On March 25, 1941, Yugoslavia joined the Triple Pact. However, the situation in Belgrade soon changed: the British knocked out the high command of the armed forces of Yugoslavia (Air Force generals Dusan Simovic and Borvoye Mirkovic occupied a prominent place among the conspirators) in a putsch. The officers played into the hands of the traditional anti-German sentiments of the Serbs and the agitation of the banned communist party.
Yugoslavia remained an ally of the Axis powers for only two days: on March 27, the people and officers took to the streets - power was handed over to the young King Peter II. Events in Yugoslavia forced Hitler to postpone his attack on the Soviet Union. In irritation, the Fuhrer gave Goering the order: "To raze Belgrade to the ground." The order was received with enthusiasm. Previously, many German officers expressed dissatisfaction with Hitler's attitude towards Yugoslavia as some kind of prima donna, but now they have the opportunity to settle accounts left over from the First World War. Serbia will suffer terribly during the years of World War II, but peoples always pay dearly for bright pages in their history …
Already on April 1, 1941, a German Bf-110 fighter entered Yugoslav airspace and was forced to land by the Yugoslav Hurricane, the plane was repainted and transferred to the Yugoslav Air Force, but after the very first sortie it was destroyed during landing.
From a qualitative point of view, German and Yugoslavian aviation were approximately equal, but numerically German aviation (together with the aviation of the Allied countries) outnumbered Yugoslavian aircraft six times (Germany had 1412 military aircraft, Italy - 702 and Hungary - 287). The suddenness of the attack and the accompanying panic led to the fact that more aircraft were destroyed in the first two days of the war on the ground. However, despite such a significant numerical superiority, the Yugoslav pilots were able to adequately show themselves in battle …
The German invasion of Yugoslavia began at dawn on April 6 with the bombing of the VIII. Fliegerkorps, based in Bulgaria, and the 4th air fleet, stationed in Austria, Hungary and Romania. The Southwest of Yugoslavia and the Adriatic coast were subjected to combined attacks by the Xth Air Corps (X. Fliegerkorps) and the 2nd and 4th Air Brigades (2a et 4a Squadra Aerea) of the Royal Italian Air Force from Commando Aeronautica Albania … On this "bloody" Sunday, Belgrade and the airfields were attacked by four waves of bombers, 100 cars each. The commander of the 4th Air Fleet, Colonel-General Lehr, played an important role that Hitler assigned to the German forces in his Directive 25 (punishment of the Yugoslav government).
As of April 6, 1941, the BBKJ had 440 aircraft, including 140 fighters, about 100 of which were modern (Bf 109E (55), Hurricane Mk. I (46), IK-3 (7), Potez 63 (1).
Yugoslavian pilots at the Rogozharski fighter IK-3
The Luftwaffe prepared a massive raid on Belgrade, which was to follow an hour after the initial raids of the VIII Air Corps. The raid was attended by 74 Ju 87, 160 He 111 and Do 17Z, which accompanied the Bf 110 and 100 Bf 109 E.
Belgrade was covered by the 32nd Aviation Group, consisting of three squadrons with 27 Bf-109E fighters, based at the Prnavor airfield. At the Zemun airfield, the 51st air group of the 6th fighter regiment was located, also consisting of three squadrons, however, only one of them - the 102nd, which flew from Mostar on April 5, was armed with 10 Bf-109E, then so in the rest of the squadrons there were only 6 domestic IK-3 fighters and two French Potez 630 aircraft.
Yugoslav fighter Potez 630
In total, the regiment possessed 43 modern fighters, which in their characteristics were equivalent to German aircraft. The only drawback was the preparation of Serbian pilots exclusively for battles in pairs in the absence of preparation for battles in large groups, in addition, the effectiveness of the Yugoslav fighters was reduced due to fuel problems. The Yugoslav pilots were not taken by surprise: all the planes of the fighter group covering Belgrade immediately took off from an airfield located near Zemun.
Painting by a contemporary Serbian artist. Morning over Belgrade
Despite the fact that one Rogozharski IK-3 fighter had to turn back due to engine overheating during takeoff, the remaining five aircraft attacked the first enemy aircraft. IR-3 was attacked by bombers, but the Bf 109E, which arrived in time, intervened, and a series of fierce battles began. German fighters attacked the IK-3 fighters, which had characteristic silhouettes, while the Serbian Messerschmitts, due to their resemblance to the Germans, were able to bring confusion into the ranks of the enemy and break through to the bombers. The Yugoslav pilots claimed five victories, but one IK-3 was shot down and three more seriously damaged vehicles crashed during an emergency landing. One pilot was killed, two more were injured. The commander of the 102nd Squadron of the 6th Fighter Regiment, who was piloting the Bf-109E, was also killed. He managed to shoot down one German bomber, but then he himself was shot down by a German escort fighter. The pilot managed to jump out with a parachute, but was shot by the Germans in the air.
Painting by a contemporary artist. Yugoslav fighters Rogozharski IK-3 attacking German aircraft.
Squadron commander Captain Savo Poyanich shot down a bomber (He 111 or Do 17) and a Bf 109E fighter. When he ran out of ammunition, his IK-3 was seriously damaged by the "Emil" that had come into the tail. At that moment, a whole staff of German fighters attacked the Poyanich plane. The Yugoslavian pilot simulated damage to the engine of his IK-3, and went into a tailspin, but when trying to land his plane was fired upon by a low-flying Bf 110; the car was seriously damaged, and the pilot himself was wounded in the shoulder. During the repulsion of this raid, Sergeant Milislav Semich shot down a Ju 87.
The Yugoslav 19 Bf-109E also took off from the Prnavor airfield, 8 remained in reserve. They intercepted the Germans over eastern Srem and managed to shoot down several bombers, but due to the strong fighter cover they were unable to prevent the bombing. There were no dead pilots in this air group, several aircraft were damaged, the pilots escaped with injuries.
Painting by a contemporary artist. Air battle between the Yugoslav fighter Rogozharski IK-3 and the German Bf-109
Total: in the first battle, the Yugoslav Air Force lost 3 aircraft downed and 12 damaged (of all types). In turn, the Germans announced nine victories: 2 Bf 109, 5 Hurricanes and a Dewoitine fighter (almost certainly one of IK-3).
The next three German attacks on Belgrade were only hours apart. The second attack took place between 10 and 11 o'clock (57 Ju 87 and 30 Bf 109), the third at 14 o'clock (94 twin-engine bombers and 60 fighters) and the fourth at 16 o'clock (90 Ju 87 and 60 fighters).
Trying to prevent these attacks, the Yugoslavs used 13-16 fighters in each battle. Yugoslav pilots fought their way through the German formations in order to accomplish the impossible and shoot down enemy bombers, their bravery and audacity amazed the Germans, who considered the enemy "suicides".
Until the end of the day on April 6, the planes of the fighter regiment defending Belgrade made only 140 sorties. According to the rules of that time, it was assumed that the plane could make 1-2 sorties per day, while some aircraft of the 6th regiment flew on a mission 8-10 times, and pilots 4-5 times. During this day, the regiment lost 13 pilots, 6 of whom were killed and seven were wounded, 23 aircraft, including 8 shot down and 15 damaged. In addition, Captain Zhivica Mitrovic from the 2nd Fighter Regiment was killed, having violated the order and flew away from his patrol zone near Kragujevets to defend Belgrade and took an unequal battle with the enemy. In this battle, both he and his wingman, who escaped with a parachute, were shot down.
The Germans lost a twin-engined bomber Do 17 Z, 5 twin-engined fighters Bf 110, some of which were declared by the Yugoslavs as downed twin-engined bombers, of which 4 were shot down (three crew members were killed), and the fifth car was lost, crashing to the ground during landing. The sixth Bf 110 made an emergency landing and the seventh was damaged. 4 dive bombers Ju 87. 2 fighters were also lost: Bf 109 E-4 / B and Bf 109 E-7. For their part, in the battles over Belgrade, the Luftwaffe pilots claimed nineteen Me 109s and four more fighters of an unknown type.
In total, on the first day of the war, Belgrade was attacked by 484 bombers and "pieces", which dropped a total of 360 tons of bombs. More than four thousand Belgrade residents became victims of the April war. Most of them died on the first day, more than half of the bodies remained under the rubble and were not found. In 58 years, the Germans will again bomb Belgrade, however, already in the company of other vultures …
The building of the Belgrade City Council, destroyed by the German bombing on April 6, 1941
On the second day of the war, the Yugoslavs had only 22 fighters left, but they continued fighting with great skill and organization. Four group interceptions were carried out, the battles in the first half of the day passed without losses. However, when a significant group of German dive bombers with fighter cover appeared, 16 fighters were thrown to intercept. The Germans were attacked 30 kilometers from Belgrade. The battle began with a successful group attack by Yugoslav fighters, but then broke up into a series of duels with varying success. 8 Yugoslav aircraft were lost, 4 pilots were killed.
Painting by a contemporary artist. Air battle between the Yugoslav fighter Rogozharski IK-3 and the German Bf-109
Since the German reconnaissance officers discovered the airfield of the 32nd group, on the evening of April 7, several aircraft of the 6th regiment moved to an alternate airfield, the rest flew over in the morning of April 8th.
The 14 remaining Bf-109Es (one repaired on April 7) were reinforced on April 8 with five Hurricanes from the 4th Fighter Regiment from Banja Luka, but there was no point in this reinforcement, since on April 11, when the attacks on Belgrade resumed, The 6th regiment was not notified of this at all due to the complete collapse of communications and the air surveillance system. At the end of the day on April 11, the Yugoslav High Command decided to end the air defense of Belgrade and destroy the bridges.
On April 11, Yugoslavian Bf-109Es took part in repelling an attempt by German heavy fighters to attack the Veliki Radnitsa airfield, during which they shot down two German Bf-110 fighters, and 2 Ju 87 dive bombers by Rogozharski IK-3 fighters. Lieutenant Milisav Semich in an IK-3 fighter attacked and shot down a Bf 110 D. One Yugoslav Bf-109E belonging to a flight school was shot down on April 12 during an aerial reconnaissance in the Mostar region.
Since the Yugoslav fighters could not fly near Sarajevo due to bad weather, on the morning of April 12, the crews set fire to their remaining aircraft (11 Bf-109E, 5 Hurricanes and 3 IR-3), since the airfield was only 15 kilometers away from the Germans.
German infantrymen examine the remains of three IK-3, burned on the morning of April 12 at the Veliki Radnitsa airfield
Other Yugoslav pilots were no less active. The Hurricane Mk.1 and Ikarus IK-2 fighters operated in Bosnia and in the Zagreb region as fighters and attack aircraft until April 13, when the last aircraft were burned by the pilots themselves when the Germans approached the airfields.
Yugoslav aircraft of various types captured by the Wehrmacht at the Zemun airfield, in the background IK-3
On April 9, a patrol of Yugoslav IK-2 fighters spotted a group of approximately 27 German Bf 109Es. A pair of IK-2s were approaching at that time, one of the fighters landed at a refueling station, and the other turned around and entered the battle. The lone pilot on IR-2 was surrounded by 9 Messerschmitts. The pilot, using all his skill and maneuverability of his aircraft, withstood all the attacks and managed to land safely at the airfield. 8 Hurricanes Mk. II and 5 IK-2, which entered the battle. After 10 minutes, the German fighters retreated in the direction of Austria, leaving 2 Messerschmitts on the battlefield downed, several more were badly damaged. On the Yugoslav side, 1 IR-2 and 2 Hurricane were shot down.
Fighter "Hurricane" MK.1 Air Force of Yugoslavia
On April 6, during an air battle near Kumanovo (Macedonia), where the obsolete Yugoslav fighter-biplanes Hauker "Fury" of the 5th air regiment were based, the Yugoslav pilots carried out 3 air rams at the same time. Their opponents were rammed by the son of Russian White émigrés Konstantin Ermakov, Tanasich and Voislav Popovich. Moreover, after Ermakov ran out of ammunition, he rammed the Bf-110.
Konstantin Ermakov
Milorad Tanasich
Vojislav Popovich
In total, the Yugoslavs claim 5 victories in that battle: three Bf109E and two Bf110. According to German data, the losses of Bf 109 amounted to one aircraft, four more crashed while landing on airfields, but the degree of combat damage is unknown. Two Bf110s were also lost (and the crews were killed). The Yugoslav authorities found the crash site of one "110th" and the body of a Bulgarian officer was found in its wreckage, who apparently served as a guide. The Yugoslavs themselves lost 11 vehicles (either shot down in the air or written off after forced landings).
The lack of fighters forced even such old machines as the Avia BH.33 to be launched into the air: two old biplanes even tried to fight a group of Messerschmitts. The result, of course, was a foregone conclusion - both planes were shot down, the pilots were killed.
The Yugoslav bombers Do17K, despite the fact that some of the aircraft were destroyed at the airfield, attacked German columns, airfields in Bulgaria, even making a raid on Sofia. The crews of three aircraft attempted a flight to the USSR. One of them crashed in Romania, one surrendered in Hungary and one landed in occupied Mostar. On April 15, 7 planes tried to ensure the evacuation of King Peter II and the government. Over Greece, these planes were attacked by Italians, two surviving bombers joined the British Air Force in Africa.
Own losses of the Yugoslav Dornier Do.17K were:
- 2 shot down in the air;
- 4 are damaged in the air;
- 44 destroyed on the ground;
- 1 destroyed by the crew;
- 1 badly damaged during takeoff;
- 7 tried to fly to Greece;
- 2 tried to fly to the USSR;
- 1 mistakenly sat down on the territory occupied by the enemy;
- 2 are missing.
Bomber pilots Dornier Do.17K Yugoslav Air Force
Many of the aircraft of the three Blenheim squadrons of the Yugoslav Air Force on the first day of the war were destroyed by the Luftwaffe in the parking lots.
Bomber Bristol "Blenheim" MK.1 Air Force of Yugoslavia
The survivors bombed German columns moving from the Bulgarian border, and even attacked industrial facilities in Austria and Hungary. At the same time, they suffered extremely high losses in the air and on the ground. So on the afternoon of May 8, 1941, the Yugoslav "Blenheims", together with two (or three) light biplane bombers Hawker "Hind", 3 copies of which were purchased in 1936 for testing, were sent to bomb the German troops south of the city. Kumanov. According to foreign sources, the group was intercepted by German fighters and during the battle all biplane bombers were shot down. Several "Blenheims" rapidly advancing Wehrmacht units were captured at the airfields.
Light bomber Hawker "Hind" Air Force of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavian SM.79K bombers made several sorties against German and Italian forces, achieving some success, but by the end of the campaign, almost all of them were destroyed (partly by their own crews). Several SM.79Ks were evacuated to Greece. In addition, one plane flew to the USSR, as our famous ace Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin recalls, and in July-August 1941 he again participated in military operations against the Germans in the Odessa region.
Soviet pilots at the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Yugoslav bomber that flew to the USSR
In the very first raids on Yugoslav airfields, about three dozen outdated light reconnaissance bombers Breguet Br. XIX were destroyed. The planes that managed to take off began to strike at the advancing enemy forces. They bombed and shelled roads, bridges and railway stations. So, they attacked the bridge over the Drava and bombed the columns of German troops. Flying during the day and without cover, low-speed biplanes often fell prey to Luftwaffe fighters. No matter how low the combat value of the outdated Breguet was, they still managed to destroy a strategically important bridge across the Vardar River, which helped to delay the advance of the Germans for some time.
The Yugoslav naval torpedo bombers Dornier Do 22 Kj carried out reconnaissance along the Adriatic coast and covered mines. During the Do 22 attack, an Italian tanker near Bari was damaged. After the defeat of Do 22Kj, for the most part, they flew to about. Corfu, after which Egypt and were included in the British Royal Air Force. They carried out reconnaissance and conducted anti-submarine patrols.
The anti-aircraft gunners also fought selflessly, but the forces were unequal, Yugoslavia collapsed, and their weapons went to the aggressor as trophies.
The Italians inspect the captured Yugoslav anti-aircraft large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns M.38 (ZB-60)
Thus, the Yugoslav pilots during the April war, even in the conditions of betrayal, cowardice and indecision of the command, the collapse of the front and the huge numerical superiority of the enemy, did everything in their power and even more to defend their homeland, fighting to the last, including and German equipment against the Germans.
In total, in the period from April 6 to April 15, 1941, about 1400 sorties were carried out, 105 enemy aircraft were shot down (about 60 more were damaged), of which the Bf-109E pilots shot down: 7 German Bf-109 E, 2 Bf-110, 4 Ju-87, 1 Ju-88, 1 He-111, 2 Do-17 and 2 Hs -126, as well as the Italian Cant Z -1007 bis, the type of four more downed enemy aircraft has not been identified. Another 14 German aircraft were badly damaged: 3 Bf-109, 2 Bf-110, 3 Ju-87, 1 Ju-88, 1 Do-17 and He-111. In turn, 15 Yugoslavian Bf-109s were lost in air battles, 15 received heavy damage, 4 were destroyed at airfields, 21 aircraft were destroyed by their crews during the retreat. But its own losses amounted to almost half of the aircraft fleet (mainly on the ground), 138 pilots and another 570 BBKJ servicemen. Almost 250 Yugoslav pilots and other crew members flew on their planes to Greece, the Middle East and the USSR. Eight Do 22s and one SIM-14 from the naval aviation flew to Egypt and fought for another year under British command, flying with Yugoslavian insignia. They operated against German submarines. Four SM.79 bombers and one Do-17 flew to the British, and one SM.79 to the USSR. Loyal to the king, the Yugoslavs even reached the United States - 40 pilots in the 15th American Air Force in B-24Js (temporarily bearing the BBKJ insignia) bombed Germany until the end of the war. About 100 pilots fought in Spitfires and Baltimore in the British Air Force. Already in 1942 in Yugoslavia itself, using captured aircraft, partisan aviation was born.
