German occupational system in Serbia in 1941: Military aspects

Abstract

The largest part of the German troops deployed in Serbia in 1941 was underclass both as regards the availability of personnel and weapons, as well as the training. German infantry divisions in Yugoslavia until the beginning of 1943 were well below average, either in quantity and quality. While the normal German infantry divisions had three infantry regiments of three battalions, the divisions in Yugoslavia had two regiments of three battalions. Moreover, the average number of a normal infantry battalion was 500 to 600 people, and the reserve about 200 people. On the other hand, weapons of the reserve battalion were not much worse than that of a regular battalion. This difference was noticeable only at the level of people and divisions. While during the first years of the war the regimental artillery in the reserve division consisted mainly of sequestered 37 mm Pito infantry guns and old mortars, the regular regimental artillery had weapons of caliber 75 mm and stronger. The divisional artillery had at least 54 Howitzers 105 and 150 mm, and over 70 antitank guns (by the end of 1941, there were cannons, first 50 mm and soon 75 mm), whereas the unmanned division had 12 to 18 guns and howitzers (mainly highland) caliber 75 and 100 mm and about twenty antitank guns caliber 37 mm (just before the end of the war there emerged stronger and antitank guns). Germans had very few motor vehicles during the entire war in Yugoslavia. By the end of the war, the bulk of their artillery was horse-drawn and only the special pursuit unit was given one or two batteries with motor traction. Until mid-1943, the German troops in Serbia were filled with personnel of older ages of which the largest portion had not served as regular staff. Almost all the officers, except the commanders of regiments and divisions (and some specialists in headquarters) were reserve officers, mostly Austrians. There were a lot of ethnic Germans from Yugoslavia (Volksdeutsche) and some units consisted exclusively of them. It should be taken into account that there were not any Germans in many of the 'German' units, apart from the officer corps. Before finishing operations, the only really elite unit in Serbia was the first Mountain Division; all other units that came from Greece or France were below average. Among the German units used in Serbia until the fall of 1944, the ones that could be noted for their quality were the 7th SS Prinz Eugen Division and various units designed for special anti-guerrilla operations.