The morning of May 25, 1944 in Drvar turned out to be clear and promised a fine day. On the occasion of Tito's birthday, the town was modestly decorated. Various cultural events were planned. High-altitude flights of individual aircraft were not uncommon and did not cause alarm.
At 6.30 the first bomb explosions were heard at the Drvar pulp mill. This surprise attack was carried out by light attack aircraft Heinkel He-46 and Henschel Hs-126 of the 7th night bomber group (Stab. 1, 2 / NSGr.7), which managed to reach targets on low level flight unnoticed. The city center was hit at the same time. Bombers Ju-87D II. Groups of the 151st Dive Bomber Squadron (II./SG151) dropped heavy 250- and 500-kilogram bombs. The third strike, which followed at 6.50, was delivered by 13th Squadron of the 151st Dive Bomb Squadron (13./SG.151), and it lasted until 6.55. This was followed by the fourth and final strike of the 3rd Squadron of the 7th Night Bomber Group (3./NSGr.7), equipped with Italian CR-42 aircraft. It lasted until 7.00. Dive bombers and attack aircraft covered Messerschmitt Bf-109G IV fighters. Groups of the 27th Fighter Squadron (IV./27JG).
At 7.00, the first Junkers-52 transport aircraft appeared over Drvar, from which 314 paratroopers of the 500th SS paratrooper battalion landed.
At 7.10 the first of forty-five DFS-230 airborne gliders landed, which were to land a total of 340 paratroopers. In the first wave, it was planned to land 654 paratroopers. The partisans managed to achieve hits in some gliders: one of them was forced to unhook from the tug and landed outside Drvar, two others were shot down, and three more were damaged. The losses among the crews and the landing were 20 people.
During the landing, Ju-87 dive bombers suppressed ground targets in the Drvar area with machine gun fire and drove the defenders into cover. Presumably, all this "airshow" was controlled from the flying headquarters on board a Ju-88 or He-111.
At the same time, the entire German military machine was set in motion - 20,000 men were to crush the "Tito state" in Drvar. Fierce fighting ensued in all nine directions along which the German forces were advancing. A group "William" was advancing from Srba. According to the plan, she was supposed to reach Drvar by the evening of May 25 and connect with the paratroopers of the 500th SS battalion.
The blow came as a complete surprise to the partisans. Subsequently, historians tried to recreate the events in Drvar, the places of the battles, the actions of individual participants - everything together can be described in one word - chaos.
After the landing, the paratroopers gathered and, lining up in chains, moved towards their intended targets. Along the way, they destroyed everything in their path - armed partisans and unarmed local residents, threw grenades at houses and suppressed centers of organized partisan resistance. Only a few partisans and civilians were "lucky" - they were taken prisoner.
The paratroopers landed on the banks of the Unac River were under fire from a guard battalion and were pushed back to the outskirts of Drvar. Separate groups of soldiers of the Engineering Brigade and the cavalry squadron, after a short battle, retreated from Drvar to defensive positions on the slopes of Mount Gradina. The crew of one of the tankettes of a tank platoon located on Mount Trninic moved towards Drvar, firing machine-gun fire, and at first confused the attacking Germans, but was soon destroyed. A group of young people, members of the local self-defense and several officers of the officers' school in Shipovlyany, having only 25 rifles, gathered at the hospital in Danichi and were able to repulse the German attack. They even managed to grab a machine gun and four boxes of ammunition from one of the gliders. Another group of officers from Shipovlyan managed to break through the railway lines to the positions of the guard battalion and strengthen the defense of the Tito cave. They managed to repel the attack of the paratroopers who crossed the Unats River.
As soon as the Germans occupied Drvar, it immediately became clear to them that the main positions of the partisans were on the other side of the Unac. Tito is also there. The Germans also learned that Tito's headquarters was located in a cave on the slope of Mount Gradina, but the exact location remained unknown.
At about 9:00 am, the paratroopers' chains launched an offensive along the main street of Drvar towards Unats at the position of the guard battalion and the officers from Shipovlyan who reinforced it. A battery of 105 mm recoilless guns and two batteries of 80 mm mortars opened fire on the partisan positions. The paratroopers' attack was choked about 50 paces from Unaz. Further attacks were also repulsed by strong fire from the defenders, and after that the Germans were forced to retreat and take refuge in houses on the outskirts of Drvar. There was a pause in the battle.
Some historians consider this moment to be decisive. The commander of the 500th SS Airborne Battalion, Hauptsturmführer Kurt Rybka, still had the opportunity to order the second wave of 171 paratroopers to land directly on the mountainside above the "Tito Cave" and block that escape route. Why Rybka did not do this is unknown. It can be assumed that by this moment he already knew that the German offensive on Drvar was not developing as fast as expected, and partisan reinforcements were already on the way. It is possible that radio communication with the higher headquarters was interrupted for some time, and he could not make changes to the previously drawn up plan. When radio communication was restored, the paratroopers were already forced to fight off the counterattacking partisans themselves, and the battalion commander needed all his forces in Drvar itself, and not on the other side of the river. Also, perhaps Rybka was still not completely sure that Tito was in the cave. Otherwise, he would have acted more decisively. One way or another, Rybka decided to go on the defensive.
By 10.00, all Drvar was in the hands of the German landing party. Most of the guerrilla radio stations were destroyed or captured. Also, many ciphers fell into the hands of the Germans. As a result, the communication of the partisans was broken. Some of the partisans died on the spot, some were captured, but still the majority managed to escape. According to later reports, the partisans lost 100 people in Drvar. Some members of foreign military missions also died or were captured. The paratroopers have lost 60 people by this time. Some of the local residents were used by the Germans for digging trenches and collecting ammunition. The Shobić-Glavica cemetery, bounded on both sides by a stone wall, became the main defensive position of the 500th battalion. The battalion command post was also located there. The cemetery was fortified and prepared for an all-round defense. All the ammunition was stored there, a dressing station was equipped and the bodies of the dead soldiers were collected. Other positions in Drvar were also prepared for defense. The battalion headquarters was aware that the offensive of the "William" group was not developing according to plan due to the strong resistance of the partisans and was partially stopped. Reconnaissance squadron "Croatia" also reported on the approach of new partisan forces from Srba. The commander of the 500th battalion ordered the remaining 171 battalion fighters to land on the field in front of Shobich-Glavitsa. Parachute containers with ammunition and medicines were dropped there from ten Ju-52s.
Specifications:
• power, l. from.: 850
• Wingspan, m.: 14, 5
• The length of the aircraft, m: 10, 8
• Aircraft height, m: 3, 7
• Wing area, sq. m.: 31, 6
• Weight, kg:
• empty aircraft: 2035
• takeoff: 3275
• Maximum speed, km / h:
• near the ground: 310
• at an altitude of 3000 m: 354
• Cruising speed, km / h:
• near the ground: 270
• at an altitude of 4200 m: 330
• Flight range, km.: 715
• Ceiling, m.: 8200.
Specifications:
• Crew: 1 person
• Length: 8.25 m
• Wingspan:
◦ top: 9.7 m
◦ bottom: 6.5 m
• Height: 3.06 m
• Wing area: 22, 42 m²
• Empty weight: 1782 kg
• Normal takeoff weight: 2295 kg
• Engines: 1 × Fiat A.74 RC.38 air-cooled 14-cylinder
• Power: 1 × 840 hp. with. at 2400 rpm (627 kW)
• Maximum speed:
◦ at altitude: 441 km / h at 6400 m
◦ near the ground: 343 km / h
• Cruising speed: 399 km / h
• Practical range: 780 km
• Service ceiling: 10 211 m
Armament: 2 × 12, 7 mm Breda SAFAT machine gun, 400 rounds per barrel
• Bomb load: 2 × 100 kg bombs.
Tito leaves the cave
For the commander-in-chief of the NOAU, Joseph Broz Tito, the landing of a German landing near his residence was a complete surprise. For some time he watched the unfolding battle and waited for reports on the situation. He remained in the cave until 10.00, when there was a pause in the fighting. German machine guns kept under fire the only path leading up the slope to his cave, and the descent along it seemed very risky. The soldiers of the security battalion and Tito's personal guard were able to make a hole in the floor of the hut in order to go down through it to the foot of the hill along a rope tied from parachute lines. After several volunteers managed to do this, it was the turn of the Supreme Commander. Some of the fighters died during the descent, but Tito managed to squeeze through the crack in the rock, which protected him from enemy fire, overcome the open space and hide behind the rock. There he ordered the security battalion to continue to hold the position, and he himself, with his closest circle, began to climb to the top of Mount Gradina, which he reached by 12.00. There he watched the battle for a while, then moved in the direction of Podovi. Thus, his evacuation from the residence was successfully completed. This is how the post-war official Yugoslav historiography interpreted it.
Tito's role and behavior during the first hours of the German operation have not yet been clarified. It is unclear why he did not leave his residence earlier. It served as a good cover, including from an air attack, but at the same time it was too small to accommodate the entire Supreme Headquarters there. Communication with the headquarters could only be carried out through messengers (radio communication, as mentioned above, was broken). Only the adjutant and a few confidants were directly next to Tito. The Supreme Headquarters itself and its chief were somewhere near the cave. Over and over again, the headquarters sent letters to Tito asking them to leave the cave. Official documents mention such proposals dating from 9.30, 9.45 and 10.00 o'clock. But Tito decided to leave the cave only after 10.00, when it became clearly dangerous to be there. It is surprising that the Supreme Commander-in-Chief for the whole 4 hours after the start of the German offensive was not with his headquarters, but communicated with him only with the help of notes. At this time, the Supreme Headquarters also sent messengers to nearby units and formations with orders, clarifying the situation in Drvar and also with information about the state of the Supreme Commander. These orders were not issued on behalf of Tito, but directly by the Supreme Headquarters. This suggests that the Supreme Headquarters acted on its own initiative.
Partisan counterattack
The headquarters of the 1st Proletarian Corps, located in the village of Mokronoge near Drvare, was quickly informed about the German landing and immediately ordered the 6th Proletarian Division to send one brigade to help the partisans in Drvar. The 3rd Lik brigade, consisting of four battalions, also went there. The headquarters of the 9th division ordered the 1st Dalmatian brigade to send one battalion closest to it to Drvar. The headquarters of the 1st Lik corps sent two battalions of the 1st Proletarian Liksk brigade to Drvar. Thus, about 1000 partisans marched towards Drvar by forced march. The 1st battalion of the 3rd Lik brigade (130 fighters) reached the heights near the village of Kamenice at 11.30 and attacked the German positions at the Stavkovice railway station on the move. In the ensuing close combat, the Germans lost seven killed and a dozen wounded and were forced to retreat to a nearby cemetery. At the same time, at 11.50, the second wave of the landing took place (171 people). They were immediately thrown into battle at Kamenice. Mutual attacks and counterattacks on the rocky terrain near Kamenice did not bring the final victory to either side, and the Germans were forced to go on the defensive. The partisans of the 3rd Likskaya were joined by groups and individual fighters of the Engineering Brigade and various units and institutions of the NOAJ, who managed to escape from Drvar. The positions of the partisans were repeatedly subjected to air strikes.
At about 13.00 Drvara reached the 3rd battalion of the 6th Lik division, led by the division commander. He immediately threw a battalion into an attack against the left flank of the German positions in the Drvar valley. The 1st company crossed the Zoritsa bridge and strengthened the defenses of the security battalion, the 2nd company advanced along Bastasi Street, and the 3rd - through Spasovin. The German commander also strengthened the defense in this direction. The first battles began at about 14.00. The 2nd company of the 3rd Lik battalion managed to suppress some German machine-gun nests with mortar fire and by 4.40 to push the Germans back to the central intersection of Bastasi Street, where the city government was located. In the course of fierce battles, the building of the council passed from hand to hand several times, and as a result, the Germans retreated to Shobich-Glavits. The security battalion managed to push the Germans out of the right bank of the Unaz and by 4:45 pm it was able to cross over to the opposite side. At about the same time, the 1st battalion of the 1st Proletarian Brigade approached, which remained in reserve for the time being. Then the 2nd battalion of the 3rd Lik brigade approached and attacked the left flank of the Germans on the move. The 3rd company of the 2nd battalion, after a fierce battle, drove the German group "Brecher" from Trninic-Brek to Kninska Kapia. The Germans were able to catch on the railroad tracks for some time, but after the approach of the 1st company and units of the Engineering Brigade, at about 18.00, they retreated to Trnjak.
The 4th battalion of the 3rd Lik brigade (130 soldiers) reached Drvar at about 17.00 and was left in reserve in case of a new German landing.
By 20.00, most of the German paratroopers were pushed back to Shobich-Glavits. Their barriers, which remained on the main street of Drvar and in the direction of Prnjavor, were also forced to retreat by 21.30. Five transport planes managed to dump ammunition containers into positions remaining in German hands.
Shobic cemetery
The center of the German defense was the cemetery on the Shobić-Glavitsa hill. From the Kechmani and pulp mill side, it was protected by concrete walls. The sappers pierced the loopholes in them. From the side of the field on which the second wave of the landing was landing, the herded local residents dug full-profile trenches with parapet. Stone crosses also served as hiding places for individual shooters. The Germans from all directions were surrounded by four battalions of the 3rd Lik brigade and a battalion of the 3rd Dalmatian that came later. At 23.00, the partisans, supported by mortars, launched an attack from all directions. The Germans fired a large number of flares, so that it became as bright as day, and the partisans lost the protection of darkness. Thanks to the large number of automatic weapons and the lack of ammunition, the Germans opened deadly fire. The attack was quickly repulsed. A new attack began at 1.00 am on May 26th. The 3rd and 4th battalions of the 3rd Lik brigade were advancing with the support of mortars and hand grenades. But success was not achieved again, and in some places the paratroopers even counterattacked. The 1st Battalion of the 1st Proletarian Lik Brigade was also thrown into the third attack at about 2.00 am, but the result was the same. Another attack at 3.30 was also repulsed by the Germans at the cost of a lot of stress.
German breakthrough to Drvar
At night, the NOAU command learned about the threat of a breakthrough of the 92nd motorized grenadier regiment to Bosansky Petrovac and ordered its own forces to withdraw from Drvar. It was planned to complete the withdrawal before dawn, when the threat of air strikes arose. At about 6.00 in Kamenica, in the rear of the 1st battalion of the 3rd Lik brigade, the vanguard of the advancing group "William" appeared in the person of the 1st company of the 373rd Croatian infantry division. After a short battle, the 1st and 3rd battalions of the Lik brigade retreated, and at about 7.00 the Croatian legionnaires made contact with the paratroopers of the 500th SS battalion.
According to the report of the 15th Mountain Corps on June 5, 1944, the losses of the 500th battalion were very high. They accounted for 145 killed and 384 wounded out of a total of 825 people who took part in the operation "Horse Run". The losses of the partisans were also high. Officially, 179 killed, 63 wounded and 19 missing were reported, but, most likely, the losses were much higher.
The regional command of Drvar reported 26, the city command reported 28 dead. The engineering brigade lost 22, the officers' school - 4, logistic establishments - 22, the security battalion - 12 people, etc. To this must be added the large number of wounded. The 3rd Lik brigade lost 24 people killed, 46 wounded and 15 missing.
What mattered was that Supreme Commander Tito had managed to escape. He and members of foreign military missions were evacuated to Italy on the Douglas DS-3 plane. Later, on a British destroyer, Tito was transported to the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea, controlled by the partisans. Vis was turned into a real fortress and became the center of the struggle of Yugoslavia against the German invaders. The Allies equipped an auxiliary airfield on it, on which, until the end of the war, they managed to land about a thousand allied aircraft damaged during raids on territories occupied by the Germans. This helped save the lives of many Allied pilots. But that is another story…
Translator's note
Unfortunately, the ending of the author's article is crumpled. The events of May 26 - June 5, the actions of the German ground group and the Allied aviation, apparently due to lack of space, are not covered at all.
Those interested can familiarize themselves with the relevant material at least on Wikipedia. Articles in Hussar magazine and Wikipedia complement each other well.
This material seemed to me interesting also because of the large number of rare photographs and high-quality drawings-reconstructions.
