Balkan war history

In times of war and revolution comes to strange reversal, when brave and noble qualities appear. Therefore, the second world war does not cease to fascinate me examples of unimaginable courage and contempt for death.
These are examples of crazy brave deaths that I managed to collect. Please leave a comment if you know another example.
Executions of youth in Bečej


Executions 12 SKOJ members (communist youth) in Bečej on 11 November 1941 by Hungarian fascists. The guy holding the raised fist is Milan Gavrić, a member of the SKOJ (Communist Youth). According to another interpretation, the fist is held by Labud Pejovic, the secretary of the District Committee of SKOJ.
A moment after this painting was recorded, Pejovic stood up and cried: " lived The Communist Party of Yugoslavia - Death to Fascism!" He was immediately shot.
Stjepan Filipović


The legendary photo that is now at the United Nations headquarters, and became a symbol of resistance to fascism in World War II.
Stjepan Filipovi…

2. 1. - The German commander in Serbia, under the threat of the death penalty, forbade hiding Jews and keeping their belongings.

4. 1 - Hungarian army and gendarmerie smashed the First Zablja NOP detachment in Žablja, starting reprisals against civilians in Bačka, culminating in Novi Sad raids.



11. 1. - The Battle of Drazgos near Škofja Loka in Slovenia ended - the partisans withdrew after they caused losses to the Germans, who thus fell down the village of Dražgoše

15. 1 - Refugee government of Yugoslavia and Greece concluded an agreement providing for their postwar confederation (Balkan Federation).

15. 1. - 7. 2. - "Second enemy offensive" in eastern Bosnia, in two stages: Roman-Bircanska and Second Ozrenska Operation; Chetniks cooperate with the German unit, the Partisans escape destruction.



19. 1. - Draza Mihailovic promoted to the General of the Yugoslav army in the homeland

20. 1 - Bulgarian first occupational Corps (three divisions) ended the occupation of part of N…

Machine gun M87 - naval version is formed by mounting of machine gun M87 to rotating the base that is placed on a bell-shaped mount.
It is mounted on a vessel or vehicle by connecting the mount to the foundation with bolts. Quick and easy change of height is achieved with elevation system placed in rotating base. The design of the machine gun provides reliable function, without stoppages, in all environments. It is a gas operated weapon, with sliding block breech as the locking system. The barrel is cold forged, with a chrome plated interior, which provides long service life with unchanged ballistic characteristics.


The barrel is disassembled from the machine gun quickly and easily, so in heavy duty, it is possible to cool it quickly or replace it with the spare one.  The machine gun is fed from a belt,  placed in the ammunition box with the capacity of 60 rounds. After firing, cartridge cases are ejected forward, which increases the safety of the shooter and the crew around him. Flash hid…

Stevan Borota (Vinkovci, November 14, 1898 - Valjevo, March 27, 1942), one of the prominent figures in Western Serbia in 1941, commander of the company of the Posavina partisan detachment. He was publicly hanged in the occupied Valjevo, March 27, 1942, on the anniversary of the March Revolution, together with his closest companion Josif Majer.


Because of his role in the uprising, he was one of the main targets of Nazi propaganda in occupied Serbia.
Borota entered the partisans on August 14, 1941, after he came from Belgrade, thanks to the local organization of the KPJ, into the village of Grabovac near Obrenovac, where a group of fighters of the Posavina NOP detachment was under the command of Koca Popovic. By the end of August, the fighters of the Posavina NOP detachment freed the entire area of the Posavina and Tamnava Obrežovac Posavina, except for Obrenovac, Umka, and Uba.


In mid-September Posavina National Liberation Movement (NOP) detachment numbered about 2,500 soldiers and was on…

Numerous reports submitted by the British authorities to the Yugoslavian refugee government contain detailed information on British material and financial aid to Chetniks. The first shipments of air were lowered to Mihailovic on November 9, 1941.  Subsequent shipments by submarine followed in January 1942 and four deliveries by air in April 1942. Again between June and October 1942, and delivery by planes in December 1942 and in February, March and April 1943. Finally, there is a report on shipments between May and October 1943. The total quantity of weapons and ammunition supplied by the British to Mihailovic was according to these reports: 43 mortars, 860 mortar ammo, 307 revolvers, 1,203 submachine guns, 1,866 rifles, 136 light machine guns, 217 guns,. 104 AT guns, 8,728 hand grenades, 1,029,450 bullets for various weapons and 2,368 kg of explosives.


The Chetniks' weapons units depended on where the units were located and from the war period. In Serbia, until 1944 standard guns …

BOV-3 - Yugoslav production is intended for action on targets in the airspace under conditions of optical visibility and can be effectively used for actions on unshielded and lightly armored targets on the ground and water surfaces.
The BOV-3 vehicle was armed with a triple-barreled anti-aircraft gun M55A4B1 20 mm. The BOV has a capacity of 10, including a driver, gunner, and eight infantrymen. The vehicle has a four-wheel drive and is powered by the Deutz type F 6L 413 F six-cylinder diesel engine developing 150 hp (110 kW) at 2650 rpm. The theoretical gun shooting speed is 1950 to 2250 bullets per minute. The allowed burst length is 180 rounds per tube, whereby the tube is heated to 250 ° C, so a break of 5-10 minutes is necessary for cooling.


The BOV-3 armored vehicle has a 4x4 configuration. The body of the vehicle is made by welding the plates of reinforcing steel and provides a certain degree of protection against infantry fire. The driver and the commander are located in the fron…