This Epic World War II Battle Defies All the History Books for 1 Reason

War Is Boring

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It was fought after the war ended. 

The Partisans initially bypassed the area around Odžak, focussing on harrying the German retreat, but by the middle of April they had encircled Rajkovačić’s position. Initial Partisan efforts to take ground were fruitless, and came at a considerable cost. With no artillery, armor or air support, the Partisans were limited to containing the Ustaša forces and launching probing attacks until they surrendered.

The small town of Odžak is nestled between the Bosna and Sava rivers, in the north of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. To the north and east, a handful of villages spread over the plains, while to the south and west a few shallow inclines lead into the foothills of Vučjak Mountain.

Today the town is a quiet place, only worthy of note due to a large Bosnian flag — allegedly one of the biggest ever — that the town’s inhabitants made a few years ago. However, in the spring of 1945, the last battle of World War II in Europe took place in and around the town.

Fought between Yugoslav Partisans and Independent Croatian forces, the Battle of Odžak ended 16 days after the Allies had celebrated victory in Europe. Yugoslav authorities kept the battle secret until 1971.

In April 1941 the Kingdom of Yugoslavia came under attack from all sides by German, Italian and Hungarian forces, who succeeded in defeating the Royal Army in fewer than two weeks. The invaders annexed large swathes of the country. Italy, the German Reich, Hungary and Italian-occupied Albania all gaining considerable territory.

The majority of what remained became part of the Independent State of Croatia, a new entity led by the collaborationist regime of Ante Pavelić, an old friend of Benito Mussolini. Although it was nominally sovereign, the Independent State of Croatia was a protectorate of Italy — and after 1943, Germany — and for all intents and purposes was a puppet state. Paveli‘s party, the Ustaša Revolutionary Movement, was extremely nationalist, strongly Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-Communist and anti-Serb.