"The Knight's Move 1944" Topic
6 Posts
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| Tango01 | 09 Jul 2020 10:26 p.m. PST |
"The Knights Move (Operation Rösselsprung) was a combined airborne and ground assault by the Germans on Tito's headquarters at the Bosnian town of Drvar in May 1944. Operation Rösselsprung involved the 500th SS Parachute Battalion (Captain Rybka) making an air drop on the town while several ground force columns (XV Mountain Corps) converged on Drvar, supported by the Luftwaffe. Tito's headquarters was located in a cave about one kilometer north of Drvar. The town was also the base for various Partisan and Communist Party organisations along with the Tito Escort Battalion. The British and Soviet military missions to the Partisans and some US Officers were also based near the town. The British mission was led by Fitzroy MacLean, who was away at the time, but included Winston Churchill's son Major Randolph Churchill. Around Drvar, there were between 12,000 and 16,000 Partisans who would engage with the ground assault, including the elite 1st and 6th Proletarian Divisions, six kilometers east of Drvar. The Partisan 5th and 8th Corps where respectively north and south of the town. The German ground forces of von Leyser's XV Mountain Corps were reinforced by 202nd Panzer Battalion, the reconnaissance battalions of the 1st Mountain Division and 369th (Croatian) Infantry Division, and most of 7th SS Mountain Division Prinz Eugen. The plan was for a heavy aerial bombardment of Drvar, followed by a parachute and glider assault by 500th SS Parachute Battalion who aimed to capture or kill Tito and destroy his headquarters. Faulty German intelligence failed to clearly identify the cave as the headquarters and partisan intelligence downplayed the risk of a parachute attack…"
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Armand |
 Legion 4  | 10 Jul 2020 9:04 a.m. PST |
Was a pretty interesting operation. Like many in that area at that time. |
| Tango01 | 10 Jul 2020 12:04 p.m. PST |
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| Tango01 | 11 Jul 2020 12:32 p.m. PST |
I have to admit my ignorance about a SS Parachute unit….
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Armand
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| Legion 4 | 11 Jul 2020 3:41 p.m. PST |
I had read about them and this operation in the past a number of times. I think that may have been the only SS Parachute unit of that size, IIRC ?  Nope I forgot, there was the 600th SS Para Bn too. link |
| Tango01 | 12 Jul 2020 4:15 p.m. PST |
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