| 3rd Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941 |
| Disbanded | 1941 |
| Country |  Yugoslavia |
| Branch | Royal Yugoslav Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Corps[a] |
| Part of | 3rd Army Group |
| Engagements | Invasion of Yugoslavia (1941) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ilija Brašić |
The3rd Army was aRoyal Yugoslav Army formation commanded byArmijski đeneralIlija Brašić during theGerman-ledAxisinvasion of theKingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941 duringWorld War II. It consisted of two reinforcedinfantrydivisions, two infantry divisions, and abrigade-strength horsedcavalry detachment. It formed part of the3rd Army Group, and was responsible for the Yugoslav-Albania border betweenLake Ohrid andLake Skadar.
The 3rd Army was commanded byArmijski đeneral[b]Ilija Brašić, and hischief of staff wasBrigadni đeneral[c] Milan Zelenika.[2] It was organised and mobilised on a geographic basis from the 3rd Army District, which was divided into divisional districts, each of which was subdivided into regimental regions.[3] The 3rd Army consisted of:[2]
Its support units included the 66th Army Artillery Regiment, the 3rdAnti-Aircraft Battalion, the 3rd Army Anti-AircraftCompany, and eight border guard battalions. The 5th Air Reconnaissance Group comprising fourteenBreguet 19s was attached from theRoyal Yugoslav Air Force and was based atTetovo west ofSkopje.[2]
The 3rd Army was part of the3rd Army Group, which was responsible for the Yugoslav-Albanian betweenLake Ohrid toLake Skadar, and theBulgarian andGreek border betweenTrgovište and the Albanian border. The 3rd Army was responsible for the Albanian border and western section of the Greek border, and the3rd Territorial Army was responsible for the eastern sector of the Greek border and the sector along the Bulgarian border. The22nd Infantry DivisionIbarska was to be held as the 3rd Army Group reserve around Skopje. On the left of the 3rd Army was the 3rd Territorial Army, with the boundary running throughPrilep to Tetovo. On the right was theAdriatic coast defended by theCoastal Defence Command, with the boundary running north from theBay of Kotor. The Yugoslav defense plan saw the 3rd Army deployed in a horseshoe around northern Albania.[4] Of the formations of the 3rd Army, the mobilisation of the 31st Infantry DivisionKosovska and the Cavalry DetachmentKomski was largely complete, the 13th Infantry DivisionHercegovačka was partly mobilised, and the 15th Infantry DivisionZetska and 25th Infantry DivisionVardarska had only commenced mobilisation.[5] All 3rd Army formations except the 13th Infantry DivisionHercegovačka were to be deployed in a cordon. The planned deployment of the 3rd Army from west to east was:[4]
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