Operation HERBST

Operation HERBST

(Autumn / Jesen)

Operation HERBST 1 / Margareta

Anti-partisan operation of the German 187th Reserve Division against Dilj Partisan detachment.

In order to keep operation a secret from Partisan intelligence no advance preparations were carried out and Croatian Home Defense units weren't notified until two days before start.

While element of surprise was achieved with Dilj Partisan detachment which was busy with preparation to form a brigade, German inelegance failed to detect 12th Slavonian division which was moving to Dilj by orders of 1st Corps. Its timely arrival inflicted heavy casualties on Ustasha 2nd Brigade and allowed evacuation of Partisans from Dilj.

Partisan captured two 75mm guns with 50 shells, 2 heavy machine-guns, 70 rifles, 3 submachine-guns, 2 radios and 20000 rounds of ammo. They've destroyed 3 tanks, 2 armored cars and 3 trucks.

Casualties

Partisans claimed 179 killed Germans and Ustasha with ustasha 2nd Lieutenant DraÅ¾en Prokopec and 9 other ustasha soldiers captured. Partisan losses were:

12th Slavonian Divsion - 13 killed and 47 wounded

Dilj partisan detachment - around 20 killed and 40 wounded

Aftermath

Operation failed to eliminate Dilj partisan detachment and on 29 September Axis troops returned back to their starting garrisons leaving razed PauÄje and several other villages.

Operation HERBST 2

Anti-partisan operation of German 42nd Jager Division in area of Zupanja, Samac and Vrpolje on 23rd October 1943.

Orders of Battle

Axis ORBAT

NOVJ ORBAT

Casualties

Aftermath