Operation Kopaonik

Operation Kopaonik
Part of World War II
Date 12 to 20 October 1942 Location German occupation zone of Serbia Result Chetnik free territory captured; failure to destroy Rasina Corps
Belligerents
Chetniks Rasina Corps	7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen parts of the 9th Bulgarian Infantry Division
Commanders and leaders
Dragutin Keserović	Artur Phleps
Casualties and losses
10 Killed 120 Captured 670 Killed civilian	2 Killed German soldiers 5 Killed Bulgarian soldiers

Members of the 7th SS division killing a Serbian civilians during Operation Kopaonik on October 1942.

Operation Kopaonik is coded name for the German-Bulgarian anti-guerrilla offensive against the Chetniks in the area of mountain Kopaonik, Goč and Jastrebac during October 1942nd, in the German occupation zone of Serbia in the Second World War. The Germans launched an offensive aimed at total destruction of Chetniks Rasina Corps of the Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland, commanded by Major Dragutin Keserović, whose headquarters was located in the village of Kriva Reka. Germans and Bulgarians won the Chetnik free territory and thereby committed crimes against the Serbian civilian population. Chetniks were successfully pulled from the German-Bulgarian ring and withdraw to the territory that was beyond the reach of the occupation forces.^[1]

Background

Major Dragutin Keserović with their Rasina Corps has created a free territory, which was on the mountain Kopaonik, Goč and Jastrebac. For the past year, against Keserović is raised more military operations, in which they participated, the Bulgarians and Germans, but he is constantly getting stronger. According to the German Information, major Keserović was a brave commander who kept an iron discipline in their units, and also was the favorite in the nation. At constant pursuits are inflicted losses Keserovićev′s detachments and the local population. Germans are worried the information that Major Keserović enjoys great popularity among the people and to be a short time to mobilize about 10,000 soldiers on its territory. Chetniks were a threat to the Germans, because they were able to break the German road communications which are transported through of the Morava−Vardar valley war material Rommel′s forces on the African front. In the spring 1942 the Germans were feared to Chetniks not attack the Trepča mine near Kosovska Mitrovica, from which they pulled significant amounts of lead and zinc for needs their war machine.^[2] It was decided that the most elite force now engaged against major Keserović.

The offensive

The Germans at the beginning of the 1942nd founded the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division "Prinz Eugen", which numbered over 20,000 soldiers and placed under the command of General Artur Phleps. In early October 1942nd the division is deployed to the area of southwestern Serbia, Kraljevo, Užice, Ivanjica, Čačak, Raška, Kosovska Mitrovica and Novi Pazar. ^[3] For the attack on the Chetniks Rasina Corps planned and parts 9th Bulgarian Infantry Division.

Chetniks Rasina Corps, commanded by Major Dragutin Kesererović were deployed in Kopaonik, Jastrebac and Goč. Rasina Corps at that time had about 1,500 fighters under arms.

General Artur Phleps, commander of the 7th SS Division "Prinz Eugen", ordered the 5th October 1942nd in stating that the German and Bulgarian forces to destroy the Chetnik forces insurgent leader of the Central Serbia Major Dragutin Keserović on Kopaonik mountain, whose headquarters is located in the village of Kriva Reka. ^[3] The Germans and Bulgarians are planning to on the Chetniks, conduct a comprehensive attack from four directions, perform encirclement and precisely defined plan of fire destroy the Serbian enemy. About 20,000 well-armed and fully trained German troops poised to attack on free Serbian mountains. For 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division "Prinz Eugen" this was the first military operation since its establishment, which lasted from early spring to late summer 1942nd and therefore the outcome of this operation was of great importance for the Germans.^[3]

German and Bulgarian forces have carried out a comprehensive attack on the Chetnik territory at dawn on the 12th October 1942nd.^[3] German forces have carried out the attack from four directions. German combat group "North" performed the march to the top Željin and a once secondary group on the top Kavalj. Combat group "South" has conducted a comprehensive movement in the area Gobelja, which located 17 km northwest of Raška. Combat group "West" concentrated is forces in the valley 5 km from the of the Banje. Combat group "East" has taken a position west of Brus. Germans and Bulgarians made a ring around the Chetnik territory and forced the peasants in refuges. Because of the importance of the outcome of this operation from Berlin in Kraljevo landed a senior Nazi official Heinrich Himmler. Reichsführer-SS Himmler was in Kraljevo, in the German occupation zone of Serbia from 15 to 18 October 1942nd toured Ceremonial Unit 7th SS Division and was especially interested of the course of the first military operations of the newly established SS division.^[1]

German combat groups "North", "West" and "South" are frontal the progressed through the Chetnik territory in the direction of combat group "East", which had the role of stopping the wall for the Chetniks. However, Major Keserović had intelligence about the preparations and the movement of large German forces for an attack on its territory. Major Keserović not considered it useful to your Rasina Corps frontally confront the German and Bulgarian forces. It has already ordered his units to regroup into smaller parts for easy maneuvering and penetration. He believed that the occupation forces they should enter in empty space. Chetniks Rasina Corps led by Major Kesererović escaped on time from the enemy ring. Germans and Bulgarians struck in empty, committing reprisals against the civilian population. German and Bulgarian forces burned several villages and committed war crimes against Serbian rural population. Village of Kriva Reka suffered the most, because there was located Keserović headquarters. In Kriva Reka killed 120 civilians, who are members of the 7 SS division are closed and burned in the village church.^[1] In other villages in Kopaonik Germans killed 300 civilians, in the villages on Mt Goč 250 civilians were executed. The Germans during this operation are killed a total of 670 civilian

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} [1] Samardžić, Miloslav: General Draža Mihailović and general history of the Chetnik movement, volume I, Kragujevac 1996.
2. ^ [2] Avakumović, Jovan: Mihailović according to German documents, Naše Delo, London, 1969.
3. ^ ^{a b c d} [3] Otto Kumm: Vorwärts Prinz Eugen! Geschichte der 7.SS-Freiwilligen Gebirgs Division „Prinz Eugen”. Munin-Verlag, Osnabrück 1978. Neuauflage Winkelried-Verlag, Dresden 2007, ISBN 978-3-938392-13-3