Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Neretva

Battle of Neretva was a battle fought in February 1943 at Herzegovina, in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was part of Case White. The recorded result: Partisan retreat with heavy losses, Chetnik defeat, Axis failure to achieve strategic goals. Recorded strength: 90,000 Germans, Italians, NDH troops; 12 air squadrons; 12,000–15,000 Chetniks against Unknown; (about 20,000 men).

See it on the globe Read the article

Uništena italijanska mehanizovana kolona tokom bitke na Neretvi 1943. godine. Sasvim napred su dva partizana 2. proleterske divizije.
Uništena italijanska mehanizovana kolona tokom bitke na Neretvi 1943. godine. Sasvim napred su dva partizana 2. proleterske divizije.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtFebruary 1943
WhereHerzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina43.654N, 17.762E
OutcomePartisan retreat with heavy losses, Chetnik defeat, Axis failure to achieve strategic goals
BelligerentsNazi Germany; Fascist Italy (1922–1943); Independent State of Croatia; Chetniks (MVAC)againstYugoslav Partisans
Part ofCase White1943

Record

DateFebruary 1943 (month precision)
to April 1943
PlaceHerzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
43.654N, 17.762E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Strength90,000 Germans, Italians, NDH troops; 12 air squadrons; 12,000–15,000 ChetniksUnknown; (about 20,000 men)
Casualties and losses514–583 killed; 1,214–1,642 wounded; 145–158 missing; 1,605 killed; 983 captured; 126 killed; 258 wounded; 218 missing; 2,000–3,000 killed or wounded; Total: 7,000–8,60011,915–12,000 killed, 616 executed; 2,099–2,506 captured; (German claim); 10,000 killed, wounded and missing and 2,000 captured; (Yugoslav claim); 3,370 civilians killed; 1,722 civilians deported to concentration camps
Commanders
  • Alexander Löhr
  • Rudolf Lüters
  • Mario Roatta
  • Draža Mihailović
  • Zaharije Ostojić
  • Dobroslav Jevđević
  • Josip Broz Tito
  • Arso Jovanović
  • Velimir Terzić
  • Koča Popović
  • Peko Dapčević
  • Vicko Krstulović
Battle of NeretvaBattle of NeretvaCase WhiteCrossing the NeretvaMostar OperationSiege of SarajevoOperation SarajevoCase WhiteMostar OperationSiege of SarajevoOperation SarajevoPodgoricaBanja LukaSplitTuzlaDubrovnikZenicaŠibenik100 km43.654N, 17.762E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Neretva
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Neretva today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-07-27. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 172 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 156 to 1,584 m, 1,428 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 91% tree cover, 5% grassland, 2% built-up.

tree cover: 91%grassland: 5%built-up: 2%tree cover 91%grassland 5%built-up 2%
west to east, 10.0 km172 to 1,113 mnorth to south, 10.0 km158 to 671 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1943 and 1943.

Elsewhere in 1943

Battle of Neretva is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 43 in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q127872674, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Weiss, revision 1371424121, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.