The 'Beogradska Operacija' was the Yugoslav element of the joint Soviet and Yugoslav 'Belgrade Strategic Offensive Operation' by the forces of Marshal Josip Broz Tito for the liberation of Belgrade in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia (11/20 October 1944).

The strength of the German defence of Belgrade and Serbia was in general the result of from the reinforcement of the local garrisons by elements of Generaloberst Alexander Löhr’s Heeresgruppe 'E', which was being withdrawn from Greece, where its task had been occupation and the defence of the southern Balkans against any possible Allied landing.

The most direct line of withdrawal available to the formations of Heeresgruppe 'E' was the railway line connecting Thessaloníki and Belgrade via Nis, and also the good road network along the same general line using the many river valleys of the area. After Greek and Yugoslav guerrilla and partisan forces had made it difficult for the Germans to use these two primary routes, the route then adopted by the formations of Heeresgruppe 'E' was that between Kosovo to Sarajevo via Mostar. The number of German troops in Belgrade and Serbia was also swelled by other German formations pulling back from Bulgaria and from Romania up the line of the Danube river.

The Axis order of battle was based on General Hans Felber’s Armeegruppe 'Felber'. The major formations within this organisation were General Wilhelm Schneckenburger’s Korpsgruppe 'Schneckenburger' (from 13 October controlled directly by Felber after Schneckenburger had been mortally wounded) and the Korpsgruppe 'Stern'. Each of these formations had some 30,000 men, just 20,000 of those in Korpsgruppe 'Schneckenburger' being German, and the only armour available to the Armeegruppe 'Felber' was about 70 armoured fighting vehicles in the Korpsgruppe 'Schneckenburger'. This latter comprised parts of the 737^th Jägerregiment of Generalleutnant August Wittmann’s 117^th Jägerdivision, the 1/734^th Jägerregiment of Generalleutnant Hartwig von Ludwiger’s 104^th Jägerdivision, two battalions of the 750^th Jägerregiment of Generalmajor Hubert Lamey’s 118^th Jägerdivision, parts of Generalmajor Otto Sydow’s (later Oberst Dr Hermann Rudhart’s and from 30 October Oberst Johann-Wilhelm Döring-Manteuffel’s) 20^th Flakdivision, the Kampfgruppe 'Dizner', the Kampfgruppe 'Jungenfeld', Hauptmann Heinrich Kollböck’s 191^st Sturmgeschützbrigade, the Kampfgruppe 'Rudno', parts of Oberst Werner von Hillebrandt’s 92^nd Panzergrenadierbrigade, three battalions of the 440^th Festungsbrigade, the Regiment 'Festung Belgrade', three battalions of the 18^th SS Polizeiregiment, two battalions each of the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 9^th SS Polizeiregimenter, three battalions of the Feldgendarmerieersatzregiment, three battalions of the 146^th Ersatzregiment, one replacement battalion of SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Otto Kumm’s 7^th SS Gebirgsdivision 'Prinz Eugen', the 28^th Landesschützenbataillon, parts of the 5^th SS Polizeiregiment (mot.), three companies of Panzerabteilung zbV 12, parts of the Panzerabteilung 202, the 38^th Flakregiment (mot.), a number of other battalion- and company-sized units, elements of the Serb State Guard, elements of the Serb Volunteer Corps, and elements of the Russian Defence Corps.

The Korpsgruppe 'Stern' comprised Generalleutnant Walter Stettner Ritter von Grabenhofen’s (from 19 October Generalmajor August Wittmann’s) 1^st Gebirgsdivision, the 2^nd Regiment of the Panzergrenadierdivision 'Brandenburg', the 2/146^th Ersatzregiment, the 738^th Bataillon (turkestanische), one battalion of 88-mm (3.565-in) dual-role anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns of SS-Standartenführer Helmut Dörner’s 4^th SS Polizeigrenadierdivision, one battery of the 913/38^th Flakregiment (mot.), the Kampfgruppe 'Wittman' (92^nd Grenadierbrigade reinforced with one SS flak battalion, one artillery battalion and one section of the 468^th Panzeraufklärungsabteilung), the Sturmregiment 'Rhodos', the 2/737^th Jägerregiment of the 117^th Jägerdivision, the 116^th Aufklärungsbataillon, the 44^th Panzerabwehrbataillon, the 2^nd Kompanie of the 191^st Sturmgeschützbrigade, the Abteilung 'Osterwitz' (two battalions of the 2^nd Regiment of the Panzergrenadierdivision 'Brandenburg'), the Abteilung 'Schercuberg' (one reinforced battalion of the 4^th Regiment of the Panzergrenadierdivision 'Brandenburg') and a number of smaller units.

From 17 October the Korpsgruppe 'Stern' comprised the Kampfgruppe 'Wittman' (98^th Gebirgsjägerregiment and 99^th Gebirgsjägerregiment of the 1^st Gebirgsdivision, and the remnants of the 737^th Regiment), the Kampfgruppe 'Hilebrant' (92^nd Grenadierbrigade, 1^st and 2^nd Regimenter of the Panzergrenadierdivision 'Brandenburg'), and the Kampfgruppe 'Langrok' (54^th Jägerregiment, 116^th Aufklärungsbataillon and 3^rd SS Polizeiregiment).

Facing these German and allied forces were some 50,000 Yugoslav and 17,020 Soviet troops. The Yugoslav element was General-pukovnik Peko Đapčević's Yugoslav 1^st Army Group, whose primary formations were Đapčević's own I Proletarian Corps and General-major Danilo Lekić's XII Assault Corps. The I Proletarian Corps comprised Pukovnik Vaso Jovanović's Yugoslav 1^st Proletarian Division (1^st, 3^rd and 13^th Proletarian Brigades and 8^th 'Montenegrin' Brigade), Pukovnik Đoko Jovanović's 6^th Proletarian Division 'Nikola Tesla' (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd 'Lika' Proletarian Brigades, and 22^nd 'Serbia' Brigade), Pukovnik Milutin Morača’s 5^th 'Krajina' Assault Division (1^st, 4^th and 10^th 'Krajiska' Brigades, and 21^st 'Serb' Brigade), Pukovnik Miloje Milojević's 21^st 'Serb' Assault Division (2^nd Proletarian Brigade, and 4^th and 5^th 'Serb' Brigades), and the 17^th 'East Bosnia' Assault Division (2^nd 'Krajiska' Brigade, 6^th Proletarian Brigade, and 15^th 'Majevica' Brigade).

The XII Assault Corps comprised Pukovnik Milo Siljegović's 11^th 'Krajina' Assault Division (5^th and 12^th 'Krajiska' Brigades, and 32^nd 'Serb' Brigade, Potpukovnik Marko Peričin-Kamenjar’s 16^th 'Vojvodina' Assault Division (1^st, 2^nd and 4^th 'Vojvodina' Brigades), Pukovnik Radojica Nenezić's Yugoslav 28^th 'Slavonia' Assault Division (17^th, 21^st and 25^th 'Slavonia' Brigades), and Potpukovnik Radoslav Jović's 36^th 'Vojvodina' Assault Division (3^rd, 5^th and 6^th 'Vojvodina' Brigades). Also under command, from the Yugoslav XIV Corps, was Potpukovnik Miladin Ivanović's 23^rd 'Serbia' Assault Division.

Advancing from Romania, the Soviet army contributed from Marshal Sovetskogo Soyuza Fedor I. Tolbukhin’s 3^rd Ukrainian Front the men, 160 tanks, 21 self-propelled guns, 366 pieces of artillery and 31 aircraft of General Major Vladimir I. Zhdanov’s IV Guards Mechanised Corps (Soviet 36^th Tank Brigade, 13^th, 14^th and 15^th Mechanised Brigades, 230^th Howitzer Artillery Regiment, 140^th Mortar Regiment, 58^th Guards Rocket Artillery Regiment, 42^nd Anti-Tank Brigade, 22^nd Anti-Aircraft Division and 218^th Independent Engineer Battalion), LXXV Corps (73^rd, 74^th, 233^rd and 236^th Rifle Divisions), 5^th Independent Motorised Rifle Brigade, part of the 109^th Guard Division, the Danube Military Flotilla and, from General Leytenant Vladimir A. Sudets’s 17^th Air Army, IX Mixed Air Corps (131^st Fighter Division with 155 fighters, and 92^nd Attack Division) supported by three other fighter divisions, two attack divisions and two bomber divisions.