Operation Solta

(Yugoslav island)

'Solta' was a German operation against the partisan forces of Marshal Josip Broz Tito in the puppet state of Croatia in German-occupied Yugoslavia (10/11 May 1944).

The undertaking’s objective was to hold the island of Solta off the Dalmatian coast from attack by the 1st 'Dalmatia' Assault Brigade of the 26th Division, and the German force involved comprised elements of the 892nd Grenadierregiment of Generalleutnant Otto Lüdecke’s 264th Division.

The partisan brigade landed on Solta and engaged the German garrison, which consisted of two reinforced companies. In response to news of the Yugoslav attack, the 264th Division forwarded 200 reinforcements from Split, and the partisans then withdrew to the island of Vis. On the partisans' way back to Vis, a German naval vessel sank the vessel Marin II, which was carrying approximately 60 wounded partisans from the fighting on Solta.

The loss figures for the German side are believed to have been considerably overstated by the partisans, whose claimed 250 German dead and wounded, and 52 captured, and admitted the loss of 40 partisans killed and 129 wounded.