Mirko Kovachevich ( Serb. Mirko Kovacheviћ ; May 6, 1916 , Grahovo - August 14, 1941 , Koshuta ) - Yugoslav Montenegrin partisan, participant in the civil war in Spain and the People's Liberation War of Yugoslavia , People's Hero of Yugoslavia .
| Mirko Kovachevich | |
|---|---|
| Serb. Mirko Kovacheviћ | |
| Date of Birth | May 6, 1916 |
| Place of Birth | Grahovo , Kingdom of Montenegro |
| Date of death | August 14, 1941 (25 years old) |
| A place of death | Kossuth , Independent State of Croatia |
| Affiliation |  Second Spanish Republic Yugoslavia |
| Type of army | Yugoslav People's Liberation Army : Ground Forces ( anti-tank artillery , guerrilla troops) |
| Years of service | 1936-1938, 1941 |
| Rank |  Spanish Republican Army : Captain |
| Part | Dimitrovsky battalion Battery of anti-tank guns " Petko Miletich " |
| Commanded | Battery of anti-tank guns "Stepan Radich" 2nd platoon of the 1st company of the Yugoslav battalion Group of partisan detachments of Dalmatia Split partisan detachment |
| Battles / wars | Spanish Civil War The People's Liberation War of Yugoslavia |
| Awards and prizes |  |
Biography
Born on May 6, 1916 in the village of Grakhovo near Niksic. Montenegrin by nationality, the eleventh child in the family of Serdar Pyotr Kovachevich (seven sons, four daughters). He graduated from elementary school in his native village, two classes of a gymnasium in Trebin , and then, due to money problems, he missed two years and continued his studies, first in Kotor, and then in Belgrade , where he moved with his family. He graduated from the 4th grade of the 2nd male Belgrade gymnasium and then entered the technical school, which he graduated in 1936.
During the training, Mirko was engaged in an active lifestyle, speaking with his brother Vasily for the Radnichki football team. He was also involved in politics, participating in actions and demonstrations of the youth of Belgrade , since 1935 the chairman of the Commonwealth of students of technical schools. After graduating from college in 1936, he moved to Prague , where he studied mechanical engineering, but dropped out after the first semester and left for Spain in early 1937, responding to the call of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia . In Spain, meanwhile, there was a civil war between Republicans and nationalists.
From February to March, Mirko, as a fighter of the Dimitrovsky battalion, fought against the Francoists at Marama, Guadalajara, Madrid and Brunet. From April 1937 he studied at an officer school in Posarubia, and then in Albacete. He served as deputy commander in a battery of anti-tank guns "Petko Miletich" from July to December 1937, then he headed the battery "Stepan Radich", which he fought near Teruela. In October 1938 he led the 2nd platoon of the 1st company of the Yugoslav battalion near Valencia, just before the end of the war he was promoted to captain of the Spanish Republican Army . In 1937 he was admitted to the ranks of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia .
After returning from Spain, Kovachevich was interned in France , where from February 1939 to April 1941 he was captured. He sat in the camps of Saint-Seprien and Gris, and after the Germans attempted to steal his Yugoslav cellmates for forced labor, he escaped in July 1941 and headed for his occupied homeland. Upon arrival in Yugoslavia, he traveled to Zagreb and then ended up in Split , where he led the command of the partisan detachments of Dalmatia with the help of political instructor Pavel Pap and engaged in the mobilization of partisans on the recommendation of the Dalmatian Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
On August 14, 1941, Mirko Kovachevich, in the rank of commander of the Split partisan detachment, collided with a detachment of homeowners and Italians near the village of Kossuta. During the battle, he was killed.
On December 21, 1951 he was posthumously awarded the title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Also, his brothers Voyo and Vasily received the same title for their feats of war.
Literature
- “Folk heroes of Yugoslavia (book) | Folk heroes of Ugoslavia”. Beograd: Mladost. 1975.