Liberation of Yugoslavia

The Liberation of Yugoslavia was the time in the last few months of World War II where Axis-occupied Yugoslavia was liberated by the Yugoslav Partisans and (partially) the Soviet Red Army. At this point, Yugoslavia was under occupation by Germany and other axis powers and puppet states. Resistance movements like Titos partisans had been fighting against the Axis since the 1941 invasion of Yugoslavia for 3 years. But now when the Soviets were advancing in the Balkans, they crossed the border into Yugoslavia on 30 September 1944, Belgrade was liberated by partisan and Soviet forces on 20 October 1944, almost a month after the Soviets crossed the border. At the same time, The Germans were evacuating Macedonia and Albania. Skopje was liberated by partisan and Bulgarian forces on 13 November 1944 and the Albanian partisans liberated their country at the end of the month. On 7 March 1945, the Yugoslav Committee of National Liberation and the Yugoslav government-in-exile merged into the Provisional Government of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia and also formed the partisans into the Yugoslav People's Army with 4 army's (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th) on the frontlines. The next month in April, Sarajevo was liberated on the 6th. The Yugoslavs liberated Istria on 1 May 1945 and linked up with the New Zealanders. Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, ending the European theatre of World War II officially, but the last Axis forces in Yugoslavia surrendered on 25 May 1945 at the Battle of Odžak.

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Category:Former countries in Europe
Category:1944 establishments in Europe
Category:Wars of independence
Category:History of Yugoslavia
Category:Wars involving Europe