Who were the last Axis force in Europe to surrender in World War II?

Zap_Rowsdower

Hungary: "The Hungarian First Army continued to fight the Red Army even after Hungary had been completely occupied by the Soviet Union, not disbanding until May 8, 1945. Hungary remained as the last fighting Tripartite ally of Germany-Japan." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_Powers Dec 10 07, 8:38 PM

author

The answer is not correct. Some forces from another 'country' did not surrender until May 17. Dec 10 07, 8:52 PM

elburcher

The Georgian Uprising of Texel (Dutch: Opstand der Georgiërs) (April 5, 1945 – May 20, 1945) was an insurrection by the 882nd Infantry Battalion Königin Tamara (Queen Tamar or Tamara) of the Georgian Legion of the Wehrmacht stationed on the German occupied Dutch island of Texel (pronounced tessel). The battalion consisted of 800 Georgians and 400 Germans, with mainly German officers. The event has been described as Europe's last battlefield. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Uprising_of_Texel Dec 10 07, 9:08 PM

Zap_Rowsdower

My mistake! Let me take another shot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poljana "The battle was the culmination and the last of a series of battles between Yugoslav partisans and a large, mixed column (numbering in excess of 30,000) of German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) soldiers together with Croatian Ustaše, members of the Slovene Home Guard (Slovenian Domobranci, Slovensko domobranstvo, or SD), and other Fascist collaborators who were attempting to retreat to Austria." So it was Germany, largely. Dec 10 07, 9:09 PM

author

I was thinking about the Croatian forces (including som Slovenes and Serbian Chetniks) who surrendered in Bleiburg between May 15 and 17. According to this quote this was the last Axis force to surrender. The information about Georgia posted by elburcher might prove this wrong, though. Quote: The Croatian Armed Forces, the military of the NDH (not to be confused with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, an unaffiliated modern military), began to withdraw to the Austrian border on May 12, travelling to Bleiburg where the 38th British Infantry Brigade was stationed. The retreating columns consisted of Croats, Serbs and small numbers of Slovenes. The majority were soldiers of the Croatian Armed Forces which, much like the German Army, consisted of the regular conscript Croatian Home Guard (Domobrani) and the military wing of the ruling fascist (Ustaše) party, the Ustaša Militia. The pursuing Partisans appear to branded them all as traitors, since they were fleeing with the Ustaše leaders, and had abandoned their homes and businesses. Apart from Croats, present in the fleeing military columns were remaining units of the Serbian Chetniks (supposedly the "arch-enemies" of the Ustaše) and the Slovenian Domobranci, many of whom were killed as well. They began surrendering to the British on May 15, and this continued until the May 17, making these remnants of the NDH military the last Axis force in Europe to surrender. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleiburg_massacre Dec 10 07, 9:23 PM

author

I think elburcher has the correct answer here. Quote: During this Russian war or Georgian war (as it is known on Texel) approximately 800 Germans, 570 Georgians, and 120 Tesselans were killed. The destruction was enormous; dozens of farms went up in flames. The pointless bloodshed lasted beyond the German capitulation in the Netherlands and Denmark on May 5, 1945, and Germany's general surrender on May 8, 1945. Not until May 20, 1945 were Canadian troops able to pacify "Europe’s last battlefield." http://acapella.harmony-central.com/archive/index.php/t-1234500.html This quote says a little about how this could happen: Quote: As the Allies swept through France to Germany, it bypassed the large Nazi forces in parts of Holland as well as Denmark and Norway. Gen MacArthur did much the same thing in the Pacific, skipping non-essential large Japanese garrisoned islands on the way to Tokyo, allowing them to 'wither on the vine'. The last German garrison in Western Europe, withering for weeks after all others had surrendered was on the island of Texel in Holland. http://militaryhistory.suite101.com/blog.cfm/europes_last_battlefield_of_wwii Dec 10 07, 9:33 PM