Battle of Odžak (19 April 1945)

The Battle of Odžak was the last battle of World War II in Europe. The battle began on 19 April 1945 and lasted until 25 May 1945, 17 days after the end of the war in Europe. The combatants were the Axis-aligned Croatian Armed Forces, commanded by Petar Rajkovačić, and the Yugoslav Partisans, commanded by Miloš Zekić. The battle took place in the Bosnian town of Odžak, in the former country of Yugoslavia. The battle was a victory for the partisans.

The battle is thoroughly described in a number of books, for example, in a 1969 book on 53rd Division, 1981 book on 16th Muslim Brigade, 1983 book on 27th East Bosnian Division, and 1983 book on 14th Central Bosnian Brigade.

Aftermath

The Ustaše grouping encircled in the Podvučijak area was virtually destroyed. Due to the lack of preserved documentation, there are no precise data regarding the losses suffered by either side during the fighting, which—with interruptions—lasted from 19 April to 25 May, and possibly until 27–28 May 1945. According to historian Gaj Trifković, the total losses of the three Yugoslav divisions involved can be estimated at around 430 killed and missing, and 1,123 wounded. Trifković also notes that by the end of the battle at least 562 defenders of Odžak were captured. In his assessment, eyewitness accounts indicating that the prisoners of war were executed only a few days after their capture can be considered credible.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Battle of Odžak”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Text from the Wikipedia article “Battle of Odžak”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Battle of Odžak

Aftermath

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Aftermath