Fighting in Yugoslavia (using Ju87s) after VE day?

[Richard Aigner]

from the Cybermodeler review of "Guerrilla Nightmare" by Veres:
"A Yugoslav source, for instance, claims that “the last known Ju 87 combat sortie in the biggest human conflict in history” occurred 28 May 1945 – against diehard “German and Chetnik forces refusing to surrender”. That’s a full 20 days after Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender."
Fact or typo?
Richard

[Dan History]

Originally Posted by Richard Aigner

from the Cybermodeler review of "Guerrilla Nightmare" by Veres:
"A Yugoslav source, for instance, claims that “the last known Ju 87 combat sortie in the biggest human conflict in history” occurred 28 May 1945

Richard, it is theoretically possible that something like this happened during the awful episode beginning with the collapse of the NDH and ending with the forcible return of Croats and Slovenes to Yugoslavia by the Allies, known as the Bleiburg repatriations. The relevant period is from 5 to 31 May, 1945.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleiburg_repatriations

I would not think there would be any reason for the Yugoslav forces to use the Ju 87, however, since they had been supplied with attack aircraft by the Soviet Union.

Regards,

Dan

[Alfred.MONZAT]

I am currently reading the book and there's LOTS of typo which make the reading quite painful. If you want I can have a look in the book, but I'm not sure it will help you.
Edit: The text indeed say 28 May.

[vathra]

It is a typo, but not big.

Main Yugoslav air forces were at the time busy chasing Germans to Austria and Italy.
Two Yugoslav RAF squadrons, operating with rest of BAF gave support to drive to Trieste, and soviet supplied aircraft helped in push to Zagreb.

In Bosnia at the time were remnants of chetnik forces with Draza Mihailovic, trying to push back to Serbia, and minor ustasa forces in some northern cities (like Odzak). Those groups were not priority in Tito's plans. From May 6th they were attacked by Mixed squadron from Mostar airfield (comprised from trophy aircraft).

From May 6 to May 25 Mixed squadron flew:

Caproni Ca-313 - 47 missions
Dornier Do-17, K-14 - 42 missions
Junkers Ju-87 - 34 missions
Messerschmit Me-109 - 5 missions
F. P. 2 - 5 missions

From May 8th, group of Il-2 joined them
Attacks until May 15th were against chetniks, following by relocation and attack against ustase in Odzak.

[Dan History]

Originally Posted by vathra

From May 6th they were attacked by Mixed squadron from Mostar airfield (comprised from trophy aircraft).

vathra,

Thank you for an excellent post and for correcting my misunderstanding. How many captured Stukas did the Yugoslav forces possess?

Kind regards,

Dan

[vathra]

In this squadron was one, captured at Rajlovac airfield, broken but repaired quickly.
Additionally, two more were obtained in similar manner, but I am not sure they were used in final operations.

[SteveB]

I would just like to say thank you to the people who provided explanation and the link to Wikipaedia...I did not know anything about these events...

Steve

[focusfocus]

One B-2 (W.Nr.0406) fitted with a glider towing attachment was captured by the partizan army (NOVJ).Yugoslav pilots flew it for a few months after the war's end with the inscription "Aeroplanska Radionica-Pancevo on the tail and the serial Black 9801.

One D-5 (W.Nr. ?) was also captured damaged,made airworthy with parts cannibalised from others,and incorparated in the NOVJ Air Force.

Michel

[Zoran Petek]

Similar event.
According to one Russian book Bostons of 449 BAP (244 BAD) attacked German 6th and 8th Army troops, refusing to surrender, in Austria on 13.5.1945.
I did not find any confirmation for that in 17 VA, 244 BAD, or 449 BAP documents.
Zoran

[HGabor]

The 17 VA, 244 BAD had a few transport and recce. flights in mid-May, 1945, but no other recorded combat activity.

The 17 VA, 244 BAD, 260 BAP had an A-20B loss (41-3022 (41-3220?), pilot Lt. P. T. Svish) on April 26, 1945 on Trauersdorf airfield in Austria.

17 VA, 244 BAD, 861 BAP A-20B (S/N: 41-3509, engines: 84906 & 85092, pilot Lt. Gushin) burned on May 2/3, 1945 in Lvov(!), - crew unhurt.

VVS HQ, 48 GvORAP, 2nd Squadron lost A-20B (S/N: 41-3516, pilot gv.capt. Erokhovets) on May 16, 1945 at Pozsonyszőllős (Vajnory, Slovakia). Crew unhurt, plane repaired.

Next (partial) loss was a 244 BAD, 861 BAP A-20G (S/N: 43-10084, engines: 105066 & 104984, pilot Lt. Podkopalov) on Debrecen airfield in Hungary on May 18, 1945 while withdrawing from Austria, transferring fighter pilots.

The 17 VA, 262 NBAD, 97 GvNBAP, however, lost a Po-2 (U-2) night bomber on May 13, 1945. Derevyanchenko crew missing.

5 VA, 279 IAD has written off 3 Lavochkin La-7 fighters on May 14, 1945 as some prev. day's losses in Austria:

S/N: 38111811 - crashlanding
S/N: 45210825 - combat damage
S/N: 45210945 - crashlanding

5 VA, 331 IAD, 122 IAP lost a Yak-9M fighter (S/N: 5215324, engine S/N: 445-378, pilot: Lt. Koltsov) in a training flight accident.
...etc.

Gabor