Part of the Anti-Partisan Operations in Croatia series by H.L. deZeng IV

Dates: 27 February – 8 March 1943. (1)

Objective: To destroy Partisan concentrations in the Kalnik and Bilo gora Mountains along the Križevci – Koprivnica railway line.

Enemy Forces: Kalnik NOP Detachment.

Axis Forces:
An estimated total of 2,300 troops.
German
One (1) unidentified company
Croatian
HQ 1st Infantry Division
HQ 11th Infantry Rgt.
Provisional Bn. “Ivan” (from 1st Expeditionary Co./2d Inf. Rgt., 1st Recruit Sqdn./Cavalry Rgt. and 1st Battr./II Artillery Group)
Provisional Bn. “Josip” (from I Bicycle Inf. Bn., 1st Battr./I Artillery Gp. and 2d Battr./II Artillery Gp.)
Provisional Bn. “Antun” (from Legionaire Co./1st Infantry Rgt., Assault Co./I Cavalry Gp. and a Ustasha Co.)
2d Expeditionary Co./1st Infantry Rgt.
14th Co./1st Infantry Rgt.
One (1) company from the Gendarmerie School in Bjelovar

Conduct of Operations and Results: From Koprivnica, Ludbreg, Križevci and Varaždin, the Croatian columns combed through the Kalnik Mountains for a little over a week but the Partisans evaded them and the results were poor.

Losses (from German-Croatian sources)
Germans: 3 killed and 12 wounded.
Croatians: none.
Partisans: 49 killed, 20 wounded and 16 captured.
The Pravoslavni villages within the search area were looted and many of the residents were mistreated.

Footnotes
1. [Vojnoistorijski institute] - Zbornik dokumenata i podataka o narodnooslobodilačkom ratu jugoslovenskih naroda, Tom V/12, p.583; V/13, pp.539-53; [Vojnoistorijski institute] - Hronologija oslobodilačke borbe naroda jugoslavije 1941-1945 (Belgrade, 1964), p.427; [Vojnoistorijski institute] - Oslobodilački rat naroda Juooslavije 1941-1945, 2 Vols (Belgrade: 1965), pp.498-99.