The 2nd Proletarian Shock Brigade
Soldiers of the Second Proletarian Brigade march through eastern Bosnia, July 1943. |
The Second Proletarian People's Liberation Strike Brigade, also the Second Serbian Brigade, was formed by order of the Supreme Staff of the People's Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia on March 1, 1942, in Čajniče, by fighters from the Užice, Čačak and Second Šumadija Partisan Detachments. On the day of its formation, it had four battalions with about 1,000 fighters.
The first commander of the
brigade was Ratko Sofijanic, a national hero, political commissar Milinko
Kusic, a national hero, and the party leader and deputy political commissar
Spasenija Cana Babovic, a national hero.
Ratko Sofijanic commander of the 2nd Proletarian Brigade
The Second Proletarian NOU
Brigade covered about 24,000 kilometers on its war journey. About 15,000
fighters from all over Yugoslavia fought in its ranks. It destroyed about 62,000 enemy soldiers. She gave a large number of leading cadres, as well as 48
national heroes. Among them is Petar Lekovic, the first national hero of
Yugoslavia.
Together with the First
Proletarian Brigade, it played a major role in creating the operational units
of the Yugoslav People's Army.
Petar Lekovic, the First People's Hero of Yugoslavia.
She was awarded the Order of
National Liberation, the Order of the Partisan Star, the Order of Brotherhood
and Unity, and the Order of Courage. On the occasion of the fifteenth
anniversary of the Battle of Sutjeska, in June 1958, she was awarded the Order
of the People's Hero.
The Fighting Path of the Second Proletarian
Until the formation of the Second
Proletarian Division on November 1, 1942, the Second Proletarian Brigade was
under the direct command of the Supreme Staff. In March and the first half of
April, it operated in eastern Bosnia. It captured Borike, liberated Vlasenica,
Bratunac, Milići, Srebrenica, and Drinjača; then she fought in Romania and took
part in attacks on Ustasha strongholds in Rogatica and Han-Pijesak. In the
second half of April, part of its forces carried out a successful attack on the
Ustasha stronghold of Borac in Herzegovina.
A battalion of the 2nd Proletarian Brigade, Sandzak, 1943.
During the Third Enemy Offensive,
she had very difficult tasks, first, she fought around Čajniče, Goražde, Foča,
in the Pljevlja sector, and in the first half of June she fought hard with the
Chetniks on Durmitor and Gat, near Gacko.
It was part of the Brigade Strike
Group, which, under the direct command of the Supreme Commander, set out for
western Bosnia on June 24, 1942. She fought around Kalinovik, took part in the
demolition of the Sarajevo-Mostar railway, in the capture of Tarčin and
Pazarić, then in the battles in the sectors of Travnik, Donji Vakuf, and
Bugojno. From the end of July to the middle of October 1942, she fought a large
number of difficult battles. Together with the Fourth Proletarian, the Tenth
Herzegovinian, and First Krajina, she took part in the attack on Kupres. She
also took part in the liberation of Jajce on September 25, 1942.
Cropped map describing the Third Enemy Offensive in occupied Yugoslavia (eastern Bosnia, Montenegro and Herzegovina 20 April to mid-June 1942)
On October 17, in Drvar, she
received the Proletarian flag from the Supreme Commander of the NOP and NOVJ,
Josip Broz Tito. From then until the beginning of the battle on the Neretva, it
operated around Bosanski Grahov, Livno, Kupres, Duvno, and in the Knin region.
It carried out a counterattack against the Italian division "Sassari"
and the Chetniks from October 26 to 28 and cleared the Knin region of Chetniks
and Ustashas. She fought for Livno from December 5 to 15 and attacked Kupres.
Battle of the Neretva
At the end of January, she fought
fierce battles near Knin and Strmica. From then until the forcing of the
Neretva, she fought for Imotski and Posušje (February 9 and 10, 1943),
penetrated the Neretva valley, captured Drežnica, and Grabovo 16/17. February,
where the battalion of the "Murđe" division stood out and broke up.
Together with eight other brigades, she took part in the counterattack near
Gornji Vakuf and stood out in particular (broke the battalion of the 717th
German Division). These successes saved the wounded and eased the position of
the People's Liberation Army forces on the Neretva.
Partisan counterattack at Gornji Vakuf
In the offensive efforts of the
Main Operational Group from the Neretva, the brigade fought hard with the
Chetniks near Krsac, on Prenja, near Bijela, Boracko Lake, Glavatičevo, Obija, and Kalinovik. In April, she took part in the fighting on the Drina. Its two
battalions, together with the Fourth and Fifth Proletarian Brigades, took part
in the battles on Javorka, near Nikšić, on May 1 and 2, 1943, when Italian and
Chetnik forces of several battalions were defeated.
Battle of Sutjeska
During the battle of Sutjeska,
she took part in an attempt to break through the southeast of Foča on May 24 and
25, and from then until June 10, she fought hard on Vučevo, Koshur, near Suha,
Bare, and Košuta. Its success on Vučevo and Košuta is one of the most important
battles in this battle.
With this communication, she broke
through to the north by fighting, she liberated Olovo, 24/25. June, and two
days later she took part in the liberation of Kladanj. From then until the
beginning of September, he worked around Tuzla and on the mountain Ozren. He
took part in breaking up strong Chetnik and other forces.
Campaign to Serbia
From this territory, she moved to
the Foča region, then to Sandžak. She liberated Foča (September 3/4), Pljevlja
(September 22), Prijepolje; so she participated in the liberation of Bijelo
Polje, Berane, and Kolašin. She liberated Priboj and moved to Serbia. For a
month, she fought on Zlatibor and other places. On December 4, near Prijepolje,
she suffered heavy losses in a fierce, sudden battle. She moved to Serbia
again, and in December 1943 and January 1944 she fought several battles on
Zlatibor, for Ivanjica, near Arilje, in the region of Priboj and other places.
Third Serbian Brigade on Zlatibor, January 1944.
In mid-March 1944, as part of the
Strike Group, the division again penetrated Serbia. From then until May 21, she
fought almost incessantly in western Serbia and Sandzak (Rudo, Zlatibor,
Ivanjica, Kaona, Povlen), but was forced to withdraw to Montenegro.
Final operations
In June and July 1944, she fought
in the Andrijevica sector. Among other things, she participated in the
Andrijevic operation. In the penetration of the Operational Group, the division
from Montenegro to Serbia took part in the battles on the Peshterska plateau
and on the Ibar. In August, he worked on Kopaonik, in Župa, Rasina, and around
Kuršumlija, where he excelled in defeating Chetniks. In September, he took part
in the battles on the Ibar, near Požega and Gornji Milanovac.
The Second Serbian Brigade during the Battle of the Neretva in 1943.
She participated in the Belgrade
operation, where she stood out. From then until the end of December, she worked
on the Srem front. In February and March 1945, she took part in the battles on
the Drina (Banja Koviljača and Loznica). In April, she took part in the
liberation of eastern Bosnia (Bijeljina, Brcko, Samac), and then in the
fighting in Slavonia, and then in Majevica.
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