Andrija Andabak (September 6, 1956 – July 7, 1992) was a Croatian soldier who distinguished himself in the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

Early life

Andrija Andabak was born in Split on 6 September 1956 from father Stjepan and mother Ruža. He spent his childhood in

Nuštar Nuštar ( hu, Berzétemonostor) is a village and municipality in eastern Croatia, located northeast of Vinkovci and west of Vukovar, on the route D55. The population of Nuštar is 3,639, with a total of 5,772 people in the municipality, which a ...

, where he attended elementary school followed by secondary Technical school Ruđer Bošković in Vinkovci, as an

electrical technician An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance ...

. He married Nada Čović on 27 December 1980. In 1981 he started working in Vupik, Vukovar.Halužan, Siniša; Laušić, Gordan; ''Andrija Andabak - Život za Hrvatsku''; Hrvatski Vojnik; nr. 68; 15 July 1994; ISSN 1330-500X He got his first son Marko in 1981, and his second son Stjepan in 1984. He lived in a family home in Nuštar together with his brother Zvonimir, sister Dragica, father and mother.

Military training

During 1979/1980 he served as a conscript in JNA in

Bitolj Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...

Socialist Republic of Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia ( mk, Социјалистичка Република Македонија, Socijalistička Republika Makedonija), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia or Yugoslav Macedonia, was ...

, where he was trained to work with 9M14 Malyutka anti-tank missiles. After that, he attended military exercises at least once a month.Brnardić, Vladimir;

TV kalendar ''TV kalendar'' ( en, TV Calendar) is a daily historical documentary television series produced and broadcast by Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) on HRT 1, its first channel. Running continuously since 1976 and spanning more than 13,850 episodes, it ...

; "Andrija Andabak"; 7 July 2014; Croatian Radiotelevision; URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOSEqlZHuyc

Beginning and course of the Croatian War of Independence

In June 1991 he volunteered to the 109. Vinkovci brigade, where he started his anti-tank military service with his first shot on 28 September 1991. After he destroyed his 15th tank, commander Josip Zvirotić awarded him with a pistol, a Česká zbrojovka M75. His military success went a long way, so in 1992 Andabak was invited to dine at Banski dvori with the President of Croatia

Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (; 14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999), also written as Franjo Tudjman, was a Croatian politician and historian. Following the country's independence from Yugoslavia, he became the first president of Croatia and served as p ...

, where he was welcomed by

Anton Tus Anton Tus (born 22 November 1931) is a retired Croatian general who served as head of the Yugoslav Air Force between 1985 and 1991 and was the first Chief of Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces from 1991 to 1992 during the Croatian War of Indepen ...

and Janko Bobetko as well. He worked as an instructor at the Croatian Military Academy in Zagreb. On 10 April 1992 he destroyed his 31st tank (a T-55) and, by the time he died, his last

M-84 The M-84 is a Yugoslav main battle tank, a variant of the Soviet T-72. The M-84 is still in service in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kuwait. Development and production Development The M-84 is based on the Soviet T-72M (expo ...

tank as well. He is credited with destroying or disabling a total of 32 armoured fighting vehicles, of which 30 tanks (14 M-84 and 16 T-55), 1

infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forc ...

and 1

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

, more than any other Croatian soldier. He was killed on 7 July 1992 in Posavina and was buried in Nuštar.Kevo, Mladen. ''Hrvatsko predziđe: Istočnoslavonska ratna kronika II''. Gradska Tiskara Osijek, Osijek, 1993

Legacy

He was posthumously awarded the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, and later of

lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. On 19 December 1995 the family of the deceased received the

Order of Duke Domagoj The Order of Duke Domagoj ( hr, Red kneza Domagoja) is the 8th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia and is the nation's highest award for bravery. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for valor in combat. ...

for Andrija Andabak's outstanding bravery and heroism in war. The medal itself is the highest military award a member of the Armed Forces of Croatia can receive. Prior to that, he was awarded the

Order of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan The Order of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan ( hr, Red Petra Zrinskog i Frana Krste Frankopana) is the 11th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on 1 April 1995. The medal is awarded with two versio ...

and the

Homeland War Memorial Medal The Homeland War Memorial ( hr, Spomenica Domovinskog rata) is a Croatian state medal awarded to both Croatian and foreign citizens who participated in the nation's Croatian War of Independence as a volunteer, part of the Croatian Army and Croat ...

.Barić, Nikica; Dovranić, Darko; Janković, Tamara; Nazor, Ante; Novosel, Domagoj; Petroci, Emil. ''Domovinski rat - čitanka priručnik za učitelje povijesti u osnovnim školama i nastavnike povijesti u srednjim školama''. Školska knjiga d.d., Zagreb, 2015. The Croatian Army awards a medal, named after him, to soldiers who destroy three or more AFV's. He was the first person to posthumously receive it.Davor Runtić, Junaci Domovinskog rata: ratne priče iz Domovinskog rata, Neobična naklada, Samobor, 2002., In honor of Andrija Andabak, as well as all Nuštar's defenders who died in combat, a memorial tournament carrying his name is held each year. Andrija Andabak was a skilled professional and excellent operator. He destroyed 32 armoured fighting vehicles by himself in only eight months of the War.Nazor, Ante. ''Greater-Serbian Aggression on Croatia in the 90’s''. Croatian Homeland War Memorial and Documentation Centre, Zagreb, 2011. On 7 July 2009 a memorial plaque for Andrija Andabak was unveiled on his family house. In 2015, he was selected as one of 12 people who represent symbols of the Homeland War and introduced as such into Croatian history textbooks.Ovo je 12 heroja o kojima će učiti naša djeca!
Mirela Lilek; Jutarnji list;

Hanza Media Hanza Media (until July 1, 2016: Europapress Holding, or EPH) is the leading media company in Croatia and Southeast Europe, with 5 daily newspapers, more than 20 magazines, and 20 digital editions. Hanza Media's consumer magazines are aimed at t ...

; 28 April 2015 (in Croatian)

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024347/http://www.centardomovinskograta.hr/1992.html * http://www.hic.hr/ZZ-spomenar06.htm

* http://croatiabusinessreport.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/zagrebs-homeland-war-exhibition/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-xkbhtB9x4 * http://radio.hrt.hr/radio-osijek/clanak/memorijal-andrije-andabaka/95735/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Andabak, Andrija Croatian army officers Order of Duke Domagoj recipients 1956 births 1992 deaths Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence Military personnel killed in the Croatian War of Independence Croatian military personnel killed in action