Active 1941 Branch Royal Yugoslav Army Size Division | Country Kingdom of Yugoslavia Type Infantry Part of 7th Army | |
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The 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski was a Royal Yugoslav Army infantry formation raised prior to the German-led Axis invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941. It formed part of the Yugoslav 7th Army, and was deployed southwest of Ljubljana in the Julian Alps, along the western border with Italy from Bičke north to Mount Blegoš. It was not heavily engaged during the first few days of the invasion, but from 9 April it withdrew steadily due to withdrawals on its flanks and in the face of the advancing German XLIX Mountain Corps. Encircled by the 14th Panzer Division linking up with Italian thrusts further west, it surrendered on 12 April.
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Composition
The 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski was commanded by Divizijski đeneral (Major general) Dragiša Pandurović, and consisted of the 32nd and 40th Infantry Regiments and the 32nd and 37th Artillery Regiments. Two further infantry regiments were to be transferred to other formations at the time of mobilisation.
Deployment plan and mobilisation
The 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski was part of the 7th Army, which was responsible for the Yugoslav borders with Italy and the Third Reich. Its planned deployment area was southwest of Ljubljana in the Julian Alps, along the western border with Italy from Bičke north to Mount Blegoš. On the left flank of the division was Mountain Detachment Rišnajaski, and on its right flank was Mountain Detachment Triglavski. Within the divisional area of responsibility, the 2nd and 3rd Border Regiments were manning fortifications, supported by two border artillery battalions fielding eight batteries.
After unrelenting pressure from Adolf Hitler, Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact on 25 March 1941. On 27 March, a military coup d'état overthrew the government that had signed the pact, and a new government was formed under the Royal Yugoslav Air Force commander, Armijski đeneral (Lieutenant general) Dušan Simović. A general mobilisation was not called by the new government until 3 April 1941, out of fear of offending Hitler and thus precipitating war. However, on the same day as the coup Hitler issued Führer Directive 25 which called for Yugoslavia to be treated as a hostile state, and on 3 April, Führer Directive 26 was issued, detailing the plan of attack and command structure for the invasion.
According to a post-war U.S. Army study, by the time the invasion commenced, the 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski had only commenced mobilisation. A significant part of the division was moving from its mobilisation areas to its concentration areas, while some elements were still mobilising. On 6 April, the division was located as follows:
Operations
The border between the Reich and Yugoslavia was unsuitable for motorised operations. Due to the short notice of the invasion, the elements of the invading German 2nd Army that would make up LI Infantry Corps and XLIX Mountain Corps had to be transported from Germany, German-occupied France and the Nazi puppet Slovak Republic, and nearly all encountered difficulties in reaching their assembly areas in time for 6 April. In the area of responsibility of the 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski, the XLIX Mountain Corps was significantly delayed, and did not start pushing forward until 8 April. On the following day, the Germans advanced on Celje. In response to withdrawals on the right flank of the 7th Army, 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski and Mountain Detachment Triglavski fell back to the southern bank of the Krka river on 9 April. Elements of XLIX Mountain Corps secured the southern exit of the Karawanks railway tunnel near Jesenice, and the Italians made several attacks on the weakened sector of the 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski.
On the night of 10 April, the 1st Mountain Division, the most capable formation of XLIX Mountain Corps, had detrained, crossed the border near Bleiburg, and advanced southeast towards Celje, reaching a point about 19 km (12 mi) from the town by evening. The rest of the XLIX Mountain Corps encountered little resistance, and by nightfall had reached the line Šoštanj–Mislinja. During the night of 10/11 April, XLIX Mountain Corps was ordered to bridge the Savinja river at Celje, then advance towards Brežice on the Sava. The Germans captured Celje on 11 April, by which time the whole 7th Army was withdrawing in disarray, and the 14th Panzer Division was creating havoc in the rear areas. Having captured Zagreb the previous day, the 14th Panzer Division then drove west to Karlovac, encircling the 7th Army. The Italians went over to the offensive that day, with the 3rd Alpine Group tasked to advance to the line Selca–Radovljica, XI Corps to push via Logatec to Ljubljana, VI Corps to drive on Prezid, and V Corps to advance from Fiume towards Kraljevica then Lokve. While one Italian attack south of the Snežnik plateau was stopped by elements of the Mountain Detachment Rišnajaski and the Italian advance was held up by border troops in some areas, there was little significant resistance, and by the end of the day they had captured Sušak, Bakar, Delnice, Jesenice, Vrhnika, Logatec and Ljubljana. The Italians faced little resistance, and captured about 30,000 troops of the 7th Army waiting to surrender near Delnice. On 12 April, the 14th Panzer Division linked up with the Italians at Vrbovsko, closing the ring around the remnants of the 7th Army, including the 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski, which promptly surrendered.