Operation RABAUKE (1944)

Operation RABAUKE

Unternehmen Rabauke / Operation Hooligan

Intro

German raid carried out by 15th Mountain Corps from 10 to 12 July 1944 on Ugljan and IÅ¾ islands with goal of cutting Partisan supply lines.

History

Germans carried out numerous operation with purpose of cutting numerous supply lines which delivered material from Vis island (arriving there from Italy) to Partisan formations inland.

Operation

During night of 10/11 July units of 891st Regiment load two landing barges escorted by harbor protection boat from Zadar landed on IÅ¾ island in order to destroy fishing boats used to move supplies for Partisans. Simultaneously units from Preko garrison on Ugljan island made a sweep of harbors on the islands and destroyed fishing boats found.

Partisan 3rd POS quickly reacted to the news of German action requesting from British intelligence personnel on Dugi otok to call in air attack on landing barges at Veli IÅ¾ harbor. During afternoon British fighter bombers destroyed at lest one landing barge. Fearing night attack in the channel if they attempted to return to Zadar, Germans left IÅ¾ and hid in coves on the southern coast of Ugljan. This movement passed undetected by 3rd POS which sent two patrol boats and naval infantry platoon to IÅ¾ failing to find the enemy.

Raid was completed with destruction of 114 boats (42 on IÅ¾) of various size.

Order of battle

Axis

Yugoslav Partisans

3rd POS (Coastal Sector)

Casualties

Axis

killed

wounded

1 landing barge?

Yugoslav Partisans

killed

wounded

114 boats

Aftermath

.

Reference

Janez TomÅ¡iÄ: Narodnoosvobodilni boj na Jadranu in slovenski pomorÅ¡Äaki, Ljubljana 1974, page 394