Operation SCHWARZ
(Black) / Unternehmen SCHWARZ / Fifth enemy offensive: Sutjeska
Description Original Axis plans for 1943 called for operation WEISS I-III to eliminate partisans followed by SCHWARZ which called for disarming of Chetniks in Italian occupation zone which were completely enlisted in Italian Voluntary Anti-Communist Militia (Milizia Volontaria Anti-Comunista - MVAC), since during WIESS II partisans annihilated most of Chetniks and broken through into eastern Herzegovina and Montenegro, WIESS III was called off and SCHWARZ was redesigned to finish the job of elimination of partisans before anticipated allied landing in Balkans. Part of Chetniks were disarmed during operation SCHWARZ but they offered absolutely no resistance and some were even listed by German army as guides.
Operation Schwarz was largest anti-partisan operation yet and also the last big ones. With 117,300 axis soldiers facing only 19,700 fighters of Main Operation Group of NOVJ this was the closest Germans ever were of eliminating partisans and securing their communications and rear areas in anticipation of Allied invasion in Balkans.
Operations in Sandzak and Monte Negro before offensive
Offensive
Tightening encirclement - operations from 15 to 20 May:
15 May
16 May
17 May
18 May
19 May
20 May
First breakthrough attempt - operations from 21 to 26 May
Second breakthrough attempt - operations from 27 May to 4 June
Breakthrough at Sutjeska - operations from 5 to 9 June
Breakthrough from Zelengora - operations from 10 to 16 June
Counteroffensive into Eastern Bosnia
The Sutjeska offensive from 15 May to 16 June 1943 was a joint attack of the Axis forces that aimed to destroy the Yugoslav partisan force, near the Sutjeska river in southeastern Bosnia. The failure of the offensive marked a turning point for Yugoslavia during World War II.
The Germans codenamed the plan Operation Schwarz ("Black"). The operation immediately followed Fall Weiss which had failed in accomplishing the same objectives: to crush the Partisan army and capture their leader, Josip Broz Tito, also known as "Walter". In post-war Yugoslavia the operation was known as the Fifth enemy offensive.
The Axis rallied 127,000 land troops for the offensive, including German, Italian, NDH and Bulgarian units, and over 300 airplanes, under German operative command, against 18,000 soldiers of Yugoslav National Liberation Army operational group in 16 brigades. After a period of troop concentration, the offensive started on 15 May 1943. The Axis troops used the advantage of better starting positions to encircle and isolate the partisans on the Durmitor mountain area, located between the Tara and Piva rivers in the mountainous areas of northern Montenegro and forced them to engage in a one month long fierce battle on waste territory.
On June 9th, the Germans almost succeeded in liquidating Tito, as a bomb fell near the leading group and wounded him in the arm. The popular post-war report of the event credited Tito's dog Luks, a German shepherd for sacrificing his life to save Tito's.
Facing almost exclusively German troops in the final encirclement, YNLA finally succeeded to break out across the Sutjeska river through the lines of the German 118th and 104th Jäger and 369th (Croatian) Infantry divisions in the northwestern direction, towards Eastern Bosnia. Three brigades and the central hospital with over 2000 wounded remained surrounded, and following Hitler's instructions, German commander in chief general Alexander Löhr ordered and carried out their annihilation, including the wounded and unarmed medical personnel. In addition, YNLA troops suffered from severe lack of food and medical supplies, and many were struck down by typhoid.
In total there were 6,391 partisan casualties, more than a third of the initial force. The German commander in field, general Rudolf Lüters in his final report described that so-called "communist rebels" as "well organized, skillfuly lead and with combat morale unbelievably high".
Immediately after the breakout, YNLA regrouped and mounted a counteroffensive in Eastern Bosnia, clearing Axis garrisons of Vlasenica, Srebrenica, Olovo, Kladanj and Zvornik in the following 20 days.
The battle marked a turning point toward Allied control of Yugoslavia, and became an integral part of the Yugoslav post-war mythology, celebrating the self-sacrifice and extreme suffering and moral firmness of the partisans.
Objective: To engage and destroy Tito’s remaining Partisan formations that had escaped into northern Montenegro with their wounded after the conclusion of Operation “Weiss” during the second half of March. It was critical for the Germans at this moment in time to wipe out the Partisan menace and secure their lines of communication in the Balkans due to a rapidly building fear of an Allied invasion in Greece or along the Adriatic coast following the surrender of Axis forces in Tunisia.
Enemy Forces: 1st, 2d, 3d and 7th Divisions NOVJ, 3d Dalmatian Brigade, III Bn./4th Proletarian Brigade, II and IV Bn./5th Montenegrin Brigade, Drina Operations Group. A total of approximately 19,700 combatants.
Axis Forces:
A total of 127,000 troops: 67,000 Germans, 43,000 Italians, 2,000 Bulgarians, 11,000 Croatians and 4,000 Chetniks. Significant and sustained air support was provided by the Luftwaffe, Italian Air Force and the Croatian Air Force.
Axis strength - 117,300 soldiers
German units: Strength
7th SS Division 'Prinz Eugen' 20,000
369th Infantry Division 9,000
118th Jäger Division 10,000
1st Mountain Division 10,000
Gruppe Ludviger (reinforced 724th Infantry Regiment) 3,000
Brandenburg' regiment 3,000
parts of 373rd Infantry Division 2,000
12th Armored Company 150
3rd Company of 202nd Armored Battalion 150
Total 57,300
Italian units:
1st Mountain Division 'Taurinense' 10,000
19th Infantry (mountain) Division 'Venezia' 8,000
23rd Infantry Division 'Ferrara' 10,000
parts of 32nd Infantry Division 'Marche' (55th Regiment, 3rd Battalion of 56th Regiment, artillery, mortars, tanks) 2,550
parts of Division 'Messina' (94th Regiment and artillery) 1,700
parts of 154th Infantry Division 'Murge' (73th CCNN Legion, with 44th and 73rd Battalion, 49th CCNN Legion with 40th Battalion, 1st Battalion of 93rd Regiment, 2nd Battalion of 260th Regiment, artillery, tanks) 3,550
120th Infantry Regiment 2,000
127th Infantry Regiment 2,000
86th CCNN Legion 3,000
Total 42,800
NDH units:
4th Home Defense Jäger Brigade - Vrelo Bosne 3,000
9th Home Defense Regiment 1,000
14th Home Defense Regiment 600
15th Home Defense Regiment 600
I Ustasha Brigade 3,000
Police formations 3,000
Total 11,200
Bulgarian units:
61st Infantry Regiment 2,000
Chetniks:
around Bioča, in Herzegovina and Eastern Bosnia 4,000
117,300
NOTE: Only troops engaged in operation have been counted, 63rd Bulgarian Regiment, Division 'Murge' and 'Emilia' were in reserve and only parts of 373rd Division were used against 5th Krajina Brigade.
Conduct of Operations and Results: Known in Yugoslav literature as the Fifth Enemy Offensive and/or the Battle of Sutjeska, “Schwarz” was the second largest anti-Partisan operation carried out in Yugoslavia in regard to the total number of troops employed, but the largest in terms of force density or the ratio of troops per square kilometer. Additionally, it was one of the few anti-Partisan operations carried out in Yugoslavia that achieved near total surprise and caught the Partisans unaware and off-balance. It was fought south of Foča between the Piva and Tara Rivers in extremely challenging mountainous terrain. The plan of attack followed the usual pattern. Under the overall command of the Befehlshaber der Deutschen Truppen in Kroatien (Commander of German Troops in Croatia - Gen.d.Inf. Rudolf Lüters), the attacking force surrounded and sealed off the Partisans and then slowly tightened the noose between 15 and 20 May. Caught and desperate, Tito and his main force made repeated attempts to break through the cordon from 21 May to 9 June. In the early morning hours of 10 June, a breakthrough was achieved and between then and 14 June Tito’s depleted main force divisions were able to cross the Sutjeska River on an extremely narrow front and advance into East Bosnia to the west of Foča. Although Tito managed to escape with better than half his men after a month of intense, savage fighting, his losses were nevertheless catastrophic.
Losses
Partisans: 6,391 combatants plus approximately 2,537 civilian sympathizers caught up in the Axis cordon and shot on the spot. Total: 8,928.
Sutjeska
Zelengora
Vucevo
Partizani
Yugoslav partisans Forces
1st Proletarian Brigade
2nd Proletarian Brigade
3rd Sandzak Brigade
4th Proletarian Brigade
5th Montenegrin Brigade 5
1st Dalmatian Brigade 4
2nd Dalmatian Brigade 4
3rd Dalmatian Brigade 5
10th Herzegovina Brigade
3rd Krajina Brigade -
7th Krajina Brigade
36th East Bosnian Brigade
1st Majevica Brigade
7th Banija Brigade
8th Banija Brigade
16th Banija Brigade
Central Hospital
Supreme Headquarters of NOV i POJ 1
Headquarters of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th Division
Total around 19700
Tito
Sava Kovacevic Narodni heroj
Sava Kovačević (Serbian: Сава Ковачевић) (1905 – June 13, 1943) was a Serbian partisan commander during WWII.
Kovačević was born in Nudo near Nikšić, Montenegro to a family of Montenegrin Serb peasants. In his early age he worked as a blacksmith and adopted Communism, becoming a member of Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 1925. He gradually rose through the ranks of Party and became one of the Communist leaders in Montenegro. He was often arrested for his Communist activities.
After Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, Kovačević was one of the leading organisers of uprising against Italian occupation of Montenegro. He became commander of Nikšić Partisan Detachment, deputy commander of Main Headquarters of Montenegro and finally a member of Supreme Staff of YNLA.
In June 1942 he became first commander of 5th Montenegrin Brigade of YNLA. His unit took part in 1942 Bosanska Krajina Campaign - operation against NDH garrisons that brought large sections of today's Bosnia-Herzegovina under Partisan control. In February and March 1943, during Battle of Neretva, (German operation Weiss) Kovačević commanded his brigade in attacks on Prozor against Italians and Konjic against joined Italian-Ustashi-German defenders. On June 6th, during the Battle of Sutjeska (German operation Schwarz) became commander of 3rd Assault Division of YNLA. His division covered the rear of other Partisan units while they successfully broke through German lines. 3rd Division, also encumbered with the wounded Partisans, was less successful in its attempt of breakthrough.
On June 13th, Sava Kovačević was killed while personally leading his men during the charge against fortified trenches of German 118th Division at Krekovi, on river Sutjeska.
Due to his humble background and habit of disregarding any privileges of the rank, Kovačević was one of the most popular Partisan commanders. He was famous for his personal courage: one of the well known episodes happened on February 20th 1943 in Ostrožac on Neretva river when he, with his Brigade commissar Dragiša Ivanović, in an unexpected encounter with a group of Italian tanks, managed to jump on tank platform, Sava on the second and Dragiša on the third of three tanks, to destroy their crews and to capture one tank each. His heroic death made him into one of the Partisan icons.
He was posthumously proclaimed People's Hero of Yugoslavia.
4.crnogorska brigada
bolnica_ komora i narod pri prijelazu preko sutjeske jun1943
borci prelaze sutjesku 1943
borci prve proleterske junu1943
britanska vojna misija na zelengori juna1943
iscrpljeni partizani sutjeska 11.juna1943
narodnog oslobodjenja i bolnica 4.crnogorske 11.juna_1943
partizanski komandanti pri planiranju
most na djurdjevica tari minirano od partizana
Wehrmacht