When Hitler's Devil's Division Finally Paid the Price

By World History

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The 369th (Croatian) Infantry Division, known as the “Devil’s Division,” was one of the most controversial collaborationist formations to serve under German command during the Second World War. Formed from Croatian volunteers and led largely by German officers, the division traced its origins to the Croatian Legion that fought alongside the Wehrmacht at the Battle of Stalingrad. After the destruction of that unit in early 1943, the Germans created a new formation bearing the same number and assigned it to anti-Partisan operations in occupied Yugoslavia. Although originally intended for service on the Eastern Front, the division spent most of its existence fighting in the mountains and villages of Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Croatia. The division operated in an environment where German anti-Partisan doctrine blurred the line between military operations and collective punishment. Villages suspected of supporting resistance fighters were frequently subjected to reprisals, property destructio

Tags: World History, Wehrmacht soldiers, German soldiers WW2, Nazi collaborators, WW2 war criminals, Ante Pavelić, Ustaše, 369th Croatian Reinforced Infantry Regiment, Croatian Legion, 369 Regiment, 369th regiment, 100th Jäger Division, Army Group South, Battle of Stalingrad WW2, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, Vražja Divizija, Devil’s Division, Wehrmacht crimes, SS Division Prinz Eugen, Chetnik Dinara Division

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