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17. Seventh Ofensive
- Wilfrid Laurier University Press
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7A 159 17 SEVENTH OFFENSIVE From time to time the Germans tried to wipe out Partisan resistance by launching major ofensives. Although the Partisans were becoming progressively stronger and controlling ever larger areas of Yugoslavia, they had no heavy weapons or aircraft and could not hold on to major population centres or roads for any length of time. With their superior weaponry, including tanks, artillery, and aircraft, the Germans and their allies could reconquer these practically at will. The number of German troops pinned down in Yugoslavia, including non-Germans under German command, was substantial. According to German igures, at the end of 1943 there were fourteen German army divisions and two SS regiments, as well as ive non-German divisions (manned by Russian ex-prisoners, Hungarians, French and Scandinavian fascists,andothers),totallingover200,000men.Inaddition,theGermans could count on 160,000 Bulgarians and Croat and Serb fascists, for a grand total of over 360,000 men. The Germans estimated the Partisan force at the time at 110,000. Despite their numerical and material advantages, the Germans were unable to keep all areas under occupation simultaneously or even to secure the lines of communication (roads, railways, telephone lines) between them. Their tactic was to mount sudden ofensives in an efort to encircle and wipe out major Partisan units—in particular, to eliminate the Partisan leadership. The ofensive that I witnessed took place in late May 1944, when the Germans unleashed their Seventh Ofensive, code-named Rösselsprung, or “Knight’s Move” (derived from chess). The primary goal of this ofensive was to capture or kill Marshal Tito. An SS paratroop battalion parachuted into the town of Drvar, where Tito’s headquarters were situated, but failed to capture him. They did seize his gleaming new marshal’s uniform, 81118 001-226.pdf_out 6/17/114:15 PM K 159 FI 160 17 SEVENTH OFFENSIVE however, which they later triumphantly exhibited in Vienna. The British succeeded in evacuating Tito to Bari, in southern Italy; he subsequently establishedhisnewheadquartersontheislandofVis,insouthernDalmatia. At the same time as the parachute drop on Drvar, there was a concentrated German attack on the Kordun area, where my Partisan unit was stationed. The attack began with heavy bombing and straing from the air, followed by artillery and tank shelling and an infantry advance. As we had no anti-aircraft guns, we were ordered to shoot at the planes— whichwerelyingverylow—fromeverybarrelavailable,includingpistols. A small-calibre machine gun was set up near the veterinary hospital, and on several occasions we shot back at the planes straing us, although they caused no casualties among us and I doubt we hit them. By chance, an American airman happened to be holed up with us at the animal hospital. His rescue, which had taken place only a few days earlier, had been particularly dramatic. A US bomber had been seen lying low, obviously about to crash. Unfortunately, most of the crew (usually ten men) had been seen bailing out over German-held territory; only one parachute seemed to be coming down near the animal hospital. Knowing that the Germans or Ustashe would certainly go after him, I had rushed out with a group of four or ive Partisans to try to locate him. We moved quickly and in about ifteen minutes had reached the area where I expected to ind him. We were searching the bushes, fearing that he might be lying somewhere unconscious, when suddenly I heard a loud shout behind me: Hands up! Recognizing a distinctive American accent, I raised my hands, turned around slowly, and came face to face with the muzzle of a pistol. I tried to reassure the airman that we were on his side, but at irst he was very reluctant to believe me. I pointed to the red star on my cap, warned him that the enemy was probably on its way, and inally convinced him to lower his weapon. As we scrambled away through the trees, I mused on the young man’s courage: totally outnumbered (there were several of us), he had been unafraid to challenge us single-handedly. Had we indeed been Germans, I doubt he would have got very far. The airman’s name was Lieutenant James E. Lackey, of Bufalo, New York. He was First Pilot and therefore commander of the plane that had been shot down; as such, he had bailed out last. As luck would have it, he was the only member of the crew to have come down over Partisan-held...