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Operation WILDFANG

Unternehmen Wildfang / Operation Wild Child

Intro

German anti-partisans operation around Daruvar and Moslavina carried out by 69th Army Corps from 10?-19? August 1944.

History

At the beginning of August, Yugoslav Partisan General Staff of Croatia ordered its 7th Banija Division to move with its 3rd and 4th brigade into Moslavina region to assist 10th Corps while 33rd Division was ordered to link with 6th Slavonian Corps for operation in area of Bilogora - Ilova - Moslavina. Partisans 6th Corps moved against Daruvar and surrounding garrisons with Badljevina which was securing Daruvar-Pakrac road and disrupting links between 6th and 10th Corps captured on 2 August by Osijek brigade. Daruvar come under blockade and had to be supplied by air also several infantry and artillery diversionary attacks were launched probably by 28th Division to keep garrison pined down.

Axis troops stationed in garrisons Koprivnica - Križevci - Bjelovar - Daruvar received order to carry out operation in western parts of Papuk mountain. They would encounter several Partisan units.

Operation

Lacking strength for classic envelopment and sweep German 69th Army Corps seems to have limited operation to simply pushing Partisans back into to the mountains.

Battle Group Nališ was formed in Virje on 8 August and moved over Šamovac, Hampovica and Rakitnica to Bjelovar were it linked with 1st Don Regiment on 10 August. Both formations left Bjelovar on 11 August at 13:00 and arrived to V. Pisanica and V. Grđevac and on 12 August to Grubišno Polje. On the following day they arrived to Daruvar were they joined 1st Mountain Regiment.

On 9 August garrison in Končanica (65 strong 6th Company of 4th Mountain Regiment plus 5 Germans), commanded by lt Šimunić, surrendered without combat to Czechoslovak Brigade, already on 10 August brigade come under heavy attack from Daruvar and Zdenci.

On the line Grahovljani — Dragović from 10 to 11 August Osijek brigade fought parts of 1st Cossack Division suffering 6 killed and 37 wounded vs. 2 Cossack killed and 22 wounded.

After two days of combat on Papuk, HQ of 1st Cossack Division on 16 August ordered group Nališ to return to Severin taking route Velikih Zdenaca - V. Jasenovača - M. Grđevac - V. Pisanica - Bedenik. Cossack column took route Veliki Zdenci - Pavlovac - Veliki Grđevac - Mala Pisanica - Drljanovac - Nova Rača - Severin. Groups run into 32nd Division inflicting casualties on Matija Gubec brigade.

On 16 August on the road 10 km SE of Daruvara in personal car Partisans captured captain Božića, commander of 2nd Battalion from 4th Mountain Regiment with his family and one Representative of ZEMPRA.

Partisan 6th Corps seems to have followed withdrawing Axis columns which moved into Moslavina and on 18 August launched attack on Grubišno Polje forcing nearby garrisons in Veliki Zdenci and Končanica, 1st Battalion of 4th Mountain Regiment and 11th Ustasha battalion commanded by colonel Marković to intervene without success. After fall of Grubišno Polje, garrison in Veliki Zdenci withdrew to Hercegovac before Partisans could attack it. During night of 19/20 August, 40th Slavonian division launched failed attack on Hercegovac.

Operation seems to have been officially ended on 19 or 20 August with troops pulled back to Daruvar to reinforce the garrision, on 21 August one damaged Do-17 made belly landing near Daruvar, it engine got hit probably while it was making supply drops to isolated garrisons.

On 22 August Axis attack come in direction of Grubišno Polje against 12th Division surprising Partisans resulting in death of 12th Brigade commander Ivan Senjug-Ujak and pushed Czechoslovak brigade out of Poljane.

On 20 August, 7th Division ran into Kuban Regiment advancing from ÄŒazma towards OÅ¡tri Zid.

Order of battle

  • Axis
    • 1st Cossack Cavalry Division
      • 1st Don Regiment
      • 3rd Kuban Regiment
    • Battle Group NaliÅ¡
      • 1st Battalion of 1st Poglavnik Bodyguard Regiment
      • Battalion of 5th Ustasha Active Service Brigade
      • Battery from Poglavnik Bodyguard Brigade
    • 1st Mountain Regiment from 4th Mountain Brigade
    • ?
  • Yugoslav Partisans
    • 7th Banija Division
      • 3rd Brigade
      • 4th Brigade
    • 6th Slavonian Corps - 8512 fighter (539 women) on 1 August
    • 33rd Croatian Division
    • Moslavina Partisan detachment

Casualties

  • Axis
  • Yugoslav Partisans

Aftermath

Little concrete info can be found on the operation, Yugoslav historiography gives only fragments, German plans seems to have been concentrated into aiding Daruvar garrison and expansion of garrison network. This seems to have done little since Partisans moved in as Axis main force withdrew to starting garrisons and captured several small garrisons.

Daruvar was abandoned on 16 September 1944.

Reference

  • Sedma banijska udarna divizija, Belgrade 1967, pages 663
  • Zdravko Krnić: 33. divizija NOV Jugoslavije, Zagreb 1981, pages
  • Josip Hanzl, Josip MatuÅ¡ek, Adolf Orct: Borbeni put 1. čehoslovačke brigade "Jan ŽiÅ¡ka Z Trocnova", Daruvar, 1968, pages 195-216