Capture of Banja Koviljača

The Capture of Banja Koviljača (1–6 September 1941) was a long battle fought by cooperating forces of Chetniks and Yugoslav Partisans against German forces. On 1 September 1941, the insurgents attacked German soldiers who were garrisoned in an outpost at Banja Koviljača in the German-occupied territory of Serbia. The battle reflected skillful command by leaders of the uprising.Jončić K
"Kraljevački oktobar 1941."
Ekonomska politika 1971 p42. "Борбе око Ковиљаче показале су да српски устанички покрет располаже добрим вођством."

Background

In August 1941, insurgent activity in the German-occupied territory of Serbia increased. There were 242 attacks on the German Army and gendarmerie posts, railroads, telephone wires, mines and industrial facilities during that month. Twenty-two German soldiers were killed and seventeen were wounded. In the same month, Draža Mihailović ordered the mobilisation of Chetnik units.

On 31 August 1941, the Chetniks captured Loznica and Zavlaka village and then, on 1 September 1941, they captured Zajača, a mining town.

Two Chetnik detachments participated in the capture of Banja Koviljača: the Jadar Detachment and the Cer Detachment. The commander of the operation was Nikola Radovanović, a lieutenant general. The Cer Detachment conducted attacks on Šabac in order to distract the Germans in Banja Koviljača. They were quickly transported from Prnjavor through Loznica and Trbušnica to Mount Gučevo above Banja Koviljača where Račić, commander of the Cer detachment, was informed of the intention of the Jadar Detachment of 3,000 men to attack Banja Koviljača.Dedijer V
"From April 6, 1941, to November 27, 1942."
University of Michigan Press 1990 p490

The Jadar Detachment was supported by two companies of Partisans that belonged to the Pocerski Battalion, Podrinski Partisan Division. One of the companies (the 4th) was commanded by Aleksandar Lala Stanković. The other, an assault force, was commanded by Mika Mitrović.Filipović
"Podrinsko Kolubarski region'
Glas Podrinja 1982 p306
The German soldiers in Banja Koviljača were accommodated in the ''kursalon'' (the music hall) and in the hotels Podrinje, Herzegovina and Dalmatia. Between 30 and 40 German soldiers were positioned in a sanatorium on the hill above Banja Koviljača. These soldiers were part of the 718th Infantry Division ( Wehrmacht 118th Jäger Division). The divisional headquarters were in Banja Luka and the divisional command post was in Zvornik, both located in the Independent State of Croatia. Hence, the divisional commander first approached the Croatian Minister of the Armed Forces, Slavko Kvaternik, for support.

Mate Rupčić (commander of the NDH Military on the Serbian front) gave support with the Croatian Home Guard 3rd and 4th Regiments from Zvornik and Tuzla, commanded by Colonel Grum."Le Cinquiòme Congrès du Parti communiste de Yougoslavie, 21-29 Juillet, 1948."
Kongres Savez Komunista Jugoslavije. Livre yougoslave 1949 p85 "Des détachements de notre domobran, du 3e et du 4e régiments, sous le commandement du colonel Grum, ont passé la Drina dans un élan magnifique et, en étroite collaboration avec les troupes allemandes, après avoir détruit les bandes."Begić M
"HOS: 1941 - 1945, Hrvatske Oružane Snage u borbi za obranu Nezavisne Države Hrvatske, slobode i obstanka hrvatskog naroda iron Krešimir."
Laus 1998 p39-40.

The battle

On 1 September, the Jadar Detachment under the command of Captain Bogdan Drljača and reserve Lieutenant George Bojić attacked the 3rd Battalion of the German 718th division. German soldiers at the sanatorium retreated to the town and dug a trench and improvised a bunker. Others made a strong defensive fortification with barbed wire and machine gun nests. The German soldiers offered fierce resistance and successfully repelled the attackers and held the town whilst waiting for reinforcements.

On 2 September, the 3rd Battalion of the 738th German Regiment had to retreat to the east from its position near Koviljača. On the same day, a German reconnaissance aircraft was damaged above Loznica.Avramov S
"Genocid u Jugoslaviji u svetlosti međunarodnog prava."
Politika 1952 p. 194. "У оперативном дневнику немачког заповедника у Србији наводи се следеће 2 септембра оштећен је непријатељском ватром извиђачки авион изнад Лознице." During the night of 2 September, allied forces numbering between 5,000 and 6,000 Partisans of the Valjevo Detachment and around 1,000 Chetniks under the command of Martinović and Vlado Zečević, a priest, attacked the neighboring town of Krupanj."Zbornik Dokumenta"
Vojnoistorijski institut Serbia, Belgrade 1949 p75. "2 септембра у ноћи снаге Ваљевског партизанског одреда, у сарањи са војно-четничким одредима поручника Мартиновића и проте Зечевића, отпочеле су напад на Крупањ..."Kovačević M. and Jeremić M
"Narodna vlast u Srbiji, 1941-1961.'
Savremena administracija 1962 p17. "Војно-четнички одред попа Владе Зечевића и поручника Мартиновића ... ове снаге су оствариле јединство акција у борби за ослобођење Крупња, са ваљевским народноослободилачким одредом..." German reinforcements from Valjevo tried to reach Krupanj and Koviljača with support of the German air force but could not break through the allied lines.Dimitrijević B. and Nikolić K
"Đeneral Mihailović: biografija."
Институт за савремену историју, Belgrade 2004 p166 (in Serbian.)

On 3 September, the German soldiers in Banja Koviljača received artillery support from the Independent State of Croatia (''Nezavisna Država Hrvatska'', NDH) and support from the Luftwaffe. Two Junkers Ju 87s dropped twenty-four bombs on Chetnik positions. After this barrage, Croatian Home Guard forces of battalion strength crossed the Drina River near Zvornik. They attacked the left wing of the Chetnik-held slopes of Gučevo, west of Banja Koviljača. The Chetniks under the command of Lieutenant Lazar Savić were suppressed by the Germans and NDH forces who crossed the Drina at Kozluk. Lieutenant George Bojić returned on the same day with reinforcements to halt the progress of German and NDH forces and joined with the Cer Detachment under the command of Dragoslav Račić.

On the night of the 4 September, large battles were fought. On 5 September, according to Vladimir Dedijer, the Chetniks requested support from Partisan forces (Mačva Detachment and Valjevo Detachment).Šnuder M
"Dnevnik 1941-1945: V partizanih."
Založba Obzorja 1994, p152. "Dalje so zavzeli Banjo Kobiljačo, kjer so vojnim četnikom prišli na pomoć partizani iz Mačvanskega odreda, pa tudi iz Valjevskoga odreda skupina z Zečevićem in Martinovićem." These detachments marched towards Banja Koviljača. When Partisan units reached Tršić they received news that Banja Koviljača had been captured.

The German soldiers erected high voltage wires in front of their line. Sergeant Obren Popović, not knowing this, approached the critical German position at the Hotel Hercegovina. Popović led the Chetnik men with a bomb in his hand. The Chetnik men ran onto the high-voltage wire and all were killed.

On the night of 5 September, fighting continued. The Chetnik forces reached the Hotel Hercegovina in a decisive onslaught by jumping over the high-voltage wires and throwing grenades through the windows of the hotel. There was panic among the Germans, who rapidly retreated with the NDH to Zvornik and were then evacuated by air.

Aftermath

After the capture of the town, the Chetniks celebrated the birthday of King Peter II of Yugoslavia. A prison camp to contain captured German prisoners was opened in Planinica village. The Chetniks and the Partisans established command posts in Loznica and Banja Koviljača. Remaining German forces were trapped in Šabac and Valjevo, encircled by the allied forces."Godis ̆njak."
Istorijski Arhiv u Sapcu 1966 p263. "За неколико дана ослобоћени су Богатић, Лозница, Ковиљача, Крупањ, Столице, Љубовија, читав ваљевски крај и друга места. Немци су остали једино у блокираним градовима Шапцу и Ваљеву." Victories at Loznica, Banja Koviljača, Zavlaka, and Krupanj released most of western Serbia, including Loznica, Koviljača and Krupanj, from Axis occupation.Gojko N
"Korijen, stablo, pavetina: memoari."
Sveučilišna naklada Liber u suradnji s Prosvjetom 1982 p315. "oslobođeni su Loznica, Koviljača i Krupanj, pa je već stvorena i slobodna teritorija."

The Cer Detachment commanded by Račić attacked German positions in Šabac. They penetrated the town but could not capture it."The Četniks: a survey of Četnik activity in Yugoslavia, April 1941-July 1944."
G-2 (pb), A.F.H.Q. 1944 p9. "Racic even managed to penetrate into Sabac without succeeding in establishing control over that town." The Chetniks joined with forces in Šumadija to attack Valjevo. The consolidated Chetnik forces advanced to the valley of Western Morava and liberated Čačak, Kraljevo and Kruševac.

Notes

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Banja Koviljača
Banja Koviljača
Banja Koviljača
Yugoslavia in World War II
1941 in Serbia
September 1941 events