The Yugoslav order of battle before the invasion of Yugoslavia includes a listing (or order of battle) of all operational formations of the Royal Yugoslav Army (, VKJ), Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (, VVKJ) and Royal Yugoslav Navy (, KJRM) immediately prior to the World War II invasion of that country in April 1941.
The VKJ consisted of 33 divisions and a significant number of smaller formations, but due to tentative and incomplete mobilisation, only seven divisions and four smaller formations are known to have been at close to fighting strength and in their planned deployment locations when the German-led Axis assault commenced on 6 April 1941. The Yugoslav defence plan involved placing the bulk of its land forces close to its borders, with very limited strategic reserves in depth. Almost all of the divisions that had been effectively mobilised were concentrated in the 3rd Army Group deployed in the east of the country along the Romanian and Bulgarian borders between the Iron Gates and the Greek border. Most of the heavy weapons and armoured vehicles available to the VKJ were obsolete, most formations were heavily reliant on animal-powered transport, and the VKJ had only 50 tanks that could engage front line German tanks on an equal basis.
By 6 April 1941, the VVKJ had been almost completely mobilised, and consisted of four air brigades with more than 423 aircraft of Yugoslav, German, Italian, French, Czech and British design, including 107 modern fighter aircraft, and 100 modern medium bombers. Other than a small number of locally made Rogožarski IK-3 fighters, almost all the modern aircraft available to the VVKJ were of German, Italian or British design for which limited spares and munitions were available.
The KJRM consisted of a flotilla of river monitors based on the Danube and a small fleet based in several ports along the Adriatic coast. The blue-water navy centred on a flotilla leader, three smaller destroyers, four obsolescent submarines and a gunboat, supplemented by minelayers and torpedo boats. Some of the smaller vessels in the Yugoslav fleet had been inherited from the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire following World War I and were obsolete.
Royal Yugoslav Army
At the time of the invasion, the Royal Yugoslav Army (, VKJ) consisted of 29 infantry divisions, three horse cavalry divisions, and a divisional-sized mountain detachment. There were also a significant number of independent infantry, cavalry, mountain, and combined arms brigades, infantry and cavalry regiments and fortress troops, as well as 17 border guard battalions. The Commander-in-chief of the VKJ was the 17-year-old King Peter II, and the Chief of the General Staff was the Prime Minister, Armijski đeneral Dušan Simović. The Yugoslav defence plan positioned almost all land forces close to its borders, with very limited strategic reserves in depth. The VKJ was heavily reliant on animal-powered transport, mainly oxen, and had only 50 relatively modern Renault R35 tanks that could fight German tanks on an equal footing, although these were only just being formed into a unit at the time of the invasion. The VKJ was organised into the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Army Groups, the independent 5th and 6th Armies and the Coastal Defence Command. The General Headquarters of the VKJ maintained command over five infantry divisions and a large number of smaller infantry, engineer and artillery units, as well as the only operational tank battalion. Each Army Group and independent Army was supported by an air reconnaissance group attached from the Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (VVKJ). As mobilisation had been tentative and partial, many divisions were still in the process of mobilisation on 6 April 1941. The VKJ order of battle on 6 April 1941 is detailed below as provided by Niehorster.
1st Army Group
The 1st Army Group was commanded by Armijski đeneral Milorad Petrović. It consisted of the 4th Army of Armijski đeneral Petar Nedeljković, responsible for the Yugoslav-Hungarian border and deployed behind the Drava between Varaždin and Slatina, and the 7th Army of Divizijski đeneral (Major General) Dušan Trifunović, which was responsible for the defence of the northwestern border with Italy and the Third Reich. +Composition of 1st Army Group Army Formation Mobilisation status Notes 27th Infantry Division Savska 40th Infantry Division Slavonska 42nd Infantry Division Murska Detachment Ormozki 127th Infantry Regiment 81st Cavalry Regiment 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski 38th Infantry Division Dravska Mountain Detachment Triglavski Mountain Detachment Rišnajaski Detachment Lika 1st Cavalry Division
4th Army support units included one motorised heavy artillery regiment, one artillery regiment, a motorised anti-aircraft battalion, six border guard battalions, and the 4th Air Reconnaissance Group comprising eighteen Breguet 19s was attached from the VVKJ and was based at Velika Gorica just south of Zagreb. The 7th Army was supported by one artillery regiment and the 6th Air Reconnaissance Group consisting of sixteen Breguet 19s based at Brežice, northwest of Zagreb.
2nd Army Group
The 2nd Army Group was commanded by Armijski đeneral Milutin Nedić, and consisted of Armijski đeneral Milan Rađenković's 1st Army, responsible for the area between the Danube and the Tisza, and the 2nd Army of Armijski đeneral Dragoslav Miljković, responsible for the border from Slatina to the Danube. There was no Army Group reserve, but the 2nd Army was to constitute a reserve consisting of the 10th Infantry Division Bosanska deployed south of Brod. +Composition of 2nd Army Group Army Formation Mobilisation status Notes 7th Infantry Division Potiska 3rd Cavalry Division Infantry Detachment Senta Infantry Detachment Sombor 10th Infantry Division Bosanska 17th Infantry Division Vrbaska 30th Infantry Division Osiječka 76th Cavalry Regiment
The 1st Army was supported by one artillery regiment, one anti-aircraft battalion, and the 1st Air Reconnaissance Group consisting of fifteen Breguet 19s based at Ruma, just west of Sremska Mitrovica. 2nd Army support units comprised one artillery regiment, one anti-aircraft battalion, one border guard battalion, and the 3rd Air Reconnaissance Group consisting of sixteen Breguet 19s based at Staro Topolje just east of Brod.
3rd Army Group
The 3rd Army Group was commanded by Armijski đeneral Milan Nedić. It consisted of Armijski đeneral Ilija Brašić's 3rd Army, responsible for the border with Albania between Lake Ohrid to Lake Skadar, and the 3rd Territorial Army of Armijski đeneral Jovan Naumović, which was responsible for the eastern sector of the Greek border and a sector along the Bulgarian border. The Army Group reserve consisted of the 22nd Infantry Division Ibarska, deployed around Skopje. +Composition of 3rd Army Group Army Formation Mobilisation status Notes 13th Infantry Division Hercegovačka 15th Infantry Division Zetska 25th Infantry Division Vardarska 31st Infantry Division Kosovska Cavalry Detachment Komski 5th Infantry Division Šumadijska 20th Infantry Division Bregalnička 46th Infantry Division Moravska Infantry Detachment Strumički 21st Infantry Regiment 22nd Infantry Division Ibarska
3rd Army support units included one artillery regiment, one anti-aircraft battalion, eight border guard battalions, and the 5th Air Reconnaissance Group consisting of fourteen Breguet 19s based at Tetovo west of Skopje. The 3rd Territorial Army was supported by one motorised heavy artillery regiment.
5th Independent Army
The 5th Independent Army was commanded by Armijski đeneral Vladimir Cukavac, and had responsibility for the Romanian and Bulgarian borders between the Iron Gates and the Greek border. +Composition of 5th Independent Army Army Formation Mobilisation status Notes 8th Infantry Division Krajinska 9th Infantry Division Timočka 34th Infantry Division Toplička 50th Infantry Division Drinska 2nd Cavalry Division
The support units of the 5th Independent Army were two motorised heavy artillery regiments, an anti-aircraft battalion, two border guard battalions, and the 2nd Air Reconnaissance Group consisting of sixteen Breguet 19s based at Šarlince south of Niš.
6th Independent Army
The 6th Independent Army was commanded by Armijski đeneral Dimitrije Živković, and was originally intended to form the strategic reserve for the VKJ. It was deployed around Belgrade and in the Banat region east of the Tisza. It held two infantry divisions in reserve in the lower Morava valley. +Composition of 6th Independent Army Army Formation Mobilisation status Notes 3rd Infantry Division Dunavska 49th Infantry Division Sremska Infantry Detachment Požarevački Infantry Detachment Smederevski Detachment Savski Detachment Banatski Infantry Detachment Braničevski 5th Cavalry Regiment 71st Cavalry Regiment
The 6th Independent Army was supported by an anti-aircraft battalion and the 7th Air Reconnaissance Group consisting of eighteen Breguet 19s based at Smederevska Palanka.
Coastal Defence Command Coastal Defence Command was commanded by Armijski đeneral Živko Stanisaviljević, and was responsible for the defence of the Adriatic coast from the Bay of Kotor to Gospić. +Composition of Coastal Defence Command Army Formation Mobilisation status Notes 12th Infantry Division Jadranska Boka Kotorska Command Šibenik Command Čapljinski Command Trebinjski Command
Coastal Defence Command was supported by a heavy artillery regiment and an anti-aircraft battalion, and a coastal reconnaissance squadron of four aircraft based near Mostar.
General Headquarters Direct Command General Headquarters of the VKJ maintained direct command of five infantry divisions, four independent infantry regiments, two motorised engineer regiments and one tank battalion. A further tank battalion was being formed at the time of the invasion. It also had at its disposal two motorised heavy artillery regiments, fifteen artillery battalions, two anti-aircraft battalions and five independent anti-aircraft companies. +General Headquarters Direct Command Formation Mobilisation status Notes Guards Infantry Division 1st Infantry Division Cerska 33rd Infantry Division Lička 44th Infantry Division Unska 47th Infantry Division Dinarska 22nd Infantry Regiment 37th Infantry Regiment 47th Infantry Regiment 48th Infantry Regiment
Major equipment
In April 1941, a significant amount of obsolete equipment was in service with the VKJ, much of which was of World War I vintage. For example, of the 7,000 artillery pieces, less than 60 per cent were relatively modern, and only 50 of the tanks on hand were of comparable quality to front line German tanks. The army inventory included the following major items of equipment: +Major equipmentEquipmentNumberMortarsLight anti-tank guns75mm field guns105mm field howitzersWorld War I-vintage howitzersAnti-aircraft gunsRenault R35 light tanksŠkoda S-1d light tanksRenault NC27 light tanksRenault FT and M26/27 light tanks
Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force
By April 1941, due to the difficulties Yugoslavia had faced in sourcing aircraft, the Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (, VVKJ) was equipped with 11 different types of operational aircraft, 14 types of training aircraft, and five types of auxiliary aircraft. These aircraft used 22 different engines, four different machine guns and two models of aircraft cannon. This made the training, supply and maintenance of the VVKJ quite problematic. The VVKJ was organised into a headquarters, four air brigades and one naval brigade. Its order of battle on 6 April 1941 is detailed below as provided by Shores, Cull and Malizia, the most detailed work available on the subject.
Air Force Headquarters