Petar Drapšin
Encyclopedia
Petar Drapšin was a Yugoslav
Partisan
commander.
Drapšin was born to a family of farmers in the village of Turija
near Srbobran
. He was enrolled in a Belgrade
high school when he first got introduced to Communist ideas through school's literary group. He joined SKOJ
and in 1937 went to Prague
for university studies. Soon after that, he went to fight in the Spanish Civil War
, joining the Republican
side. He excelled in combat, earning a rank of captain in the process. After the demise of Second Spanish Republic
, he was interned in France
. From there he escaped to Zagreb
in 1939.
In 1941, following the Axis
invasion of Yugoslavia
, Drapšin was given the task of organizing armed uprising in the Herzegovina
region by the Yugoslav Communist Party (KPJ). His conduct in Herzegovina got him sharp criticism from the party leadership as well as disciplinary action. However, in January 1943, the party gave him another chance by appointing him the commander of Yugoslav National Liberation Army's (YNLA) First Slavonian Division. Two months later he received the rank of Major General. In May 1944 he became commander of YNLA's Sixth Corps. During summer 1944, Drapšin became deputy commander of the Croatian National Liberation Army (NOVH), Croatian branch of YNLA.
In December 1944 Drapšin was sent to Dalmatia
to command YNLA's Eight Corps. In January 1945 he received the rank of Lieutenant General. Units under his command halted German offensive in Dalmatian hinterland in January 1945 and liberated Herzegovina during Mostar Operation
.
Soon after that the Eight Corps got transformed into Fourth Army, which began offensive against remaining Axis forces in Yugoslavia in late March 1945. Despite difficult terrain and need for complicated amphibious operation, Drapšin's force scored spectacular success by piercing through enemy lines in Lika
, defeating German forces in the Battle of Rijeka, landing in Istria
and entering Trieste
before Allied forces. This Partisan offensive was arguably the most important in the history of Yugoslavia, because it allowed Istria, Rijeka
and Maritime Slovenia
to become part of SFR Yugoslavia, later Croatia
and Slovenia.
After the war Drapšin was entered as candidate for the Yugoslav National Assembly
at the post-war elections.
There are contradictory accounts about his death on 2 November 1945. Official version attributes the cause of death to the accidentally discharged pistol. Other stories tell about Drapšin being criticised at a party meeting and committing suicide afterwards. In 1953, he posthumously received the honour of the People's Hero of Yugoslavia
.
village near Gacko
compiled a book of documents and first hand accounts titled Krvavo kolo hercegovačko 1941-1942. Published in Podgorica in 1995, the book details crimes committed by the members of People's Liberation Movement against civilians in the Herzegovina
region during World War II.
Petar Drapšin is mentioned as the organizer and perpetrator of a series of such crimes. After complaints within the revolutionary movement that the communists in Herzegovina are soft on "class enemies", various prominent war-tested communist leaders including Sava Kovačević and Drapšin were sent there in late 1941 and early 1942. As the commanding officers of the First Striking Battalion (Prvi udarni bataljon), their men executed 21 local villagers on February 27, 1942 on Radački brijeg. On March 3rd and 4th, an even bigger crime occurred when they rounded up and executed a total of 41 people from the villages of Golobrđe, Divljakuša, and Meka Gruda. To strengthen the psychological effect on the rest of the villagers they then proceeded to completely dehumanize their victims by dancing and celebrating around their corpses while the family members wailed.
In the book, Skoko describes Drapšin as a "psychologically unstable person whose condition bordered on complete insanity". Skoko also disputes the official communist version of Drapšin's death and claims that he committed suicide.
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
Partisan
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
commander.
Drapšin was born to a family of farmers in the village of Turija
Turija
Turija is a village located in the Srbobran municipality, in the South Bačka District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 2,562 people...
near Srbobran
Srbobran
Srbobran is a town and municipality in South Bačka District of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town is located on the north bank of the Danube-Tisa-Danube channel...
. He was enrolled in a Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
high school when he first got introduced to Communist ideas through school's literary group. He joined SKOJ
Skoj
Skoj is a cider-based soft drink, manufactured by the Swedish Skoj Beverage Group. Skoj is the Swedish word for fun.Skoj is 15 percent fruit juice sweetened with sugar...
and in 1937 went to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
for university studies. Soon after that, he went to fight in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, joining the Republican
Republican Faction (Spanish Civil War)
The Republican faction also known as the Republicans was the side in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939 that supported the Second Spanish Republic against the National faction.-Popular Front:-CNT/FAI:-People's Republican Army:...
side. He excelled in combat, earning a rank of captain in the process. After the demise of Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, he was interned in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. From there he escaped to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1939.
In 1941, following the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
, Drapšin was given the task of organizing armed uprising in the Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
region by the Yugoslav Communist Party (KPJ). His conduct in Herzegovina got him sharp criticism from the party leadership as well as disciplinary action. However, in January 1943, the party gave him another chance by appointing him the commander of Yugoslav National Liberation Army's (YNLA) First Slavonian Division. Two months later he received the rank of Major General. In May 1944 he became commander of YNLA's Sixth Corps. During summer 1944, Drapšin became deputy commander of the Croatian National Liberation Army (NOVH), Croatian branch of YNLA.
In December 1944 Drapšin was sent to Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
to command YNLA's Eight Corps. In January 1945 he received the rank of Lieutenant General. Units under his command halted German offensive in Dalmatian hinterland in January 1945 and liberated Herzegovina during Mostar Operation
Mostar Operation
The Mostar Operation was a series of Yugoslav Partisan military operations in Herzegovina from February 6-15, 1945.Most of central Herzegovina was part of the District of Hum in the Independent State of Croatia. Mostar was also home to an air field of the Air Force of the Independent State of...
.
Soon after that the Eight Corps got transformed into Fourth Army, which began offensive against remaining Axis forces in Yugoslavia in late March 1945. Despite difficult terrain and need for complicated amphibious operation, Drapšin's force scored spectacular success by piercing through enemy lines in Lika
Lika
Lika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by the Malovan pass...
, defeating German forces in the Battle of Rijeka, landing in Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
and entering Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
before Allied forces. This Partisan offensive was arguably the most important in the history of Yugoslavia, because it allowed Istria, Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
and Maritime Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
to become part of SFR Yugoslavia, later Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Slovenia.
After the war Drapšin was entered as candidate for the Yugoslav National Assembly
Federal Assembly of the SFRY
The Parliament of Yugoslavia was the deliberative body of Yugoslavia. Before World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia it was known as the National Assembly , while in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia the name was changed to Federal Assembly...
at the post-war elections.
There are contradictory accounts about his death on 2 November 1945. Official version attributes the cause of death to the accidentally discharged pistol. Other stories tell about Drapšin being criticised at a party meeting and committing suicide afterwards. In 1953, he posthumously received the honour of the People's Hero of Yugoslavia
People's Hero of Yugoslavia
The Order of the People's Hero was a Yugoslav gallantry medal, the second highest military award, and third overall Yugoslav decoration. It was awarded to individuals, military units, political and other organisations who distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroic deeds during war and in...
.
Alleged involvement in war crimes
Savo Skoko (born 1923), historian who fought on the Partisan side during World War II, hailing from JugovićiJugovići
Lapovo is a village situated in Loznica municipality in Serbia....
village near Gacko
Gacko
Gacko is a town and municipality in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Republika Srpska entity. It is situated in the Foča Region.-Geography:The town is in a short distance from Montenegro...
compiled a book of documents and first hand accounts titled Krvavo kolo hercegovačko 1941-1942. Published in Podgorica in 1995, the book details crimes committed by the members of People's Liberation Movement against civilians in the Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
region during World War II.
Petar Drapšin is mentioned as the organizer and perpetrator of a series of such crimes. After complaints within the revolutionary movement that the communists in Herzegovina are soft on "class enemies", various prominent war-tested communist leaders including Sava Kovačević and Drapšin were sent there in late 1941 and early 1942. As the commanding officers of the First Striking Battalion (Prvi udarni bataljon), their men executed 21 local villagers on February 27, 1942 on Radački brijeg. On March 3rd and 4th, an even bigger crime occurred when they rounded up and executed a total of 41 people from the villages of Golobrđe, Divljakuša, and Meka Gruda. To strengthen the psychological effect on the rest of the villagers they then proceeded to completely dehumanize their victims by dancing and celebrating around their corpses while the family members wailed.
In the book, Skoko describes Drapšin as a "psychologically unstable person whose condition bordered on complete insanity". Skoko also disputes the official communist version of Drapšin's death and claims that he committed suicide.