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

Dates: 4 – 9 January 1944. (1)

Objective: To open the Vrbas Valley and roads paralleling the valley by driving south from Banja Luka to Mrkonjić Grad and Jajce.

Enemy Forces: 1st Proletarian Assault Division NOVJ, 6th Division NOVJ and 11th Assault Division NOVJ.

Axis Forces:
German
1. Gebirgs-Div. (elements)
373. Infanterie-Div. (kroat.) (elements)
Panzergrenadier-Lehr-Rgt. 901
Grenadier-Rgt. 92 (mot.)
Croatian
Few if any

Conduct of Operations and Results: Part of the larger operation named “Waldrausch”, the assigned forces converged on Jajce from the north, east and west, taking the town on 9 January. This was the fourth time Jajce had changed hands over the preceding 15 months. For the time being anyway, the lines of communication between Banja Luka to Jajce were now open. Casualties attributably to this operation are not known, but were probably not more than several hundred on either side.

Footnotes
1. [Vojnoistorijski institute] - Hronologija oslobodilačke borbe naroda jugoslavije 1941-1945 (Belgrade, 1964), p.649; [Vojnoistorijski institute] - Oslobodilački rat naroda Juooslavije 1941-1945, 2 Vols (Belgrade: 1965), Vol. II, pp.47-52; Schraml, Franz - Kriegsschauplatz Kroatien (Neckargemünd: Kurt Vowinckel Verlag , 1962), pp.180-81.