kingdom yugoslavia formation commanded opposed german led axis invasion april world war consisted infantry divisions cavalry regiment formed responsible defence yugoslav hungarian border river danube directly attacked days invasion commenced attacks flanks april resulted successive orders withdraw lines danube april hungarians crossed border sector responsible withdrawing hungarians faced resistance day german 8th division driving belgrade flank effectively routed entire combat force accelerated fifth column activities soldiers germans captured belgrade april remnants 2nd army continued resist line april headquarters rebuffed contacted germans attempt negotiate separate april tens thousands yugoslav soldiers captured germans closed capturing april accepted surrender april came effect following day composition commanded chief staff organised geographic basis 2nd army district divided divisional districts subdivided regimental regions consisted 17th infantry division cavalry regiment horse support units included artillery regiment 2nd 2nd army anti aircraft company border guard battalion 3rd comprising sixteen attached based east deployment 2nd army responsible eastern section yugoslav hungarian border regions danube region danube left flank 1st responsible defence yugoslav hungarian border west boundary 4th army ran east yugoslav defence plan saw 2nd army deployed boundary danube divisions line division depth formations 10th 17th infantry division partly commenced deployment 2nd army west east 17th infantry division south east confluence danube centred depth right flank river centred 33rd infantry division direct command deployed south river centred operations faced days commencement invasion exchanges fire hungarian border guards 2nd army faced direct attacks 2nd army hungarians ready scale fighting deploying forces april events parts yugoslavia right flank ordered withdraw south danube deploy line facing east defend attack direction bulgaria headquarters 2nd army issued orders evacuate reinforce left flank following day situation deteriorated significantly german crossed yugoslav romanian border struck 6th army halting withdrawal disrupting ability organise coherent defence danube april main thrust 2nd army consisting 8th leading 16th crossed 4th army sector left 2nd army turned southeast rivers meeting resistance strong air support reached left flank evening despite poor roads bad weather later day situation increasingly desperate country prime minister yugoslav chief general staff broadcast following message troops engage enemy encountered means disposal don wait direct orders act guided judgement initiative conscience able evacuate organised defence left flank threatened began desert units fifth column activities fascist significantly reducing combat power 2nd army evening april 2nd ordered withdraw line form defensive line confluence river days needed night april continued withdrawal units 2nd army included significant numbers began dissolve dawn april hungarian forces consisting mobile corps lieutenant general crossed yugoslav border north near overcame yugoslav border guards advanced corps continued push east south 8th capturing followed 16th advanced east despite bridge poor roads effectively routed 2nd april day 3rd flown following day group 26th heavy fighter wing german destroyed 3rd aircraft swept airfield effective attacks campaign night april 8th division captured important bridges captured intact destroyed bridge danube advanced kilometres south belgrade advances delayed withdrawal 2nd south fate april withdrawal threatened left flank described polish historian having combat importance far right flank attempted pressed drove belgrade west belgrade remnants 2nd tried establish line captured bridges elements 8th division captured fight april 1st army counter attacked right flank pushed germans captured german assistance units recaptured town destroyed bridge hungarians occupied facing resistance evening april elements command crossed danube boats captured belgrade resistance time elements approaching belgrade west away capital 8th continued thrust capture bridges west belgrade entered city night rest 8th division turned southeast drove link left flank southwest belgrade 16th south advanced april led southward thrust headquarters 2nd army located day 2nd army asked germans separate agreement rebuffed stage surrender considered germans april tens thousands yugoslav soldiers taken prisoner germans drive centre country including april approached east 14th division entered west 2nd army surrendered delay locating appropriate signatories surrender document surrendered belgrade effective april books journals papers web
2nd Army (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)