Blago Zadro (31 March 1944 – 16 October 1991) was a commander of the northern part of Croatian forces in

Vukovar Vukovar () ( sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, hu, Vukovár, german: Wukowar) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of ...

during 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 Yug ...

. He was killed in an attack by the

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 ...

(JNA) in the town of

Borovo Naselje Borovo Naselje ( sr-Cyrl, Борово Насеље) is a Vukovar borough located on the right bank of the Danube river in the Croatian region of Slavonia, 4 kilometers northwest of Vukovar town centre; elevation 90 m. The economy is based ...

Early life

Blago Zadro was born in the small village of Donji Mamići near

Grude Grude () is a town and a municipality located in West Herzegovina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Geography Grude is located 49 kilometers from Mostar, 19 kilometers from Imotski, and 1 ...

in western

Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geogra ...

. His family moved to

, an industrial district of

, in 1954 where he graduated high school and started working in the Borovo combine. He had a job mixing chemicals and rubber.Central Intelligence Agency Office of Russian and European Analysis (2000). ''Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995: Volume 2.'' Washington, D.C.; p. 197 In 1968 he married Katica Soldo, also an employee of Borovo. They had three sons: Robert, Tomislav, and Josip. Zadro was interested in

Croatian history At the time of the Roman Empire, the area of modern Croatia comprised two Roman provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the area was subjugated by the Ostrogoths for 50 years, bef ...

, particularly the

Bleiburg death marches The Bleiburg repatriations ( see terminology) occurred in May 1945, after the end of World War II in Europe, during which Yugoslavia had been occupied by the Axis powers, when tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians associated with the Axis ...

, and was not a supporter of the

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

authorities. In early 1990, due to mismanagement of the Borovo conglomerate, Zadro organized strikes and asked for the dismissal of the director. Zadro became active in politics during Croatia's first democratic election in 1990; he founded a branch of the

Croatian Democratic Union The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Cr ...

(HDZ) for Municipality of Vukovar and became the vice president of the HDZ in Vukovar. After his department was closed, he spent three months in the reorganized Croatian police force in

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surround ...

. He joined the Croatian National Guard when 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 ...

started.

Battle of Vukovar

Vukovar heroes Andrija Maric Blago Zadro Goran Radicevic

Zadro had commanded the 3rd

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

of the 204th (Vukovar)

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

during

Battle of Vukovar The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Bar ...

since the start of the fighting, along with two of his sons, where he led actions against the

(JNA) and local Serb forces. Zadro's unit was assigned to defend the vital Trpinja road (), an open road leading directly into Vukovar. Because of its importance, the road became primary target for JNA tank units attacking the city and it became known as the tank graveyard due to actions of Zadro's anti-tank rocket groups "Yellow Ants" and "Turbo Platoon" which fought off many tank attacks, notably a single incident on 18 September when an entire battalion of about 60 tanks and

armored personnel carriers 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. Ac ...

was ambushed and destroyed there. Zadro was killed by Serb forces on 16 October 1991. His body was recovered and buried by his unit. When the Serb forces surrendered the city, his body was removed and remained missing until 1998, when it was found along with the bodies of 937 other victims from a mass grave in Borovo Naselje. After his death, he was promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Legacy

Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Vladimir Šeks stated "without heroes like Blago Zadro, there would be no free Croatia". A commemoration for him is held every year on the anniversary of his death in Vukovar, attended by many former comrades and political dignitaries. The main street in Borovo Naselje and a military school in Zagreb have been named after him. A street in Grude was named after him and in his birth village Donji Mamići was placed a monument in his tribute.

References

External links

Blago Zadro: Obican heroj i veliki ratnik

Zadro Blago
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zadro, Blago 1944 births 1991 deaths People from Grude Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian army officers Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence Military personnel killed in the Croatian War of Independence Croatian military personnel killed in action