40th Infantry Division Slavonska

40th Infantry Division Slavonska
Country	Yugoslavia
Branch	Royal Yugoslav Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Part of	4th Army
Engagements	Invasion of Yugoslavia (1941)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Ratko Raketić

The 40th Infantry Division Slavonska was an infantry formation of the Royal Yugoslav Army that formed part of the 4th Army during the German-led Axis invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941. It was partly mobilised from the Osijecka military district, and, like all Yugoslav infantry divisions of the time, was a very large and unwieldy formation which was almost entirely reliant on animal transport for mobility. Commanded by Brigadni đeneral Ratko Raketić, it was largely manned by Croat troops, many of whom saw the Germans as potential liberators from Serbian oppression during the interwar period, and the division also lacked modern arms and sufficient ammunition.

The preliminary attacks launched across the Drava by the Germans on 6 April were enough to spark revolts within the units of the division. One of its three infantry regiments rebelled the following day, and by 8 April the rebels had taken over Bjelovar. The division continued to disintegrate over the following days, then crumbled in the face of the combined arms assault of the 8th Panzer Division when it broke out of its bridgehead at Barcs on 10 April. A few mainly Serb remnants of the division continued to withdraw into Bosnia over the next week until a ceasefire was negotiated on 15 April. The Yugoslav Army surrendered on 18 April.