Mile Mećava ( sr-Cyrl, Миле Мећава, ; 1915 – June 4, 1942) was a

Yugoslav Partisan The Yugoslav Partisans, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...

and a hero from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Early life

Mećeva was born in 1915 in a Serbian family from the village Vlaškovci, in the

Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

, in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. His father Ostoja was a farmer. Also, he worked as the farmer before the

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. Mećeva joined the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

in 1941.

World War II

Mećeva joined

Yugoslav People's Liberation War World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was swiftly conquered by Axis forces and partitioned between Germany, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and their client regimes. Shortly after Germany attacked the U ...

in early 1941. In the first battles that took place in Aginci and

Komlenac Komlenac ( sr-cyrl, Комленац) is a village in the Municipalities of Republika Srpska, municipality of Kozarska Dubica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.Official results from the book: Ethnic composition of Bosnia-Herzegovina popula ...

, he emerged as one of the bravest fighters of the Second Krajina (Kozara) Detachment. His courage stands out in battles on the mount

Kozara Kozara ( sr-cyrl, Козара) is a mountain in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the town of Kozarac and in the Bosanska Krajina region, bounded by the Sava River to the north, the Vrbas to the east, the Sana to the south, and the Una to the ...

, near Podgradci, Mrakovica and Turjak as well as near Gradina and Jasenovac. Also, he fought in conflicts on the

Prijedor Prijedor ( sr-cyrl, Приједор, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 89,397 inhabitants within its administrative limits. Prijedor is situated in ...

–

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...

railway.

Ambush in Lipovac

In January 1942, Mećeva enters into the Kozara Proletarian Company, a newly formed assault unit led by

Kosta Nađ Konstantin "Kosta" Nađ ( hu, Nagy Kosztá; 13 May 1911 – 19 November 1986) was a Yugoslav Partisan Army general that fought during World War II. Biography Born on 13 May 1911 in Petrovaradin, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, he fought as a volu ...

and

Mladen Stojanović Mladen Stojanović ( sr-cyr, Младен Стојановић; 7 April 1896 – 1 April 1942) was a Bosnian Serb and Yugoslav physician who led a detachment of Partisans on and around Mount Kozara in northwestern Bosnia durin ...

. According to Nađ, the split between the Partisans and the Chetniks in

Bosanska Krajina Bosanska Krajina ( sr-cyrl, Босанска Крајина, ) is a geographical region, a subregion of Bosnia, in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is enclosed by a number of rivers, namely the Sava (north), Glina (northwest), Vrbanja and Vrba ...

and central Bosnia began on 14 December 1941 in the village of Javorani. Lazar Tešanović, a schoolteacher in Javorani, influenced members of the local Partisan unit to join the Chetnik side. Tešanović then organised a Chetnik unit of about 70 to 80 men, and at the beginning of March 1942, he and his men were in the village of Lipovac. On 5 March, Mećava and his Kozara Proletarian Company led by Stojanović, Nađ, and Danko Mitrov (the commander of the 4th Krajina Detachment) set out for Lipovac. According to some sources, they went to Lipovac for pre-arranged negotiations with Tešanović, while other sources state that they intended to disarm Tešanović and his Chetniks. When the column of the Partisans approached the school in Lipovac, they were ambushed by Chetniks, and Mećava was wounded as well as Stojanović, who was severely wounded in the head., pp. 163–171 The Partisans remained pinned down by Chetniks fire until evening; thirteen were killed and eight beside Mećava and Stojanović were wounded. At nightfall, he and the other wounded were transported to the Partisan field hospital in Jošavka.

Battle of Dubica and death

On 1 June 1942, the Ustaše Black Legion led by

Jure Francetić Jure Francetić (3 July 1912 – 27/28 December 1942) was a Croatian Ustaša Commissioner for the Bosnia and Herzegovina regions of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II, and commander of the 1st Ustaše Regiment of the ...

attacked the Free Territory of Kozara with tanks from Dubica and Jasenovac. In this battle, Mećava entered as a sergeant of the 1st Proletarian Company of the Assault Battalion. In the battle in Klekovci, he dismantled two enemy

tanks A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

Fiat L6/40. Mećava has jumped on the first tank and liquidated tank's crew with hand grenades. Although he was hit hard from a neighbouring tank he continued to fight. When he defeated the crew of the second tank, he died of his injuries. His actions have seized two completely correct tanks on the Kadin Jelovac– Sreflije battlefront. These tanks were the first ones of the Partisans on Kozara. After the battle, ''Radio Free Yugoslavia'' repeated several times news of the heroism of the Mećava who heroically died on a hostile tank.

Aftermath

Mećava has posthumously bestowed the National Hero of Yugoslavia. On his behalf, on 24 July 1953, his sister Vukosava received his medal of the

Order of the People's Hero The Order of the People's Hero or the Order of the National Hero ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Orden narodnog heroja, Oрден народног хероја; sl, Red narodnega heroja, mk, Oрден на народен херој, Orden na ...

Personal life

Mećeva had 10 siblings. His brothers Marko, Branko, and Ljuban were killed in the

Jasenovac concentration camp Jasenovac () was a concentration and extermination camp established in the village of the same name by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in occupied Yugoslavia during World War II. The concentration camp, one of the ...

in 1942. His youngest sister Vukosava was the only survivor of World War II. He is not related to fellow Serbian military officer and National Hero of Yugoslavia Petar Mećava.

Legacy

*''10th Moštanica Working Brigade "Mile Mećava"'' was formed in the summer of 1943. Brigade was engaged in agricultural work. * A street in the city center of

Kozarska Dubica Kozarska Dubica ( sr-cyrl, Козарска Дубица), previously known as Bosanska Dubica ( sr-cyrl, Босанска Дубица) is a town and municipality located in northern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 20 ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

bears his name. * In the village Gunjevci, near Kozarska Dubica, is a statue of Mile Mećava. Near the statue is parked an old

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...

tank.

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mecava, Mile 1915 births 1942 deaths Bosnia and Herzegovina people of World War II People from Dubica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Recipients of the Order of the People's Hero Serbian people of World War II Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Yugoslav communists Yugoslav military personnel killed in World War II Yugoslav Partisans members 20th-century military personnel