{"id":5000,"date":"2026-07-27T05:46:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T03:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snckvrebac.hr\/?p=5000"},"modified":"2026-07-30T08:02:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T06:02:01","slug":"in-commemoration-of-the-uprising-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snckvrebac.hr\/en\/in-commemoration-of-the-uprising-day\/","title":{"rendered":"In anticipation of the Commemoration of Uprising Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Every year, the <strong>Uprising Day of the villages of Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac<\/strong> is traditionally commemorated at the memorial monument on <strong>Gradina<\/strong>, on <strong>St. Elijah&#8217;s Day (Ilindan), 2 August<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">On this occasion, we remember the events of 1941 that led to the popular uprising. Through this commemoration, we also honour the memory of the <strong>279 fighters and civilians from Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac who lost their lives during the Second World War<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><em>The account that follows is based on the recorded testimonies of <strong>Jovan Njegomir (Joca), Vladimir Mandari\u0107, Dane Popovi\u0107 (Danica), Nikola Njegomir (Nina)<\/strong> and <strong>Sava Todori\u0107 (Savica)<\/strong>, published in the monograph The Roots of Centuries of Continuity (pp. 172\u2013201). For the purposes of this article, their testimonies have been reproduced either in their original form or with minor editorial adaptations.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Attack on Yugoslavia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Without a formal declaration of war, on <strong>6 April 1941<\/strong> the Axis powers launched their invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by bombing <strong>Belgrade<\/strong> and several other Yugoslav cities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">General mobilization took place under extremely difficult wartime conditions. Nevertheless, the mobilization of the Royal Yugoslav Army exceeded expectations. Every military reservist from <strong>Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac<\/strong> responded to the call and reported to his assigned military unit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">During the brief April War, <strong>74 soldiers and non-commissioned officers<\/strong> from these three villages served in the Royal Yugoslav Army. After the collapse of the Yugoslav defence, most returned home, bringing with them the weapons and military equipment issued to them, including rifles, pistols, hand grenades, ammunition and other supplies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">A total of <strong>53 servicemen<\/strong> returned home:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Vrebac:<\/strong> 17 soldiers and 10 non-commissioned officers;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Zavodje:<\/strong> 11 soldiers and 4 non-commissioned officers;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pavlovac:<\/strong> 8 soldiers and 3 non-commissioned officers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Within less than two weeks of fighting, German and Italian forces captured more than <strong>6,000 officers<\/strong> and nearly <strong>400,000 soldiers and non-commissioned officers<\/strong> of the Royal Yugoslav Army.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">From these three villages alone, <strong>37 servicemen<\/strong> spent the period from <strong>April 1941 until May 1945<\/strong> in prisoner-of-war camps. Of these, <strong>19 were from Vrebac<\/strong>, while <strong>18 came from Zavodje and Pavlovac<\/strong>. The majority were farmers (29), followed by industrial workers (2), merchants (2), military clerks (1), non-commissioned officers (3) and one police officer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Even while the conquest of Yugoslavia was still under way, several hundred members of the <strong>Usta\u0161a movement<\/strong>, who had spent years in exile receiving fascist and Nazi ideological training, entered the country alongside the German and Italian occupation forces.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Proclamation of the Indenpendent State of Croatia (NDH)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The <strong>Independent State of Croatia (NDH)<\/strong> was proclaimed on <strong>10 April 1941<\/strong>. Although the regime did not officially describe itself as either fascist or Nazi, it fully embraced the new European order promoted by the Axis powers. Its ideology was fundamentally based on racial discrimination and antisemitism. It rejected the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, advocated separatism, and displayed extreme hostility and intolerance towards the Serbian population.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The establishment of the Independent State of Croatia caused deep anxiety and fear among the Serbian population concerning their future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">These fears were rooted in memories of the First World War, when many Serbs living in Croatia had been subjected to persecution, harassment and imprisonment by the Austro-Hungarian authorities and Croatian nationalist groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Once the new administrative system had been established, the Usta\u0161a authorities began preparing concrete measures directed against the Serbian population.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">By order of the Grand Prefect (Veliki \u017dupan) of <strong>Lika and Gacka<\/strong>, an Usta\u0161a garrison of approximately <strong>30 men<\/strong>, commanded by <strong>Zvonko Pezelj<\/strong>, was stationed in <strong>Vrebac<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The Usta\u0161e arrived in the village on <strong>6 May 1941<\/strong> and remained there until <strong>31 July 1941<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">They established their headquarters in the <strong>Cultural and Educational Centre<\/strong>, the largest and most suitable building in the village. There they were accommodated, took their meals, interrogated prisoners, tortured civilians and carried out executions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">A sign reading <strong>&#8220;USTA\u0160A GARRISON \u2013 VREBAC&#8221;<\/strong> was placed on the building.<\/p>\n<p>Besides controlling <strong>Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac<\/strong>, the garrison also exercised authority over approximately half of the neighbouring village of <strong>Mogori\u0107<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Usta\u0161a Repression<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The first measure introduced by the Usta\u0161a authorities, with the assistance of village officials, was a complete census of the population in each village. This was followed by an order requiring all inhabitants to surrender every type of firearm and weapon in their possession.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The next step was the establishment of a local prison in Vrebac. In order to keep as many villagers as possible under constant supervision, the Usta\u0161a headquarters issued an order requiring all able-bodied men to report regularly for compulsory road maintenance work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">By order of the Grand Prefect of Lika and Gacka, during the first half of May 1941 all young men between the ages of fifteen and twenty were summoned for military registration. Failure to report carried the threat of the death penalty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">On the appointed day, a large number of young men gathered in front of the school in Vrebac. The registration itself was conducted in the courtyard of the King Peter Cultural Centre and cinema in Gospi\u0107. Upon completion of the registration they were informed that they could return home, but that they were required to report immediately to the competent military authorities should they later receive a call-up notice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Only after returning to their villages did these young men realize how great the danger to their lives had actually been.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Another important instrument of intimidation consisted of constant Usta\u0161a patrols and ambushes. Before leaving headquarters, patrol commanders received detailed instructions from <strong>Zvonko Pezelj<\/strong> and <strong>Jurak<\/strong> specifying which individuals were to be arrested and which homes were to be searched.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Immediately after the NDH authorities enacted legislation permitting the forced conversion of Serbs to Roman Catholicism, a campaign to implement these measures began throughout the Gospi\u0107 district.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The overwhelming majority of local inhabitants refused even to consider religious conversion. Nevertheless, fearing for their lives, several families from <strong>Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac<\/strong> expressed their willingness to convert.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Another form of persecution involved harassment while people were carrying out agricultural work. Usta\u0161a patrols frequently entered the fields in search of villagers to arrest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The region&#8217;s cultural and historical heritage also became a target.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Soon after arriving in Vrebac, the Usta\u0161e desecrated the village&#8217;s Serbian Orthodox church. They demolished the iconostasis, destroyed frescoes, processional banners, church books, candlesticks and virtually the entire church inventory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">They also removed and destroyed the marble commemorative plaque from the Cultural Centre, which had been dedicated to <strong>Isa Bogdanovi\u0107<\/strong> in recognition of his contribution to the construction of the building.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The cooperative store and reading room housed in the Cultural and Educational Centre were looted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">All musical instruments belonging to the village tamburitza orchestra were confiscated and taken away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Books printed in the Cyrillic script were destroyed, as were all Cyrillic inscriptions on the school, village shops and even cemetery monuments.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The first Victims<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At the end of May 1941, three prominent residents of Vrebac were arrested:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Vlado Naran\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, a merchant;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jovo Sunajko<\/strong>, former head of the Medak municipality;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rade Naran\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, a retired schoolteacher.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">After being brutally tortured in the Gospi\u0107 prison, all three men were taken away and thrown into one of the many karst pits on Mount Velebit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">They became the first victims of Usta\u0161a terror from the three villages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In an attempt to escape persecution, <strong>Milo\u0161 (&#8220;Mi\u0161o&#8221; Jankov) Dragosavac<\/strong> and <strong>Luka Mi\u0161\u010devi\u0107<\/strong> boarded a train bound for Belgrade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">However, in Nova Gradi\u0161ka they were recognised by a railway employee from Gospi\u0107 and sent back under escort to Gospi\u0107, where they were initially released.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Their freedom was short-lived.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Soon afterwards they encountered an Usta\u0161a patrol, were arrested again in the street and disappeared.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The exact place where they were murdered remains unknown.<\/p>\n<p>It is believed that they most likely perished in the notorious <strong>Jadovno concentration camp<\/strong>, one of the first extermination camps established by the Usta\u0161a regime in 1941.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Medak Plantation Massacre<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">During the first half of June 1941, the Usta\u0161a authorities intensified their campaign of mass arrests. Within only a few days, <strong>twenty-one residents of Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac<\/strong> were taken into custody.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">All of those arrested were imprisoned in the cellar of <strong>Sava Dragosavac&#8217;s<\/strong> house. The room was far too small to accommodate so many prisoners, but the Usta\u0161e paid no attention to their conditions. Those arrested had, in effect, already been sentenced to death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">On the evening of <strong>17 June 1941<\/strong>, the prisoners were taken from Vrebac and transported to <strong>Medak Plantation<\/strong>, where they were executed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At approximately <strong>10:00 p.m.<\/strong>, a truck carrying a group of Usta\u0161a guards arrived from Gospi\u0107 and stopped in front of Sava Dragosavac&#8217;s house. Working silently and without attracting attention, the guards tied the prisoners together in pairs with wire before loading them onto the truck.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Around <strong>11:00 p.m.<\/strong>, escorted by their executioners, these unfortunate men from Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac began what would become their final journey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">To conceal their destination, the truck travelled via <strong>Barlete \u2013 Bilaj \u2013 Ribnik \u2013 Medak \u2013 Medak Plantation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">When it reached a previously prepared pit, the vehicle came to a halt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Even during the journey, the prisoners\u2014bound and completely defenceless\u2014were subjected to brutal beatings. The convoy stopped in <strong>Bilaj<\/strong> and <strong>Ribnik<\/strong>, where local Usta\u0161a members also took part in the abuse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At the edge of the pit, the killings continued with extreme brutality. The victims were murdered using knives, rifle butts, chains, wooden clubs and other blunt weapons before being thrown into the mass grave.<\/p>\n<p>Victrims Killed at Medak Plantation on 17 June 1941:<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Vrebac<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Bo\u017eo Bogdanovi\u0107<\/strong>, son of Bogdan (born 1904), labourer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bo\u017eo Bogdanovi\u0107<\/strong>, son of Dane (born 1906), labourer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mile Dragosavac<\/strong>, son of Ilija (born 1903), labourer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jovo Grubi\u0107<\/strong>, son of Petar (born 1912), labourer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Marko Grubi\u0107<\/strong>, son of Petar (born 1910), labourer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Joja Mileki\u0107<\/strong>, son of Ise (born 1908), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Janko Mandari\u0107<\/strong>, son of Rade (born 1905), labourer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stevan Mandari\u0107<\/strong>, son of Rade (born 1899), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Marko Mandi\u0107<\/strong>, son of Petar (born 1905), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u0110uro (&#8220;\u0110ukica&#8221;) Naran\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, son of Gene (born 1892), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stevo Naran\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, son of Gene (born 1912), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Petar (&#8220;Pekan&#8221;) Popovi\u0107<\/strong>, son of Jove (born 1890), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nikola (&#8220;Nina&#8221;) Uzelac<\/strong>, son of Nikole (born 1908), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dmitar (&#8220;Dmico&#8221;) Raj\u0161i\u0107<\/strong>, from Donji Barleti<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Zavodje<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Nikola (&#8220;Nino&#8221;) \u0106ur\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, son of \u0110ure (born 1908), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nikola (&#8220;Liker&#8221;) Graovac<\/strong>, son of Nikole (born 1901), farmer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Pavlova<\/strong><strong>c<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Gli\u0161o Novakovi\u0107<\/strong>, son of \u0110ukan (born 1901), labourer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jovo Novkovi\u0107<\/strong>, son of Marko (born 1913), labourer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mane Novkovi\u0107<\/strong>, son of Joce (born 1920), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Milan Novkovi\u0107<\/strong>, son of \u0110ure (born 1913), farmer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Du\u0161an Toma\u0161<\/strong>, son of Mile (born 1909), farmer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jadovno<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At the end of June 1941, among those arrested were <strong>Branko Cetina<\/strong> from Vrebac and <strong>Sava Zoroja<\/strong> from Pavlovac. Both men succeeded in escaping from the <strong>Jadovno concentration camp<\/strong>, thereby avoiding certain death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As two of the very few prisoners who managed to escape from the hands of the Usta\u0161a executioners, they returned to their villages and described to the local population the horrific conditions in the camp and the methods by which prisoners were systematically murdered in what became one of the deadliest extermination camps established by the Usta\u0161a regime in the Independent State of Croatia.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Uprising<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">During July 1941, Usta\u0161a terror intensified dramatically.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At that time, the forested area known as <strong>Vreba\u010dka Staza<\/strong> contained numerous shepherds&#8217; huts and woodland shelters. These provided relatively safe places where villagers could hide and hold secret meetings. Some groups organized guards to warn of any possible approach by Usta\u0161a patrols, although the Usta\u0161e themselves rarely ventured into the mountains in search of fugitives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Faced with growing persecution and lacking any formal organization, the villagers began independently forming small groups to discuss how they might defend themselves against the increasingly violent attacks directed at the Serbian population of Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">One of the most active groups met regularly in the forest above <strong>Zavodje<\/strong>. It consisted of men from all three villages who believed that the entire population should be informed about the deteriorating situation and the possibility of organized armed resistance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">To that end, a meeting was convened on <strong>17 July 1941<\/strong>. It was organized by <strong>Joca Njegomir, Milorad Mi\u0161\u010devi\u0107, Milan Njegomir, Luka Mi\u0161\u010devi\u0107<\/strong> and <strong>Luka Njegomir<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">A large number of villagers from Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac attended. During the meeting they were informed of the proposal to organize an armed uprising against the Usta\u0161a authorities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The organizing group was subsequently transformed into the <strong>Committee for the Preparation of the Uprising<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At one of the Committee&#8217;s subsequent meetings, it was decided that the uprising should begin on <strong>28 July 1941<\/strong> with an attack on the Usta\u0161a headquarters in Vrebac.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">While these preparations were under way, sometime between <strong>20 and 25 July<\/strong>, <strong>Mile Po\u010du\u010da<\/strong>, a member of the District Committee of the Communist Party of Croatia (KPH) for Lika, arrived at the meeting place in the forest above Zavodje.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">He brought the <strong>Proclamation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY)<\/strong> calling for a nationwide armed uprising against the Axis occupation and advised those present not to begin the uprising on 28 July as originally planned. Instead, he recommended waiting until the District Committee issued instructions for a coordinated uprising throughout the Serbian villages of Lika.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As a result, the original plan to launch the uprising independently in <strong>Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac<\/strong> was abandoned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">During the night of <strong>31 July\u20131 August 1941<\/strong>, however, the Usta\u0161a garrison unexpectedly abandoned Vrebac and withdrew to the neighbouring villages of <strong>Barlete<\/strong> and <strong>Bilaj<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As soon as news of their departure spread, orders were issued for the assembled armed groups to enter Vrebac.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In the early hours of <strong>1 August 1941<\/strong>, after leaving Vrebac, Usta\u0161a forces began a large-scale massacre of the Serbian population in <strong>Barlete<\/strong> and <strong>Ostrvica<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Thanks to the vigilance of the local inhabitants, together with the confusion and poor coordination among the attacking forces, the assault did not achieve its intended objective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Although a number of elderly people, women and children were killed, many others escaped into the surrounding forests or found refuge with relatives and friends in <strong>Zavodje, Pavlovac<\/strong> and <strong>Mogori\u0107<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>While the local leadership discussed the rapidly changing situation and considered how best to organize the defence of the villages, the remaining insurgents assembled on <strong>Gradina Hill<\/strong> and around the Cultural Centre in Vrebac, awaiting further orders.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The First Victory<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At approximately <strong>9:00 a.m.<\/strong> on <strong>1 August 1941<\/strong>, two Usta\u0161a men arrived in Vrebac from <strong>Medak<\/strong>. One of them was <strong>Zvonko Pezelj<\/strong>, commander of the Usta\u0161a garrison stationed in the village.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Realizing that something unusual was taking place in Vrebac, they abandoned their horse-drawn cart and attempted to escape toward the school and the <strong>Popovi\u0107 Bridge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">When <strong>Milan Kokot<\/strong> noticed the fleeing Usta\u0161e approaching the school, he fired two shots at them. Although neither shot struck its target, these were the <strong>first shots fired against the Usta\u0161e in the Gospi\u0107 District<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Later that afternoon, the insurgents observed a column of armed men, approximately company strength, advancing from <strong>Ribnik<\/strong> toward <strong>Sunajko&#8217;s Grove<\/strong>, along the route leading to <strong>Vla\u0161ko Hill<\/strong>, where the left flank of the insurgent defensive line had been established.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">When the attacking force came within less than two hundred metres of their positions, the insurgents on Vla\u0161ko Hill opened fire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">At the same time, the right flank, positioned along the road from <strong>Barlete<\/strong>, was prepared for the expected attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The insurgents noticed that the Usta\u0161e advancing from this direction appeared to expect little or no resistance. This was evident from the relaxed manner in which a three-man patrol moved ahead of the main force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">According to the previously agreed plan, the insurgents allowed the enemy to approach as closely as possible before opening fire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The first to fire was <strong>Mile Mandari\u0107<\/strong>, known by the nickname <strong>Pekar<\/strong>, using a rifle that had been seized from the Usta\u0161e only a few hours earlier.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">His first shot struck and killed one of the armed Usta\u0161a militiamen. His second shot brought down the remaining two members of the patrol.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The exchange of fire quickly forced the attacking force to retreat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As the first day of August drew to a close, the insurgents of <strong>Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac<\/strong> had won their <strong>first military victory over the Usta\u0161a forces<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">This success significantly strengthened the morale of the local population and marked the beginning of organized armed resistance in this part of the Gospi\u0107 District.<\/p>\n<div contenteditable=\"false\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Prepared and adapted by \u017deljko Naran\u010di\u0107.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, the Uprising Day of the villages of Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac is traditionally commemorated at the memorial monument on Gradina, on St. Elijah&#8217;s Day (Ilindan), 2 August. On &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In anticipation of the Commemoration of Uprising Day - Srpska narodna \u010ditaonica i knji\u017enica u Vrepcu<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/snckvrebac.hr\/en\/in-commemoration-of-the-uprising-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In anticipation of the Commemoration of Uprising Day - Srpska narodna \u010ditaonica i knji\u017enica u Vrepcu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every year, the Uprising Day of the villages of Vrebac, Zavodje and Pavlovac is traditionally commemorated at the memorial monument on Gradina, on St. Elijah&#8217;s Day (Ilindan), 2 August. 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