Battle of Dražgoše
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Dražgoše was a Second World War
battle
between Slovene partisans (NOVJ) and Nazi Germany
armed forces
, which took place between January 9 and January 11, 1942, in the Slovenia
n village of Dražgoše
. This battle was the first direct confrontation of the war
between the two.
Fighting (both numerically and equipment-wise) vastly superior Germans the partisan Cankar's Battalion (numbering 240 combatants) suffered nine casualties throughout the entire battle, 5 of whom were machine gunners, the other 4 being their assistants. German forces suffered about 27 casualties.
After three days of fighting, the partisans were forced to flee the village. German troops executed 17 male civilians immediately upon having secured a portion of the village. During the evening of the following day, a further 18 male residents who had previously escaped, only to be apprehended as they returned were executed, houses were looted and the village was set on fire. When the fires died down, the Germans then demolished the entire village. The remaining villagers were then rounded up and sent to concentration camps.
Two days after this engagement, German troops attacked two partisan platoons on Mošenjska planina. During the 13 hour engagement some 12 Partisans were killed and 5 were wounded.
After the war Dražgoše was entirely rebuilt.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
between Slovene partisans (NOVJ) and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
armed forces
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, which took place between January 9 and January 11, 1942, in the Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n village of Dražgoše
Dražgoše
Dražgoše is a village in the Municipality of Železniki in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.The village lies on the southern slopes of the Jelovica Plateau....
. This battle was the first direct confrontation of the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
between the two.
Fighting (both numerically and equipment-wise) vastly superior Germans the partisan Cankar's Battalion (numbering 240 combatants) suffered nine casualties throughout the entire battle, 5 of whom were machine gunners, the other 4 being their assistants. German forces suffered about 27 casualties.
After three days of fighting, the partisans were forced to flee the village. German troops executed 17 male civilians immediately upon having secured a portion of the village. During the evening of the following day, a further 18 male residents who had previously escaped, only to be apprehended as they returned were executed, houses were looted and the village was set on fire. When the fires died down, the Germans then demolished the entire village. The remaining villagers were then rounded up and sent to concentration camps.
Two days after this engagement, German troops attacked two partisan platoons on Mošenjska planina. During the 13 hour engagement some 12 Partisans were killed and 5 were wounded.
After the war Dražgoše was entirely rebuilt.