Combat
Royal Yugoslavia
entered WW 2 at April 6. 1941. when the Axis forces attack. Sole operator of the
Do17K was 3. vazduhoplovni puk [ air regiment] with HQ in Skoplje. By the war
order regulation R-41 unit should attack German airfields in the Bulgarian
boundary area, with possibly activity in the North Bulgaria and Albania.
In the moment of hostilities start, 3. vazduhoplovni puk had 60 Do17K ready [61 by the manuscript of the unit vice Commander Maj. Dragomir Zikic], spited into the two groups, 63. and 64. At Skoplje airfield was placed 63. group while the 64. group was spited on the airfields on Kosovo. German attack started in the early morning, when few dive bombers destroyed AA portions close to the Skoplje airfield and then followed by the single engined fighters which put on fire line up of the Do17K. A number of them was destroyed. At least two undamaged plane Do17K take off after the attack and joined to the 64. group on Kosovo, which remained intact. Ground personnel start to repair slightly damaged airplanes but the next attack in the afternoon, completely wipe of all of the remained planes. From that moment only 64. group stay in existence.
After the information
of the attack, planes from 64. group release several of attack on the enemy’s.
Under attack was German armored columns, and airfield in the Bulgaria, including
the raid on Sofia. Next day units continued on attack with great success. Group
of 500 German vehicles got direct hits during the early morning raid and during
the day few more sorties was done, mostly against German ground forces. Bomb of
12 kg proved perform well against the armor. Planes was maneuvering permanently
and various landing strips was used for return from sorties.
Attacks was continued on the
advanced enemies on Kacanik valley but as well unit was observed, whole remains
of the 64. group should move to the Pozega airfield, deeper in territory of
Serbia. At the April 9. unit did
not perform any action due to the weather conditions. Next day, combat continued
on the Germans in the area of Cuprija, Jagodina, Kragujevac and Topola. Unit
sent some damaged planes to repair and got two new planes from the DFA in the
meantime.
Crew of the three
airplanes try to escape to USSR. One of these planes crashed in Romania, one was
captured in Hungary and one landed in occupied Mostar. On the April 13. eight
planes was in Butmir and four at Pozega. Two day’s later seven plane flew to
Niksic to provide air lift for retreating of Royal officials and King Petar II.
In Greece these planes was attacked by Italians and two survivors was join to
the RAF in Africa.
Regarding to the Colonel Andrija Pavlovic, looses of the 3. vazduhoplovni puk was 18 men, from those four pilots, three officers’ observers, nine officers’ ground personnel and two unknown. Aircraft looses by the Andrija Pavlovic was as follows:
· 2 was shoot in air
· 4 damaged in air
· 44 destroyed on ground by enemy
· 1 destroyed/damaged by own crew
· 1 heavy damaged during take off
· 7 flew to Greece
· 2 flew to USSR
· 1 deflect to enemy
· 2 miss in action