INFANTRY

The Yugoslav active army contained 28 infantry divisions, which functioned as operational staffs and support commands. The division had a certain number of permanently attached units (both combat and support) designated by a common divisional number (between 1 and 50).

The operational combat units of a division included: an artillery regiment, a depot regiment, a cavalry battalion, a engineer battalion, a machine gun unit, an anti-tank company, and an anti- aircraft platoon. In addition, there was within the infantry division a tactical command staff, designated with the divisional number (e.g., 47th Infantry Staff). This command staff controlled the machine gun unit and two to four infantry regiments which were assigned to the division, depending upon its combat mission.

The depot (or field training) regiment contained 3 infantry battalions (each with 3 companies and a machine gun company) and an artillery battery, as well as various support training units. The cavalry battalion contained 2 squadrons of cavalry, a bicycle company, and a machine gun platoon. The machine gun unit in 9 of the divisions was of battalion strength, while the remaining 19 divisions had only a machine gun company.

The Yugoslav operational army had a total of 95 infantry regiments: 84 were assigned to the 28 infantry divisions (3 each in peace-time); 4 independent regiments (the 22nd, 37th, 47th, and 48th) were part of the High Command reserves; 2 were independent alpine regiments; 2 were assigned to the "Guard" division; 2 were part of Fortress Command "Kotor"; and 1 was in Fortress Command "Sibenik". The active infantry regiment contained three infantry battalions (each with one machine gun and three infantry companies) and a heavy weapons company consisting of a platoon of eight 75 to 90mm mortars and a platoon of five 37mm infantry guns.

Thus, a Yugoslav infantry division (of 3 infantry regiments) would contain:

11,920 Rifles
448 Submachine guns
72 Light machine guns
140 Heavy machine guns (max. 164)
6 15mm flak machine guns
15 37mm infantry guns
12 37 or 47mm anti-tank guns
24 Medium mortars
48 Artillery pieces

The Yugoslavian Army was centered around its 28 infantry divisions. These units were, however, recognized to have two major defects; first, they were too large for effective combat control, and second, they were too unwieldy due to their reliance upon draft animals as their primary transportation.

To relieve these deficiencies, the Yugoslavs instituted a system of odreds. The odred was an operational detachment which functioned as a separate combat command unit. Depending upon the circumstances, an odred encompassed anywhere from a single battalion up to three infantry or cavalry regiments, as well as some supporting artillery. Some of the odreds were formed around existing command units (such as the "Banatska" Odred formed from the "Guard" cavalry command), while others were only detachments from one or more divisions, established to accomplish a specific task.

BORDER UNITS

According to the Yugoslav plan of defense, the first line of resistancewas to be just behind the borders. On the northern borders with Germany, Italy, and Hungary, actual frontier fortifications existed, but even on the other borders defensive positions were extablished.

To man these frontier defenses, three different types of units were raised: the Border Guards, who maintained customs and passage control of the various border crossing points; the Border Defense Command, formed from reservist soldiers to man the border fortifications; and the Reserve Army, made up of soldiers between the ages 40 and 50, who were responsible for the defense of the unfortified borders.

The defense of the borders with Italy (including the Zara enclave) was entrusted to the 11th and 12th Border Guard Battalions, supported by the I, II, and III Border Defense Regiments, the 319th Reserve Regiment (near Zara), and the 554th and 555th Reserve Battalions.

The border with Germany was controlled by the 15th and 16th Border Guards Battalions, supported by the IV through VIII Border Defense Regiments.

The Hungarian border was defended by the 10th, 14th, and 18th Border Guards Battalions with the X. through XVI Border Defense Regiments, the 315th, 341st, and 393rd Reserve Regiments, and the 567th and 601st Reserve Battalions.

The defense along the Rumanian border consisted of the 13th Border Guards Battalion supported by the XVII and XVIII Border Defense Regiments in the Banat area, and the 301st and 316th Reserve Regiments along the rest of the border.

The Bulgarian frontier was held by the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Border Guards Battalions, along with the 310th .through 312th, 328th through 330th, 332nd, 333rd, and 381st Reserve Regiments, as well as the 626th Reserve Battalion.

The Greek frontier was almost completely undefended, with only the 4th and 5th Border Guards Battalions in this area. The Albanian border was controlled by the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Border Guards Battalions, supported by the 322nd, 323rd, 334th, 335th, 337th, and 385th Reserve Regiments.

The coast of the Adriatic (other than at Sibenik and Kotor) was defended by the 320th and 321st Reserve Regiments.

More Yugoslav Army of WWII

Introduction
Infantry and Border Units
Cavalry and Artillery
Mechanized Units and AA
Navy
Air Force (with OOB)
Army OOB
Yugoslavia Map (slow: 75K)