The final battles in the surroundings of Ilirska Bistrica at the end of the Second World War

Abstract

Two important road connections pass through the area of the municipality of Ilirska Bistrica: Trieste–Reka and Ljubljana–Rijeka, which continues South along the sea to Split and was the key to the Nazi control of the Croatian coast during the Second World War. They became even more important at the end of the war, when the Wehrmacht units began to retreat from Greece, Albania, Serbia and Croatia towards the borders of the Third Reich. The Wehrmacht needed to keep connections to the north cleaned and protected from Partisan ambushes blocking their way. For this reason, it was imperative for the Germans to maintain a firm hold on Ilirska Bistrica and the surrounding area until the arrival of their units from the South. The task was assigned to the 97th Army Corps (97. Armeekorps) under the command of Ludwig Kübler, which engaged the 4th Army of Yugoslav Partisans pressing for a rapid advance to occupy Trieste. The fighting that ensued constituted one of the major battles in Slovenia.