Original scientific paper
Summary: The liberation of the island of Krk, april 1945
Vojmir Kljaković
Abstract
The Yugoslav fourth Army offensive which took place early in 1945, entailed as its main objective the liberation of a wide coastal area of the north-west parts of Yugoslavia and the islands, together with Istria and the Slovenian seaboard. After completely annihilating the 15 German Mountain Corps, by the middle of April, the Army was in a strong enough position to penetrate into the Croation Seaboard and Gorski Kotar. After a fierce battle Senj was effectively liberated, this success, at the representing the key factor necessary in enabling the advancement along the coast towards Rijeka and Istria, however, a momentious problem still reigned to the left wing of the army in so much that the island of Krk was still firmly occupied by units from the German 237th Division, and who were sternly defending all the prominent approach routes to Rijeka. Under such circumstances the important harbour of Senj was not in the advantageous position of being servicable for the supply of essentials to the Fourth Army, whose main forces were approaching the Bay of Bakar, in order to commence the battle for Rijeka. Other than by taking unfavourable risks there was no way in which to attempt the liberation of the islands of Cres and Lošinj. Hence, the headquarters of the fourth Army decided that it was advisable for the nucleus of its 26th division and a section of the Kvarner marines detachment to carry out an all-sided attack on the island of Krk. There were about 650 German soldiers and insurgents, with 15 cannons, on the island, all of which were from the infantry and marine formations. Enemy garrisons were disposed in all the larger localities throughout the island, or to clarify this point, in Krk, Malinska, Omišalj, Baška, old Baška and Punat. In order to liberate the island of Krk, the 26th Division headquarters had nominated its 1st Dalmatian Proletarian Brigade the 11th Dalmatian Fighting Brigade and a lesser part of the 3rd Overseas Brigade, in addition to the North Adriatic Naval Command, a part of the Kvarner Detachment. After exercising all the necessary preperations, during the 16th and 17th April 1945, these forces resolutely hit the east beach of the island, at Vrbnik and the coves of St Marak and Mala Luka. Operations took place during the night, resulting in the 1st Proleterian Brigade reaching the outskirts of Malinska and Omišalj, the 11th Brigade, outside of Krk and Punat, and the Kvarner detachement on the outskirts of Baška, while a section of the 3rd Overseas Brigade remained in the centre of the island in reserve. The significant date was the 17th April during which day, after a fierce struggle, the 1st Proleterian Brigade managed to overcome the enemy garrisons in Malinska and Omišalj. At the same time, the Enemy in Punat surrendered to the 11th Brigade without any cause for armed conflict, whilst the latter was engaged in a long turbulent battle in Krk. In Baška and Old Baška, the enemy capitulated to the Kvarner Detachment without any struggle at all. By the end of the day the whole island of Krk had been liberated. To the greater part the enemy was annihalated with only an insignificant number managing to save themselves by means of escape across the sea. The enemy sustained a casualty list of somewhere in the region of 450 dead and 138 taken prisoner, while the 26th Division suffered an all-in-all total of 16 dead and 54 wounded. All arms and equipment were confiscated. Immediately after the liberation of Krk, the struggle for Rijeka was intensified and the landing on the islands of Cres and Lošinj were effectively accomplished. This all amounted to the introductiory essentials needed in order to liberate Istria and the Slovenian Seabord.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
324407
URI
Publication date:
22.4.1970.
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