Battle of Odžak

Overview

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 Croatian Armed Forces (NDH) commanded by Petar Rajkovačić and the Yugoslav Army commanded by Miloš Zekić. The battle took place in the Bosnian town of Odžak. The battle was a victory for the Partisans.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Odžak, fought from 19 April to 25 May 1945 in the Bosnian town of Odžak, holds the distinction of being the last battle of World War II in Europe. Croatian Armed Forces (NDH) under Petar Rajkovačić continued organized resistance against the Yugoslav Army under Miloš Zekić for 17 days after the formal end of the war in Europe, making it an outlier engagement with no parallel on the European theater's timeline. Yugoslav forces numbered between 23,000 and 35,000 against an NDH garrison estimated between 1,800 and 11,000, and Yugoslav casualties ranged from 1,000 to 10,000. The battle ended in a Partisan victory, extinguishing one of the final pockets of NDH military resistance and completing the consolidation of Yugoslav control over Bosnia. Its significance lies not in altering the war's outcome, which had already been decided, but in demonstrating that the collapse of the NDH was contested and uneven, requiring continued combat operations well past V-E Day.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (1)