6th Division (Yugoslav Partisans)
6th Lika Division | |
---|---|
Yugoslav Partisan Army | |
Type | Infantry |
Size | 3,229 soldiers (upon formation) |
Part of | 4th Corps 1st Corps |
Engagements | World War II in Yugoslavia |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Srećko Manola (November 1942 - March 1943) Đoko Jovanić (March 1943 - May 1945) |
The 6th Proletarian Assault Lika Division "
After its formation, it participated in the operations of the 1st Bosnian Corps in the lower course of the Una, and at the end of 1942 and early 1943 it carried out attacks on Italian, Ustaše and Chetnik garrisons in Lika and northern Dalmatia. During the initial phase of the Case White, it successfully led battles against strong Italian forces, to which it inflicted heavy losses in Lapačko polje. Then, together with the units of the 8th Kordun Division, it captured all enemy possessions in Lika, except for Gospić.
In November 1943, the division moved to
It was considered one of the most combative divisions among Yugoslav Partisans and for the successes achieved in the battles, by the decision of the Supreme Headquarters, on 19 March 1944. It was declared proletarian and named after the scientist Nikola Tesla, who was a native of Lika. All three brigades, which were part of the division when it was formed, were also declared proletarian and awarded the Order of the People's Hero.
Formation of the division
Development of the Partisan resistance in Yugoslavia during 1942 was such that it became impossible to manage brigades, battalions, and partisan detachments in a previous way, so in the autumn of the same year, the Yugoslav Partisan Army was formed. In the army, the first divisions and corps were formed, which were easily mobile, maneuverable units suitable for combat operations in all parts of Yugoslavia. They were organizationally, as well as politically and morally prepared. First divisions formed, by order of the Supreme Headquarters on 1 November 1942 were the
With the order on the formation of the 6th Lika Division, the 1st, 2nd, and 9th Brigade of the National Liberation Army of Croatia became part of it, which were then renamed to 1st Lika Brigade, 2nd Lika Brigade, and 3rd Lika Brigade. At the time of the formation of the 6th Division, all three brigades that were part of it were located outside Lika - the 1st Lika Brigade in the Veljun region, the 2nd Lika Brigade between Cetingrad and Velika Kladuša, and the 3rd Lika Brigade was located in the region of Bosansko Grahovo, where it was under the direct command of the Supreme Headquarters.[4]
Srećko Manola, former commander of the First Operational Zone of Croatia and
Brigade | 1st Lika | 2nd Lika | 3rd Lika | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Soldiers | 1,082 | 1,071 | 1,201 | 3,354 |
Rifles | 827 | 969 | 936 | 2,732 |
Machine guns | 7 | 12 | 6 | 25 |
Light machine guns | 43 | 56 | 20 | 119 |
Mortars | 2 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
Operations
First operations (November 1942 - January 1943)
After the establishment, the units of the 6th Lika Division took part in the joint actions of the
Case White (January - March 1943)
During the first phase of
Operations in Lika and Dalmatia (May - October 1943)
At the end of May 1943, the 2nd Lika Brigade was sent to
After the capitulation of Italy, in September 1943, over 200 fighters-leaders were sent from the division to northern Dalmatia and Istria, where they represented the leading staff for the newly formed units. At the same time, the division's units were filled with about 1,000 new fighters from the Croatian coast. By the order of the Main Staff of the National Liberation Army and the Croatian Armed Forces, on October 24, 1943, the Headquarters of the 6th Lika Division formed a Lika Partisan Detachment of 150 fighters.[10]
Operations in Bosnia (October 1943 - June 1944)
On 11 November 1943, the 6th Lika Division left the Serb region and reached Bugojno via Drvar and Kupres, where it became part of the 1st Proletarian Corps, while the Lika Partisan Detachment remained active in Lika. Together with the units of the 1st Proletarian Division, the units of the 6th Lika Division took part in the battles near Travnik and Zenica in the second half of November and early December 1943, thus securing the liberated Jajce where the Second session of AVNOJ was held.[10]
Between December 1943 and January 1944 brigades of the division carried out several independent operations. On the night of 16/17 December, the 2nd Lika Brigade successfully attacked German garrison in
The Supreme Commander of the Yugoslav Partisans, Josip Broz Tito, expressed his gratitude to the entire composition of the division for the heroism shown in these battles. At the beginning of February, the 1st Lika Brigade moved to the Drvar area, and the 3rd Lika Brigade to Glamoč. For the successes achieved in the battles, the 6th Lika Division was declared proletarian on 19 March 1944 by the Decree of the Supreme Headquarters and was named after the scientist Nikola Tesla.[10] This was the first time for the division to be declared proletarian in Yugoslav Partisans, previously division would become proletarian through its brigades. Simultaneously with the assignment of the proletarian title to the division, all three of its brigades became proletarian as well.[11]
At beginning of April 1944, units of the 6th Division gathered in Drvar area to prevent enemy attack and to protect the Supreme Headquarters staff.[10] At that time, about 150 Soviet prisoners who had previously escaped from German units joined the division. Russian Battalion was formed from the Soviets as a part of the 1st Lika Brigade. On 17 May 1944, Russian Battalion was dissolved because of its fighting weaknesses and the soldiers form the battalion were transferred to other units of the 1st and 3rd Lika Brigades.[12]
Operation Rösselsprung (May - June 1944)
During the German combined
Other parts of the 6th Division fought the German forces which were advancing in the direction of
Operations in Serbia (July - October 1944)
From the
On the night of 29/30 August 1944, the units of the 6th Lika Division moved across the Lim river near the village of Banja, and crossed into Serbia. They grouped up with the 1st Proletarian Division on Zlatibor and they fought successfully against strong Chetnik forces around Požega, on Jelova gora, and near the village of Mionica when the Chetnik Fourth Group of Assault Corps and parts of the Serbian Volunteer Corps was defeated. On 7 September 1944, the 6th Lika Division was praised by the Supreme Commander of Yugoslav Partisans for its heroism and endurance in the battles from Drvar to Serbia, in which it lost 1/4 of its fighters.[10] After heavy fighting, together with units of the 1st Proletarian Division, it participated in the liberation of
After the liberation of Belgrade on 20 October 1944, the majority of the 6th Lika Division reinforced by the 13th Proletarian Brigade, crossed the bridge over the
Syrmian Front and Final Operations (October 1944 - June 1945)
Advancing through Syrmia, units of the 6th Lika Division took part in the liberation of several villages. In early November 1944, the division suffered heavy losses and at the end of the same month was withdrawn to Belgrade in order to replenish, rest,
In addition to the four infantry and one artillery brigade, the 6th Lika Division had an anti-tank divizion, a liaison battalion, an engineering battalion, a medical battalion, and rear units and institutions. Filled and rested, at the beginning of January 1945, the division was transferred to the Syrmian Front in the region of Šid-Adaševci, where it performed defensive and offensive actions in difficult conditions. At the beginning of March 1945, the division was reorganized, during which the 22nd Serbian Kosmaj Brigade and the Jane Sandanski Battalion and all the fourth battalions in the brigades were disbanded, and their personnel was deployed to the remaining units.[10]
During the breakthrough of the Syrmian Front, in April 1945, the units of the 6th Lika Division fought for Batrovci, Lipovac, Soljani, Vrbanja, Piškorevci and Novi Perkovci. Together with the units of the 21st Serbia Division, the 6th Lika Division liberated Đakovo on September 16, and on April 20, in cooperation with the 5th Krajina Division and the 17th East Bosnia Division, Slavonski Brod. After the fighting on the Ilova river, from 25 April to 3 May, the division in cooperation with the 1st Proletarian Divisionliberated Čazma on 5 May, and on 9 May it entered Zagreb. After that, until May 15, 1945, it cleared Zagrebačka gora from the remaining enemy forces.[10] After the capitulation of the last occupying-quisling forces and the end of the World War II in Yugoslavia, the 6th Lika Division was withdrawn to Zagreb, where a solemn inspection of the division and its remaining 8,055 fighters[a] was held on May 16 in Maksimir. After the ceremonial inspection, which was carried out by the division commander, Major general Đoko Jovanić, and the political commissar, Lieutenant colonel Nikola Peinović, the division remained in Zagreb until May 20, when it left for Lika. As some units of the division performed certain tasks on their way to Lika, the complete division was in Lika only in June 1945.[16]
Command composition of the division
Position | Name | Took office | Left office |
---|---|---|---|
Commander | Srećko Manola | November 1942 | March 1943 |
Đoko Jovanić | March 1943 | May 1945 | |
Political commissar | Rade Žigić | November 1942 | September 1943 |
Živan Dimitrijević | September 1943 | December 1943 | |
Dragoslav Mutapović | December 1943 | October 1944 | |
Nikola Peinović | October 1944 | May 1945 | |
Chief of the Division Staff | Milan Šakić Mićun | December 1942 | June 1943 |
Mile Uzelac | June 1943 | February 1944 | |
Božo Božović | February 1944 | March 1944 | |
Dušan Dotlić | March 1944 | December 1944 | |
Lako Radaković | December 1944 | May 1945 |
Strength and national composition of the division
The strength of the 6th Lika Division between its formation in November 1942 and October 1944
According to the report of the Headquarters of the 4th Corps from 16 January 1943, the 6th Lika Division numbered around 4,200 fighters. Shortly after this report, the first phase of the Fourth Enemy Offensive began, during which the division's units fought hard battles, so according to the report of the Division Headquarters dated 6 February 1943, the number was 4,467 fighters, of whom 1,178 were out of the combat (wounded), and 3,277 in combat.[19] After the end of the offensive, the condition of the division, according to the report of the Headquarters of the division from March 31, 1943, amounted to 4,400 fighters, of which 2,917, or 66.3%, were in the division, while 1,486 of them were out. According to this report, Serbs still made up the vast majority of fighters, and the number of women in the division doubled compared to December 1942.[20] At the end of June 1943, the division numbered 3,268 fighters, while the number of absentees (wounded) was unknown. The vast majority of fighters, 95.5% of them, were Serbs, while Croats made up only 5.6% of the division. In an effort to include a larger number of Croats people in the unit, the Division Headquarters issued an order on 14 July to form the 1st Lika Croatian Battalion "Matija Gubec", to whom almost all Croat fighters from the units of the 6th Lika Division were reassigned. The battalion was formed on the initiatives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Croatia and the Main Staff of the National Liberation Army and the Partisan Detachments of Croatia with the aim for the battalion to later grow into a brigade. For a long time after its formation, the battalion was not involved in combat, but was sent on easier tasks and oriented towards political action in Croatian villages, in order to mobilize the civilians. In August 1943, it grew to about 260 fighters, and that is where its development stopped. As it did not meet the expectations in order to mobilize the Croatian population, it was disbanded on 15 October 1943.[21][22]
On 25 August 1943, the Division amounted to a total of 4,432 fighters, of which 3,284 were in combat. According to this detailed report, the majority of fighters, 91%, were Serbs, while the number of Croats rose to 8.9%. Regarding the social structure, the largest number of fighters, 81% of them were peasants, while party work included exactly half of the fighters of the division, 19.8% of them were members of the SKJ, 23% were members of
During the campaign from Lika to Serbia, the division's units were filled with new fighters, but as a large number of fighters were killed, the division didn't grow in numbers. At the end of January 1944, there were 3,336 fighters in the combat, while in mid-February there were 3,518 fighters.[25] In May 1944, just before the Operation Rösselsprung, the division had 3,667 fighters,[26] and after heavy fighting with German paratroopers on May 25 and 26, the number of fighters decreased for 156 - 49 were killed, 73 wounded. and 34 missing.[27] In the fighting during the Drvar operation, as well as in the fighting during the forty-day march from Glamoč to Priboj the 6th Lika Division lost more than 1/3 of its soldiers, so in September 1944 it arrived on Zlatibor with only about 2,400 fighters. After arriving in Serbia, in the period from the liberation of Valjevo to the beginning of the Belgrade operation, there was an influx of a large number of new fighters into the division so the division on 9 October 1944 had over 5,600 fighters.[28] At the end of November 1944, before the division withdrew from the Syrmian Front, it had a total of 5,992 fighters including many fighters who had recently arrived. Along with the recruitment of new fighters, hundreds of old fighters and officers were withdrawn from the division, who were sent as command staff to newly formed units and institutions. According to some data, from mid-September 1944 to the beginning of February 1945, a total of 520 old fighters were reassigned.[29]
As it suffered heavy losses in the fighting on the Syrmian front, which amounted to 147 dead, 539 wounded and 34 missing fighters in the period from 29 October to 9 November alone, the division was withdrawn on 26 November.[29] During the division's stay in Belgrade, it was reinforced with the newly mobilized conscripts from the liberated areas of Serbia, so that the strength of the division increased to 16,605 fighters at the end of December. The strength of a brigade within the division at that time was between three thousand and three and a half thousand fighters, which was close to the size of the entire division before coming to Serbia.[30] Filled with new fighters, the division did not change its former national and social composition, because the vast majority of fighters were still Serbs and peasants. In the period from the return to the front, in early January, to the breakthrough of the front, in early April 1945, the division had about 2,000 fighters out of combat, so in mid-April, its strength decreased to around 12,000 fighters. Only in the battles for the breakthrough of the Syrmian Front, from April 4 to 13, the division had losses of 319 dead and 1,025 wounded fighters.[31] In all battles of the 6th Lika Division on the Syrmian Front, from the end of October to the end of November 1944 and from the beginning of January to the beginning of April 1945, 1,657 fighters of the division were killed.[32]
In the battles of the division from 4 January, when it was returned to the front until 15 May 1945, when the war in Yugoslavia ended, 1,090 of its fighters were killed, 3,772 wounded and 150 were missing, while inflicting losses on enemy units of the 7,054 killed, 5,437 wounded and 2,039 captured soldiers. A total of 8,055 fighters, half of the fighters who went to the front in January, attended the inspection of the division's units, which took place in Zagreb on 16 May 1945. In addition to casualties, the number of fighters in the division was also affected by the transfer of over 3,500 fighters from the division. During the transformation of the Yugoslav Partisan Army into the Yugoslav Army, in March 1945, following the example of the Soviet Red Army triple formation was established, and on 7 March, the 22nd Serbian Kosmaj Brigade, which was the fourth brigade in the division, was disbanded. Some of its fighters were then deployed to the remaining units, while about 2,000 of them were assigned to the 21st Serbia Division. Also, in the period from March to mid-May 1945, by an order of the Staff of the 1st Army, a total of 1,563 fighters were transferred from the division to other units.[33][34]
Tabular display
Unit | National composition | Party composition | Social composition | Illiterate | Total number of fighters | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Serbs | Croats | Others | Party members | Party candidates | Not in Party | Peasants | Workers | Military personnel | Secondary education | Higher education | |||
Division Staff | 11 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 14 |
Agitprop of the division | 19 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 23 |
Escort battalion | 58 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 49 | 54 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 63 |
1st Lika Brigade | 885 | 118 | 1 | 108 | 370 | 526 | 795 | 136 | 40 | 12 | 21 | 98 | 1,004 |
2nd Lika Brigade | 1,562 | 28 | 1 | 141 | 449 | 1,001 | 1,393 | 137 | 40 | 6 | 15 | 100 | 1,519 |
3rd Lika Brigade | 1,145 | 4 | 0 | 102 | 328 | 719 | 1,040 | 50 | 31 | 18 | 10 | 66 | 1,149 |
Total | 3,680 | 159 | 5 | 367 | 1,171 | 2,306 | 3,288 | 332 | 120 | 40 | 64 | 269 | 3,844 |
Percentage | 95,7% | 4,1% | 0,1% | 9,5% | 30,4% | 59,9% | 85,5% | 8,6% | 3,1% | 1% | 1,6% | 7% | — |
Unit | Gender composition | National composition | Party composition | Social composition | Strength | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men | Women | Serbs | Croats | Others | Party members | Party candidates | Not in Party | Peasants | Workers | Military personnel | Other | In combat | Out of combat | Total | |
Division Staff | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Escort battalion | 72 | 8 | 76 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 74 | 67 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 15 | 80 |
Engineering battalion | 46 | 0 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 10 | 46 |
1st Lika Brigade | 1,208 | 115 | 800 | 75 | 1 | 169 | 70 | 637 | 710 | 114 | 33 | 19 | 876 | 447 | 1,323 |
2nd Lika Brigade | 1,370 | 125 | 926 | 17 | 0 | 180 | 62 | 701 | 831 | 68 | 26 | 18 | 943 | 552 | 1,495 |
3rd Lika Brigade | 1,385 | 63 | 975 | 11 | 0 | 173 | 333 | 480 | 881 | 54 | 24 | 27 | 986 | 462 | 1,448 |
Total | 4,092 | 311 | 2,832 | 109 | 1 | 533 | 472 | 1,937 | 2,526 | 258 | 84 | 68 | 2,917 | 1,486 | 4,403 |
Percentage | 92,9% | 7,1% | 96,3% | 3,7% | 0,03% | 18,1% | 16% | 65,9% | 85,8% | 8,7% | 2,8% | 2,3% | 66,3% | 33,7% | — |
Unit | Gender composition | National composition | Party composition | Social composition | Strength | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men | Women | Serbs | Croats | Others | Party members | Party candidates | SKOJ Members
|
Not in the Party | Peasants | Workers | Military personnel | Other | In combat | Out of combat | Total | |
Division Staff[c] | 121 | 12 | 118 | 14 | 1 | 33 | 7 | 38 | 55 | 75 | 24 | 8 | 26 | 133 | 0 | 113 |
Escort battalion | 73 | 6 | 70 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 27 | 6 | 36 | 68 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 4 | 79 |
Engineering battalion | 37 | 2 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 23 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 1 | 39 |
1st Lika Brigade | 1,066 | 89 | 882 | 6 | 3 | 202 | 57 | 188 | 444 | 765 | 74 | 28 | 24 | 891 | 264 | 1,155 |
2nd Lika Brigade | 1,297 | 96 | 832 | 17 | 0 | 164 | 50 | 136 | 485 | 761 | 40 | 21 | 13 | 835 | 558 | 1,393 |
3rd Lika Brigade | 1,264 | 71 | 1,049 | 1 | 0 | 210 | 75 | 317 | 448 | 965 | 42 | 17 | 26 | 986 | 285 | 1,335 |
Battalion "Matija Gubec" | 264 | 34 | 0 | 262 | 0 | 35 | 6 | 61 | 160 | 213 | 37 | 3 | 9 | |||
Total | 4,122 | 310 | 2,989 | 291 | 4 | 651 | 223 | 759 | 1,651 | 2,665 | 191 | 74 | 92 | 3,284 | 1,148 | 4,432 |
Percentage | 93% | 7% | 91% | 8.9% | 0.1% | 19.8% | 6.7% | 23.1% | 50.2% | 81.1% | 5.8% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 74% | 26% | — |
Unit | Gender composition | National composition | Party composition | socijalni sastav | Strength | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men | Women | Serbs | Croats | Others | Party members | Party candidates | SKOJ Members
|
Not in the party | Peasants | Workers | Military personnel | Other | In combat | Out of combat | Total | |
Staff Division | 12 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Support staff of the Division HQ | 168 | 24 | 114 | 42 | 2 | 38 | 49 | 10 | 61 | 126 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 158 | 34 | 192 |
liaison battalion | 143 | 5 | 69 | 71 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 7 | 102 | 139 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 142 | 142 | 148 |
Engineering battallionn | 45 | 2 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 21 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 4 | 47 |
1st Lika Brigade | 1.247 | 105 | 850 | 225 | 17 | 210 | 191 | 37 | 654 | 827 | 207 | 30 | 28 | 1,092 | 260 | 1.352 |
2nd Lika Brigade | 1.282 | 112 | 905 | 140 | 5 | 198 | 364 | 45 | 443 | 894 | 98 | 21 | 37 | 1,050 | 344 | 1.394 |
3rd Lika Brigade | 1.419 | 324 | 891 | 170 | 55 | 202 | 238 | 57 | 619 | 962 | 106 | 18 | 30 | 1,116 | 378 | 1.494 |
1st Mountain Battery | 55 | 1 | 46 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 34 | 40 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 56 | 0 | 56 |
Total | 4.371 | 324 | 2.923 | 663 | 83 | 674 | 896 | 162 | 1.937 | 3.022 | 447 | 82 | 118 | 1.026 | 3.669 | 4.695 |
Percentage | 93.1% | 6.9% | 79.7% | 18% | 2.3% | 18.3% | 24.4% | 4.4% | 52.8% | 82.3% | 12.1% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 21.9% | 78.1% | — |
Legacy
The 6th Lika Division was considered one of the most combative divisions of Yugoslav Partisans. On 19 March 1944, it was declared to be a proletarian division via decree of Supreme Headquarters, it was also named after scientist Nikola Tesla who was from Lika.[2]
Given the special persistence and striking ability in the fight against the occupiers and all enemies of the people, the Supreme Headquarters of the NOV and POJ decided to give the 6th Lika Division of the First Corps the name: 6th Proletarian Division "Nikola Tesla"
— Part of a Decree of the Supreme Headquarters of the NOV and POJ.[11]
All three brigades, which were part of the division when it was formed, were declared proletarian and decorated with the
A total of 24 members of units from the 6th Lika Division were awarded the Order of the People's Hero. A number of surviving fighters of the division continued their professional careers in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) after the war, where some of them performed high duties. Over 15 generals of the JNA were former members of the 6th Lika Division, and the most famous of them were Colonel generals - Djoko Jovanic (1917-2000), Deputy Secretary in the Federal Secretariat for National Defense;[41] Milan Žeželj (1917–1995), commander of the Guards Brigade and personal companion of Marshal Tito[42] and Ilija Radaković (1923–2015), Deputy Federal Secretary for National Defense of the SFRY.[43]
The cult of the 6th Lika Division as one of the favorite units of
In 1981, in the settlement of Mukinje on Plitvice Lakes, a Memorial House of Fighters and Youth of the Sixth Proletarian Division Nikola Tesla was erected, whose exhibition consisted of three parts - an ethnographic collection, a collection of artworks by contemporary artists and a collection of war equipment and weapons. The ethnographic collection represented the traditional life in Lika and consisted of objects for everyday use in rural households, in the field and during the performance of various other activities. The art collection consisted of about 120 paintings and sculptures, whose authors were famous Yugoslav artists, including - Djordje Andrejević-Kun, Antun Augustinčić, Petar Lubarda, Ismet Mujezinović, Ivan Sabolić, Ljubica Cuca Sokić, Marko Čelebonović, Stojan Ćelić and others. The collection of war equipment and weapons, in addition to trophy weapons used during the war, also contained facsimiles and copies of war documents, as well as personal items and documents of fighters of the 6th Lika Division.[46] After Operation Storm, during which in August 1995 Croatian forces looted and destroyed the museum exhibit. The building of the Memorial Home was damaged then, and later it was renovated and today it is used for the needs of the Sports and Recreation Center Mukinje.[47]
The Association of Fighters, Descendants and Admirers of the Sixth Lika Proletarian Division "Nikola Tesla" and the 35th Lika Assault Division, which is part of the organization of the Association of Veterans of the People's Liberation Wars of Serbia (SUBNOR), exists and operates in Belgrade.[48] Association is particularly active in Apatin, where many families from Lika immigrated after World War II. In recent years, memorial busts of generals and national heroes Đoko Jovanić and Laza Radaković have been erected on the town square in Apatin.[49]
Today, 20 streets in the territory of the Republic of Serbia bear the name of the 6th Lika Division, and some of them are located in Apatin, Belgrade, Valjevo, Vrbas, Požarevac and Sombor.[50]
List of People's Heroes from the 6th Division
Name | Year of birth | Year of death | Year of receiving of the Order of People's Hero | Position held | Footnote |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Milan Antončić | 1918 | 1997 | 1951 | Commander of the Artillery Brigade | [51] |
Petar Babić | 1919 | 2006 | 1953 | Political commissar of the 2nd Lika Brigade | [52] |
Božo Božović | 1911 | 1993 | 1953 | Chief of the Division Staff | [53] |
Bogdan Bolta | 1922 | 1944 | 1945 | Commander of a platoon in the 1st Lika Brigade | [54] |
Danilo Damjanović | 1915 | 1990 | 1953 | Deputy commander of the 2nd Lika Brigade | [55] |
Milan Žeželj | 1917 | 1995 | 1945 | Commander of the 13th Proletarian Brigade | [56] |
Dmitar Zaklan | 1915 | 1988 | 1953 | Commander of the 1st Lika Brigade | [57] |
Ljubomir Ivković | 1910 | 1983 | 1953 | Deputy political commissar of the Kosmaj Brigade | [41] |
Đoko Jovanić | 1917 | 2000 | 1951 | Commander of the division | [41] |
Milan Kuprešanin | 1911 | 2005 | 1952 | Commander of the 3rd Lika Brigade | [58] |
Dane Majstorović | 1914 | 1944 | 1951 | Commander of a platoon in the 2nd Lika Brigade | [59] |
Srećko Manola | 1914 | 1979 | 1953 | Commander of the division | [60] |
Dragoslav Mutapović | 1912 | 1990 | 1953 | Political commissar of the division | [61] |
Momčilo Novković | 1916 | 1988 | 1953 | Commander of the 3rd Lika Brigade | [62] |
Stanko Opsenica | 1907 | 1943 | 1945 | Commander of the battalion in the 2nd Lika Brigade | [63] |
Stevan Opsenica | 1913 | 2002 | 1951 | Commander of the 1st Lika Brigade | [64] |
Tomica Popović | 1915 | 1966 | 1953 | Acting-commander of the 2nd Lika Brigade | [65] |
Ilija Radaković | 1923 | 2015 | 1951 | Logistics officer of the 1st Lika Brigade | [66] |
Lazo Radaković | 1913 | 2014 | 1951 | Chief of the Division Staff | [43] |
Dragan Rakić | 1914 | 1959 | 1953 | Commander of the 2nd Lika Brigade | [67] |
Nikola Sovilj Nina | 1919 | 1944 | 1945 | Deputy commander of a battalion in the 3rd Lika Brigade | [68] |
Mile Uzelac | 1913 | 1987 | 1953 | Chief of the Division Staff | [69] |
Milan Šakić Mićun | 1915 | 1971 | 1953 | Chief of the Division Staff | [70] |
Milan Šijan | 1914 | 2004 | 1951 | Commander of the 3rd Lika Brigade | [71] |
Notes
- ^ Out of a total of 16.605 fighters that the division had in January 1945 when it set out for the Syrmian Front about 2,000 fighters were transferred to the 21st Division and 1,563 to other units; 1,062 fighters were killed; 3,665 wounded, 31 died and 131 disappeared
- ^ In October 1944, the 22nd Serbian Kosmaj Brigade joined the division and it was filled with new fighters
- ^ Including Support Staff
References
- ^ Leksikon NOR 1 1980, p. 249.
- ^ a b c d Leksikon NOR 2 1980, p. 1091.
- ^ Zbornik NOR 1949, pp. 197–200.
- ^ Šesta proleterska divizija 1964, p. 65.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 20.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 48.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 19 - 20.
- ^ a b Vojna enciklopedija 1975, p. 493.
- ^ Leksikon NOR 2 1980, p. 853.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Vojna enciklopedija 1975, p. 494.
- ^ a b Orlović 1990, p. 344.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 346.
- ^ a b c Kačavenda & Živković 1982b, p. 414.
- ^ Zbornik NOR 1949, pp. 433–434.
- ^ a b Leksikon NOR 1 1980, pp. 35–36.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 530.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 32-33.
- ^ a b Orlović 1990, p. 42.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 90.
- ^ a b c Orlović 1990, p. 153-154.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 216-217.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 283.
- ^ a b Orlović 1990, p. 252-254.
- ^ a b Orlović 1990, p. 283-285.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 329.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 363.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 384.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 436.
- ^ a b Orlović 1990, p. 458.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 460.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 508.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 529.
- ^ Orlović 1990, p. 529–530.
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