NiÅ¡ operation (1944)

NiÅ¡ operation

(NiÅ¡ka operacija)

Intro

Red Army give Bulgarian 2nd Army task of advancing towards NiÅ¡ in order to tie down German troops in the are and prevent them interfering with Belgrade operation and securing 3rd Ukrainian Front southern flank.

History

German plans

Any surprise Bulgarian and Yugoslav forces could have hopped for was lost when Bulgarian Mercedes staff car was captured in Vlasotinci were it drove by mistake thinking village has already been captured. Germans managed to captured 2nd Army Chief of Intelligence Department LtColonel G. Petrov, staff captain, 7 journalist which arrived from Sofia and a bag with detailed plans for upcoming operation.

Bulgarian 2nd Army advance against their recent German allies was notoriously slow despite outnumbering them 10:1.

Orders of Battle

Allies - 80000

Yugoslav Partisans

13th Corps

22nd Division

24th Division

46th Division

47th Division

2nd Proletarian Division

45th Division

10 partisans detachments (PÄinjski, KrivopalanaÄki, MasuriÄki, Bosiljgradski, Vranjski, Pirotski, OrugliÄki, TopliÄki, LeskovaÄki GornjojablaniÄki)

Bulgarian 2nd Army

4th Infantry Division

6th Infantry Division

9th Infantry Division

12th Infantry Division

2nd Cavalry Division

1st Uprising Sofia Division

Armored Brigade

4th Border Brigade

3 artillery regiments

1 engineer regiment

Red Army

1st Guard Fortified Region

17th Air Army

189th Assault Aviation Division

228th Fighter Aviation Division

244th Bomber Aviation Division

Axis - 20000, Otto Kumm

7th SS division - 13th SS Regiment 2 batteries Artillery Regiment

37th Anti-Aircraft Regiment - 3 heavy battalions, 2 independent batteries

121st Regiment 11th Field Division

47th Regiment 22nd Infantry Regiment

two Police battalions motorized of the Feldkomandanture 809

Alarm Battalion - formed from personnel which withdrew from Bulgaria - 36 officers and 983 soldiers, nco and clerks armed with 620 rifles, 17 light machine-guns, 26 submachine-guns, 68 pistols

12th Panzer Battalion

parts of 191st Assault Gun Brigade

various support battalions

Aftermath

Appalling performance of Bulgarian army allowed partial escape of German forces and slow advance in general allowed for Army Group E to safely avoid being cut off in Macedonia. Partisans 13th Corps also made tactical errors but lack of armor and artillery far more limited Partisans combat effectiveness when fighting conventional battles.

Large war booty lead to confrontations leaving several dead on both sides when Bulgarian troops decided to steal captured German equipment guarded by Yugoslav Partisans. Despite constant protests looting by Bulgarian troops was widespread and wasn't limited to only war booty but anything of value even civilian property. Such behavior led General Staff of Serbia to request from Tito that Bulgarian army should be withdrawn. Growing conflict would only be solved by arrival of Chief of Staff or 3rd Ukrainian Front and KoÄa PopoviÄ‡ of GS Serbia.

Reference

Beogradska operacija

Beogradska operacija, uÄesnici govore

Earl F. Ziemke: Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East