SS Captain Klingenberg and the Capture of Belgrade WWII

[2RHPZ]

Waffen SS Captain Fritz Klingenberg and the Capture of Belgrade

A quick-thinking, audacious Waffen SS officer and a handful of men captured the Yugoslav capital virtually without firing a shot.

By Colin D. Heaton


When Germany's forces slammed into the Balkans during the early spring of 1941, they encountered not only armed resistance but also difficultterrain and horrendous weather. The Italian military's failure to make headway during the previous winter campaign in Greece, followed by the commitment of British forces to Greece's aid, threatened Germany's southern flank, compelling Adolf Hitler to intervene. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had sent 500,000 soldiers into the Balkans, and had lost 63,000 in the first six months of his effort. High elevations and mountain passes covered with snow until April and even May hindered German supply convoys and placed a great strain on mechanized units. Reinforcements could not be deployed as readily as needed. Rivers and streams had to be crossed, wounded soldiers and prisoners needed to be evacuated, airfields had to be captured or constructed, and lines of communication needed to be established. Victory sometimes depended on a secured, viable supply line more than a superior military force.

The intense fighting for the Balkans was unlike any that the Wehrmacht had previously faced. This was its first encounter with guerrilla fighters, winter fighting and mountainous terrain. All the key objectives had to be taken quickly, and cities were the primary targets. The Germans expected Greece to capitulate, placing the capital of Athens and Greek ports in German hands. Greek bases for the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine would solidify German control over the northeastern Mediterranean and assist in supplying the Afrika Korps. Greece would also serve as a staging area for interdiction of British shipping and would position German arms just a little closer to the Suez Canal.

In Germany's path was Yugoslavia, which was largely pro-British -- particularly the Serb and Gypsy contingents within the country. Fear that Yugoslavia's Prince Paul might sway toward the Fascist camp prompted the Yugoslavian ambassador in Washington to send an impassioned plea to Belgrade, begging the prince not to give in to Hitler. Britain's King George VI, along with Prime Minister Winston Churchill, sent messages to Prince Paul and Yugoslavian Prime Minister Dragisa Cvetovic. Churchill predicted that if Yugoslavia "were to become an accomplice in the assassination of Greece, her ruin will be certain and irrevocable."

Historynet.com (http://www.historynet.com/magazines/world_war_2/3033041.html?featured=y&c=y)

[Kitsune]

"The seven soldiers who conquered Belgrade"...it's one of those incredible stories that no one would believe if he saw that in a movie. Almost Andy McNab niveau.

[shatro]

In Germany's path was Yugoslavia, which was largely pro-British -- particularly the Serb and Gypsy contingents within the country.

Historynet.com (http://www.historynet.com/magazines/world_war_2/3033041.html?featured=y&c=y)

The article is highly inaccurate, and this sentence specially is kinda funny.
Out of sheer ignorance, i guess, the author is implying that there was a large population of Roma people in pre WWII Yugoslavia with an genuine interest in politics, international affairs and such. Pro-British Gypsies is allmost an oxymoron. Roma and their culture too, is well known to have no or very little genuine interest in politics. This people even today live in very hermetic retrograde culture, concerned only with their day to day survival.

[Canuck Farrier]

thanks for this read it is Outstanding,Germany had some great fighting men in WW2.

[Labud]

This "April war", as we in Serbia call axis invasion on Yugoslavia, is big shame for us in history. Desorganised Army, with many nations, bad leadership. My grand father was in army those days and he told me that all soldiers and officiers who were not Serbs had been deserted in first few days...

[STIG]

great read..thanks for posting.

[therobot]

This is even better read from Time Magazine 1942 - May 25 !
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,766569,00.html

[Fazla]

This "April war", as we in Serbia call axis invasion on Yugoslavia, is big shame for us in history. Desorganised Army, with many nations, bad leadership. My grand father was in army those days and he told me that all soldiers and officiers who were not Serbs had been deserted in first few days...

I also heard Serb soldiers and officers in WW2 would eat enemy tanks in battle

[Canuck Farrier]

I also heard Serb soldiers and officers in WW2 would eat enemy tanks in battle

eat enemy tanks? or just the hearts.

[cinoeye]

It's true that Serbs where pro-British, but this artcle is funny.

I'm just wondering one thing.
We all know that Hitler delayed operation Barbarosa, because of operations in the Balkans.(April)
Did that made him stuck in Russia?


I also heard Serb soldiers and officers in WW2 would eat enemy tanks in battle
Na, that's Serbian propaganda.

But also there are the facts.
You now the facts, right?
Flowers for Germans in Zagreb, and NAZI flowers all over Bosnia.:)

[Labud]

In Germany was strong propaganda against the Serbs, just like it is now. My grand father told me that when he arrived at Hamburg as POW, people was suprised when they saw Serbs as normal men, because they thought that we are Gypsies, barbarians and even cannibals!

[Canuck Farrier]

In Germany was strong propaganda against the Serbs, just like it is now. My grand father told me that when he arrived at Hamburg as POW, people was suprised when they saw Serbs as normal men, because they thought that we are Gypsies, barbarians and even cannibals!

Its wild what people can be made to believe.Germans still doesnt like the serbian much u say.

[Fazla]

It's true that Serbs where pro-British, but this artcle is funny.

I'm just wondering one thing.
We all know that Hitler delayed operation Barbarosa, because of operations in the Balkans.(April)
Did that made him stuck in Russia?


Na, that's Serbian propaganda.

But also there are the facts.
You now the facts, right?
Flowers for Germans in Zagreb, and NAZI flowers all over Bosnia.:)

Now even the flowers are nazi?

anyways I don't get what's so strange there were nazi flowers in bosnia, they were in serbia too as they were both occupied territories, weren't they?

Actually maybe a lil less in Bosnia as in Bosnia were the most of anti-nazi battles, and all of the 5( I apologize if they were just 4 of 5) most important were in Bosnia.

[Labud]

^That's because Ustashas made terible crimes in Bosnia, so the resistance there was the strongest. Also, don't forget the Hercegovina, where was also strong anti-fascist resistance (both Partizans and Chetniks were involved in resistance). Two main battles was in Hercegovina: Neretva and Sutjeska.

@Canuck Farrier
Well, we had beaten them in two world wars (especialy the first one)... ;)

[therobot]

What Fazla is forgeting to tell or on purpose is that mostly serbians were fighting against germans in Yugoslavia ( even in Bosnia ).
Also known fact is ( transcript from Nurnberg trial ) that for one dead german soldier they killed 100 serbians. Sure this is not because serbians were pro-nazi oriented ....

Here is the article from TIME magazine again and you all should read this http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,766569,00.html

[Fazla]

What Fazla is forgeting to tell or on purpose is that mostly serbians were fighting against germans in Yugoslavia ( even in Bosnia ).
Also known fact is ( transcript from Nurnberg trial ) that for one dead german soldier they killed 100 serbians. Sure this is not because serbians were pro-nazi oriented ....

Here is the article from TIME magazine again and you all should read this http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,766569,00.html

Forgetting to tell on purpouse?

don't make me laugh. Don't get me started on ww2 and serbs...I just answered to cinoeye's comment about Bosnia being NAZI... I didn't add anything else, hell yea on purpouse, because there would be too much to add.

That said, I don't get what is so strange about that fact. Serbs were 10 millions, and the second largest group in Yugoslavia(Croats) arrived barely to 4 millions, of course you'll get more serbs in Partisans than other nationalities.

does that undermine serb contribution in ww2? no, not at all, I just don't see what's so strange about it

[OldRecon]

During the German invasion of Norway, Fornebu airport nearby to Oslo was captured on 9th April 1940 by a Luftwaffe pilot/observer 2 man team from a ME-110 fighter that emergency landed on the airfield with insufficient fuel to return to Denmark/Germany.
I think that beat the waffen SS capture of Belgrade hands down IMO :lol:. Oslo itself was initialy taken over by no more than a company of paratroopers and a similar sized unit of Heer infantry. :lol:

At the same time members of the communist Wollweber group based in Oslo deliberately created panic in the city by spreading rumours that the Brits were going to bomb the city, mingling with the resultant crowd of refugees as a means of escaping the German security cordon being set up in the town.

[CyberSpec]

What Fazla is forgeting to tell or on purpose is that mostly serbians were fighting against germans in Yugoslavia ( even in Bosnia ).
Also known fact is ( transcript from Nurnberg trial ) that for one dead german soldier they killed 100 serbians. Sure this is not because serbians were pro-nazi oriented ....

Here is the article from TIME magazine again and you all should read this http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,766569,00.html

Good find.

Fazla's history derives from an alternative universe...65 years of brainwashing are not easy to reverse.

[ClydeFrog]

@Canuck Farrier
Well, we had beaten them in two world wars (especialy the first one)... ;)
rofl rofl rofl

[zg18]

Well, we had beaten them in two world wars (especialy the first one)... ;-)

You mix Imperial Germany and Austro-Hungary,yes you beat Austro-Hungarian army fairly in 1914 but Imperial Germany would have crush Serbian Kingdom back then in matter of weeks,Serbian war with Austro-Hungary was a battle between David and Goliath but don`t exagarate.

[cinoeye]

Now even the flowers are nazi?

anyways I don't get what's so strange there were nazi flowers in bosnia, they were in serbia too as they were both occupied territories, weren't they?

Actually maybe a lil less in Bosnia as in Bosnia were the most of anti-nazi battles, and all of the 5( I apologize if they were just 4 of 5) most important were in Bosnia.

This maps explain all-
Slovenia was occupied.
Croatia and Bosnia where NAZI satelite country(s) known as Independent State of Coratia.
Serbia was occupied and divded in occupation zones.
Kosovo was part of Great Albania, Srem part of Croatia and Hungary, Banat, Belgrade and Shumadia where under the Germans, Backa under ROmania, and Southern Old Serbia under Bulgarian occupation.
Most anti-nazi forces where Serbian and later Croatian.
Most Muslims where in UStashi or SS.

http://www.balkan-archive.org.yu/kosta/knjige/osteneuropa/1941.gif
http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/balkans/yucro1942.gif
http://www.magma.ca/~rendic/map_raspad_jugoslavije.gif
http://www.geocities.com/ga57/albania/map7.jpg

http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/images/1942euro.gif
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/images/1942~eur.gif

[Labud]

, Backa under ROmania,

Backa was anected by Hungary, not by Romania.

@zg18
Of course, we didn't crushed them alone, there were other allies. Maybe they don't like us because of all their enemies in war (who beated them) we are small nation.
And don't remember what Kaiser Wilhelm said to Bulgarian king when Bulgaria had capitulated at the end of september 1918:"60.000 of Serbian troops have solved the war. Shame on you!"

[Fazla]

This maps explain all-
Slovenia was occupied.
Croatia and Bosnia where NAZI satelite country(s) known as Independent State of Coratia.
Serbia was occupied and divded in occupation zones.
Kosovo was part of Great Albania, Srem part of Croatia and Hungary, Banat, Belgrade and Shumadia where under the Germans, Backa under ROmania, and Southern Old Serbia under Bulgarian occupation.
Most anti-nazi forces where Serbian and later Croatian.
Most Muslims where in UStashi or SS.

http://www.balkan-archive.org.yu/kosta/knjige/osteneuropa/1941.gif
http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/balkans/yucro1942.gif
http://www.magma.ca/%7Erendic/map_raspad_jugoslavije.gif
http://www.geocities.com/ga57/albania/map7.jpg

http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/images/1942euro.gif
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/images/1942%7Eeur.gif


Bosnia was not any ally of Germany. It didn't exist as a country and Hitler gave it to Pavelic after the conquest of yugoslavia.

About the consistent number of muslims in the ustashes - I'd like to see some reliable links about it.

About the SS - no, they were in the Waffen SS

Basing on the brigade structure of the Partisan army in Bosnia you'd see how they were most probably the most in partisans in Bosnia- again, unfortunately we don't have any statistics about it, so both mine and yours are just wishfull thinking.


Fazla's history derives from an alternative universe...65 years of brainwashing are not easy to reverse.

Again, the same story... the whole world is brainwashed. Thank God we have peple like you who can get us out from our ignorance

[zg18]

Fazla,i can tell you something about Muslim Ustashe.

Most partisans were from Croatia,not from Bosnia,i can explain....

[Labud]

^Most Partizans were Serbs from Bosnian Krajina, and regions in todays Croatia who were in Republic of Srpska Krajina. Also in Partizan units was Croats from Dalmatian coast. Serbs in Hercegovina and central Serbia was at the first time in Chetnik units, but in period 1943/44 they become Partizans. Anyway, the most of Partizans (NOVJ) were Serbs.

[Fazla]

Fazla,i can tell you something about Muslim Ustashe.

Most partisans were from Croatia,not from Bosnia,i can explain....

... so just do it, just give me some reliable links/info

Btw, I never took any special interests in partisans in Croatia and Serbia thus you might be right, I am not disputing the number of partisans from what country were they the most, I was just talking about the number of muslims in the Partisans, which were obviously in Bosnia