Operation WALDLAUF (1944)

Operation WALDLAUF

Unternehmen/Hasenjagd Waldlauf / Operation Forest Run

Intro

After departure of 114th JÃ¤ger Division to Italy and with most troops already engaged in guarding communications and Adriatic cost in combination with bad weather, 15th Mountain Corps lacked strength launch planed operation MORGENSTERN against territory in Lika held by Yugoslav Partisans 11th Corps. With weather improving in late March, sufficient forces were gathered for offensive operations to begun reducing Partisan territory, decision was further speed up by constant Partisans attacks on German positions around OtoÄac.

History

Planed to begun on 1 April, 392nd Infantry Division was given task of taking control of Gacka river valley defended by Partisans 35th Lika Division which would secure communication Ogulin-Brinje-Senj from the east and create link with garrison in GospiÄ‡. This would be followed by operations to take Plitvice Lakes and Krbava valley in order to link up 373rd and 392nd divisions.

Although noticing increased German traffic on roads these were considered as regular supply convoys by Staff of 35th Division which order attack for the night of 30/31 March on village of Prozor, most exposed southern German position near OtoÄac which itself was partially blocked by Partisans. Even information received by 3rd Brigade of 13th Division from Staro Selo of upcoming German attack was ignored by both 35th Division and 11th Corps resulting in Partisans forces caught in offensive instead of defensive deployment.

Attack on Prozor come as surprise to Germans which even considered it as preemptive attack against their own operation. 4th Battery of the 392nd Artillery Regiment which just arrived in Prozor come under heavy Partisan attack but was relived when German advance begun from OtoÄac at 2 a.m. forcing Partisans to break off their attack by 5 a.m. and retreat to starting positions.

With German advance, Staff of 35th Division lost contact with its 1st and 2nd Brigades.

...

By evening 31 March, because of chaotic situation, staff of 35th Division ordered withdrawals of most of rear area towards Korenica nad Plitvice Lakes.

In order help hard pressed 35th Division, 13th Division begun attacks along Ogulin-Brinje-Senj road forcing 392nd Division to detached part of its units to protect this communication. This action would also delay operations against Plitivce and Krbava field forcing 392nd Division to carry out operation KEULENSCHLAG.
Orders of Battle

Axis ORBAT

from OtoÄac attacking Gacko filed and Dabar pushing Partisans towards Plitvice Lakes

19th Ustasha Battalion, captain MesiÄ‡

392nd Reconnaissance Battalion

20th Ustasha Battalion - advancing from Stajnica supported by parts of 847th Grenadier and 392nd Artillery Regiment

from PeruÅ¡iÄ‡ towards Turjanski, major Beherer/392nd Division

32nd Ustasha Battlion

34th Ustasha Battalion

NOVJ ORBAT

13th Division

35th Lika Division

Casualties

.

Axis

19th Ustasha Battalion

392nd Reconnaissance Battalion

20th Ustasha Battalion -

32nd Ustasha Battlion

34th Ustasha Battalion

Yugoslav Partisans

13th Division

35th Lika Division

51 killed

142 wounded

100+ missing

2 anti-tank guns 37mm

3 small mortars

1 machine gun

14 light machine gun

113 rifles

ammunition in Corps warehouse, 470 mortar shells and 9900 rounds)

Aftermath

Operation succeeded in its goals far beyond what Germans expected but lack of forces prevented them to immediately exploit newly created situation giving Partisans time to regroup and from new defensive line reinforced by General Staff of Croatia and 8th Kordun Division. 392nd Division become overstretched and was forced to abandon parts of conquered terrain to Partisans. Several smaller operation followed in order to capture Vrhovine and Plitvice Lakes.

Reference

Petar Kleut: Jedanaesti korpus NOVJ, pages 79-93, 131

Franz Schraml: Hrvatsko ratiÅ¡te : njemaÄko-hrvatske legijske divizije -369., 373., 392. pjeÅ¡. div. (hrv.), BrkiÄ‡ i sin, ZapreÅ¡iÄ‡, 1993, page 216

Antun Giron: Zapadna Hrvatska u Drugom svjetskom ratu, AdamiÄ‡, Rijeka, 2004, page 289-290