(Quest'anno è il 65esimo anniversario dell'inizio della rivolta contro
il nazifascismo da parte dei partigiani jugoslavi, ed è anche il 70
anniversario dello scoppio della guerra civile spagnola. I due eventi
sono legati molto più di quanto si possa pensare, come spiega Marijan
Kubik, vicesegretario della SKOJ, nel ricordo che segue)
The war in Spain and the Yugoslavs
Together with the 65th anniversary of the uprising against the fascist
oppression in Yugoslavia, this year we are commemorating another
anniversary as well – the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of war in
Spain.
The Spanish were the first nation in Europe to be attacked by the
forces of the fascist and nazi axis.
For us, Yugoslavs, who took up arms in occupied Europe and were the
first people to form a regular anti-fascist army in the centre of the
European fortress, the example of the Spanish republican army was
very significant.
A large number of Yugoslavs, mostly young people, rushed to Spain,
fought in the ranks of the Spanish Republican Army, and shed their
blood for the freedom of the Spanish people. Those of them, who after
this war returned to their homes, joined the anti-fascist war raging
in their homeland. Our "Spaniards" - as the people called them -
brought with them from Spain rich military and political
experiences. Because of this, their role in organizing our uprising
and during the whole liberation war was conspicuous.
The republican government, the anti-fascist parties and the trade
unions started to organized and arm their units. This way the birth
of the glorious Spanish Republican Army, which bore the main burden of
the fight against the fascist onslaught till the end of the war.
However, unlike the fascist forces, the republican army received no
help from abroad. The western "democratic" government, led by Great
Britain and France, announced a "policy of non-interference" - first
alone and later in accordance with the decision of the League of
Nations. On the other hand, all true anti-fascists in Europe and the
rest of the world felt that the war in Spain in character reached far
beyond the borders of Spain. They knew that the rebellion of the
Spanish generals constituted the first major trial of strength between
fascism and democracy.
Many progressive parties, especially communist parties, started to
organize aid for Spain, and the most important way to help was to send
volunteers to that country.
The Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) was among the most active
organizers of aid to the Spanish Republic. KPJ wrote in those days in
"Proleter":
"Not neutrality, but the fullest possible aid is due to the legal
Spanish government from all member states of the League of Nations.
It is a question of the fascist intention to destroy all nations. It
is a question of the most terrible danger of war. It is not possible
to avoid it by neutrality, which means a blockade of the legal
Spanish government, but by the speedy and full military, technical and
material aid and support of the world democracy, of all who want
peace, for the Spanish people."
At the beginning of October 1936, when the battle of Madrid,
mercilessly bombed by German and Italian aviation, broke out, the
volunteers, anti-fascists from many countries, among them Yugoslavia,
were already in the front ranks on the republican side.
The Yugoslavs served in various brigades. Some, especially those from
Trieste and from Istria served in the 12th "Garibaldi" Italian
brigade; the former "Balkan" company was renamed the "Dura Dakovic"
company and was incorporated into the "Chapajev" battalion of the
13th "Dombrovski" Polish brigade. Other were mostly in the 15th
"Lincoln" brigade, composed of volunteers from English-speaking
countries, which with the Czechs, Bulgarians and other formed the
"Dimitrov" battalion, which included the "Matija Gubec" Yugoslav
company.
Yugoslavs were always among the best, among the most courageous. Out
of 1300 Yugoslav volunteers, more than half laid down their lives in
Spain. Those who survived showed their high morale in the new trials,
awaiting them in France, where, with volunteers from other countries,
they were imprisoned in improvised concentration camps. On the
initiative of the Party organization, led by Ivan Gosnjak, our
"Spaniards" succeeded in changing these camps into schools for
political and general education. They were in the front line of the
internees' battles against the attempts of the authorities to change
them into a listless and obedient mass, usable for various tasks such
as clearing mine-fields. Our "Spaniards" organized hunger strikes and
rebellions against the policy of the authorities and against the
unbearable living condition. With the help of KPJ, they finally
succeeded in escaping from the camps, and a large number of them,
about 250, returned by various ways to Yugoslavia.
But their homeland, Yugoslavia, was already under foreign under
occupation. This was in the summer and autumn of 1941. The enemy, who
had won in Spain, has already reached this country and for our
"Spaniards" the battles began anew. They were among the first
military advisers in the organs of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia,
among the first organizers of our uprising, the first soldiers,
commandeers and commissars of the first partisan units, among the most
popular heroes.
Many were killed at the beginning of the war - Zikica Jovanovich,
Milan Blagojevich, Branko Krsmanovich, Slobodan Mitrov Danko... Our
"Spaniards" were among the best known organizers of the regular
National Liberation Army, among the commanders, commissars and chiefs
of major headquarters and larger operational units. During the closing
operations, in the spring of 1945, when four armies were formed, all
four were commanded by "Spaniards" - Koca Popovich, Peko Dapcevic,
Kosta Nadj and Petar Drapsin.
Something of the role played by our "Spaniards" during the National
Liberation War can be seen by the fact that every fifth has been
proclamation a National Hero, while every ninth reached the rank of
general. More than half our "Spaniards" were killed in action.
Just as in our country, the former volunteers in Spain were among the
best fighters against the fascist oppressor, among the best
organizers of armed uprising and participants in guerilla actions in
many other European countries-in France, Italy, Poland and Bulgaria.
The foreign volunteers, Polish, French, German, Yugoslav and of many
other nations, though outmatched from the military point of view
because of the aid received by the fascists, were nevertheless a sign
and a symbol of the forces of international solidarity in action.
Their fight and their sacrifices are built into the foundations of the
future world - the world of peace, freedom and brotherhood among nations.
Marijan Kubik
Second secretary
League of Yugoslavian Communist Youth(SKOJ) Belgrade
il nazifascismo da parte dei partigiani jugoslavi, ed è anche il 70
anniversario dello scoppio della guerra civile spagnola. I due eventi
sono legati molto più di quanto si possa pensare, come spiega Marijan
Kubik, vicesegretario della SKOJ, nel ricordo che segue)
The war in Spain and the Yugoslavs
Together with the 65th anniversary of the uprising against the fascist
oppression in Yugoslavia, this year we are commemorating another
anniversary as well – the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of war in
Spain.
The Spanish were the first nation in Europe to be attacked by the
forces of the fascist and nazi axis.
For us, Yugoslavs, who took up arms in occupied Europe and were the
first people to form a regular anti-fascist army in the centre of the
European fortress, the example of the Spanish republican army was
very significant.
A large number of Yugoslavs, mostly young people, rushed to Spain,
fought in the ranks of the Spanish Republican Army, and shed their
blood for the freedom of the Spanish people. Those of them, who after
this war returned to their homes, joined the anti-fascist war raging
in their homeland. Our "Spaniards" - as the people called them -
brought with them from Spain rich military and political
experiences. Because of this, their role in organizing our uprising
and during the whole liberation war was conspicuous.
The republican government, the anti-fascist parties and the trade
unions started to organized and arm their units. This way the birth
of the glorious Spanish Republican Army, which bore the main burden of
the fight against the fascist onslaught till the end of the war.
However, unlike the fascist forces, the republican army received no
help from abroad. The western "democratic" government, led by Great
Britain and France, announced a "policy of non-interference" - first
alone and later in accordance with the decision of the League of
Nations. On the other hand, all true anti-fascists in Europe and the
rest of the world felt that the war in Spain in character reached far
beyond the borders of Spain. They knew that the rebellion of the
Spanish generals constituted the first major trial of strength between
fascism and democracy.
Many progressive parties, especially communist parties, started to
organize aid for Spain, and the most important way to help was to send
volunteers to that country.
The Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) was among the most active
organizers of aid to the Spanish Republic. KPJ wrote in those days in
"Proleter":
"Not neutrality, but the fullest possible aid is due to the legal
Spanish government from all member states of the League of Nations.
It is a question of the fascist intention to destroy all nations. It
is a question of the most terrible danger of war. It is not possible
to avoid it by neutrality, which means a blockade of the legal
Spanish government, but by the speedy and full military, technical and
material aid and support of the world democracy, of all who want
peace, for the Spanish people."
At the beginning of October 1936, when the battle of Madrid,
mercilessly bombed by German and Italian aviation, broke out, the
volunteers, anti-fascists from many countries, among them Yugoslavia,
were already in the front ranks on the republican side.
The Yugoslavs served in various brigades. Some, especially those from
Trieste and from Istria served in the 12th "Garibaldi" Italian
brigade; the former "Balkan" company was renamed the "Dura Dakovic"
company and was incorporated into the "Chapajev" battalion of the
13th "Dombrovski" Polish brigade. Other were mostly in the 15th
"Lincoln" brigade, composed of volunteers from English-speaking
countries, which with the Czechs, Bulgarians and other formed the
"Dimitrov" battalion, which included the "Matija Gubec" Yugoslav
company.
Yugoslavs were always among the best, among the most courageous. Out
of 1300 Yugoslav volunteers, more than half laid down their lives in
Spain. Those who survived showed their high morale in the new trials,
awaiting them in France, where, with volunteers from other countries,
they were imprisoned in improvised concentration camps. On the
initiative of the Party organization, led by Ivan Gosnjak, our
"Spaniards" succeeded in changing these camps into schools for
political and general education. They were in the front line of the
internees' battles against the attempts of the authorities to change
them into a listless and obedient mass, usable for various tasks such
as clearing mine-fields. Our "Spaniards" organized hunger strikes and
rebellions against the policy of the authorities and against the
unbearable living condition. With the help of KPJ, they finally
succeeded in escaping from the camps, and a large number of them,
about 250, returned by various ways to Yugoslavia.
But their homeland, Yugoslavia, was already under foreign under
occupation. This was in the summer and autumn of 1941. The enemy, who
had won in Spain, has already reached this country and for our
"Spaniards" the battles began anew. They were among the first
military advisers in the organs of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia,
among the first organizers of our uprising, the first soldiers,
commandeers and commissars of the first partisan units, among the most
popular heroes.
Many were killed at the beginning of the war - Zikica Jovanovich,
Milan Blagojevich, Branko Krsmanovich, Slobodan Mitrov Danko... Our
"Spaniards" were among the best known organizers of the regular
National Liberation Army, among the commanders, commissars and chiefs
of major headquarters and larger operational units. During the closing
operations, in the spring of 1945, when four armies were formed, all
four were commanded by "Spaniards" - Koca Popovich, Peko Dapcevic,
Kosta Nadj and Petar Drapsin.
Something of the role played by our "Spaniards" during the National
Liberation War can be seen by the fact that every fifth has been
proclamation a National Hero, while every ninth reached the rank of
general. More than half our "Spaniards" were killed in action.
Just as in our country, the former volunteers in Spain were among the
best fighters against the fascist oppressor, among the best
organizers of armed uprising and participants in guerilla actions in
many other European countries-in France, Italy, Poland and Bulgaria.
The foreign volunteers, Polish, French, German, Yugoslav and of many
other nations, though outmatched from the military point of view
because of the aid received by the fascists, were nevertheless a sign
and a symbol of the forces of international solidarity in action.
Their fight and their sacrifices are built into the foundations of the
future world - the world of peace, freedom and brotherhood among nations.
Marijan Kubik
Second secretary
League of Yugoslavian Communist Youth(SKOJ) Belgrade