Drava Infantry Division

The 38th Infantry Division Dravska was a Royal Yugoslav Army formation organized in the Dravska divisional district before the German-led Axis invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941. It was associated with the Drava region and was intended to defend the mountainous German frontier around Maribor, Dravograd and the Pohorje area. The division formed part of the Yugoslav 7th Army, which belonged to the 1st Army Group responsible for the kingdom’s northern and northwestern defenses. The formation reflected both the scale and the weaknesses of the prewar Yugoslav military system. Under wartime regulations, a Yugoslav infantry division was expected to contain approximately 26,000–27,000 men and required thousands of horses and other animals for transport. The resulting formations were large but slow, difficult to supply and poorly suited to the mobile, combined-arms warfare used by Germany in 1939–41. The division’s artillery was largely animal-drawn and included World War I-era equipment, while shortages of modern weapons, ammunition, personnel and transport limited its combat effectiveness. In peacetime, the Dravska divisional district administered infantry regiments based at Ribnica, Celje, Ljubljana and Maribor, together with artillery regiments in Ljubljana and Maribor. Mobilization plans reassigned several of these units to other formations and brought reserve units into the 38th Division. The wartime structure was therefore still being assembled when the invasion began. On 6 April 1941, the division headquarters and many subordinate units were mobilizing or moving toward concentration areas around Maribor, Slovenska Bistrica, Ptuj, Ljubljana and Slovenj Gradec. Its machine-gun battalion was only partially staffed and equipped with animals. The division’s planned defensive sector extended from the Savinja Alps toward Gornja Radgona and included the principal routes leading south from the German border through Dravograd and Maribor. Its main positions were intended to lie south of the Dravinja River, while border regiments and fortified positions associated with the wider Rupnik Line were to cover frontier approaches. On its flanks were Mountain Detachment Triglavski and Detachment Ormozki. The Axis attack began on 6 April after Germany rejected the strategic consequences of Yugoslavia’s political crisis following the country’s adherence to the Tripartite Pact and the subsequent coup. German forces rapidly crossed the Mura and attacked through several frontier corridors. Elements of the 38th Division and adjacent border formations initially resisted around Dravograd, Maribor and the frontier fortifications, but German penetration on the division’s right flank threatened its planned defensive line. Attempts to establish a coherent position along the Dravinja subsequently failed. German thrusts by formations of the LI Infantry Corps and XXXXIX Mountain Corps, combined with internal disruption and fifth-column activity, caused the division to withdraw in disorder. It surrendered with the remainder of the 7th Army on 12 April 1941. The division therefore existed as an operational formation for only a brief period and did not survive the capitulation of the Royal Yugoslav Army.

The 38th Infantry Division Dravska was created under the Royal Yugoslav Army’s prewar divisional system and was associated with the Dravska divisional district, whose headquarters was in Ljubljana. The district lay within the 4th Army district headquartered in Zagreb. The division took its regional name from the Drava River and was largely recruited from Slovene and ethnic German communities. Its composition reflected the multiethnic character of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, but also the political and organizational tensions that weakened the army. Regulations from 1935 assigned several peacetime units to the Dravska district, including infantry regiments based in Ribnica, Celje, Ljubljana and Maribor and artillery regiments based in Ljubljana and Maribor. Mobilization regulations issued in 1936–37 envisaged a very large infantry division with several infantry regiments, artillery, cavalry, pioneer, machine-gun, anti-tank, anti-aircraft, signals and logistics elements. In practice, the 38th Division’s wartime order of battle depended on reserve units and reassignment of peacetime formations. This made rapid mobilization difficult, particularly after the Yugoslav government delayed general mobilization for political reasons. The division was assigned to the 7th Army and was expected to defend the German frontier in the Pohorje and Maribor area. Its sector covered roads from the border toward Dravograd, Celje, Maribor and Ptuj. Main defensive positions were planned south of the Dravinja River, while border regiments and frontier fortifications would delay an attack closer to the border. The wider defensive arrangements included the Rupnik Line, although many of the frontier fortifications were intended for border units rather than the division itself. Yugoslavia’s military weaknesses were structural. Its infantry divisions were unusually large, depended heavily on animal transport and possessed inadequate modern artillery, anti-tank weapons, ammunition and communications. The army had also been shaped by political centralization and ethnic tensions. These problems were aggravated by the limited time available for mobilization after the coup of 27 March 1941. When the invasion began on 6 April, the division headquarters was mobilizing at Slovenska Bistrica, while subordinate formations were dispersed among Maribor, Ptuj, Ljubljana, Slovenj Gradec and other locations. Some units were still marching, and the divisional machine-gun battalion had only half of its authorized personnel and animals. German attacks quickly disrupted the planned defense. A German force crossed the Mura near Spielfeld and attacked frontier positions before and during the opening of the invasion. The German LI Infantry Corps advanced toward Maribor and Ptuj, while the XXXXIX Mountain Corps operated toward Dravograd and the routes leading south. Border units offered determined resistance in some locations, but the German advance, air attacks and pressure on the division’s flanks made a stable defense increasingly difficult. The division’s forward elements were pushed back toward the Dravinja line. Efforts to form a continuous position failed, and the formation retreated in disorder. Fifth-column activity and the lack of a unified, fully mobilized force further undermined resistance. The 38th Division surrendered along with the rest of the 7th Army on 12 April 1941, ending its brief operational history.

• 1941

  Assigned to the 7th Army’s northern defense

  [1]38th Infantry Division Dravskaen.wikipedia.org

  The division was allocated a defensive sector around Maribor, Dravograd and the Pohorje mountains under Defence Plan R-41.

• 1941

  Invasion and capitulation

  [1]38th Infantry Division Dravskaen.wikipedia.org

  The division fought during the German-led invasion from 6 April and surrendered with the 7th Army on 12 April.

• 1936

  Wartime organization formalized

  [1]38th Infantry Division Dravskaen.wikipedia.org

  Regulations set out the large wartime structure and logistical requirements of Yugoslav infantry divisions, including the 38th Division.

• 1935

  Peacetime divisional organization defined

  [1]38th Infantry Division Dravskaen.wikipedia.org

  Royal Yugoslav Army regulations identified the Dravska divisional district as the source area for the 38th Infantry Division.

A regional defensive formation of the Royal Yugoslav Army assigned to protect the northern frontier and transport corridors around Maribor and Dravograd.

• 1941Defence of northern Yugoslavia

  Maribor · Dravograd · Pohorje · Dravinja valley

  During the Axis invasion, the division and frontier units attempted to hold approaches from the German border toward Maribor, Ptuj, Celje and Dravograd. The division was incompletely mobilized, depended heavily on animal transport and faced German attacks by infantry and mountain formations supported by air power.

  Outcome. The planned defensive line could not be maintained. The division withdrew toward the Dravinja area and surrendered with the 7th Army on 12 April 1941.

  Source

• 1941

  Deployment under Defence Plan R-41Strategy

  Background

  The Yugoslav General Staff planned a cordon defense along the German and Italian borders, with the 38th Division covering the northern sector around Maribor and the routes through Dravograd.

  Action taken

  The division was assigned main positions south of the Dravinja River, supported by border regiments and flanked by Mountain Detachment Triglavski and Detachment Ormozki.

  Aftermath

  The plan was overtaken by the rapid German advance, incomplete mobilization and pressure on the division’s flanks.

  Source

• 1941

  Withdrawal toward the Dravinja lineOther

  Background

  German forces broke through frontier positions and advanced from the Mura crossings and the Dravograd approaches.

  Action taken

  The division attempted to withdraw and establish a secondary defensive line south of the Drava and around the Dravinja River.

  Aftermath

  The secondary line failed to form coherently, and the formation retreated in disarray before capitulating.

  Source

1. 138th Infantry Division Dravskaen.wikipedia.org