Attack on Šabac

Attack on Šabac
	Part of the Uprising in Serbia during World War II in Yugoslavia
	; German soldiers, aided by Ustaše lead a column of Serb civilians to the Šabac internment camp
Date	21—26 September 1941
Location	Šabac, Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia (now in Serbia)
Result	Defeat of rebel forces, massive reprisals against civilians
Belligerents
Chetniks Communist Party of Yugoslavia	Germany; Independent State of Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Dragoslav Račić; Bogdan Ilić – Cerski; Nebojša Jerković	Franz Böhme; Walter Hinghofer; Unknown
Units involved
Chetniks; Cer Detachment; companies: Čokešina; Mačva; Machine gun; Prnjavor; Martinović-Zečević unit; ; Pećanac Chetniks ; Partisans Detachments; Mačvanski or Podrinski NOP Detachment; Posavski; Valjevski;	Wehrmacht; 704th Division 3rd battalion of the 724th Infantry regiment; ; 718th Division 5th company of 750th regiment; ; 342nd Infantry Division; Ustaše unidentified unit
Strength
1,500 Military Chetniks; 500 Chetniks of Kosta Pećanac; 1,100 Partisans	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown heavy casualties of rebels; Civilians: 1,130 executed; 21,500 imprisoned; most of the populated places in Mačva completely burned; ;	Unknown small casualties

The attack on Šabac was attack of the united rebel forces of the Chetniks, forces of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and Pećanac Chetniks against German forces garrisoned in Šabac in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia (modern-day Serbia) in period between 21 and 26 September 1941, during the Uprising in Serbia.

The commander of all forces was Chetnik Captain Dragoslav Račić, commander of the Chetnik Cer Detachment composed of five companies with about 1,500 soldiers. Račić participated in the battle contrary to instructions of his superior commander Draža Mihailović who refused to allow Chetniks to attack much stronger and well prepared German garrison in Šabac. The Partisan forces of the communist party composed of three detachments with about 1,100 soldiers were commanded by Nebojša Jerković while forces of 500 Pećanac Chetniks were commanded by Bogdan Ilić – Cerski.

The Axis forces were under supreme command of General Franz Böhme. The Šabac garrison initially had one battalion and one company from 704th and 718th Division reinforced by the 342nd Infantry Division and unidentified unit of Croatian Ustaše. The Axis garrison in Šabac was aware of rebel plans for attack and was well prepared for defence.

The attack began during the night on 22 September and lasted until 26 September, with rebels repeated attacks during the night and retreating in the dawn without being able to defeat the German garrison. There are indications that Partisans retreated on 24 September. The rebels failed to capture Šabac and retreated from the region of Mačva until the end of September in front of advancing Axis forces. The casualties of the rebels are unknown, but the German and Croatian retributions were devastating, with 1,130 executed civilians, 21,500 imprisoned and most of the populated places in Mačva completely burned down. Eventually, at the end of World War II in Yugoslavia, the communist led Partisan forces captured Šabac in autumn 1944, killed at least 177 people from Šabac in communist purges and established the communist regime which lasted for almost fifty years.

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