13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)

13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS „Handschar“ (kroatische Nr. 1) 13. oružana brdska divizija SS-a Handžar, također i hrvatska br. 1
Unit insignia of 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar
Active	1943 - 1944
Country	Nazi Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany Independent State of Croatia
Branch	Waffen-SS
Type	Mountain Infantry
Role	Anti-Partisan operations
Size	Division
Nickname	Handschar
Motto	Handžaru udaraj! (Handschar - Strike!)
Engagements	Operation Wegweiser Operation Sava Operation Osterei Operation Maibaum Battle for Stolice Battle at Lopare

The 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) was a Waffen-SS mountain infantry formation used to conduct operations against Yugoslav Partisans in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) from February to December 1944. Named Handschar, after a local fighting knife, it was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded by the Waffen SS during World War II.

There is differing information about its exact composition, but the majority of the division was composed of Bosnian Muslims and some Catholic Croat soldiers and mostly German and Yugoslav Volksdeutsche officers. The division took an oath of allegiance to both Adolf Hitler and the leader of the NDH, Ante Pavelić.

The division operated within the NDH in both north-eastern Bosnia and the Syrmia region.

History

After the fall of Sarajevo on 16 April 1941 to Nazi Germany, the extreme Croat nationalist and fascist Ante Pavelić, who had been in exile in Benito Mussolini's Italy, was appointed Poglavnik or leader of a new Ustaše state - the Independent State of Croatia (Croatian: Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH). The Yugoslav provinces of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and parts of Serbia were reconstituted as an 'Italian-German quasi-protectorate'. The NDH authorities, led by the Ustaše, almost immediately launched a vicious campaign of violence directed at the Serb population.

The Mestrovic Pavilion was an art museum that was converted into a mosque by the addition of minarets.

Pavelić ordered a property in Zagreb be converted into a mosque that he named the 'Poglavnik's Mosque' in an effort to secure the loyalty of the Bosnian Muslims. Despite Pavelić's assurances of equality with the Croats, it wasn't long before many Muslims became dissatisfied with Croatian rule. An Islamic leader reported that not one Muslim occupied an influential post in the (local) administration. Fierce fighting broke out between the Ustaše, Chetniks and Partisans in the territory of the NDH. A number of Ustaše units believed that the Muslims were communist sympathizers and burned their villages and murdered civilians. The Chetniks accused the Muslims taking part in the Ustaše violence against Serbs and perpetrated similar atrocities against the Muslim population. The Muslim population received little protection from the Croatian Home Guard, who the Germans described as 'of minimal combat value'. Some local militias were raised, but these were of limited value, and only one, the Tuzla-based Home Guard 'Hadžiefendić Legion' led by Muhamed Hadžiefendić was of any significance.

Bosnian Muslim elite and notables issued resolutions or memorandums in various cities that publicly denounced Croat-Nazi collaborationist measures, laws and violence against Serbs: Prijedor (23 September 1941), Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims (12 October), Mostar (21 October), Banja Luka (12 November), Bijeljina (2 December) and Tuzla (11 December). The resolutions condemned the Ustaše in Bosnia and Herzegovina, both for their mistreatment of Muslims and for their attempts to turn Muslims and Serbs against one another. One memorandum declared that since the beginning of the Ustaše regime, the Muslims dreaded the lawless activities that some Ustaše, some Croatian government authorities, and various illegal groups perpetrated against the Serbs.

This dissatisfaction with Ustaše rule and need for protection of the Bosnian Muslim population was combined with nostalgia for the period of Habsburg rule in Bosnia and a generally friendly attitude towards Germany among some prominent Bosnian Muslims. These factors led to a movement towards autonomy for the Bosnian Muslim community which was strongly opposed by Pavelić as counter to the integrity of the NDH. By November 1942, the Muslim autonomists led by Uzeiraga Hadžihasanović were desperate to protect their people, and wrote to Adolf Hitler asking that he annex Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Reich.

On 6 December 1942, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler and key Waffen SS recruiting officer SS Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger approached Hitler with the proposal to raise a Bosnian Muslim SS division. Both the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS were concerned about the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the NDH that tied down German military personnel that could be better employed elsewhere. A German source noted that by 1943 over 100,000 Bosnian Muslims had been killed and 250,000 became refugees. In addition, starvation threatened the region due to a serious food shortage. "The Muslims" remarked SS Obergruppenführer and General of Waffen-SS Artur Phleps, "bear the special status of being persecuted by all others".

Himmler was personally fascinated by the Islamic faith, and believed that Islam created fearless soldiers. He thought that Muslim men would make perfect SS soldiers as Islam "promises them Heaven if they fight and are killed in action." As for their ethnic background and SS requirements, it appears that Himmler accepted the theories advanced by both Croatian and German nationalists that the Croatian people, including the Muslims were not ethnic Slavs but pure Aryans of either Gothic or Iranian descent.

Himmler was also inspired by the noted successes of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry in World War I. George Lepre wrote, "Himmler endeavored to restore what he called "an old Austrian" tradition by reviving the Bosnian regiments of the former Austro-Hungarian army in the form of a Bosnian Muslim SS Division. Once raised, this division was to engage and destroy Tito's Partisan forces operating in north-eastern Bosnia, thus restoring local 'order'. Himmler's primary concern in the region was not the security of the local Muslim population, but the welfare of ethnic German settlers to the north in Syrmia. "Srem (Syrmia) is the breadbasket of Croatia, and hopefully it and our beloved German settlements will be secured. I hope that the area south of Srem will be liberated by [...] the Bosnian division [...] so that we can at least restore partial order in this ridiculous (Croatian) state."'"

Hitler formally approved the project in mid-February 1943, and Himmler put then SS Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant of Waffen-SS Artur Phleps, commander of the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen, in charge of raising the first SS division composed of non-Germanic people.

Recruitment

Soldiers of the Handschar with a brochure about "Islam and Judaism", 1943

Phleps travelled to Zagreb to begin formal negotiations with the NDH government on 18 February 1943, and met with German foreign ministry envoy Siegfried Kasche and NDH Foreign Minister Dr. Mladen Lorković representing Pavelić. Even though Pavelić had already agreed to the raising of the division, it was clear from the start that the Waffen SS and NDH governments had very different ideas of how the division would be recruited and controlled. Lorković suggested that the division be named "SS Ustasa Division", not an SS Division but a Croatian unit raised with SS assistance, and that its regiments be given regional names such as Bosna, Krajina, Una etc. Pavelić, with the support of Kasche, objected to the recruitment of an exclusively Muslim division due to concerns about a Muslim bid for independence, as Muslim areas were considered an integral part of the NDH. As a compromise, the word "Croatian" was included in its official title, and some Croatian Catholic officers were included in the division. Despite the fact that Himmler and Phleps prevailed and largely recruited the division as they saw fit, the NDH government was very unhappy with the outcome, particularly regarding the ethnic composition of the division.

SS Standartenführer Karl von Krempler, a specialist in Islam, was charged by Himmler and Phleps with organising the recruitment of Muslims from Bosnia into the Waffen-SS.

"On 3 March [1942], Phleps met with fellow SS officer Karl von Krempler, who, together with NDH government official Dr. Alija Šuljak, was to conduct the recruiting effort. The campaign began on the twentieth, when the multi-lingual von Krempler and Dr. Šuljak, accompanied by several other dignitaries began an eighteen-day recruiting tour through eleven Bosnian districts." In the meantime the Germans began raising the divisional headquarters staff in Berlin, including SS Standartenführer of the Reserve Herbert von Oberwurzer who was transferred from the SS Mountain Division Nord to command the division.

Dr. Šuljak and von Krempler soon fell out over the aims and purposes of the proposed division. Šuljak, an entirely political appointee, criticized von Krempler's Serbian dialect and his use of traditional Islamic colours and emblems (green flags and crescent moons) rather than the new Ustaše symbols during recruitment. When he reached Tuzla in central Bosnia, von Krempler met the Muslim militia leader Major Muhamed Hadžiefendić, who was then officially serving in an under-equipped NDH army unit. On 28 March, Hadžiefendić escorted von Krempler to Sarajevo, where he introduced him to the leader of the Islamic clergy in all Bosnia, the Reis-ul-Ulema, Hafiz Muhamed Pandža, and other leading Muslim politicians not involved with the Ustaše. The NDH government and Kasche were furious, demanding von Krempler be removed immediately. However the SS ignored this and von Krempler continued to sign men up, including both Muslim and Catholic deserters from the NDH armed forces.

In April 1943, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, was invited by key Waffen SS recruiter SS Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger to assist in the organizing and recruiting Muslims into the Waffen SS and other units in Yugoslavia. He was escorted by von Krempler, who also spoke fluent Turkish. The Mufti successfully convinced the Muslims to ignore the declarations of the Sarajevo, Mostar, and Banja Luka Ulama (Islamic clerics), who in 1941 forbade them from collaborating with the Ustaše.

Grand Mufti Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, alongside SS Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of Waffen SS Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig, greeting Bosnian SS volunteers together with Nazi officers in November 1943.

The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust states that "The Germans made a point of publicizing the fact that Husseini had flown from Berlin to Sarajevo for the sole purpose of giving his blessing to the Muslim army and inspecting its arms and training exercises". According to Aleksa Djilas in The Nation That Wasn't, al-Husayni: "accepted, visited Bosnia, and convinced some important Muslim leaders that a Muslim SS division would be in the interest of Islam."

The Mufti insisted that, "The most important task of this division must be to protect the homeland and families (of the Bosnian volunteers); the division must not be permitted to leave Bosnia", but this request was ignored by the Germans.

Despite the support of al-Husayni, recruitment for the division fell well short of the numbers needed, and to the dismay of Himmler, 2,800 Croat Catholics were inducted into the division.

Hussein Biscevic (Husejin Biščević or Biščević-beg; born 28 July 1884) was the highest ranking (and perhaps the oldest) Bosnian military officer to volunteer. Biscevic had served in the Austro–Hungarian Army and he was appointed SS Obersturmbannführer assigning him to Flak Abteilung 13 in August 1943. However, he was determined to be unsuitable and replaced with a German just prior to the division first going into combat.

Composition

Sources differ regarding the initial composition of the division. Pavlowitch states that sixty percent of its recruits were composed of Muslims and the rest were Yugoslav Volksdeutsche who made up the majority of its officers and NCOs, but Tomasevich states that it was formed with 23,200 Muslims and 2,800 Croats, with mostly German officers. It was the largest of the Muslim SS Divisions with 26,000 men. The number of Christians was higher than directed by Himmler, who had allowed a 10% Christian component only after the recruitment of sufficient Muslims proved difficult. The division had a Muslim Imam for each battalion other than the all-German signal battalion. For about six months the division included about 1,000 Muslim Albanians. In 1943 a number of Albanians from Kosovo and the Sandžak region were recruited and formed into Battalion I/2 (later I/28). This was perhaps the best trained and equipped Nazi Albanian military formation during the war. On 17 April 1944, the battalion was transferred from Bosnia to Kosovo following the creation of 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian). The head of Waffen SS recruitment, SS Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger reported to Himmler that the Albanians "... were quite sad about leaving."

Training

Sent to France, they were in training until November 1943, when they were sent to the old Prussian military camp at Neuhammer, Silesia. The unit returned to Bosnia in February 1944.

Villefranche-de-Rouergue Mutiny (September 1943)

Tomb of the "Yugoslavian combatants" in Villefranche.

On the night of 16/17 September 1943, whilst the Handschar was training in Villefranche-de-Rouergue in France, a group of pro-Partisan soldiers led by Muslim and Catholic junior officers staged a mutiny within the Pioneer battalion. Led by Ferid Džanić, Eduard Matutinović, Božo Jelinek and Nikola Vukelić, they captured most of the German personnel and executed five German officers, failing to kill Obersturmbannfuhrer Michawetz, the pioneer battalion commander, who escaped. Apparently the mutineers believed that many of the enlisted men would join them and they could reach the western Allies. The revolt was put down with the assistance of the unit Imam, Halim Malkoć and Dr. Schweiger (unit physician). Imam Halim Malkoc told the Bosnian enlisted men of 1st Company that they were being deceived and rallied them to hunting down the instigators. Sources vary on the number of mutineers executed after the revolt was put down. Tomasevich states that 78 of the worst offenders were executed. The Nazis were convinced that there were communists who had infiltrated the unit in order to disrupt it.^{[citation needed]} Tito once suggested that his partisan followers enlist for police duty in Croatia where they could receive weapons, uniforms and superior training. Afterward there was a purge of members of the unit who were deemed "unsuitable for service" or "politically unsuitable". More than 800 were removed from the unit and sent to Nazi Germany for "labor service". It is likely that the bulk of these "unwilling" were Catholic Croats, because by the time the Division came back to Bosnia, only 300 Croats remained in the Division. Sauberzweig reorganized those 300 and sent them all to the Feldgendarmerie Trupp. Sauberzweig blamed the desertions on the Croats and units with Catholic Croat leadership and made it clear not to recruit any more or commission Croats. Of those, 265 who refused to work were sent to Neuengamme concentration camp where many of them died.

Himmler later on said of the mutiny: "I knew there was a chance that a few traitors might be smuggled into the division, but I haven’t the slightest doubt concerning the loyalty of the Bosnians. These troops were loyal to their supreme commander twenty years ago so why shouldn’t they be so today." Himmler was referring to the Bosnian Muslim troops who had served in the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg army. Himmler awarded the Imam Halim Malkoč an Iron Cross, Second Class, for his role in thwarting the mutiny. Bosnian Muslims Ejub Jašarević and Adem Okanadžić were also decorated by Himmler.

When the city was liberated in 1944, they decided to pay tribute to the troops by naming one of its streets Avenue des Croates (Slavic Muslims being identified as Croats of Islamic faith) and commemorating "the revolt of the Croats" every 17 September. After the war the Yugoslav government requested it be changed "the revolt of the Yugoslavs", it was refused by the French for "historical truth". The Villefranche-de-Rouergue mutiny is commemorated in the city with a monument designed by the Croatian sculptor Vanja Radauš.

Commanders

• SS-Obergruppenführer Artur Phleps (in charge of raising the division, from 10 February 1943)
• SS-Oberführer Herbert Von Obwurzer (1 April 1943 – 9 August 1943)
• SS-Gruppenführer Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig (9 August 1943 – 1 June 1944)
• SS-Brigadeführer Desiderius Hampel (1 June 1944 May-8 May 1945)

Order of battle

• SS-Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment 27
• SS-Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment 28
• SS-Waffen Artillerie Regiment 13
• SS-Panzerjäger Battalion 13
• SS-Reconnaissance Battalion(mot) 13
• Waffen-Gebirgs Pioneer Battalion 13
• Waffen-Gebirgs Signals Battalion 13
• Waffen-Flak Battalion 13
• SS-Nachrichten-Battalion 13
• Kroatische SS-Radfahr-Battalion
• Kroatische SS-Motorcycle Battalion
• SS-Divisionsnachschubtruppen 13
• Versorgungs-Regiment Stab 13
• SS-Verwaltungs-Battalion 13
• SS-Medical Battalion 13
• SS-Krankenkraftwagenzug
• SS-Volunteer Gebirgs Veterinary Company 13
• SS-Feldpostamt 13
• SS-War Reported platoon 13
• SS-Feldgendarmerie-Troop 13
• SS-Reserve Battalion 13
• SS-Training Battalion 13^{[citation needed]}

Anti-Partisan operations

The division was trained and armed as a German mountain division. It conducted operations against the Partisans from March 1944 onwards.

The division participated in the largest anti Partisan sweep of World War II: Operation Maibaum. The 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen was also involved in this operation. The division also participated in Wegweiser, Sava, Osterei, Maibaum, Maiglöckchen, Vollmond, Fliegenfänger, Heidrose and Hackfleisch operations from March to September 1944.

Operation Wegweiser

The division first saw action during Operation Wegweiser (Signpost) from 9 to 12 March 1944. The target of Operation Wegweiser was a part of the Syrmia region, held by Partisans who were constant threat to Zagreb-Belgrade railway in particular forests around Bosut and villages around the Sava river. The Partisans avoided decisive engagement with the division and withdrew to the south-east. Sauberzweig claimed the Partisans suffered 573 killed and 82 captured. The operation was a success in clearing the Bosut forests, but the Partisans returned to the area soon after the operation concluded.

Operation Save

Begun on 15 March 1944 after the completion of Operation Wegweiser, the objective of Operation Save (Sava) was the clearing of Partisans from the Semberija region, in northeastern Bosnia, across the Sava River. Before the crossing, Sauberzweig wrote an open letter to the division: "We have now reached the Bosnian frontier and will (soon) begin the march into the homeland. [...] The Führer has provided you with his best weapons. Not only do you (have these) in your hands, but above all you have an idea in your hearts - to liberate the homeland. [...] Before long, each of you shall be standing in the place that you call home, as a soldier and a gentleman; standing firm as a defender of the idea of saving the culture of Europe - the idea of Adolf Hitler."

Sauberzweig also ordered that as the units of the division crossed the Sava River, each commander was to read a prepared message, which emphasized that the "liberation of Bosnia" and ultimately the liberation of "Muslim Albania" was their goal, appealing directly to the Albanian troops in the division. The 27th Regiment of the division crossed the river at dawn at Bosanska Rača with the rest of the division crossing at Brĉko covered by an intense artillery bombardment. Contact was immediately made with Partisan forces, who quickly withdrew into the forests. The service support units remained in Vinkovci, high became their permanent garrison area. 27th Regiment advanced easily across the Pannonian Plain through Velino Selo to Brodac and then on to Bijeljina which was taken against light Partisan resistance late on 16 March.

The 27th Regiment then consolidated its position in Bijeljina whilst the 28th Regiment and 13th SS Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion bore the brunt of the fighting as it advanced through Pukis, Celic and Koraj at the Majevica mountains. Sauberzweig later recorded that the 2nd battalion of the 28th Regiment "at Celic stormed the Partisan defenses with (new) battalion commander Hans Hanke at the point" and that the enemy forces withdrew after a hard battle and running low on ammunition with heavy losses.

Once the area was secured, defensive positions were established along the Celic-Lopare road and units sent out company strength reconnaissance. On the night of 17-18 March, elements of the Partisan 16th and 36th Vojvodina Divisions mounted unsuccessful attacks against the 28th Regiment's positions at Koraj and Zabrde, losing over 200 dead.

Operation Osterei

After Operation Save, the division remained relatively static for more than three weeks, conducting mopping up operations and beating off local Partisan attacks. The Muslim men of the division were impatient to push further into Bosnia. However, the divisional reconnaissance battalion was heavily engaged on the western flank of the divisional area, attacking positions held by the Partisn 3rd Vojvodina Brigade at Gornji Rahić on 26 March, killing 124 Partisans and capturing fourteen. The battalion went on to capture several more Partisan positions in the next week.

Operation Osterei (Easter Egg) began on 12 April 1944 with the goal of clearing the Majevica mountain, which was held by elements of the 3rd Partisan Corps led by General Vladimir Popović. The 27th Regiment of the division quickly captured Janja and drove through Donja Trnova to reach an important economic objective for the German war machine, the Ugljevik coal mines. Following fighting which continued into the evening of 13 April, the 27th Regiment reported Partisan casualties of 106 dead, 45 captured and 2 deserters along with large amounts of weapons and ammunition. The regiment also seized a huge amount of medical supplies from aid stations in the area of Donja Trnova.

The 28th Regiment of the division drove south through Mačkovac and during fighting around Priboj its 1st battalion, made up of Albanians, incurred heavy casualties. The Partisan Third Corps then withdrew the 16th and 36th (Vojvodina) divisions south across the Tuzla-Zvornik road. The divisional reconnaissance battalion continued the advance, driving into the western Majevicas and capturing Srebrnik and Gradačac then establishing contact with the NDH Home Guard 1st Mountain Brigade. The Germans considered Operation Osterei a major success, with all objectives achieved with minimal losses.

Operation Rübezahl 3-26 August 1944

The objectives of Operation Rübezahl were to stop the Partisan main force from moving into southwest Serbia from Montenegro and prevent the Partisan 3rd and 12th Corps from entering Serbia from eastern Bosnia to link up with them. Total Partisan forces numbered about 20,000. Axis forces under the command of V SS Mountain Corps included the 1st Mountain Division, 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen and elements of the Handschar division and 181st Infantry Division, as well as Croatian Home Guard and Ustaše troops, two regiments of Pavle Djurisic's Montenegrin Volunteer Corps, two brigades of Chetnik auxiliaries, and a Bulgarian regiment. Total Axis forces numbered about 45,000. From 12 August 1944, elements of the Handschar division were engaged around the area of Sekovici and in heavy fighting throughout August pushed the Partisans southwest into the mountains, then south to Foča, suffering heavy losses. As a result, the Partisans could not cross the Drina into Serbia until early September, and sixty kilometres further south than they planned. The Axis forces estimated Partisan losses at over 2,000 dead, with a further 3,300 dead or wounded.

Operation Maibaum

The ambitious goal of Operation Maibaum (Maypole) was to destroy the Partisan Third Bosnian Corps. Army Group F ordered V SS Mountain Corps to form a blockade along the line of the Drina to prevent the Partisan force from crossing into Serbia. Operation Maibaum was one of the largest counter-insurgency operations of the Second World War, and included SS Prinz Eugen and NDH forces. Under the command of Obergruppenfuhrer and General of Waffen SS Artur Phleps, commander of V SS Mountain Corps, the primary tasks of the division were to capture Tuzla and Zvornik then drive south parallel with the Drina to meet the other elements of V SS Mountain Corps. The original plan included the insertion of 500th SS Parachute Battalion into the Vlasenica area, but this was cancelled due to unsuitable weather.

On 27 April the SS Division went into Kladanj and next day took Vlasenica. The 28 April would see the most bitter fighting between 13th SS and the partisans in the village of Sekovici. The battle lasted 24 hours ending with huge human losses on the partisan side, as well as many captured enemy weapons and ammunitions.

Operation Maiglöckchen

On 17-18 May 1944, the division, along with the local Majevica-Tuzla Chetnik unit commanded by Radivoj Kerovic, commenced Operation Maiglöckchen (May Bell) to destroy several Partisan brigades in the Majevicas. The Partisans were encircled in the Stolice heights. An attempt to relieve the surrounded force was unsuccessful, but the Partisan force was able to escape south out of the pocket under cover of darkness on the night of 18 May. The Partisans suffered considerable casualties, the 17th Majevica brigade alone losing 16 killed and 60 missing.

Operation Vollmond

Operation Vollmond was launched on 7 June 1944 on the basis of decrypted intercepts of Partisan radio traffic. Its aim was to prevent Partisan forces from advancing north to Majevica mountain, Posavina and Semberija, thus returning to the areas the 3rd Partisan Corps had occupied prior to Operations Sava and Osterei. However, the German plan expected the Partisans would bypass Lopare and Priboja, but instead the Partisan 16th (Vojvodina) Division attacked the 1st battalion of the 28th Regiment which was protecting some of the divisional artillery located around Priboja. The 1st battalion had apparently received a large number of new recruits who had received minimal training. The battalion was scattered after bitter fighting and the Partisans captured a number of artillery pieces and supplies. A counterattack by the 2nd battalion of the 28th Regiment caused the withdrawal of the 16th (Vojvodina) Division. After the operation, the divisional commander boasted that 3000 Partisans had been killed, however, German reports indicated about half this number, and the 16th (Vojvodina) Division reported that it suffered casualties of 57 dead, 174 wounded and 26 missing. German reports showed that the division lost 205 dead, 528 wounded and 89 missing during the operation.

Operation Fliegenfänger

Launched on 14 July 1944, the objective of Operation Fliegenfänger (Flypaper) was to destroy a Partisan makeshift runway in the Osmaci area near Šekovići about 26 km southeast of Tuzla, and destroy the Partisan forces guarding it. The airstrip was being used by Allied aircraft to bring in supplies and evacuate wounded Partisans to Italy. The airfield was defended by the 19th (Birac) Partisan Brigade of the 27th (Eastern Bosnia) Division. Two battalions of the 27th Regiment of SS Hanschar, along with a battalion of Chetniks captured and destroyed the airfield despite determined resistance. Forty two dead Partisans were counted at a cost of four dead and seven wounded. The Partisan force withdrew to the Vlasenica-Rajici area. The cooperation with the Chetnik battalion was described in the IX SS Mountain Corps war diary as 'effective'. Partisan forces, including the 36th (Vojvodina) Division, recaptured the airstrip and repaired it within a day.

Operation Heidrose

While Operation Fliegenfanger was underway, the Second Panzer Army sought to stop a large partisan force moving out of Bosnian into western Serbia. On 17 July 1944, the Handschar and Prinz Eugen divisions began their operation to destroy the communist stronghold northwest of Sekovici. By all accounts Heidrose was a huge German success. 947 of the enemy were killed. A large number of equipment was captured; 1 anti tank gun, 2 mortars, 22 machine guns, over 800 rifles, and nearly 500,000 rounds of small arms ammunition. Erich Braun, the officer that had taken over as commander for Regiment 27 was put up for a Knight's Cross.

Operation Hackfleisch

On 4 August 1944, the operation called for the partisans between the towns of Kladanj, Vlasenica, Sokolac and Olovo to be driven out. Hackfleisch was a German success, 227 dead communists were counted, over 50 prisoners were also taken. Partisan forces were once again detected near Sekovici. On the 9th of August, Regiment 27 drove them out of the area, inflicting 73 casualties.

Battle of Janja

At 05:00, 3 October 1944, 28th Slavonia Division assaulted a company sized base from Handschar at Janja. Soon Aufklarungs Abt. 13 and III/27 with a battery from AR 13 were rushing to relieve the pressure off the battered garrison. At the dawn of the following day, an additional four partisan brigades attacked the garrison in Janja. The attacks were eventually repulsed by the outnumbered force from Handschar. Jagdkommandos were sent after the fleeing enemy but were not able to inflict significant losses on them as they had already crossed the Drina.

First units are sent to fight the Red Army

It was at this time that first units from the division were sent to fight the Red Army under the command of other units. Two batteries from IV/AR13, the 1st Company of the Panzer Jager Abt. and five anti aircraft guns were sent to fight against the advancing Russians. They were returned to Handschar after hard fighting in late November. A 105mm battery from the Division also saw service with the Sturmbrigade von Rudno.

Uniform

The uniform worn by the division was regular SS M43 field-jacket issue, with a divisional collar patch showing an arm holding a scimitar, over a swastika. On the left arm was a Croatian armshield (red-white chessboard). There was controversy over the chessboard armshield, especially with the Imams, who, after crossing the Sava river, took them off. Former SS personnel who were serving in the division were entitled to wear a Sig Rune badge that was attached to the breast pocket of the tunic. No cuff title was issued to the members of the division due to the September 1943 mutiny.

Headgear was either the SS M43 fez which was permitted to be worn by all ranks, while German officers had the option to wear the mountain cap (Bergmütze). The fez was chosen for the Division by Heinrich Himmler due to it having been worn by the Bosnia-Herzegovinian infantry regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1894 to 1918, as well as by the Austro-Hungarian Albanian Legion from 1916-18. There were two versions of the fez made: a field gray model to be worn in combat and while on duty, and a red colored model that was worn during parades, marching exercises, and while off duty. Both the fez and mountain cap bore the death's head and eagle of the SS, the mountain cap was also adorned with an Edelweiss flower patch, worn on the left side of the cap.

Division Hymn

(Set to the melody of "Wir fahren gegen Engelland" by Herms Niel)

Sa Pjesmom u Boj	Into Battle With a Song
Pjesma jeci, sva se zemlja trese,	A song is in the air, the entire earth is shaking,
SS-vojska stupa roj u roj,	Columns of SS men march in step,
SS-vojska sveti barjak vije.	SS men wave the sacred banners.
SS-vojska sve za narod svoj.	SS men do everything for the people.
Daj mi ruku ti, draga Ivana,	Give me your hand, dear Ivana,
oj s Bogom sad, oj s Bogom sad, oj s Bogom sad	Follow God now, Follow God now, Follow God now
idem branit, idem branit, idem branit mili,	I shall defend, I shall defend, I shall defend my beloved
rodni kraj, rodni kraj.	Homeland, Homeland
U boj smjelo vi SS-junaci	SS men are heroes in battle
pokazite domovini put!	Show our homeland the way
Podjite putem slavnih pradjedova	Follow the road of our glorious grandfathers
dok ne padne tiran klet i ljut.	Until tyranny falls, cursed and bitter
Ljubav nasa nek u srdcu plamti,	Let love burn in our hearts
i sa pjesmom podjimo u boj.	And with a song let's enter battle
Za slobodu mile domovine	To liberate our beloved homeland
svaki rado datce zivot svoj.	For which anyone would gladly sacrifice his life.

Disintegration

On 17 August 1944 Josip Broz Tito offered a general amnesty to all opponents and many men in the division chose this point to defect. A week later in August Romania changed sides and the Red Army advanced deep into the Balkans, getting very close to Bosnia. Over 1-7 September the Allies undertook Operation "Ratweek". In a combined assault British and American air forces based in Italy attacked important railways and bridges in conjunction with heightened Partisan activity in the same areas. This undermined German supply and morale, necessitating specialised military and repair operations to secure transportation lines. On 17 September, the Partisans seized the important (largely Muslim) town of Tuzla in northeast Bosnia following a mass defection by the "12th Ustaše Brigade" garrison to the Partisan cause. Between 1-20 September over 2000 men of the division deserted. Especially heavy desertions from the division in September 1944 were the main reason for the move of the division from north-east Bosnia to northern Croatia.

On 20 October the Red Army liberated Belgrade and the following day the divisional staff Imam, Abdullah Muhasilović, incited a mutiny and led 100 men back to Bosnia. By November 1944 the division, which had been 95% non-German in January, was now 50% German. On 10 November the division was committed to action against the Soviets at Darda, Croatia. This fighting went on until 19 April 1945, with the division being slowly pushed back across Hungary. On 5 May the remaining men, both German and Bosnian began to retreat eastwards towards Austria. On 8 May an order was sent to retreat to Wolfsberg, Carinthia.

On 12 May 1945 Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS Desiderius Hampel carried out surrender negoitations with the British Army and on 15 May most of the men were transported to Rimini in Italy, where they were incarcerated with other prisoners of war from the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen and 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS.

On learning of their retreat several "imams approached their commander, Hans Hanke, and requested that they and their men be discharged and be allowed to attempt to return to their homeland.... Soon, all of the Bosnians remaining in the division were asked if they wished to remain." Many of these men are alleged to have been murdered by Communist Partisans after the war.

Trial

Between 22–30 August 1947, trials by the Communist regime for members of the division took place at a military court in Sarajevo. "Although the indictment accused the division of murdering some five thousand people, only seven of the thirty-eight defendants were charged with specific offenses." The accused were all comparatively junior officers and were defended by three Yugoslav lawyers: two civilian and one military officer. All 38 men were found guilty and either sentenced to death (10) or long prison terms (28). SS-Gruppenführer Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig committed suicide on 20 October 1946 rather than be extradited to Communist Yugoslavia. SS Obersturmführer Imam Halim Malkoč was hanged in Bihać on 7 March 1947.

Those executed on 17 July 1948 included:

• SS Obersturmführer (der Reserve) Rolf Baumeister
• SS Hauptsturmführer (der Reserve) Walter Eipel
• SS Oberscharführer Kurt Lütkemüller
• SS Hauptscharführer Bruno Lütjens
• SS Obersturmführer (der Reserve) Heinz Masannek
• SS Oberscharführer Josef Pälmke
• SS Oberscharführer Wilhelm Schmidt
• SS Obersturmführer (der Reserve) Willi Schreer
• SS Oberscharführer Erich Schwerin
• SS Obersturmführer (der Reserve) Kurt Weber

Almost all the prisoners were released early in 1952 (following Tito's fallout with Joseph Stalin and the need to reapproach the West), except SS Sturmmann Wilhelm Mahn who died in captivity. SS-Brigadeführer Desiderius Hampel never faced a trial and survived the war. He died on the 11 January 1981 in Graz, Austria.

See also

• List of Knight's Cross recipients 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)
• Mountain Infantry
• Waffen-SS
• 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)
• 23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Kama (2nd Croatian)

References

• Lepre, George (1997). Himmler's Bosnian Division: The Waffen-SS Handschar Division 1943-1945. Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-0134-9. 
• Pavlowitch, Stevan K. (2007). Hitler's New Disorder: The Second World War in Yugoslavia. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 1850658951. http://books.google.com/books?id=R8d2409V9tEC&printsec=frontcover. 
• Tomasevich, Jozo (1975). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: The Chetniks. 1. San Francisco: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804708576. http://books.google.com/books?id=yoCaAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover. 
• Tomasevich, Jozo (2001). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: Occupation and Collaboration. 2. San Francisco: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804736154. http://books.google.com/books?id=fqUSGevFe5MC&printsec=frontcover. 
• Military Intelligence Division, United States War Department, Washington D.C. (1944-02-29), Special Series No.21, German Mountain Warfare, http://ahecwebdds.carlisle.army.mil/awweb/main.jsp?flag=browse&smd=1&awdid=98 

Further reading

• Munoz, Antonio J., editor.The East Came West: Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist Volunteers in the German Armed Forces. (chapters 2 and 13) Bayside, NY: Axis Europa, 2001 ISBN 1-891227-39-4
• Stein, George H. (1984). The Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War, 1939-45 Cornell UP. ISBN 0-8014-9275-0
• Mousavizadeh, Nader (1996). The Black Book of Bosnia: The Consequences of Appeasement. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-09835-5
• Bishop, Michael (2003). SS: Hell on the Western Front. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 0-7603-1402-0
• "13.SS 'Handžar' divizija i njen slom u Istočna Bosni" (Istočna Bosna, vol. 2, 587)
• Redzic, Enver, Muslimansko Autonomastvo I 13. SS Divizija (Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1987).
• K.W. Böhme, Die deutschen Kriegsgefangenen in Jugoslawien 1941-1949, vol.I of Die Die deutschen Kriegsgefangenen des Zweiten Weltkrieges, ed. by Dr Erich Maschke (Munich: Verlag Ernst and Werner Giesking, 1962, I/1:107-109
• Herf, Jeffrey. Nazi propaganda for the Arab world. Yale UP, New Haven 2009. ISBN 0-300-14579-9. p. 204ff.
• Lepre, Georg. Himmler's Bosnian Division. The Waffen-SS Handschar Division 1943 - 1945. Atglen PA: Schiffer Military History, 1997.
• Mallmann, Klaus-Michael & Cüppers, Martin. Halbmond und Hakenkreuz. Das Dritte Reich, die Araber und Palästina. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft WBG. 2006, p. 211 – 236 Muslime für das Dritte Reich. Der islamische Sektor von Wehrmacht, Sicherheitspolizei und Waffen-SS.

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.

External links

• 13.Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS "Handschar" (kroat.Nr.1) at Feldgrau.com.
• 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Handschar (kroatische Nr. 1) at Axis History Factbook.