Pier Paolo Battistelli

Yugoslavia 1941–44

A unique visual exploration of partisan and anti-partisan warfare in Yugoslavia between 1941 and 1944. Following the Axis invasion and occupation of Yugoslavia in April 1941, a brutal insurgency (based both on ethnic and political affiliations) broke out in the German- and Italian-occupied areas. The result was a protracted multi-partite struggle. The key forces opposing the Axis occupation were Tito’s communist Partisans and, initially, Draža Mihailovic’s royalist Chetniks, with Allied allegiances shifting over time. Widespread ethnic cleansing and ideological warfare were waged by the occupiers and their internal allies under the ‘anti-Partisan’ moniker. In 1942, the first of seven major counter-insurgency operations was carried out by Axis forces. These took place in every part of the country, aiming to annihilate the main core of resistance. With stunning artwork, detailed maps and period images, this book reveals the military cultures of the wide range of opposing forces involved. It also covers the planning and execution of each operation, from the autumn 1941 offensive against the Republic of Užice through to the final attack in western Bosnia in spring 1944. The result is a unique visual exploration of one of the most complex and least studied offensives of World War II.