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== Aftermath ==
== Aftermath ==
{{off topic|Communist purges in Serbia in 1944–45|date=October 2019}}
[[File:Rusi i partizani Kruševac 1944.jpg|thumb|Tito's partisans and Red Army soldiers during battle for Kruševac in early October 1944]]
[[File:Rusi i partizani Kruševac 1944.jpg|thumb|Tito's partisans and Red Army soldiers during battle for Kruševac in early October 1944]]
After the battle the Germans killed between 60 and 80 civilians in a reprisal for the attack.<ref>{{harv|Nikolić|1999|p=7}}</ref> At the end of September rebels published a printed flyer with text criticizing Kosta Pećanac and signed it as the ''People's Liberation Movement of Chetniks and Partisans'' ({{lang-sr|Народноослободилачка војска четника и партизана}})<ref>{{harv|Glišić|Borković|1975|p=319}}</ref> The post-war Yugoslav sources blamed Keserović for the failure of the attack on Kruševac.<ref>{{harv|Perović|1961|p=63}}:"Напад није успео углавном због издаје Кесеровића и његових четника. "</ref> These sources accuse Keserović of attacking the German garrison earlier than agreed and for halting the attack when Partisan forces joined the attack.<ref>{{harv|Perović|1961|p=63}}</ref>
After the battle the Germans killed between 60 and 80 civilians in a reprisal for the attack.<ref>{{harv|Nikolić|1999|p=7}}</ref> At the end of September rebels published a printed flyer with text criticizing Kosta Pećanac and signed it as the ''People's Liberation Movement of Chetniks and Partisans'' ({{lang-sr|Народноослободилачка војска четника и партизана}})<ref>{{harv|Glišić|Borković|1975|p=319}}</ref> The post-war Yugoslav sources blamed Keserović for the failure of the attack on Kruševac.<ref>{{harv|Perović|1961|p=63}}:"Напад није успео углавном због издаје Кесеровића и његових четника. "</ref> These sources accuse Keserović of attacking the German garrison earlier than agreed and for halting the attack when Partisan forces joined the attack.<ref>{{harv|Perović|1961|p=63}}</ref>

Revision as of 00:39, 7 October 2019

Attack on Kruševac
Part of World War II in Yugoslavia

Kruševac Gymnasium in 2019, in September 1941 it was one of the buildings where German forces organized their last line of defence
Date23—27 September 1941
Location
Kruševac
Result Axis victory
Belligerents
Axis:

Chetniks

Yugoslav Partisans
Commanders and leaders
  • Ljubo Novaković
    • Miloje Zakić
    Units involved
  • 717th Infantry Division
    • 749th Infantry Regiment of
      • 2nd battalion
  • Pećanac Chetniks
    		•
  • Rasina Detachment
  • Stalać Detachment
    • Partisan Rasina Detachment
    Strength
    • 550 in town's garrison
    • unknown number of release forces
  • 2—3,000 rebels
    • Casualties and losses
  • 28 dead
  • 16 to 20 wounded
    		•
  • 17 dead and 74 wounded rebels
  • 60-80 civilians

    • The Attack on Kruševac was attack of Yugoslav rebels on Axis-held Kruševac in the German-occupied territory of Serbia which lasted between 23 and 27 September 1941 during World War I.

    Background

    The attack was ordered by Royal Yugoslav Army Brigadier General Ljubo Novaković.[1] It was planned within larger rebel operations against Axis forces in western Serbia in autumn 1941. At the same time rebels kept Kraljevo under siege and fall of Kruševac would significantly contributed to fall of Kraljevo.[2]

    According to post war Yugoslav sources, the commander of Stalać Detachment of the so-called Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, Lieutenant Colonel Radojević held meetings with Miloje Zakić[3] who was representative of the communist-led Yugoslav Partisan forces. They met two times, once in the village of Slatina on 18 September 1941 and the second time a day later in the village of Bovan and developed a plan to attack Kruševac.[4] According to this plan it was agreed that the date of the attack would be 23 September 1941, that Kruševac would be cut off before the attack, that Keserović and his Chetniks would attack the town from the west and the south, across Bagdala[clarification needed] and that Partisans would attack from the north and the east.[5] The Partisan Rasina corps and Chetnik commander Keserovic agreed to attack Kruševac together on 23 September 1941.[6]

    Forces

    The Chetnik part of the attack was to be conducted by the Rasina Detachment under the command of Dragutin Keserović and the Stalać Detachment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Radojević.[7] The Partisan part of the attack was to be conducted by the Rasina Detachment.[8] The total number of rebels who attacked Kruševac was estimated between 1,000 and 10,000 in different sources while most sources agree on 2—3,000 men.[9] Only 500 rebels were armed with firearms, while other carried melee weapons.[10]

    The German garrison in Kruševac totalled 550 soldiers. Out of this number, about 350 soldiers belonged to I. Battalion of the 749th Infantry Regiment of the 717th Infantry Division.[11]

    The Axis garrison in Kruševac was supported by the Pećanac Chetniks on the last day of the battle.[12]

    The Battle

    The fighting between attacking rebel forces and Axis garrison lasted for four days.[13]

    On the first day Keserović's Rasina Detachment attacked the Kruševac garrison from the direction of Bagdala and Rasina.[14] The hardest battle was waged on the first day of the attack when the Chetniks of the Rasina Detachment pushed the German garrison from their positions on the town's periphery to its center and blocked them in three buildings in the town center: the Gymnasium, the Hotel Belgrade and the Town Hall.[15]

    The Partisan Rasina Detachment was positioned between Obilićevo and the railway in Dedina and was unable to join the initial surprise attack of Chetnik forces on the first day.[16] On the second day of the attack Keserović canceled the attack, and retreated with his forces and joined other Chetnik units under Brigadier General Ljubo Novaković in their attack on Axis-held Kraljevo.[17] Therefore on the second day of the attack only the Chetnik Stalać Detachment and the small Partisan Rasina Detachment continued their joint attacks on the garrison.[18] On the second day of the attack German forces received reinforcements when German infantry, cavalry and tanks arrived from the Niš garrison.[19]

    Although the town was well defended the German garrison had 28 dead and 16 to 20 wounded soldiers, including the captain who was the commander of the German battalion and garrison.[20] On the fourth day of the battle Kosta Pećanac himself and a large force of his Chetniks came to reinforce the Axis garrison.[21] The rebels gave up further attacks after having suffered 17 dead and 74 wounded.[22]

    Aftermath

    Tito's partisans and Red Army soldiers during battle for Kruševac in early October 1944

    After the battle the Germans killed between 60 and 80 civilians in a reprisal for the attack.[23] At the end of September rebels published a printed flyer with text criticizing Kosta Pećanac and signed it as the People's Liberation Movement of Chetniks and Partisans (Serbian: Народноослободилачка војска четника и партизана)[24] The post-war Yugoslav sources blamed Keserović for the failure of the attack on Kruševac.[25] These sources accuse Keserović of attacking the German garrison earlier than agreed and for halting the attack when Partisan forces joined the attack.[26]

    Eventually, Soviet Red Army and Yugoslav communist forces captured Kruševac in Autumn 1944 and established communist regime which lasted for about fifty years. After the regime of communists in Serbia ended the Government of Serbia and its Ministry of Justice established the commission to research atrocities that were committed by members of the Yugoslav Partisan Movement after they gained control over Serbia in Autumn 1944. According to the report of this commission, out of 55,554 registered victims of communist purges in Serbia the new communist regime in Kruševac killed 493 people while 11 people are missing.[27]

    References

    1. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 1)
    2. ^ Vojno-istoriski glasnik. 1964. p. 87.
    3. ^ Ustanak naroda Jugolavije, 1941: zbornik. Pišu učesnici. Vojno delo. 1962. p. 327.
    4. ^ (Perović 1961, p. 61):"Заједнички састанак одржан је и 18. септембра у селу Слатини, а сутрадан и у селу Бовану. О споразуму постигнутом на овим састанцима Радојевић је обавестио мајора Кесеровића. "
    5. ^ (Perović 1961, p. 61)
    6. ^ Vojnoistorijski institut (Belgrade, Serbia) (1965). Zbornik Dokumenta. p. 93. ... и четнички командант Кесеровић били су се договорили да 23. септембра 1941. заједнички нападну Крушевац.
    7. ^ (Karchmar 1973, p. 212)
    8. ^ (Karchmar 1973, p. 212)
    9. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 328)
    10. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 328)
    11. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 1)
    12. ^ (Karchmar 1973, p. 212): "The fighting went on for four days, but Krusevac was too well-defended, and Pecanac himself with a large force of Chetniks came to its relief."
    13. ^ (Karchmar 1973, p. 212): "The fighting went on for four days,..."
    14. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 3)
    15. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 3)
    16. ^ (Kovbasko 1971, p. 52)
    17. ^ (Karchmar 1973, p. 212)
    18. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 3)
    19. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 3)
    20. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 1)
    21. ^ (Karchmar 1973, p. 212): "... but Krusevac was too well-defended, and Pecanac himself with a large force of Chetniks came to its relief."
    22. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 331)
    23. ^ (Nikolić 1999, p. 7)
    24. ^ (Glišić & Borković 1975, p. 319)
    25. ^ (Perović 1961, p. 63):"Напад није успео углавном због издаје Кесеровића и његових четника. "
    26. ^ (Perović 1961, p. 63)
    27. ^ "Registar Žrtava". www.komisija1944.mpravde.gov.rs. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 6 October 2019.

    Sources

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