Važnost Dunava i Đerdapa u ratnim operacijama na području Jugoslavije 1941-1944
The Importance Of The Danube And The Iron Gates During The Military Operations In Yugoslavia 1941-1944

Summary/Abstract: The strategic, traffic and economical importance of the Danube wa-terway was particularly pronounced during the German expansion towards the Southeastern Europe. As this river became “the backbone of the Reich”, a complex diplomatic game, in which the intelligence services of several countries took part, was played for it. The increase in the importan-ce of the Danube waterway influenced the substantial increase in the im-portance of Iron Gates, as this was, in terms of navigation, the most com-plicated part of the course of this great European river. The British at-tempts to sabotage German navigation on the Danube were especially in-tensive during the first two war years in Europe (1939-1941). The purcha-se of vessels, bribery of the Iron Gates pilots and attacks with explosives on the steep coasts of the Iron Gates, were some of the ways of fight against the intensive German river traffic. The sector of Iron Gates was the first part of the Yugoslav territory that suffered the German attack, during the last hours of April 5 th . In the moment when the bombing of Belgrade and other Yugoslav cities started, Sip, the Sip Channel and the locomotive trac-tion were already firmly in the German hands. Despite the attempts to hin-der the German navigation made by the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland, supported by the British secret service, Iron Gates and the Danube water-way through Yugoslavia remained firmly in the German hands until Sep-tember of 1944. Thereafter the Danube was one of the routs by which the Red Army progressed and the German forces retreated.

• Details
• Contents