Syrmian Front
Encyclopedia
The Syrmian Front was an Axis
line of defense during World War II
, established in late October 1944 in Syrmia
, northwest of Belgrade
.
After the Yugoslav Partisans and the Red Army
captured Belgrade
, retreating Wehrmacht
and the Croatian Armed Forces fortified to protect the withdrawal of German troops
from the Balkans
. Yugoslav Partisans, with some help from Soviet, Bulgarian and Italian forces, fought a difficult winter campaign, finally succeeding to break through the front on 12 April 1945.
The front was also controversial as the site of political killings of thousands of bourgeois young men, especially those from Belgrade
.
The Syrmian Front saw some of the most difficult fighting in Yugoslavia in World War II, going on for almost six months. As the bulk of the Red Army involved in the Belgrade operation continued on to Hungary
, the Yugoslav Army, used to guerrilla warfare
on difficult terrain
, remained to fight the entrenched front line
on flat ground heavily contested by the Axis. Young men from Vojvodina
and Central Serbia
, many from freshly captured urban centers, were drafted en masse and sent to the front, and the amount of training they received and casualty levels remain in dispute. As the Partisan advance through Serbia was marked by reprisals against individuals perceived to be collaborators or holding various values opposed to Communism
, some historians claim that the front was deadly by design.
Although mostly stationary, the front moved several times, generally westward as the Axis forces were pushed back. The fighting started west of Sremska Mitrovica
and stabilized in January 1945 west of Šid
, after the town changed hands due to German counterattacks. In late March and early April 1945, Yugoslav Army units mounted a general offensive on all fronts. The Yugoslav 1st Army, commanded by Peko Dapčević
, broke through German XXXIV Corps defenses in Syrmia on 12 April, quickly capturing the cities of Vukovar
, Vinkovci
and Županja
, and enabling further advance through Slavonia
toward Slavonski Brod
and Zagreb
in the last month of the war.
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
line of defense during World War II
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...
, established in late October 1944 in Syrmia
Syrmia
Syrmia is a fertile region of the Pannonian Plain in Europe, between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia in the east and Croatia in the west....
, northwest of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
After the Yugoslav Partisans and the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
captured Belgrade
Belgrade Offensive
The Belgrade Offensive or the Belgrade Strategic Offensive Operation was an offensive military operation in which Belgrade was conquered from the German Wehrmacht by the joint efforts of the Yugoslav Partisans and the Soviet Red Army...
, retreating Wehrmacht
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:...
and the Croatian Armed Forces fortified to protect the withdrawal of German troops
Army Group E
Army Group E was a German Army Group active during World War II.Army Group E was created on 1 January 1943 from the 12th Army...
from the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Yugoslav Partisans, with some help from Soviet, Bulgarian and Italian forces, fought a difficult winter campaign, finally succeeding to break through the front on 12 April 1945.
The front was also controversial as the site of political killings of thousands of bourgeois young men, especially those from Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
Operations
Budapest Offensive
The Budapest Offensive was the general attack by Soviet forces against Germany and their allies from the territory of Hungary. The offensive lasted from 29 October 1944 until the fall of Budapest on 13 February 1945.-Prelude:...
, the Yugoslav Army, used to guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
on difficult terrain
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps or Dinarides form a mountain chain in Southern Europe, spanning areas of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro....
, remained to fight the entrenched front line
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
on flat ground heavily contested by the Axis. Young men from Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
and Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...
, many from freshly captured urban centers, were drafted en masse and sent to the front, and the amount of training they received and casualty levels remain in dispute. As the Partisan advance through Serbia was marked by reprisals against individuals perceived to be collaborators or holding various values opposed to Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, some historians claim that the front was deadly by design.
Although mostly stationary, the front moved several times, generally westward as the Axis forces were pushed back. The fighting started west of Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica is a city and municipality located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia, on the left bank of the Sava river. As of 2002 the town had a total population of 39,041, while Sremska Mitrovica municipality had a population of 85,605...
and stabilized in January 1945 west of Šid
Šid
Šid is a town and municipality in the Srem District of Vojvodina, Serbia. Šid town has a population of 16,301, and Šid municipality 38,921.-Name:...
, after the town changed hands due to German counterattacks. In late March and early April 1945, Yugoslav Army units mounted a general offensive on all fronts. The Yugoslav 1st Army, commanded by Peko Dapčević
Peko Dapcevic
Colonel General Peko Dapčević was a famous Yugoslav communist who fought in the Spanish Civil War, joined the Partisan uprising in Montenegro, and became commander of the Yugoslav 1st and 4th Armies....
, broke through German XXXIV Corps defenses in Syrmia on 12 April, quickly capturing the cities of Vukovar
Vukovar
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
, Vinkovci
Vinkovci
Vinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county...
and Županja
Županja
Županja is a city in eastern Slavonia, Croatia, located 254 km east of Zagreb. It is administratively part of the Vukovar-Syrmia county. It is inhabited by 12,185 people ....
, and enabling further advance through Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
toward Slavonski Brod
Slavonski Brod
Slavonski Brod is a city in Croatia, with a population of 59,507 in 2011. The city was known as Marsonia in the Roman Empire, and as Brod na Savi 1244–1934. It is the sixth largest city in Croatia, after Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar. Located in the region of Slavonia, it is the...
and Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in the last month of the war.
See also
- Yugoslav Partisans
- Yugoslav Front
- Resistance during World War IIResistance during World War IIResistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns...
- Anti-partisan operations in World War IIAnti-partisan operations in World War IIAnti-partisan operations were operations against the various resistance movements during World War II by the Axis powers...