Paul Major - The Cinderella front : allied special air operations in Yugoslavia during World War II

In early 1942, as Hitler s Axis tightened its grip across the breadth of Europe, Russian blood stained the snow near Moscow; Britain and Frances desperate attempts to match Axis armament programs had been too little, too late; and a US presence had yet to be felt. There was little reason for optimism, but there was unity of purpose among these nations united against the Axis. The Axis could only be defeated by forming a coalition of nations through a long struggle of mobilization, force projection and finally decisive military engagement to force a final solution.

Few military operations have the luxury of abundant resources. Resource constraints force difficult decisions in the development of strategic goals and the conduct of operations. This difficulty is further compounded in coalition warfare, where each member is needed, but not all are friends. This is the situation that existed in WWII. The US wanted a concentrated invasion of north west Europe while Britain and Russia pushed for a multi-front battle of attrition against the Axis. While not delivering the death blow, Allied operations in North Africa, Italy, France and the Balkan countries of Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Romania played an important role in the execution of Mediterranean strategy and the final defeat of Germany.

Operations in the Balkans progressed from extremely limited special operations beginning in March 1942 to extensive, joint military operations through the collapse of Germany in May 1945. Although not the decisive front, Balkan operations tied up a great many Italian and German troops, making Allied operations on the European and Eastern fronts more effective. The majority of these air, ground, and special operations were conducted within Yugoslavia. Because much about these operations remained secret throughout the war, valuable lessons and stories of courage, innovation, and determination have remained largely unseen in the dusty pages of military archives. This paper explores Allied special air operations in Yugoslavia in World War II to illustrate lessons relevant to warfighting today.

This paper will focus on Yugoslavian operations in order to illuminate three important lessons from the Cinderella front. First, today, as in WWII, multinational, coalition warfare is essential to the successful defeat of any significant adversary. Ensuring congruency of strategy with military objectives is critical to attaining the desired end state and is greatly influenced by the complex contextual environment presented in coalition warfare. Secondly, Allied operations in Yugoslavia in WWII highlighted the value of special operations forces and demonstrated the capability of even limited forces to assist in achieving strategic objectives when employed in coordinated, multinational, joint operations. Finally, three operations will be summarized to bring to light the value and limitations of these WWII coalition operations that are directly applicable to US military operations today.