# German Antiguerrilla Operations in the Balkans (1941-1944)

Dept. of the Army pamphlet no. 20–243. This was later reprinted as CMH Publication 104-18 in 1989.
HISTORICAL STUDY
GERMAN ANTIGUERRILLA OPERATIONS IN THE BALKANS (1941–1944)
page
Department of the Army Pamphlets Published :
| in the |||
| GERMAN REPORT SERIES |||
| No. | Title | Publication date |
| 20–201 | Military Improvisations During the Russian Campaign | Aug 51 |
| 20–202 | German Tank Maintenance in World War II | June 54 |
| 20–230 | Russian Combat Methods in World War II | Nov 50 |
| 20–231 | Combat in Russian Forests and Swamps | Jul 51 |
| 20–232 | Airborne Operations: A German Appraisal | Oct 51 |
| 20–233 | German Defense Tactics Against Russian Break-Throughs | Oct 51 |
| 20–234 | Operations of Encircled Force—German Experience in Russia | Jan 52 |
| 20–236 | Night Combat | Jun 53 |
| 20–240 | Rear Area Security in Russia—The Soviet Second Front Behind the German Lines | Jul 51 |
| 20–242 | German Armored Traffic Control During the Russian Campaign | Jun 52 |
| 20–260 | The German Campaigns in the Balkans (Spring 1941) | Nov 53 |
| 20–269 | Small Unit Actions During the Campaign in Russia | Jul 53 |
| 20–290 | Terrain Factors in the Russian Campaign | Jul 51 |
| 20–291 | Effects of Climate on Combat in European Russia | Feb 52 |
| 20–292 | Warfare in the Far North | Oct 51 |
page
GERMAN ANTIGUERRILLA OPERATIONS IN THE BALKANS (1941–1944)
page
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Washington 25, D. C., 5 August 1954
Department of the Army Pamphlet 20–243 is published for the information and use of all concerned.
[AG 385 (1 Jun 54)]
By order of the Secretary of the Army:
M. B. RIDGWAY, General, United States Army, Chief of Staff.
JOHN A. KLEIN, Major General, United States Army, The Adjutant General.
Distribution:
Active Army:
Gen Staff, DA (5) SS, DA (5) Tec Svc, DA (25) Admin & Tee Svc Bd (10) AFF (10) OS Maj Comd (50) Armies (10) Corps (10) Div (8) Brig (3) Regt (3) Gen & Br Svc Sch (25) PMST ROTC Units (1) T/O & E 30–500A, Teams AA through AE (1) T/O & E 30–510, Teams A–1 through A–5 (1) T/O & E 30–600, Teams AA through AE (1)
NG: Special. USAR: Special. Unless otherwise noted, distribution applies to ConUS and Oversea. For explanation of abbreviations used, see SR 320–50–1.
FOREWORD
The purpose of this study is to describe briefly the German campaign against the guerrillas in the Balkans during the period of the European Axis occupation, from the end of hostilities against Greece and Yugoslavia in April 1941 to the capture of Belgrade by the Soviet forces and the Partisans in October 1944. The activities of Germany's Italian, Bulgarian, Croatian, and other allies, as well as the British, Soviet, and United States forces in the area, are treated only to the extent that they affected German operations. In sequence of time, this study is a continuation of Department of the Army Pamphlet 20–260, The German Campaigns in the Balkans (Spring 1941), of November 1953.
The material for this study was obtained from German military records now in the custody of The Adjutant General, Department of the Army. In addition to these official records, monographs by former German officers who participated in these operations furnished considerable general information and were of assistance in supplementing the terse official reports of specific actions. The authors of these monographs, prepared for the Historical Division, United States Army, Europe, include General der Gebirgstruppen (Lieutenant General) Hubert Lanz, former commander of the XXII Mountain Corps, and Polizeioberst (Colonel of Police) Karl Gaisser, German technical adviser to the Croatian Police.
The work of preparing this study was done by Major Robert M. Kennedy of the Office of the Chief of Military History. In its presentation, every effort was made to give an accurate account of the protracted attempt by the German occupation forces to destroy their elusive guerrilla enemy in this secondary theater of war from 1941 through 1944.
CONTENTS
MAPS
CHARTS
Map 1. General reference map.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse