Yugoslav Invasion Of Italy

[Starace]

Is there any information on the invasion and what resistance the Italian defenders did? Also the strategies and manoeuvres?

[Peter H]

Invasion of Yugoslavia (6 April, 1941)
http://www.comandosupremo.com/Yugoslavia.html

According to Philip Jowett's The Italian Army 1940-1945(I) Europe 1940-43:

Italian participation was limited to the 2nd Army,which advanced southwards down the coast and inland to take the Slovenian capital Ljubljana:and the 9th Army,which came northwards from Albania and met them in the region of Dubrovnik..

[AVV]

Good evening, gentlemen!

Are we speaking about Yugoslav (i.e. Yugoslav People's Liberation Army ) invasion of Italy in 1945 or about Italian invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941?

Best regards, Aleks

[Starace]

Good evening, gentlemen!

Are we speaking about Yugoslav (i.e. Yugoslav People's Liberation Army ) invasion of Italy in 1945 or about Italian invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941?

Best regards, Aleks

The invasion of Italy in 1945.

[TISO]

Define Italy in 1945. Do you mean Italiy proper (pre 1918) or with territories occupied after ww1. If you talk about Italy proper there was no invasion by Yugoslav partisans (never crosed Tagliamento).

[Peter H]

The disputed staus of Trieste should be mentioned:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Territory_of_Trieste

[Starace]

Define Italy in 1945. Do you mean Italiy proper (pre 1918) or with territories occupied after ww1. If you talk about Italy proper there was no invasion by Yugoslav partisans (never crosed Tagliamento).

Occupied?

I am talking about Istria and other territory that was returned to Italy after the first World War and therefore sovereign Italian land. I would like to know what the Yugoslav plans were how far they intended to invade and what resistance they met.

[Rob - wssob2]

I am talking about Istria and other territory that was returned to Italy after the first World War and therefore sovereign Italian land.

Ah, therein lies the rub. As land that was for centuries part of the Hapsburg and Austro-Hungarian Empire, with a significant population of Slovenians, among other ethnic groups, Tito seemed to believe that the land properly belonged to Yugoslavia. After all, didn't the Italians just illegally occupy Istria in 1918 and seal an unfair deal with the 1920 Treaty of Rapallo?

You neglected to mention the UN-mandated "Free Territory of Treiste" (1947-54), which was a very delicate situation and could have quite easily become a Cold War flashpoint. US & British troops occupied the territory and played "chicken" with Yugoslav military forces during this time period. A good personal account of one US soldier's experience guarding the "TRUST" territory is David Hackworth's About Face.

Interestingly enough, the territorial disputes between Italy and Yugoslavia weren't completely resolved until 1975.

[TISO]

Define Italy in 1945. Do you mean Italiy proper (pre 1918) or with territories occupied after ww1. If you talk about Italy proper there was no invasion by Yugoslav partisans (never crosed Tagliamento).

Occupied?

I am talking about Istria and other territory that was returned to Italy after the first World War and therefore sovereign Italian land. I would like to know what the Yugoslav plans were how far they intended to invade and what resistance they met.

Yes occupied. Return wou imply that they were italian in the first place. most of the area was not "Italian" since the Roman times.

Re. Plans. The territories annexed to italy after ww1 were never seen as part of Italy by most of their population (except in cities where Italians were in majority) and kingdom of yugoslavia, partisans and later FLRJ (later SFRJ). Yugoslav plans were at max. confined to old A-H border i.e. Tagliamento river priority given to cities of Trst (Trieste) and Gorica (Gorizia).
Regarding ressistance
Mostly germans and collaborator units trying to flee to the british. Here it must be metined that Trst was also a tactical target as the only good roads suitable for large formations to the Italy lead trough it. Trst was captured before the german 97th corps with large formations of Ustasha, Chetniks and Domobrani managed to pull north-west and a fierce battles were fought in Ilirska Bistrica area to block it with partisan reinforcements (including parts of 1. tank brigade) sent from Trst area.
Politically it was a hotspot before partisan push as italians tried to relocate large numbers of men from X MAS units into the area (Borghese counted on establishing facts on the ground at capitulation) for "bolstering security" reasons but Germans forbade that and rather used slovene domobrans knowing full well that large Italian military & police presence would hugely bolster partisans. Italians and especcily fachists were really hated there which also the only reason why the area is still hugely pro-communist to this day

About battles themselves
Here i translated an article about 1. tank brigade of NOVJ which gives you the time frame
http://www.weaponsofwwii.com/forum/view ... =AEC+Mk+II

[TISO]

Forgot to mention that among units defending Trst was also 5. (verstärkte) Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie of SS-Polizei-Regiment 10 with number of T-34/76 type tanks of models 1942 and 1943 (at least one of the latter was captured - judging from photos possibly at least 2 and used first in fighting in Trst and later in Ilirska Bistrica). I'll post some photos when i will have more time.

[Hecht]

I am talking about Istria and other territory that was returned to Italy after the first World War and therefore sovereign Italian land. I would like to know what the Yugoslav plans were how far they intended to invade and what resistance they met.

Returned to Italy?
What are you talking about?
Istria, Fiume and Dalmazia were never ever part of the Reign of Italy before 1919.
So, please check your sources.

At the day of the german surrender (1 may 1945), Friuli-Venezia Giulia\Istria\Dalmazia\Provinz Laibach were actually part of the Deutsches Reich under the name of OZAK so they were not under the RSI Governament, see not Italy.

[TISO]

T-34/76 model 1943 captured by 1st tank brigade of NOVJ from germans specifically 5. (verstärkte) Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie of SS-Polizei-Regiment 10 and used in Trst. Tanks were in standard 2 or 3 colour german camo. It is possible that first 2 pic's are dealing with 2 different tanks. Compare camo pattern on the turret and rear right fender -possible damage between taking the pic's but camo is IMHO still a bit different.



I'm not shure if this one is still under German managment or under partisans but photo is definitly from Trst:

[fredl109]

T-34/76 model 1943 captured by 1st tank brigade of NOVJ from germans specifically 5. (verstärkte) Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie of SS-Polizei-Regiment 10 and used in Trst. Tanks were in standard 2 or 3 colour german camo. It is possible that first 2 pic's are dealing with 2 different tanks. Compare camo pattern on the turret and rear right fender -possible damage between taking the pic's but camo is IMHO still a bit different.



I'm not shure if this one is still under German managment or under partisans but photo is definitly from Trst:

This tank is in Venetie Juliene (Istrie) and certainly used by partisans heavy rearmed by the russian for invade a maximum of territory, the photo has probably taken after the 8 May 45. (sorry for my bad english).
Friendly fred

[TISO]

No. This tanks were captured from German unit by 1st tank brigade NOVJ which was equipped with M3A3 Stuarts (+ few M3A1) a few Stuart-Flak (M3A3 with 20mm flak vierlieng) and Stuart-PAK (M3A3 with PAK-40) and AEC Mk II armored cars there were no T-34's before those 1 or possibly 2 were captured from the germans (area of Bazovica near Trst). BTW this T-34/76 model 1943 was still in Banja Luka (BiH-republika Srbska) tank barracks a few years back as a museum piece before the baracks were demilitarised (AFAIK all pieces from there were towed to Manjača arty range).

2nd tank brigade of NOVJ was organised in and armed by SSSR. I entered Serbia, fought on the Srem front, liberation of Zagreb, Ljubljana and was sent toward the Trst at the end of the war. 2nd tank brigade came into Trst too late to participate in combat or advance west (contact with brits and demarcation line was already established) and was sent there to bolster Yugoslav units there which were rather small at that point as after liberation of Trst yugoslav units were sent as reinforcements to Ilirska Bistrica area (blocking german 97th corps).
2nd tank brigade was equipped with T-34-85 tanks and had no T-34-76 in combat 76,2mm gun equipped tanks were only used in SSSR during training and exchanged for factory new T-34-85 before going to the front in 1944)

BTW Venetia Giulia is not Istria.

[fredl109]

Sorry and thank you for your explanation Tiso.
Friendly Fred