1st Slovenian proletarian shock brigade

Structure

Formed on July 16, 1942 in Ambrus on the basis of the Tone Tomšić Proletarian Battalion and soldiers from the 3rd and 5th groups of partisan detachments of Slovenia. On the day of its formation, it numbered 400 people, from September 1942 it included the 1st battalion of the Belokran partisan detachment. Consisted in the 14th division since July 1943.

Battle Path

1942

In August 1942, the brigade participated in the Rosh offensive, waging bloody battles against the Italian troops: it besieged the fortress in the village of Ratezha on the Novo-Mesto - Szenterney and Novo-Mesto ( White Guards fortress) on the night from 13 to 14 on the night of August 9 august . In the second half of August, she attacked Italian units that tried to encircle the headquarters of the Slovenian partisan movement (including the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Slovenia and the executive committee of the Liberation Front of Slovenia ) on the Kochevsky Horn. On September 18 and 19, with the 4th Slovenian shock brigade "Matia Gubiec" and the 5th Slovenian shock brigade "Ivan Tsankar", she disarmed the White Guards in Sukhoi Krajina. At the end of September, she acted in the Kochevsky direction, on October 2, the 3rd battalion defeated the Italians at Elenovo-Zhleb, and then left through Trvnu Gora and Mount Krim to the Molnik-Podlipoglav line. On October 21 and 22, the brigade besieged the positions of the White Guards in Bizovik, Dobrun and Pole, not far from Ljubljana . In December 1942, the brigade fought near Idovec in the Dry Krajina.

1943

Since January 1943, the 1st Slovenian brigade kept the Trebne - Sevnitsa highway, from January 5 to 6, participated in the defeat of the White Guards in the Temenik valley. Until the end of January, she fought against Italians and collaborators at Sveti Rok, Gorne-Brezov and Bice, together with the 4th Slovenian shock brigade “Matia Gubiec”, the 5th Slovenian shock brigade “Ivan Tsankar”, the 13th Proletarian shock brigade The “Rade Konchar” and the 4th Kordun shock brigade defeated the Italians near Zhumberak in the battles from January 30 to February 2, 1943 and at the beginning of February 1943 committed sabotage on the Zagreb - Karlovac - Metlik railway.

From February 18 to 20, the 1st Slovenian brigade fought against Italians and collaborators near the village of Mokro Pole (between Novo Mesto and Pletere ), from March 4 to 5 fought near Metliki , from March 15 to 20 in Sukhoi Krajina, April 2-6 , at the villages of Piyava-Goritsa, Zuryak and Rob. In April, she acted at the bases of the Mokrets and Krim mountains, and carried out a sabotage on the Ljubljana - Grospule railway. In early June, she moved to the Temenik Valley in the German occupation zone, where she fought with German patrols on the Yavorie - Osredek line from June 4 to 5 , and after returning to Sukhoi Kraina, with Italians on the Dobrich - Korita - Dobrava line.

At the end of June, the brigade was transferred to Belaya Krajina; since July 13, 1943 it has been part of the 14th Slovenian division. In late July - early August, she fought at Južemberk, the villages of Aydovets and Selo pri Primerke , Babna Gora and Krushni Vrh , as well as Trebne . In Notransk on August 9, Italians attacked at the Church , August 18 - at Borovnitsa ; On August 19, she defeated a detachment of White Guard collaborators in Piyava-Goritsa . On August 24, saboteurs of the brigade derailed at Gorichitsa on the Ljubljana road. A German train was stationed with two locomotives and 22 wagons in which there were armored cars, tanks and equipment.

After the surrender of Italy, the brigade took up the disarmament of the Italian units: on September 10, it disarmed the "April 21" squad between Kochevie and Ribnitsa . Thanks to the Italians who joined the partisans, the number of brigades increased by 1,500 people, and this also allowed the formation of a number of brigades. By mid-December, the Ribnitsko-Velikolaksky Valley was cleared from the White Guards, in the second half of the month the railway between Rakek and Postojna was destroyed.

The German garrison remained in Rakek, with which the partisans began fighting in October during the German offensive. They also fought with the Germans in Brkinyi, on Golyak Mountain and in the village of Gomance, at the village of Leskova Dolina , at the base of the Gotenish glacier and in the Kochevsky direction. In the second half of November, as part of the 14th Slovenian division, the brigade attacked a stronghold of Slovenian home-warlords in Notransk. From November 22 to 23 in Grahovo and from December 3 to 4 in Veliky Lashchi large groupings of domestic recruits were destroyed.

1944

After the defeat of the German motorized columns at the Court and Južemberbera on December 21 and 23 - 24, respectively, the brigade was reorganized. About 400 personnel participated in the campaign in Styria in January – February 1944. The brigade suffered heavy losses, but in Styria took the Moravce fortress on March 19 - 20 , distinguished itself in Radomle, Gorni Grad and Nowy Shtifty in April, as well as in the villages of Zavodnya and Szentvyd on May 14 .

In July, replenishing the strength of 1,200 people, the team continued its operations. From July 30 to August 2, she was involved in battles against the Germans at the fortresses of Schmartno-od-Paki and Letush, blew up a bridge over the Savina river. In August, she fought on Konishka Mountain and in Pohorje, in September she defended the Savin Valley, in October she defended Pohorje. In the second half of October, she fought against the Germans on the Kamnik - Nova- Shtifta - Mozirye line , and then on the Domzale - Blagovitsa - Vransko line . From mid-November to the end of 1944, she acted in Pohorje, on the Mozir Mountains and in the Savin Valley.

1945

In 1945, the brigade operated in Western Styria (Pohorje, Savinsky Valley, Zasavye, Savinsky Alps), attacking German posts and transport convoys. At the end of the war, she freed the entire Korushka (Slovenian Carinthia): numerous German soldiers and collaborators who tried to escape to Austria were captured by the partisans.

As part of the brigade, a number of fighters became owners of the title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia. It:

• Ivan "Nande" Kavchich
• Ivan "Efenka" Kovachich
• Martin Pilate Kotar
• Danila "Andrey" Kumar
• Albina Mali-Khochevar
• Anton "Yanko" Marinzel
• The camp "Daki" Semich
• Vinko "Gaspar" Simonchich
• Franz "Rock" Tavchar
• Ivan "Jean" Hrovat

Franz Miede ( Slovenian Franc Miede ), an ethnic German from Nomad who also helped the Liberation Front of Slovenia , was also distinguished among the fighters, and since the summer of 1942 he was part of the 1st Slovenian proletarian shock brigade and participated in the campaign of the 14th division in Styria. He became famous as one of the best machine gunners of the division. Franz Miede died in 1945 shortly before the end of the war, having been wounded in the arm, incompatible with life ^[2] .

Rewards

She was awarded the orders of National Liberation, Partisan Star (with a golden wreath), brotherhood and unity (with a golden wreath) and the People's Hero of Yugoslavia (decree of June 21, 1974. November 2, 1951 received the honorary name of the "proletarian" brigade, later renamed the 14th proletarian brigade.

Immortalization in cities

• Memorial sign in honor of the brigade in Pugled pri pri Starem Logu ^[3] and a monument in honor of the 14th Slovenian division and the Tomsichev brigade in Senovo (dedicated to the battle on the night of February 9-10, 1944 ) ^[4]
• In Ljubljana and Polchany , streets are named after the brigade.

In Serbian

• War of the Encyclopedia (Kiga Sedma) . Beograd 1974. year
• " Folk Heroes of Ugoslavia ". Beograd: Mladost. 1975.

In Slovenian

• Tomšičeva brigada. [1], Uvodni del, (1981), 2. izpopolnjena izdaja. Odbor 1. SPUB Toneta Tomšiča, Ljubljana.
• Tomšičeva brigada. [2], 1942-1943, (1986), Založba Borec in Partizanska knjiga, Ljubljana.
• Tomšičeva brigada. [3], 1943, (1989), Naša Obramba in Republiška konferenca Zveze rezervnih vojaških starešin Slovenije, Ljubljana.
• Tomšičeva brigada. [4], 1944, (1995), Založba Obzorja Maribor.