Tomislav Dretar
Encyclopedia
Tomislav Dretar is a Croatia
n, Bosnian, French
and Belgian
poet
, writer
, critic
, and translator, as well as an academic, journalist
, editor, political leader and president of Bihać
's HVO
. He is also known by the French alias Thomas Dretart.
and Vladimir Dretar from Cernik in Nova Gradiška. His mother was a clerk with a finished civil School for Catholic Girls, and the father, after completing the Higher Secondary School in Nova Gradiška enrolled the study of forestry at the Forestry Faculty at the University of Zagreb
, but in 1941 he left for military education in Stockerau where he received the title of noncommissioned officer. He served as a noncommissioned officer in the Blue SS division from which he deserted
because of the humiliating treatment of Croatians by the German
commanders. In his absence, a military court sentenced him to death. He become an Ustasha volunteer, rising to the rank of second lieutenant
. From there he deserted because of the inhumane behavior of the Ustashas and their commanders and, again, was sentenced to death in his absence. He settled down in the Croatian Home Guard
as a lieutenant, he was station commander in Vrba. After the fall of Nova Gradiška he retreated with the rest of the Croatian Army
and disappeared in Bleiburg
.
, and postgraduate studies of humanities at the University of Sarajevo
. Writer
and literary critic, author of around ten collections of poems and over three hundreds scientific, expert and critical texts from the areas of literature
, sociology of culture
, philosophy
, fine arts and political science
.
started he organized an intelligence agency which tracked the movement of the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) troops in northwest of Bosnia, and informed the Croatian military authorities which contributed to the timely activation of the Croatian air defense and prevented ethnic ideas whose action either fell into an empty area or were received during and in a place in which and when they had not been expected. In time and with much skill, although he did not have any military education he organized the defense of Croatians in the Bihać
area, he became the president of the Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) of Bihać, established the Croatian Defense Council (HVO) of Bihać and the Bihać area on the 28th of July 1992 in the village of Šmrekovac in the municipality of Velika Kladuša
and become the First President and Military Commander as an officer with the title of colonel
. The Croatian units numbered a total of 1,200 men organized as smaller units within the Fifth Bihać Corps
as an autonomous Croatian military component. Under his command the Croatian HVO units were a component of the Army of Republic Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He openly opposed Mate Boban
and the creation of a Croatian quasi-state of "Herzeg-Bosnia", because he saw this as the same thing that the Chetniks
were doing in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Boban's followers tried to assassinate him a number of times, but he always succeeded in slipping away. He participated in the first combat of the army which was organized based on his project, he succeeded in building a relationship of mutual trust and equality with the Bosnian component, established and lined up on 12th of June 1992 in the "Zrinski-Frankopan" barracks in Bihać in the suburb of Žegar the first Croatian Bihać battalion
called the "101 Bihać-Croatian battalion", which entered in the group of the Second Croatian-Muslim Bihać brigade
, which was part of the 5th Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina named the "502 Croatian-Muslim Bihać Brigade", he organized the rescue of two piston aircraft of type Kurir, which were of great benefit during the war for supplying military and other necessary materials. He managed the organization of the creation of an Air Force
and the accomplishment of the first flights on the Zagreb-Bihać line, at night, in secrecy.
in Belgium
, where he lives today, in the conviction that Tuđman worked on the conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that he is guilty for the Croatian-Bosnian war, that he robbed Croatia and has divided her property among his yes-men, and also that he is the inspirer, and thereby also the evil doer of the murders of HOS
generals Blaž Kraljević
and Ante Paradžik. That he had secret lines of command and that he worked in agreement with Slobodan Milošević
and his servant Alija Izetbegović
who betrayed Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with these two men planned and carried out the plan of tearing up Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After arrival in exile in Belgium
, Tomislav is employed in the Louvain-la-Neuve Catholic University. He translates, he has translated the two most respectable Bibles the so called Jerusalem Bible
and the Ecumenical translation of the Bible. Has made also the first translation of the Qur'an
into Croatian in the history of Croatian contacts with Islam. He published over ten books of translations of French writers, and three of his own books in the French language.
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 ...
n, Bosnian, French
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...
and Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
, and translator, as well as an academic, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, editor, political leader and president of Bihać
Bihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
's HVO
HVO
- Organizations :*Croatian Defence Council , a military formation of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia during the Bosnian War*Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, a unit of the US Geological Survey...
. He is also known by the French alias Thomas Dretart.
Origins
Dretar is the son of Ružica Rivić from Ljubija Rudnik in Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Vladimir Dretar from Cernik in Nova Gradiška. His mother was a clerk with a finished civil School for Catholic Girls, and the father, after completing the Higher Secondary School in Nova Gradiška enrolled the study of forestry at the Forestry Faculty at the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
, but in 1941 he left for military education in Stockerau where he received the title of noncommissioned officer. He served as a noncommissioned officer in the Blue SS division from which he deserted
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
because of the humiliating treatment of Croatians by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
commanders. In his absence, a military court sentenced him to death. He become an Ustasha volunteer, rising to the rank of second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
. From there he deserted because of the inhumane behavior of the Ustashas and their commanders and, again, was sentenced to death in his absence. He settled down in the Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard or also, known as the "Homeland Defenders," was the name used for the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which existed during World War II.- Formation :...
as a lieutenant, he was station commander in Vrba. After the fall of Nova Gradiška he retreated with the rest of the Croatian Army
Croatian Armed Forces
The Croatian Armed Forces were the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which were formed in 1944 with the uniting of the Croatian Home Guard and the Ustaše militia forces....
and disappeared in Bleiburg
Bleiburg massacre
The Bleiburg massacre, which also encompasses Operation Keelhaul is a term encompassing events that took place during mid-May 1945 near the Carinthian town of Bleiburg, itself some four kilometres from the Austrian-Slovenian border....
.
Education
Tomislav finished the Pedagogic Faculty at the University of RijekaUniversity of Rijeka
The University of Rijeka is situated in the city of Rijeka with faculties also located in cities throughout the regions of Primorje, Istria and Lika....
, and postgraduate studies of humanities at the University of Sarajevo
University of Sarajevo
The University of Sarajevo is the first university in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was originally established in 1531 as a Madrasah or Islamic Law college, with a modern university being established and expanded on top of that in 1949. Today, with 23 faculties and around 55,000 enrolled students, it...
. Writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and literary critic, author of around ten collections of poems and over three hundreds scientific, expert and critical texts from the areas of literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, sociology of culture
Sociology of culture
The sociology of culture concerns culture—usually understood as sets of cognitive meanings—as it is manifested in society. For Georg Simmel, culture referred to "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history".Cultural...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, fine arts and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
Political career
In the very beginning of democratic changes in the former Social Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), although being a Marxist educated intellectual he relinquishes his association with the Yugoslav Communist Alliance (KPJ) because of its betrayal of the people. He establishes the Bosnian Democratic Party, the first anticommunist party in Bosnia which in its Program declared itself as standing for the establishment of Bosnian-Herzegovina state independence, for its own army and police in a loose confederation.Bosnian War
When the war in CroatiaCroatia
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 ...
started he organized an intelligence agency which tracked the movement of the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) troops in northwest of Bosnia, and informed the Croatian military authorities which contributed to the timely activation of the Croatian air defense and prevented ethnic ideas whose action either fell into an empty area or were received during and in a place in which and when they had not been expected. In time and with much skill, although he did not have any military education he organized the defense of Croatians in the Bihać
Bihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
area, he became the president of the Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
(HDZ) of Bihać, established the Croatian Defense Council (HVO) of Bihać and the Bihać area on the 28th of July 1992 in the village of Šmrekovac in the municipality of Velika Kladuša
Velika Kladuša
Velika Kladuša is a city and municipality in the far northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near the border with Croatia. The closest city is Cazin, and a bit farther, the cities of Bihać and Bosanski Novi. Across the border, it is not far from Cetingrad...
and become the First President and Military Commander as an officer with the title of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. The Croatian units numbered a total of 1,200 men organized as smaller units within the Fifth Bihać Corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
as an autonomous Croatian military component. Under his command the Croatian HVO units were a component of the Army of Republic Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He openly opposed Mate Boban
Mate Boban
Mate Boban was a Bosnian Croat politician and the only president of the short lived and self proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia that existed between 1991−1994 during the Bosnian war.-Pre-war life:...
and the creation of a Croatian quasi-state of "Herzeg-Bosnia", because he saw this as the same thing that the Chetniks
Chetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
were doing in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Boban's followers tried to assassinate him a number of times, but he always succeeded in slipping away. He participated in the first combat of the army which was organized based on his project, he succeeded in building a relationship of mutual trust and equality with the Bosnian component, established and lined up on 12th of June 1992 in the "Zrinski-Frankopan" barracks in Bihać in the suburb of Žegar the first Croatian Bihać battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
called the "101 Bihać-Croatian battalion", which entered in the group of the Second Croatian-Muslim Bihać brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
, which was part of the 5th Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina named the "502 Croatian-Muslim Bihać Brigade", he organized the rescue of two piston aircraft of type Kurir, which were of great benefit during the war for supplying military and other necessary materials. He managed the organization of the creation of an Air Force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
and the accomplishment of the first flights on the Zagreb-Bihać line, at night, in secrecy.
Retirement
Because of his conflict with the advocates of the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Franjo Tuđman's yes-men, he abandoned the holding of all political and military posts and leaves, with the aid of the EEC watchgroup into exileExile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where he lives today, in the conviction that Tuđman worked on the conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that he is guilty for the Croatian-Bosnian war, that he robbed Croatia and has divided her property among his yes-men, and also that he is the inspirer, and thereby also the evil doer of the murders of HOS
Croatian Defence Forces
The Croatian Defence Forces was the military arm of the Croatian Party of Rights from 1991 to 1992 during the first stages of the Yugoslav wars....
generals Blaž Kraljević
Blaž Kraljevic
Blaž Nikola Kraljević was a Bosnian Croat paramilitary leader during the first few months of the Bosnian War who commanded the Croatian Defence Forces...
and Ante Paradžik. That he had secret lines of command and that he worked in agreement with Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
and his servant Alija Izetbegović
Alija Izetbegovic
Alija Izetbegović was a Bosniak activist, lawyer, author, philosopher and politician, who, in 1990, became the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served in this role until 1996, when he became a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving until 2000...
who betrayed Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with these two men planned and carried out the plan of tearing up Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After arrival in exile in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Tomislav is employed in the Louvain-la-Neuve Catholic University. He translates, he has translated the two most respectable Bibles the so called Jerusalem Bible
Jerusalem Bible
The Jerusalem Bible is a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible which first was introduced to the English-speaking public in 1966 and published by Darton, Longman & Todd...
and the Ecumenical translation of the Bible. Has made also the first translation of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
into Croatian in the history of Croatian contacts with Islam. He published over ten books of translations of French writers, and three of his own books in the French language.