; Bulgaria; Sandžak Muslim militia ; 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg	Yugoslav Partisans; 1st Corps; 2nd Corps (2 divisions); 12th Corps
Commanders and leaders
Artur Phleps	Peko Dapčević
Strength
50,000	16,000
Casualties and losses
unknown	1,000 injured,; unknown killed

Operation Rübezahl (German: Unternehmen Rübezahl) was the name of 3 German anti-partisan operations in Yugoslavia during World War II. The first operation announced the beginning of a strategic retreat by Nazi German troops from Serbia after the front change of Romania and Bulgaria.^[1]

Operation Rübezahl I

In summer 1944, German soldiers were doing sweeps against communist-led Yugoslav Partisans under the overall command of Josip Broz Tito. But on 30 August, after Romania and Bulgaria split from their Nazi ally, Germany entered into a crisis on the Balkan front. While the forces of the Partisans were moving to unite with the Soviet Red Army in the German-occupied territory of Serbia, German troops tried to avoid defeat in that strategic area by implementing "Operation Rübezahl" to enable the organised retreat of Germans. Among them, there were:^[2]^{[unreliable source?]}

Between 20 and 22 August, German troops surrounded and destroyed a particularly large Partisan unit moving westwards from the Independent State of Croatia to occupied Serbia. Only a few Partisans survived thanks to Allied planes which managed to land on battered airstrips, air-lifting about a thousand injured to hospitals located in Italy.^[3]^{[unreliable source?]}

Operation Rübezahl II

Operation Rübezahl II was a German offensive in February 1945 against Yugoslav partisans in the Slovene Littoral.^[4]

Operation Rübezahl III

Operation Rübezahl III was a German and Croat offensive in March 1945 against the Yugoslav 30th 'Slovenia' Division, who was threatening the important port city of Trieste.^[5]

References

^ Giorgi, Alessandro (26 August 2015). Cronaca della Seconda Guerra Mondiale 1939-1945. p. 374. ISBN 9786050408539.
^ "PRINZ EUGEN LA 7a DIVISIONE DA MONTAGNA DELLE WAFFEN SS – terza e ultima parte". Thule Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 19 November 2019.
^ Afiero, Massimiliano. "PRINZ EUGEN". www.maxafiero.it (in Italian). Retrieved 19 November 2019.
^ "Operation Rübezahl II". Code names. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
^ "Operation Rübezahl III". Code names. Retrieved 7 November 2021.

Bibliography

Bambara, Gino (1988). La guerra di liberazione nazionale della Jugoslavia (1941-1943). Mursia.
Deakin, Frederick William (1972). La montagna più alta. L'epopea dell'esercito partigiano jugoslavo. Club degli editori.
Gobetti, Eric (2006). L'occupazione allegra. Gli italiani in Jugoslavia (1941-1943). Carocci.
Bauer, Eddy (1971). Storia controversa della seconda guerra mondiale. Vol. VII. De Agostini.
Gilas, Milovan (2011). La guerra rivoluzionaria jugoslava. 1941-1945. Ricordi e riflessioni. LEG. ISBN 978-88-6102-083-2.

[1] Giorgi, Alessandro (26 August 2015). Cronaca della Seconda Guerra Mondiale 1939-1945. p. 374. ISBN 9786050408539.

[2] "PRINZ EUGEN LA 7a DIVISIONE DA MONTAGNA DELLE WAFFEN SS – terza e ultima parte". Thule Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 19 November 2019.

[3] Afiero, Massimiliano. "PRINZ EUGEN". www.maxafiero.it (in Italian). Retrieved 19 November 2019.

[4] "Operation Rübezahl II". Code names. Retrieved 7 November 2021.

[5] "Operation Rübezahl III". Code names. Retrieved 7 November 2021.

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