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Operation OKTOBERFEST

Unternehmen Oktoberfest

Intro

German anti-partisan operation on Bilogora carried out by 69th Army Corps from 19?-30? October 1944.

History

From 13 to 16 October most Partisans formations carried out failed attack on Koprivnica which was chosen as target instead of Bjelovar ending series of victories during Podravina operation. Suffering heavy casualties Partisans units were withdrawn to rest and recover.

Operation

Not much info about goals of this operation can be found on this operation in Yugoslav literature, one of possible targets was 7th Banija Division which was ordered back to Banija.

7th Division was caught by 1st Cossack Division while crossing road and railroad Križevci - Bjelovar, 1st Battalion of 3rd Division which was securing crossing in direction of Bjelovar was first attacked on 17 October around 14:00. 3rd Battalion served as vanguard while 2nd and 4th as rear guard for 7th Division support units and parts of 10th Corps, entire 4th Brigade was guarding towards Križevci near Sv. Ivan Žabno village. Both 3rd and 4th Battalions were sent to reinforce hard pressed 1st Battalion. 3rd Battalion launched flanking attack against Cossack securing the heights around the road and opening it to Partisans. Soon attack on Žabno also began while Partisan 1st and 3rd battalions on the heights north of the road come under new attack supported artillery and several Ju-87 Stuka aircraft which pushed back 3rd and threatened 1st Battalion. Arrival of 4th Battalion allowed Partisans to recover lost ground and secure crossing during the night. In effort to cross the road as soon as possible column lead by Political Commissar of 3rd Brigade Milan Knežević, and Commander of 2nd Battalion Ljuban Trbojević did it at unsecured part and ran into ambush in which Trbojević was killed while Commissar got his horse shot under him.

Instead of 7th Division main attack seems to have ran into 33rd Croatian Division which was moving in to take over positions held by 7th. Attack by 3-4 battalions of Ustasha and Gendarmerie was thrown back but on 20 October division withdrew east to avoid attack from three sides. 1st Moslavina Brigade took positions in Poljačane and Gornje Sredice, 2nd in Kapela and 3rd in Kloštar. 3rd Brigade was attacked as soon as it took new positions by Gendarmerie and Cossack but managed to hold them.

1st Moslavina Brigade attempted attack on the enemy in Gornji Križ in late evening of 21 October but strong resistance forced attack to be stopped. During 22 October no action took place but in the morning of 23 attack was launched on all Partisans brigades which managed to hold their defensive line. With reinforcements from Bjelovar fresh attack on Kapela was launched on 24 October, attempt to bypass left flank 33rd Division but this failed once Partisans were found in N. Diklenica and Čurkovac. Flanking maneuver of 1st Moslavina Brigade towards Gornji Križ which Ustasha abandoned and towards Starčevljani was slow and allowed enemy to withdrew chased by 3rd Brigade.

On 25 October, 1st Moslavina Brigade was ordered to move to Moslavina by 10th Corps, so 2nd Brigade moved to villages Gornje Zdjelice and Babotok while 3rd Brigade to Novigrad and Plavšinac. Abandoned Kapela was shelled by artillery before Ustasha entered it remaing their until evening before withdrawing toward Bjelovar and Podgorci. Next day 2nd Brigade redeployed to Topolovac and 3rd to Široko Selo, G. Križ and Hudovljane. No further attack were launched against 33rd Division which noticed column of 70 trucks moving to Križevci on 30 October but failed to move in time to ambush it.

It is possible that part of the operation was also carried out in area of Križevci.

Order of battle

  • Axis
    • 1st Cossack Cavalry Division
    • Poglavnik Bodyguard Division
    • Gendarmerie
    • ?
  • Yugoslav Partisans
    • 7th Banija Division
      • 3rd Brigade
      • 4th Brigade
    • 33rd Croatian Division
    • ?

Casualties

Partisans report only for combat on 24 October:

  • Axis
    • 61 killed
    • 48 wounded
    • 6 captured
  • Yugoslav Partisans
    • 5 killed
    • 53 wounded

Loot captured by Partisans:

  • 1 x MG-34
  • 26 spare barrels for machine-gun
  • 23 rifles
  • 15600 rounds of ammo
  • 64 blankets
  • 30 tents
  • 61 back packs

Aftermath

.

Reference

  • Sedma banijska udarna divizija, Belgrade 1967, pages 664-665
  • Zdravko Krnić: 33. divizija NOV Jugoslavije, Zagreb 1981, pages 223-228