Sea of Blood: A Military History of the Partisan Movement in Yugoslavia 1941-45
The Second World War on the territory of the former Yugoslavia was marked by extraordinary complexity and base brutality. At least twelve factions fought against and worked with each other in what was at the same time a liberation war, a civil war, and a revolutionary war. The human cost was staggering: out of the pre-war population of roughly 15 million, more than one million died as a direct result of the conflict.

Sea of Blood follows the creation and rise of the communist-led People's Liberation Movement and more specifically its combat arm, colloquially known as the Partisans. Sea of Blood also deals heavily with Axis counterinsurgency efforts, particularly those carried out by armed formations of the Third Reich. Although the past decade has seen a steady rise in the number of academic publications in English dealing with various military aspects of the war, none of them offers comprehensive coverage of the entire conflict. The main deficiency of most scholarly works from outside of what was once Yugoslavia is the over-reliance on Axis/non- Yugoslav primary sources; Sea of Blood seeks to redress the imbalance by drawing heavily on both original Yugoslav documents and a vast array of secondary sources published in the region over the past 70 years. The text also cites unpublished materials from more than a dozen archival institutions including NARA, TNA, TsAMO, BA/MA, Military Archives in Belgrade, and national archives from practically every former Yugoslav republic.

Sea of Blood will find a readership among all those interested in the Second World War in Yugoslavia, the history of guerrilla warfare, and the contemporary history of the Western Balkans. The main narrative is divided into seven chapters. Additional information is provided in the introduction (which comes together with a bibliographical survey) and three appendices, which contain a short treatise on human losses, as well as tables and organizational charts; the text is accompanied by 14 maps.
1138983852
Sea of Blood: A Military History of the Partisan Movement in Yugoslavia 1941-45
The Second World War on the territory of the former Yugoslavia was marked by extraordinary complexity and base brutality. At least twelve factions fought against and worked with each other in what was at the same time a liberation war, a civil war, and a revolutionary war. The human cost was staggering: out of the pre-war population of roughly 15 million, more than one million died as a direct result of the conflict.

Sea of Blood follows the creation and rise of the communist-led People's Liberation Movement and more specifically its combat arm, colloquially known as the Partisans. Sea of Blood also deals heavily with Axis counterinsurgency efforts, particularly those carried out by armed formations of the Third Reich. Although the past decade has seen a steady rise in the number of academic publications in English dealing with various military aspects of the war, none of them offers comprehensive coverage of the entire conflict. The main deficiency of most scholarly works from outside of what was once Yugoslavia is the over-reliance on Axis/non- Yugoslav primary sources; Sea of Blood seeks to redress the imbalance by drawing heavily on both original Yugoslav documents and a vast array of secondary sources published in the region over the past 70 years. The text also cites unpublished materials from more than a dozen archival institutions including NARA, TNA, TsAMO, BA/MA, Military Archives in Belgrade, and national archives from practically every former Yugoslav republic.

Sea of Blood will find a readership among all those interested in the Second World War in Yugoslavia, the history of guerrilla warfare, and the contemporary history of the Western Balkans. The main narrative is divided into seven chapters. Additional information is provided in the introduction (which comes together with a bibliographical survey) and three appendices, which contain a short treatise on human losses, as well as tables and organizational charts; the text is accompanied by 14 maps.
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Sea of Blood: A Military History of the Partisan Movement in Yugoslavia 1941-45

Sea of Blood: A Military History of the Partisan Movement in Yugoslavia 1941-45

by Gaj Trifkovic
Sea of Blood: A Military History of the Partisan Movement in Yugoslavia 1941-45

Sea of Blood: A Military History of the Partisan Movement in Yugoslavia 1941-45

by Gaj Trifkovic

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Overview

The Second World War on the territory of the former Yugoslavia was marked by extraordinary complexity and base brutality. At least twelve factions fought against and worked with each other in what was at the same time a liberation war, a civil war, and a revolutionary war. The human cost was staggering: out of the pre-war population of roughly 15 million, more than one million died as a direct result of the conflict.

Sea of Blood follows the creation and rise of the communist-led People's Liberation Movement and more specifically its combat arm, colloquially known as the Partisans. Sea of Blood also deals heavily with Axis counterinsurgency efforts, particularly those carried out by armed formations of the Third Reich. Although the past decade has seen a steady rise in the number of academic publications in English dealing with various military aspects of the war, none of them offers comprehensive coverage of the entire conflict. The main deficiency of most scholarly works from outside of what was once Yugoslavia is the over-reliance on Axis/non- Yugoslav primary sources; Sea of Blood seeks to redress the imbalance by drawing heavily on both original Yugoslav documents and a vast array of secondary sources published in the region over the past 70 years. The text also cites unpublished materials from more than a dozen archival institutions including NARA, TNA, TsAMO, BA/MA, Military Archives in Belgrade, and national archives from practically every former Yugoslav republic.

Sea of Blood will find a readership among all those interested in the Second World War in Yugoslavia, the history of guerrilla warfare, and the contemporary history of the Western Balkans. The main narrative is divided into seven chapters. Additional information is provided in the introduction (which comes together with a bibliographical survey) and three appendices, which contain a short treatise on human losses, as well as tables and organizational charts; the text is accompanied by 14 maps.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781914059940
Publisher: Helion and Company
Publication date: 01/31/2022
Pages: 448
Product dimensions: 6.70(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Gaj Trifković (b. 1981 in Sarajevo) obtained both his MA and PhD in history of Southeastern Europe from Karl-Franzens University in Graz, Austria. He published more than a dozen scholarly articles on military aspects of World War Two in Yugoslavia, and is the author of the book titled “Parleying with the Devil: Prisoner Exchange in Yugoslavia, 1941‒1945” (University Press of Kentucky/Andarta Books, 2020).

Table of Contents

List of Maps vi

Abbreviations vii

Spelling & Pronunciation xii

Introduction xiii

1 Uprising - Tide (July - December 1941) 19

1.1 Before Storm (April-June 1941) 19

1.2 "Urban Phase" of Uprising 32

1.3 Partisan Offensive in Serbia (July-September 1941) 35

1.4 Conference at Stolice: Early Partisan Army 41

1.5 German Counteroffensive in Serbia (September-December 1941) 48

1.6 Uprising in Montenegro 55

1.7 Country in Flames: Bosnia-Herzegovina 59

1.8 Mixed Response: Croatia 64

1.9 Slow Start: Slovenia 69

1.10 "Problem Children" of Uprising 74

2 Uprising - Ebb (January-June 1942) 80

2.1 Political Backdrop of Campaign 80

2.2 Winter Operations in Eastern Bosnia 89

2.3 Foca Reforms 95

2.4 Loss of Eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro 99

2.5 Developments in Western Bosnia: Battle of Kozara 106

2.6 Connecting Dots: Croatia and Syrmia 111

2.7 Spring Uprising in Slovenia 119

2.8 Serbia: Bleak Days 122

3 Go West! (July - December 1942) 126

3.1 "March of Proletarian Brigades" 126

3.2 Expanding "Tito's State" 130

3.3 New Army 140

3.4 Operations in Croatia and Syrmia 147

3.5 Slovenia: Bloody Summer 161

3.6 Serbia: Acimovic's Offensive 166

4 Greatest Trials (January-August 1943) 169

4.1 Operation "Weiss I": Storming of Bihac Republic 169

4.2 Operation "Weiss II": Battle on Neretva 174

4.3 From Neretva to Lim 178

4.4 Operation "Schwarz" I: Closing Ring 181

4.5 Operation "Schwarz" II: Battle on Sutjeska 185

4.6 Bosnia: Return to "Normality" 190

4.7 Croatia and Syrmia: New Commands and New Offensives 194

4.8 Slovenia: Final Months of Italian Occupation 200

4.9 Serbia and Macedonia: Small Steps Forward 203

4.10 Opposing Armies in mid-1943 207

5 Resurgence (September 1943 - February 1944) 219

5.1 Italian Surrender I: Slovenia and Northwestern Croatia 219

5.2 Italian Surrender II: Dalmatia, Montenegro, and Herzegovina 222

5.3 Winter Operations 1943-44 I: Bosnia and Sandzak 225

5.4 Winter Operations 1943-1944 II: Croatia and Western Bosnia 231

5.5 Aftermath of German Offensives 234

5.6 Operations North of Sava 238

5.7 Serbia and Macedonia: Finally Brigades 244

5.8 NOVJ after the Italian Surrender 247

6 Returning East (March - September 1944) 258

6.1 Chetniks 258

6.2 First NOVJ Incursion into Serbia 263

6.3 New German Tactics and Spring Stalemate in NDH 266

6.4 "Where is Tito?": Raid on Drvar 275

6.5 Second and Third NOVJ Incursions into Serbia 278

6.6 Summer 1944: Germans On Defensive 290

6.7 Slovenia: Demolition Campaigns and Assault Battalions 299

6.8 Macedonia: From Spring Offensive to Bulgarian Capitulation 304

6.9 NOVJ in mid-1944: "British Honeymoon" 307

7 Victory (October 1944 - May 1945) 316

7.1 Red Steamroller in Serbia: Belgrade Operation 316

7.2 Slaughterhouse: Syrmian Front (October 1944-March 1945) 322

7.3 Ancillary Front on Drava (October 1944-March 1945) 325

7.4 Ancillary Front on Drina (October 1944-March 1945) 330

7.5 Withdrawal of Army Group "E" From Eastern Yugoslavia (October-December 1944) 335

7.6 Yugoslav Offensive in Dalmatia and Lika (September-December 1944) 341

7.7 Internal Front I: NDH (October 1944-March 1945) 344

7.8 Internal Front II: Slovenia (October 1944-ApriI 1945) 347

7.9 Partisan Army in Final Stages of War 353

7.10 Fighting Until End: Axis Forces in Final Months of War 363

7.11 Spring Offensive I: Plans and Dispositions 374

7.12 Spring Offensive II: From Gospic to Trieste 377

7.13 Spring Offensive III: From Mostar to Karlovac 380

7.14 Spring Offensive IV: From Tovarnik to Zagreb 385

7.15 "Bloody May 1945" 389

Closing Thoughts 400

Appendices:

I The Human Cost 407

II Foreign Weapons Deliveries to the NOP 413

III Tables of Organization 414

Bibliography 421

Index 444

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