Rude Awakening

At the time of the invasion on 6 April, the Yugoslavian Army was in the midst of mobilization; only eleven divisions were ready to face the thirty German, fourteen Italian and five Hungarian divisions that plunged into their country. Confusion and despair among the defenders of this land of …

1941-04-09

47

At the time of the invasion on 6 April, the Yugoslavian Army was in the midst of mobilization; only eleven divisions were ready to face the thirty German, fourteen Italian and five Hungarian divisions that plunged into their country. Confusion and despair among the defenders of this land of poor communications and divided politics were endemic. German columns often tore through enemy reserve units that were still attempting to organize, scattering them before they formed. Once such instance occurred at Alibunara, where the 5th Mounted Regiment had been ordered to protect this mobilization center for two regimental headquarters. Just before noon, a German column was spotted on the road east of the village. Unhappily for the Yugoslavs, it was the vanguard of the 8th Panzer Division, with the 8th Motorcycle Regiment and 59th Recon Battalion in the lead. While most of the arriving inductees fled into the hills, and as the dismounted elements of the cavalry regiment took up hasty positions in the buildings, one squadron launched a heroic, hopeless charge to gain time.

Alibunara, Yugoslavia

The Invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put forward in "Führer Directive No. 25", which Adolf Hitler issued on 27 March 1941, following a Yugoslav coup d'état that overthrew the pro-Axis government. The invasion commenced with an overwhelming air attack on Belgrade and facilities of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (VVKJ) by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and attacks by German land forces from southwestern Bulgaria. These attacks were followed by German thrusts from Romania, Hungary and the Ostmark. Italian forces were limited to air and artillery attacks until 11 April, when the Italian army attacked towards Ljubljana (in modern-day Slovenia) and through Istria and Lika and down the Dalmatian coast. On the same day, Hungarian forces entered Yugoslav Bačka and Baranya, but like the Italians they faced practically no resistance. A Yugoslav attack into the northern parts of the Italian protectorate of Albania met with initial success, but was inconsequential due to the collapse of the rest of the Yugoslav forces.

German

Yugoslavian

Scenario Type = Standard