The
13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) was one of the thirty-eight
divisionsA division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps...
fielded as part of the
Waffen-SSThe Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside the Wehrmacht Heer regular army, but was never formally part of it...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The majority of its recruits were
BosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
(90%) and
CroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 5 million Croats living in the southern Central Europe region, along the east bank of the Adriatic Sea and an estimated 9 million throughout the world...
(10%).
Handschar (
BosnianBosnian is a South Slavic language spoken primarily in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region of Sandžak in Serbia and Montenegro, although it is also spoken in various places throughout the world, as many speakers were forced to become refugees during the Bosnian war...
/
CroatianCroatian is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Croatian minorities in some neighbouring countries, in the Italian region of Molise, and parts of the Croatian diaspora....
:
Handžar) was the local word for the Turkish
scimitarA scimitar is a sword with a curved blade design finding its origins in Southwest Asia .The name can be used to refer to almost any Middle Eastern or South Asian sword with a curved blade, and is often thought of as having a ridge near the end...
a historical symbol of Bosnia and
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
. An image of the Handschar adorned the division's flag and coat of arms.
The
Handschar division was a mountain infantry formation, the equivalent of the German "
GebirgsjägerGebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Huntsmen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Huntsman is the traditional German term for rifleman . The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three "Landesschützen" regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
" (Mountain troops) units. It was used to conduct operations against
Yugoslav PartisansThe Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II resistance movement engaged in the fight against Axis forces and their collaborators in Yugoslavia during the Yugoslav People's Liberation War from 1941 to 1945...
in the
Independent State of CroatiaThe Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany. The NDH was established on April 10, 1941 after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers...
from February to September 1944.
History
After the fall of
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
on 16 April, 1941 to
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
, the extremist Croat-nationalist and Fascist
Ante PavelićAnte Pavelić was a Yugoslav fascist politician and WWII collaborator. An ethnic Croatian ultra-nationalist who, bearing the title of "Poglavnik"
["Poglavnik" was a term coined by the Ustaše, and it was originally used as the title for the leader of the movement...]
(who had been in exile in Mussolini's
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
) was appointed Poglavnik or leader of a new
UstašeThe Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement , members known collectively as Ustaše, but sometimes anglicised as Ustashe, Ustashas or Ustashi) was a Croatian anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was blend of fascism, nazism, Croatian ultranationalism, and Roman Catholic...
state - Nezavisna Država Hrvatska (
NDHThe letters NDH can mean:* The Independent State of Croatia * New German Hardness, or Neue Deutsche Härte * National Dairy Holdings L.P.* In ads for used vehicles, particularly aircraft: No damage history...
, the
Independent State of CroatiaThe Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany. The NDH was established on April 10, 1941 after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers...
). The
YugoslavYugoslav refers to:* Yugoslavia** Kingdom of Yugoslavia** Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia** Federal Republic of Yugoslavia* Yugoslavs...
provinces of
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
, Bosnia-Herzegovina and parts of
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
were reconstituted as a pro-Nazi satellite entity under joint Nazi and
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
occupation. The
UstašeThe Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement , members known collectively as Ustaše, but sometimes anglicised as Ustashe, Ustashas or Ustashi) was a Croatian anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was blend of fascism, nazism, Croatian ultranationalism, and Roman Catholic...
almost immediately launched a vicious campaign of violence directed at unarmed Serb civilians.
On July 6, 1941 Pavelić's Culture and Education Minister,
Mile BudakMile Budak was an Ustashe, best known as one of the chief ideologists of the Croatian nationalist Ustaše movement, which ruled the Independent State of Croatia, or NDH, from 1941-45 and waged a genocidal campaign against its Serb, Roma and Jewish minorities...
, announced that the
UstašeThe Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement , members known collectively as Ustaše, but sometimes anglicised as Ustashe, Ustashas or Ustashi) was a Croatian anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was blend of fascism, nazism, Croatian ultranationalism, and Roman Catholic...
considered the Bosnian Muslims an integral part of the NDH :
"The Croatian State is Christian. It is also a Muslim State where our people are of the Islamic religion." Pavelić ordered a property in
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
be converted into a
mosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name, masjid, —...
that he modestly named after himself in his efforts to secure the loyalty of the Bosnian Muslims : the Poglavniks Mosque.
Bosnian
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
clerics issued three declarations (
fatāwaA fatwā , in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwa is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be binding, depending on the status of the scholar...
), all publicly denouncing Croat-Nazi collaborationist measures, laws and violence against Jews and Serbs: that of
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
in October 1941, of
MostarMostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the biggest and the most important city in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
in 1941, and of
Banja LukaBanja Luka or Banjaluka is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest and most developed city in Republika Srpska which is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditionally it has been the center of the Bosanska Krajina region located in the northwestern...
on 12 November, 1941 .
Despite Pavelić's assurances of equality, it wasn't long before many Bosniaks became dissatisfied with Croatian rule. An Islamic leader reported that not one Muslim occupied an influential post in the (local) administration. Fierce fighting broke out between
UstaseThe Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement , members known collectively as Ustaše, but sometimes anglicised as Ustashe, Ustashas or Ustashi) was a Croatian anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was blend of fascism, nazism, Croatian ultranationalism, and Roman Catholic...
and Partisans. A number of
UstaseThe Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement , members known collectively as Ustaše, but sometimes anglicised as Ustashe, Ustashas or Ustashi) was a Croatian anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was blend of fascism, nazism, Croatian ultranationalism, and Roman Catholic...
units believed that the Bosniaks were communist sympathizers and burned their villages and murdered civilians. Serb victims of the violence were inclined to view the
BosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
as collaborators.
The Fall of 1942 saw SS Reichsfuhrer
Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler , one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, served as Chief of the German Police and Minister of the Interior...
and SS-General
Gottlob BergerGottlob Berger was a German general who held the rank of Obergruppenführer during World War II.In 1939, he was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's main recruiting officer. From 1940, he was Chief of Staff for the Waffen-SS and head of SS-Hauptamt .-Earlier career:He was born at Gerstetten,...
approach Hitler with the proposal to raise a
Bosnian MuslimThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
SS division. Both the
WehrmachtWehrmacht was the name of the unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe ....
and the SS were concerned about the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the
NDHThe letters NDH can mean:* The Independent State of Croatia * New German Hardness, or Neue Deutsche Härte * National Dairy Holdings L.P.* In ads for used vehicles, particularly aircraft: No damage history...
that tied down
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
military personnel that could be better employed elsewhere. By the New Year of 1943 over 100,000 Bosnian Muslims had been killed (9% of all Bosniaks at the time) and 250,000 had been expelled from their homes - mostly by Serb
ChetniksThe Chetnik movement or the Chetniks were a Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organization operating in the Balkans before and during World Wars...
.
"The Muslims" remarked one German General,
"bear the special status of being persecuted by all others".
Himmler fantasized that there was a fanatical, blind obedience in the Bosniaks. He thought that Muslim men would make perfect SS soldiers as Islam
"promises them Heaven if they fight and are killed in action." Himmler was also inspired by the noted successes of Hapsburg Bosnian infantry regiments in
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
.
George Lepre wrote : "Himmler endeavoured to restore what he called
'an old Austrian' tradition by reviving the Bosnian regiments of the former Austro-Hungarian army in the form of a
Bosnian MuslimThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
SS Division. Once raised, this division was to engage and destroy Tito's Partisan forces operating in North-eastern Bosnia, thus restoring local 'order'. To be sure, Himmler's primary concern in the region was not the security of the local Muslim population, but the welfare of ethnic German settlers to the north in
SremŚrem is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999; from 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship...
.
'Srem is the breadbasket of Croatia, and hopefully it and our beloved German settlements will be secured. I hope that the area south of Srem will be liberated by ... the Bosnian division ... so that we can at least restore partial order in this ridiculous (Croatian) state.'
Hitler formally approved the project on 10 February, 1943 and SS-Obergruppenführer
Arthur PhlepsArtur Martin Phleps was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian and German officer who held the rank of Obergruppenführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. An Austro-Hungarian Army officer in World War I, he served in the Romanian Army during the interwar period, before joining the military forces...
, a Romanian ethnic German commander, was charged with raising the division.
Recruitment
In Spring 1943, the
MuftiA mufti is an Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . A muftiat or diyanet is a council of muftis.-Qualifications:...
of
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
, Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, (aka Amin al-Husseini), was invited by the Nazis to assist in the organizing and recruiting Bosniaks into the Waffen SS and other units in Yugoslavia. He successfully convinced the Bosniaks to go against the declarations of the
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
,
MostarMostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the biggest and the most important city in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
, and
Banja LukaBanja Luka or Banjaluka is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest and most developed city in Republika Srpska which is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditionally it has been the center of the Bosanska Krajina region located in the northwestern...
clerics, who in 1941 forbade
Bosnian MuslimsThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
from collaborating with the
UstašeThe Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement , members known collectively as Ustaše, but sometimes anglicised as Ustashe, Ustashas or Ustashi) was a Croatian anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was blend of fascism, nazism, Croatian ultranationalism, and Roman Catholic...
. Croatian Foreign Minister Dr. Mladen Lorkovic suggested that the Division be named "SS Ustasa Division", not an SS Division but a Croatian unit raised with SS assistance, and that its regimental names be given regional names such as "Bosna", "Krajina", "Una" etc.
The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust states that "The Germans made a point of publicizing the fact that Husseini had flown from Berlin to Sarajevo for the sole purpose of giving his blessing to the Muslim army and inspecting its arms and training exercises". According to Aleksa Djilas in
The Nation That Wasn't that al-Husayni : "accepted, visited Bosnia, and convinced some important Muslim leaders that a Muslim SS division would be in the interest of Islam. In spite of these and other propaganda efforts, only half of the expected 20,000 to 25,000 Muslims volunteered."
Ante PavelicAnte Pavelić was a Yugoslav fascist politician and WWII collaborator. An ethnic Croatian ultra-nationalist who, bearing the title of "Poglavnik"
["Poglavnik" was a term coined by the Ustaše, and it was originally used as the title for the leader of the movement...]
, the Croatian leader, objected to the recruitment of an exclusively Muslim division and was concerned about a Muslim bid for independence, considering Muslim areas to be a part of the
Independent State of CroatiaThe Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany. The NDH was established on April 10, 1941 after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers...
. As a compromise the division was called "Croatian" and included at least 10% Catholic
CroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 5 million Croats living in the southern Central Europe region, along the east bank of the Adriatic Sea and an estimated 9 million throughout the world...
.
Al-Husayni insisted that "The most important task of this division must be to protect the homeland and families (of the Bosnian volunteers); the division must not be permitted to leave Bosnia", but this request was ignored by the Germans
According to Chris Ailsby : "Himmler convinced himself that Balkan Muslims were neither Slavs nor
TurksThe Turkish people , also known as the "Turks" are defined mainly as citizens of the Republic of Turkey. An early historic text provided the definition of being a Turk as "any individual within the Republic of Turkey; whatever his/her faith or racial/ethnic background; who speaks Turkish, grows up...
, but were really Aryans who had adopted Islam." (Source:
"SS: Hell on the Western Front. The Waffen SS in Europe 1940-1945", 2003. p. 70). He believed the Muslims of Bosnia to be the same, racially, as the Croatians, and saw the Croatians as descended of
GothicThe Goths were a heterogeneous East Germanic tribe. The historian Jordanes claimed that the Goths arrived from semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland , and that a Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the 2nd century, lending their name to the region of...
and Persian stock. See also Iranian theory about descent of Croats
Recruitment for the division fell as the war progressed and when rumors spread that the division was going to fight the Soviets, the Muslims deserted in droves.
At the end of 1944, the separate
Kama division23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Kama was a Bosnian Moslem division in the Waffen-SS during World War II.The Division was activated in January 1944 and on 28 May Hitler gave his formal approval for the creation of a second Bosnian Waffen-SS Division following the modest success of the...
was merged into the Handschar division.
Service
The Bosnian Waffen SS units were recruited to combat Communist Partisans, including residents of villages from where many of the recruits themselves originated. They operated in north-eastern Bosnia and partly in Srem.
Training
Sent to France, they were in training until November 1943, when they were sent to the old Prussian military camp at Neuhammer,
SilesiaSilesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in present-day Poland, with parts in the Czech Republic and Germany....
. The unit returned to Bosnia in February 1944.
Villefranche-de-Rouergue Mutiny (September 1943)
On 17 September 1943, whilst the Handschar was garrisoned in
Villefranche-de-RouergueVillefranche-de-Rouergue is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France.-History:At the end of the Albigensian Crusade from the northern "barons" against the southern Occitania on a religious pretext , the Count of Toulouse was defeated and concluded the treaty of Paris in 1229...
in France, a group of communist infiltrators staged a mutiny. Led by Ferid Džanić they captured most of the German personnel and executed five German officers. Apparently the mutineers believed that many of the enlisted men would join them and they could reach the western Allies. The revolt was put down with the assistance of the unit
imamAn imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the leader of a mosque and the community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads the prayer during Islamic gatherings. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have an Islamic question...
,
Halim MalkoćHalim Malkoć was a Bosnian Muslim Imam and SS Obersturmführer in the Waffen-SS division Handschar, best known for his involvement in the suppression of the Villefranche-de-Rouergue mutiny of 1943 and also believed to be the only Muslim awarded the German Iron Cross during World War Two.Malkoć was...
and Dr. Schweiger. Approximately 20 of the rebels were killed summarily or after a trial. The Nazis were convinced that there were communists who had infiltrated the unit in order to disrupt it. Afterwards there was a purge of members of the unit who were deemed "unsuitable for service" or "politically unsuitable". More than 800 were removed from the unit and sent to
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
for "labor service". Of those, 265 who refused to work were sent to Neuengamme concentration camp where many of them died. When the city was liberated in 1944, they decided to pay tribute to the troops by naming one of its streets
Avenue des Croates. According to the wartime Mayor, Louis Erignac, Villefranche-de-Rouergue was the first free city of occupied
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Operations against Yugoslav Partisans
Handschar participated in the largest anti partisan sweep of World War 2 :
Unternehmen Maibaum. The
7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz EugenThe 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen. was formed on March 1942 from Volksdeutsche volunteers from Croatia, Serbia, Hungary and Romania, it was initially called the SS-Freiwilligen-Division Prinz Eugen. . It was engaged in anti partisan operations in the Balkans during World War II...
was involved in this campaign. The
Handschar Division also participated in
Wegweiser,
Save,
Osterei,
Maibaum,
Maiglöckchen,
Vollmond,
Fliegenfänger,
Heidrose and
Hackfleisch operations from February to September 1944.
Composition
The
Handschar division was commanded by German officers, and composed of native Germans from
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
(
VolksdeutscheVolksdeutsche is a historical term which arose in the early 20th century to describe ethnic Germans living outside of the Reich. This is in contrast to Imperial Germans , German citizens living within Germany...
), and
BosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller autochthonous population also present in the Sandžak, Croatia, and the Republic of Macedonia. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their tie to the Bosnian historical region,...
, who are Muslims from
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( or (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeast Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula...
. It was the largest of the Muslim-oriented divisions and the SS Divisions with 21,065 men, of whom 2,800 were Croat Christians and the remainder Bosnian Muslims. The number of Christians was higher than directed by Himmler, who had allowed a 10% Christian component only after the recruitment of sufficient Muslims proved difficult. The division had a Muslim
ImamAn imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the leader of a mosque and the community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads the prayer during Islamic gatherings. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have an Islamic question...
for each
battalionA battalion is a military unit of around 1000-1500 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel...
other than the all-German signal battalion. Initially there was a small
AlbanianAlbanian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Albania* Albanians, a people living in Albania, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Italy and elsewhere* The Albanian language...
component. In 1943 a number of Albanians from
KosovoKosovo is a disputed territory in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo , a self-declared independent state which has de facto control over the territory; the exceptions are some Serb enclaves...
and the
SandžakSandžak is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...
region were recruited and teamed up into Battalion I/2 (later I/28). This was perhaps the best trained and equiped Nazi Albanian military formation during the war but, ironicly, was transferred directly from combat in Bosnia to Kosovo via rail on 17 April 1944 following the creation of
21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)The 21st SS Division Skanderbeg was a Waffen SS Mountain division set up by Heinrich Himmler in March 1944, officially under the title of the 21. Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS Skanderbeg...
. The head of Waffen SS recruitment, SS Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger reported to Himmler that the Albanians "...were quite sad about leaving."
Commanders
- SS-Obergruppenführer Artur Phelps
Artur Martin Phleps was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian and German officer who held the rank of Obergruppenführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. An Austro-Hungarian Army officer in World War I, he served in the Romanian Army during the interwar period, before joining the military forces...
(in charge of raising the division, from 10 February 1943)
- SS-Oberführer Herbert von Obwurzer (1 April 1943 - 9 August 1943)
- SS-Gruppenführer Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig
Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig was a Prussian-born Wehrmacht Colonel who transferred to the Waffen-SS during World War Two and led the "13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar" in 1943 to 1945.- Career :...
(9 August 1943 - 1 June 1944)
- SS-Brigadeführer Desiderius Hampel
Desiderius Hampel was a Brigadeführer and Generalmajor in the Waffen SS during World War II. Who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early life:Desiderius...
(1 June 1944 May-8 May 1945)
Order of battle
- SS-Waffen Gebirgsjäger
Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Huntsmen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Huntsman is the traditional German term for rifleman . The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three "Landesschützen" regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
Regiment 27
- SS-Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment 28
- SS-Waffen Artillerie Regiment 13
- SS-Panzerjäger
Panzerjäger are German armoured fighting vehicles of the Second World War.-Origin of the name:The designation "Panzerjäger" is derived from the branch of service going by the same name. "Jäger" was the common labeling for highly mobile infantry troops in German armies...
Battalion 13
- SS-Reconnaissance Battalion(mot) 13
- Waffen-Gebirgs Pioneer Battalion 13
- Waffen-Gebirgs Signals Battalion 13
- Waffen-Flak Battalion 13
- SS-Nachrichten-Battalion 13
- Kroatische SS-Radfahr-Battalion
- Kroatische SS-Motorcycle Battalion
- SS-Divisionsnachschubtruppen 13
- Versorgungs-Regiment Stab 13
- SS-Verwaltungs-Battalion 13
- SS-Medical Battalion 13
- SS-Krankenkraftwagenzug
- SS-Volunteer Gebirgs Vetinary Company 13
- SS-Feldpostamt 13
- SS-War Reported platoon 13
- SS-Feldgendarmerie
The Feldgendarmerie were the military police units of the armies of the German Empire from the mid 19th Century until the conclusion of World War II.- Early history :...
-Troop 13
- SS-Reserve Battalion 13
- SS-Training Battalion 13
Assignments
The Bosniak Waffen SS units were assigned to combat Tito's
partisansThe Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II resistance movement engaged in the fight against Axis forces and their collaborators in Yugoslavia during the Yugoslav People's Liberation War from 1941 to 1945...
, including residents of villages from where many of the recruits themselves originated in Bosnia. The Division was trained and armed as a German mountain division. It conducted operations against from February 1944 onwards.
Operation Wegweiser
From 10 to 13 March 1944, the target of Operation Wegweiser was a part of the
SyrmiaSyrmia is a fertile region of the Pannonian Plain in Europe, between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia in the east and Croatia in the west....
region, held by partisans who were constant threat to Zagreb-Belgrade railway in particular forests around
BosutThe Bosut is a river in eastern Croatia and northwestern Serbia, a 186 km long left tributary of the Sava river.- Croatia :...
and villages around Sava river. This was the first operation for the newly formed
13th Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS Handschar.
Operation Sava
Begun on 15 March, 1944 with the goal of clearing partisans from
SemberijaSemberija is a geographical region in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main town in the region is Bijeljina. Semberija is located between Drina and Sava rivers and Majevica mountain...
region, in northeastern Bosnia, across the Sava River, and was the Handschar's first
offensive action. The assault was led by Sauberzweig, who wrote to the Handzar troops: "We have now reached the Bosnian frontier and will (soon) begin the march into the homeland… The Führer has provided you with his best weapons. Not only do you (have these) in your hands, but above all you have an idea in your hearts---to liberate the homeland….Before long, each of you shall be standing in the place that you call home, as a soldier and a gentleman; standing firm as a defender of the idea of saving the culture of Europe---the idea of Adolf Hitler."
Sauberzweig also ordered that as the Handzar units crossed the Sava River, each commander was to read a prepared message, which emphasized that the "liberation" of "Muslim Albania" was a goal, and appealing directly to the Albanian troops in the Handschar Division. 27th Regiment for Handschar Division crossed Sava river at
Sremska RačaSremska Rača is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Sremska Mitrovica municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province...
on 15 March, 1944 advancing across the
Pannonian PlainThe Pannonian Plain is a large plain in Central Europe that remained when the Pliocene Pannonian Sea dried out. It is a geomorphological subsystem of the Alps-Himalaya system.The river Danube divides the plain roughly in half...
through Velino Selo to
BrodacBrodac is a place located north of the city of Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are two parts of Brodac, Brodac Donji and Brodac Gornji.-Sport:The main football club is FK Jedinstvo Brodac....
. Disparate sources say that
BijeljinaBijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
was taken anywhere between 16 March and 17 March, around noon.
Regiment 27 then consolidated its position in the city whilst Regiment 28 bore the brunt of the fighting as it advanced through Pukis,
CelicČelić is a municipality located in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Čelić was part of the municipality of Lopare prior to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
and Koraj at the
MajevicaMajevica is a mountain in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated between Semberija, Posavina, and Tuzlanska Kotlina.Its highest peak is Stolice, some 10 miles east of Tuzla, and its stands 916 m high...
mountains.
Sauberzweig later recorded that II/28 "at
CelicČelić is a municipality located in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Čelić was part of the municipality of Lopare prior to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
stormed the Partisan defenses with (new) battalion commander Hans Hanke at the point" and that the enemy forces withdrew after running out of ammunition and suffering heavy casualties.
Operation Osterei
Operation Osterei began on 12 April, 1944 at 3 a.m. with the goal of clearing the Majevica mountain. 27th Regiment quickly captured
JanjaJanja is a town in the Bijeljina municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, administratively part of the Republika Srpska entity. Janja is located in Podrinje region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Janja is famous for the rivers Janja and Drina. Many people from Janja who now live in different countries...
and through
Donja TrnovaTrnova is a place located in the Ugljevik municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is divided on Gornja Trnova, Donja Trnova and Srednja Trnova- Donja Trnova :total: 1,491* Serbs - 1,462...
reached an important objective, the
Ugljevik mineUgljevik is a municipality and town of the same name in northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipality located in the eastern foothills of Mount Majevica, in picturesque countryside, where wondrous and beautiful mountain starts descending towards the flatlands of Semberija, to which it is tied...
. The II./27. reported 106 dead, 45 captured and 2 deserted enemy soldiers.
A Handschar reconnaissance detachment linked up with 1st Home Defense Mountain Brigade on western slopes of Majevica. 28th Regiment moved across Mackovac and after fighting around
PribojPriboj is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of Serbia at 43.59° North, 19.54° East. In 2002 the town had a total population of 19,564, while population of the municipality was 30,377.-Geography:...
pushed 38th Division south.
Operation Rübezahl
The German assault on Sandzak (Operation Rubezahl) was commanded by
Artur PhlepsArtur Martin Phleps was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian and German officer who held the rank of Obergruppenführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. An Austro-Hungarian Army officer in World War I, he served in the Romanian Army during the interwar period, before joining the military forces...
, who commanded
Group Kommando Sandschak - consisting of the
7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz EugenThe 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen. was formed on March 1942 from Volksdeutsche volunteers from Croatia, Serbia, Hungary and Romania, it was initially called the SS-Freiwilligen-Division Prinz Eugen. . It was engaged in anti partisan operations in the Balkans during World War II...
, the 1st Mountain Division, and the Handschar Division. The Handschar participated in the initial stages before transfer to the 2nd Corps, in order to protect the crossing of the Drina River (in eastern Bosnia), and the
Skanderbeg DivisionThe 21st SS Division Skanderbeg was a Waffen SS Mountain division set up by Heinrich Himmler in March 1944, officially under the title of the 21. Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS Skanderbeg...
.
Operation Maibaum
Operation Maibaum's ambitious goal was to destroy the entire Third Bosnian Corps of the Communist partisans. Certain units of the attacking force were put on the river
DrinaThe Drina is a river in Serbia and Republika Srpska, Serbian entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkan Peninsula, and it is largest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed. It is a 346 kilometer long tributary of the Sava River, and it forms most of the...
to prevent the enemy's retreat into Serbia and Zvornik. Main units were to surround and take
TuzlaTuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 131,000 inhabitants. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants. After Sarajevo, and Banja Luka, Tuzla is the third largest city in Bosnia...
and Vlasenica. April 25, Zvornik fell with few casualties. On 27 April the SS Division went into Kladanj and next day took Vlasenica. The 28 April would see the most bitter fighting between 13th SS and the partisans in the village of Sekovici. The battle lasted 24 hours ending with a huge human losses on both sides, as well as many captured enemy weapons and ammunitions.
Operation Maiglöckchen
17th of May 1944, the Division went south towards Stolica. Where they met with the 17th Majevica brigade which in the battle for Stolica lost average casualties of 16 dead and 60 captured.
Uniform
The uniform worn by the division was regular SS field-jacket issue, with a divisional collar patch showing an arm holding a Scimitar, over a
SwastikaThe swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form or its mirrored left-facing form. Archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates from the Neolithic period and was first found in the Indus Valley Civilization of the Indian...
. On the left arm was a Croatian armshield (red-white chessboard). Former SS personnel who were serving in the division were entitled to wear a
Sig RuneSig is the name given by Guido von List for the Sigel or s rune of the Armanen Futharkh, and is also used by Karl Maria Wiligut for his runes.-Nazism:...
badge that was attached to the breast pocket of the tunic. Unlike other SS divisions, no cufftitle existed for members of the Handschar.
Headgear was either the
fezThe fez , or Tarboosh طربوش , is a red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone.-Origin:...
which was permitted to be worn by all ranks, while German officers had the option to wear the mountain cap (
Bergmütze). The fez was chosen for the Division by
Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler , one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, served as Chief of the German Police and Minister of the Interior...
due to it having been worn by the Bosnia-Herzegovinian infantry regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1894 to 1918, as well as by the Austro-Hungarian Albanian Legion from 1916-18. There were two versions of the fez made: a field gray model to be worn in combat and while on duty, and a red colored model that was worn during parades, marching exercises, and while off duty. Both the fez and mountain cap bore the death's head and eagle of the SS, the mountain cap was also adorned with an
EdelweissEdelweiss , is one of the best-known European mountain flowers, belonging to the sunflower family . The name comes from German edel and weiss...
flower patch, worn on the left side of the cap.
Division Hymn
(Set to the melody of "Bombs on England")
See also
External links