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

Dates: 17 – 21 January 1945. (1)

Objective: A major offensive operation by XXXIV. Armeekorps in Syrmia aimed at relieving the pressure on 2. Panzerarmee deployed along the Danube farther to the north.

Enemy Forces: 1st, 2d and 6th Proletarian Divisions, 5th and 21st Divisions, all supported by Soviet artillery and aircraft.

Axis Forces:
German
7. SS-Freiwillige-Gebirgs-Div. “Prinz Eugen”
11. Feld-Division (L)
41. Infanterie-Div.
117. Jäger-Div.
Croatian
3d Croatian Infantry Div.

Conduct of Operations and Results: The Germans advanced in a southeasterly direction against extensive and well-dug enemy trenches and fortified positions that were manned by large numbers of Partisans, and was reminiscent of the positional warfare normally associated with the Eastern Front. By the end of the first day the “Prinz Eugen” Division and other units had driven some 8 kilometers into the enemy lines and forced the Partisans to start bringing up reinforcements. The momentum continued and by the conclusion of “Frühlingssturm” the Germans had retaken the key highway hub of Šid and were stretched out between there and Šarengrad, a small village on the Danube. The operation was considered a success because some of the pressure was taken off of 2. Panzerarmee. No complete loss figures have been found, but XXXIV. Armeekorps reported 12,000 Partisans killed. In addition, 7. SS-Freiwillige-Gebirgs-Div. by itself captured 40 heavy anti-tank guns and a battery of heavy artillery.

Footnotes
1. [Vojnoistorijski institute] - Oslobodilački rat naroda Juooslavije 1941-1945, 2 Vols (Belgrade: 1965), p.512; Kumm, Otto - ‘Vorwärts Prinz Eugen!’ (Osnabrück: Munin-Verlag GmbH, 1978), pp.357-62; Schramm, Percy E. (ed.) - Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht, 1940-1945, 4 vols., (Frankfurt: Bernard & Graefe Verlag für Wehrwesen, 1961-1963), 1944-1945 Teilband II, p.1026.