82nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE DRVAR AIRBORNE ASSAULT TO BE MARKED TOMORROW

DRVAR, MAY 24 /SRNA/ - The 82nd anniversary of the German airborne assault on Drvar will be commemorated tomorrow in Drvar, and the municipal administration has invited citizens and all admirers of the anti-fascist tradition to attend the commemoration of this historic date.

The commemoration program, organized by the Municipality of Drvar in memory of the heroic resistance and struggle against fascism, will begin tomorrow at 11:00 with the laying of wreaths at the remains of the Monument to the Victims of Fascist Terror. A cultural and artistic program is scheduled for 12:00, within the “25 May” Memorial Complex, after which traditional military bean stew will be served to all visitors at 13:00. Drvar Mayor Dušica Runić told SRNA that Drvar is a hero city that made enormous sacrifices for freedom, and that the spirit of unity and resistance shown at that time remains deeply woven into the identity of the people. She emphasized that Drvar proudly preserves the tradition of anti-fascism and heroic resistance that impressed the entire freedom-loving world. “Marking the 82nd anniversary of the airborne assault on Drvar is our lasting obligation in order to pay tribute to the brave fighters and victims of fascist terror,” Runić said. She added that every year, Drvar warmly welcomes guests from all parts of the former Yugoslavia and the region, sending messages of peace and freedom. “I invite all our fellow citizens, guests, and friends of Drvar to gather tomorrow at the ‘25 May’ Memorial Complex, to preserve the memory of our glorious past with dignity and to send the message that freedom and peace are the greatest values that we must protect together and pass on to future generations,” Runić said. During the Second World War, on May 25, 1944, the Germans launched an airborne assault on Drvar under the codename “Operation Rösselsprung” /“Knight’s Move”/. The town was heavily bombed, after which German paratroopers and gliders landed, while strong forces advanced toward Drvar from Knin, Bihać, Banja Luka, Jajce, and Livno. The aim was to destroy the Supreme Headquarters of the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia. Although the German units, led by the 500th SS Parachute Battalion, managed to seize parts of the town, the operation failed to achieve its main objective because the Supreme Headquarters and Josip Broz Tito escaped the encirclement in time through the Drvar cave. Strong resistance to the German forces was provided by the Sixth Lika Proletarian Division and cadets of the Partisan officers’ school.