Allied bombing of Yugoslavia in World War II facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allied bombing of Yugoslavia |
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| Part of World War II in Yugoslavia | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
Allies United States United Kingdom Soviet Union |
Axis Germany Government of National Salvation Independent State of Croatia |
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| Units involved | |||||
| United States Air Force Royal Air Force Balkan Air Force |
Luftwaffe | ||||
During World War II, the Allied bombing of Yugoslavia involved air attacks by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF). These attacks happened between 1941 and 1945. At this time, the country of Yugoslavia was controlled by the Axis powers.
Many cities and towns in Yugoslavia were bombed, some of them more than once. These air attacks also helped the Yugoslav Partisan fighters in May and June 1944. Later, in September 1944, the Allies bombed roads and railways. This was done to stop the German army (called the Wehrmacht) from leaving Greece and Yugoslavia. This operation was known as Ratweek. Sadly, some of these bombings caused many ordinary people to be hurt or killed.
First Bombings
Air attacks on Serbia and Montenegro took place from October 20, 1943, to September 18, 1944. The industrial town of Niš in southern Serbia was hit especially hard. The first bombing there was on October 20, 1943, and 250 people died right away. The German soldiers in the town were mostly unharmed.
Niš was bombed 15 times in total. The areas most damaged were the poorer parts of town, especially near the railroad tracks.
1944 Easter Bombing
Belgrade, the capital city, was bombed by British and American planes on April 16 and 17, 1944. This was on Orthodox Easter Day. The main group of planes came from the American 15th Air Force, based in Italy. About 600 planes flew high in the sky and dropped many bombs. This type of attack is called carpet bombing.
Around 1,160 civilians were killed, and about 18 German soldiers died. In total, about 1,200 people were killed, and 5,000 were injured.
The official plan was to bomb only military and industrial targets. These included factories, bridges, airports, and German army bases. However, the bombing was not very precise. Many places in downtown Belgrade were hit on April 16. These included the Palace Albanija, the National Theater in Belgrade, and the Terazije square. The area around the Belgrade Main railway station was also bombed.
Sadly, a maternity hospital in Krunski Venac was hit, and mothers and their babies were killed. Many other hospitals, schools, and kindergartens were also damaged. Parts of central Belgrade like Dorćol, Vračar, Pašino Brdo, and Dušanovac were heavily destroyed. These areas were suburbs at the time and did not have factories or military targets.
The bombing continued the next day. The remains of the King Alexander Bridge, which was partly destroyed in 1941, were bombed again. Bombs also hit areas near the river, including the Sajmište concentration camp. About 100 prisoners died in this camp during the bombing. Some people hid in bomb shelters, while others left the city to find safety in nearby villages and forests. Around 1,500 tons of bombs were dropped on Belgrade.
Other places hit included the Kalenić market, the Central Hygienic Institute, and the Hospital for Infectious Diseases. Orphanages, children's hospitals, and all bridges were damaged. Railway stations and parts of the university campus were also hit. The city was badly damaged, but German military targets were mostly unharmed. Only about 1.5% of the deaths were German soldiers.
A message on a tombstone in the Belgrade New Cemetery says: "They hoped to get freedom from the English, not knowing that hope leads them directly into death."
Many towns in Montenegro and Herzegovina were also bombed during the Easter raid. These included Cetinje, Žabljak, Šavnik, Kolašin, Andrijevica, Gacko, and Bileća.
Later Bombings
From April to September 1944, Belgrade was bombed 11 more times. Many other Serbian towns, even small ones, were also bombed during this time. These included Kraljevo (6 times), Zemun (4 times), and Novi Sad (3 times). Other towns like Smederevo, Leskovac, and Kragujevac were also hit. Belgrade was bombed again on September 6 and 8, 1944. About 120 Flying Fortresses from the US 15th Air Force, along with fighter planes, carried out these attacks.
Niš was bombed again on March 30, 1944. It took six days to find all the injured and dead people in the rubble. The town was bombed again on April 5. This time, the Allies dropped 248 bombs, killing 88 people and injuring 184. The main church was hit, and bombs destroyed the city cemetery. This blew up the graves of people who had died in earlier bombings. Leskovac was bombed on September 6. People described it as a "day of hell." After the attack, it looked "as if the entire Leskovac lifted up in the whirlwind of dust, smoke and rubble."
Allied planes bombed Maribor, which is now in Slovenia, about 50 times. The American 15th Air Force bombed German factories in Maribor where aircraft engines were made. These attacks happened on January 7 and November 6, 1944.
In 1944, the town of Nikšić in Montenegro was bombed. About 500 people died in the first attack. Radio London reported that "block bombs of 2 tons were used." They said "Half of the town was demolished or damaged." Nikšić was bombed because Marshall Tito asked for it. On May 5, Podgorica was bombed again, making it 4 times in total. One-sixth of the people living there were killed, and 4,500 were injured. Other towns in Montenegro and nearby areas of Serbia and Herzegovina that were bombed included Sjenica and Bijelo Polje.
In late 1944, the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front army entered Yugoslavia from Bulgaria. They worked with Yugoslav and Bulgarian groups in the Belgrade Offensive. The Soviet 17th Air Army attacked many German targets in Yugoslavia to help this operation. At one point, American P-38 fighter-bombers mistakenly attacked a Soviet army group. They thought the Soviets were retreating Germans. This led to a brief air battle known as the Air battle over Niš.
Assessment
After 1945, official Yugoslav history did not talk much about the Allied bombings. The official view was that these bombings were necessary to defeat the German forces. However, some modern historians have different ideas. They point out that at that time in World War II, Yugoslavia was not a major battle area. Also, there were not many German soldiers there, and they were mostly older units. Italy had already joined the Allies. The Yugoslav Partisans were mostly fighting outside the big cities.
It is thought that these reasons, along with other factors, led to the bombings. Josip Broz Tito, the leader of the Partisans, and his military leaders sent targets to the Allied command. Some historians believe that the targets requested by Tito included places where civilians lived, like hospitals and schools. Some of these targets were in very small towns. For example, the request to bomb Nikšić came from a Partisan leader named Peko Dapčević on March 30, 1944. On April 19, Dapčević and Mitar Bakić also asked Tito to bomb the towns of Sjenica, Bijelo Polje, and Podgorica.
It is not fully clear how these bombing requests were made. The bombing campaign continued for a long time. Even though German troops were mostly unharmed, thousands of civilians were killed. On February 5, 1944, Tito sent a message to his representatives in Serbia. This message was found and shared more than 50 years later. In it, Tito said that a British major would be sent on a special mission. He also said that all requests for "help of the Allied airforce" would go to the Allied mission with the Partisan General Staff. But, the "General Staff will decide if the suggested target will be bombed."
A letter from Edvard Kardelj, one of Tito's aides, is often used to show that the top Communist leaders knew about the small military benefit and the large number of civilian deaths. He wrote to the Central Committee of Slovenia about a request to bomb Ljubljana. He said, I don't understand what makes you ask for this and who would benefit from it. There is no doubt that there will be thousands of our dead people in Ljubljana, but the enemy wouldn't suffer almost any casualties. We have such experience from all over Yugoslavia. This shows that leaders were aware of the impact on civilians.
See also
- Air warfare in Yugoslavia (1941–45)
- Allied bombing of Belgrade in World War II
- Bombing of Podgorica in World War II
- Bombing of Zadar in World War II
- Bombing of Zagreb in World War II
- Bombing of Sarajevo in World War II
- Bombing of Leskovac in World War II
- Bombing of Split in World War II
- Bombing of Slavonski Brod in World War II
