Operation Rübezahl

Operation Rübezahl (Unternehmen Rübezahl) was the name of 3 German anti-partisan operations in Yugoslavia during World War II. The first operation announced the beginning of a strategic retreat by Nazi German troops from Serbia after the front change of Romania and Bulgaria.

Operation Rübezahl I
In summer 1944, German soldiers were doing sweeps against communist-led Yugoslav Partisans under the overall command of Josip Broz Tito. But on 30 August, after Romania and Bulgaria split from their Nazi ally, Germany entered into a crisis on the Balkan front. While the forces of the Partisans were moving to unite with the Soviet Red Army in the German-occupied territory of Serbia, German troops tried to avoid defeat in that strategic area by implementing "Operation Rübezahl" to enable the organised retreat of Germans. Among them there were:


 * 1st Mountain Division
 * 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
 * 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)
 * 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)

Between 20 and 22 August, German troops surrounded and destroyed a particularly large Partisan unit moving westwards from the Independent State of Croatia to occupied Serbia. Only a few Partisans survived thanks to Allied planes which managed to land on battered airstrips, air-lifting about a thousand injured to hospitals located in Italy.

Operation Rübezahl II
Operation Rübezahl II was a German offensive in February 1945 against Yugoslav partisans in the Slovene Littoral.

Operation Rübezahl III
Operation Rübezahl III was a German and Croat offensive in March 1945 against the Yugoslav 30th 'Slovenia' Division, who was threatening the important port city of Trieste.