Sabotage at the General Post Office in Zagreb
Encyclopedia
Sabotage at the General Post Office in Zagreb took place during the Second World War
on Sunday, 14 September 1941. Zagreb
was the capital city
of the NDH
, a puppet state
of Nazi Germany
.
Exactly at 12.30 p.m. two muffled explosions were heard, all glass in the main post office building was broken, and through the window flew out a large quantity of office paper and all kinds of documents.
On the second day came out in the ustasha daily news paper Hrvatski narod, an official notice about the event at the General Post Office: »On 14 September this year at a time between 12.30 -13 hours - four bombs exploded in the main Post building in the department of telegrams and telephone. Eight people are injured, on this occasion, including two German soldiers and one officer and several policemen. Police clerk Škunca died of their wounds...«
personally. Performance has been entrusted to the Local Committee members; Blaž Mesarić, Antun Biber, Vojo Kovačević, Ante Milković (last two were arrested shortly before the explosion). Technical preparations are made by postal employees; Josip Čuljat, Slavko Markon, Vilim Galjer and Nada Galjer. Čuljat and Markon were the mechanics in the Post office, the first - on the city phone automatic exchanges devices, the other - on high frequency special devices for long distance cals. Both were young men twenty year old and members of SKOJ
.
Special custom made tin boxes for explosives, they are made by locksmith Ivan Brumen, a supporter of the Communist Party and partisans resistance movement
. Through resistance movements sympathizer Lieutenant
of Croatian Home Guard
- Augustinović, they reached amount of explosives. He purchased (and stole) the required amount of explosives from a military magazine and gave him to Mesarić.
The big problem was how to bring 21 kilograms of trinitrotoluene into the building, because main Post office was under constant guard of Ustasha and Germans soldiers. The problem was solved so that they themselves sent a package, three days before the sabotage. The package received Slavko Markon on 12 September, and placed it in a handy magazine, near to automatic exchanges facilities.
Slavko Markon, Josip Čuljat and Nada Galjer (telephone operator) were able somehow to adjust their attendance so that all three are found in service on Saturday night at pm
They are began work immediately. There were seven boxes of explosives. On each of these seven boxes installed all the necessary parts for the electrical ignition. When is it was done, boxes are placed first in three of the automatic switchboards facilities and later on two long distance high frequency facilities that were on the lower floor and another in two places in the so-called splitter faciliti.
Department of high-frequency devices is constantly guard by an German soldier with the two duty mechanics. The Nazi were very interested for this department because there are special German devices to maintain telephone links with Vienna
, Berlin
, Belgrade
and Athens
, and through them went cables from Berlin
to Odessa
and Sofia
.
It was therefore necessary to disable German soldier, because in his presence they could not mount the explosive devices. Problem with a soldier they resolved so that he drank a good bottle of brandy that brought Čuljat, then he slept all night dead drunk
At seven in the morning everything was prepared for the explosion. At eight in the morning Čuljat, Markon, Galjer and other participants in the organization of sabotage that had to be compromised, went by train to Karlovac
to switch to Kordun
the Yugoslav Partisans.
On Sunday at 12.30 a.m. in the apartment of Professor Olga Milčinović, Nikola Rupčić which given the task from Anton Biber, - raised the phone turned preferred numbers and activate the detonation.
After the explosion in the building ran a lot of police officers, in order to prevent a possible second explosion, they commanded to disconnect all building from electrical power, even from the reserve power battery pack. In this way they caused another explosion. Due to an error during installation, one of the seven explosive devices did not explode.
Sabotage caused heavy damage to the telephone facilities at the General Post Office in Zagreb, and several-hour interruption of telephone communications with Vienna, Berlin, Belgrade, Odessa and Sofia. Telephone facilities is repaired almost seven months. On the site, police clerk was killed, five agents of the Ustasha, two German soldiers and one German officer were wounded. None of the postal officials and civil person was injured.
But from the damage and casualties, was much more significant moral effect of action, He has clearly demonstrated, that even seemingly calm and confident Zagreb was part of the front of the Second World War.
After the war, film director Ivo Lukas made a film about this event in 1961 entitled Diverzija na telefonsku centralu (Diversion to a telephone switchboard).
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on Sunday, 14 September 1941. Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
was the capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the NDH
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
, a puppet state
Puppet state
A puppet state is a nominal sovereign of a state who is de facto controlled by a foreign power. The term refers to a government controlled by the government of another country like a puppeteer controls the strings of a marionette...
of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Exactly at 12.30 p.m. two muffled explosions were heard, all glass in the main post office building was broken, and through the window flew out a large quantity of office paper and all kinds of documents.
On the second day came out in the ustasha daily news paper Hrvatski narod, an official notice about the event at the General Post Office: »On 14 September this year at a time between 12.30 -13 hours - four bombs exploded in the main Post building in the department of telegrams and telephone. Eight people are injured, on this occasion, including two German soldiers and one officer and several policemen. Police clerk Škunca died of their wounds...«
Background
The Sabotage was organized and conducted at the initiative of the Central Committee of the Croatian Communist Party, by general secretary Rade KončarRade Koncar
Rade Končar was a Yugoslav Communist leader and legendary World War II resistance fighter.-Biography:...
personally. Performance has been entrusted to the Local Committee members; Blaž Mesarić, Antun Biber, Vojo Kovačević, Ante Milković (last two were arrested shortly before the explosion). Technical preparations are made by postal employees; Josip Čuljat, Slavko Markon, Vilim Galjer and Nada Galjer. Čuljat and Markon were the mechanics in the Post office, the first - on the city phone automatic exchanges devices, the other - on high frequency special devices for long distance cals. Both were young men twenty year old and members of SKOJ
Young Communist League of Yugoslavia
Young Communist League of Yugoslavia, commonly known by its abbreviation SKOJ was the youth wing of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia from 1919 to 1948...
.
Explosion
This group had already developed a plan of sabotage and exercised the necessary preparations during the night services.Special custom made tin boxes for explosives, they are made by locksmith Ivan Brumen, a supporter of the Communist Party and partisans resistance movement
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
. Through resistance movements sympathizer Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard or also, known as the "Homeland Defenders," was the name used for the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which existed during World War II.- Formation :...
- Augustinović, they reached amount of explosives. He purchased (and stole) the required amount of explosives from a military magazine and gave him to Mesarić.
The big problem was how to bring 21 kilograms of trinitrotoluene into the building, because main Post office was under constant guard of Ustasha and Germans soldiers. The problem was solved so that they themselves sent a package, three days before the sabotage. The package received Slavko Markon on 12 September, and placed it in a handy magazine, near to automatic exchanges facilities.
Slavko Markon, Josip Čuljat and Nada Galjer (telephone operator) were able somehow to adjust their attendance so that all three are found in service on Saturday night at pm
They are began work immediately. There were seven boxes of explosives. On each of these seven boxes installed all the necessary parts for the electrical ignition. When is it was done, boxes are placed first in three of the automatic switchboards facilities and later on two long distance high frequency facilities that were on the lower floor and another in two places in the so-called splitter faciliti.
Department of high-frequency devices is constantly guard by an German soldier with the two duty mechanics. The Nazi were very interested for this department because there are special German devices to maintain telephone links with Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, and through them went cables from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
.
It was therefore necessary to disable German soldier, because in his presence they could not mount the explosive devices. Problem with a soldier they resolved so that he drank a good bottle of brandy that brought Čuljat, then he slept all night dead drunk
At seven in the morning everything was prepared for the explosion. At eight in the morning Čuljat, Markon, Galjer and other participants in the organization of sabotage that had to be compromised, went by train to Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
to switch to Kordun
Kordun
The Kordun region is a part of central Croatia from the bottom of the Petrova Gora mountain range, which extends along the rivers Korana and Slunjčica, and forms part of the border region to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The southern border of Kordun touches the Lika region...
the Yugoslav Partisans.
On Sunday at 12.30 a.m. in the apartment of Professor Olga Milčinović, Nikola Rupčić which given the task from Anton Biber, - raised the phone turned preferred numbers and activate the detonation.
After the explosion in the building ran a lot of police officers, in order to prevent a possible second explosion, they commanded to disconnect all building from electrical power, even from the reserve power battery pack. In this way they caused another explosion. Due to an error during installation, one of the seven explosive devices did not explode.
Sabotage caused heavy damage to the telephone facilities at the General Post Office in Zagreb, and several-hour interruption of telephone communications with Vienna, Berlin, Belgrade, Odessa and Sofia. Telephone facilities is repaired almost seven months. On the site, police clerk was killed, five agents of the Ustasha, two German soldiers and one German officer were wounded. None of the postal officials and civil person was injured.
But from the damage and casualties, was much more significant moral effect of action, He has clearly demonstrated, that even seemingly calm and confident Zagreb was part of the front of the Second World War.
Aftermath
On Wednesday 17 September was issued warrant for the perpetrators of this action, Josip Čuljat, Slavko Markon, Vilim Galjer and Nada Galjer and printed in the form of large posters in several hundred thousand copies, which are deployed in all public places in Independent State of Croatia.After the war, film director Ivo Lukas made a film about this event in 1961 entitled Diverzija na telefonsku centralu (Diversion to a telephone switchboard).