Žikica Jovanovic Španac
Encyclopedia
Živorad "Žikica" Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Живорад „Жикица" Јовановић; 1914 – 13 March 1942), better known as Španac (Шпанац, meaning "The Spaniard") was a Yugoslav partisan and is credited for starting the anti-fascist struggle in Yugoslavia
during World War II
.
, Central Serbia
, related to an extended family of landowners and merchants he graduated from high school there, enrolling the Faculty of Philosophy
at the University of Belgrade
. However, before completing his studies, Žikica, like so many other idealists across Europe, volunteered to help the Spanish Republic
rebuff a Fascist Coup
launched in the Summer of 1936. Whilst in Spain
he fought with some distinction in the Spanish Civil War
, and became a highly respected guerrilla warfare specialist and combatant of the Madrid University City Battle between the Republican volunteers
and the Spanish Army of Africa
. He stayed on fighting at the head of the Balkan Volunteer Brigade in a number of campaigns such as Battle of the Ebro
and Teruel
until the fall of Barcelona
in 1939, with the tragic collapse of the Republic.
Among his compatriots and fellow brigadiers, he was later nicknamed Španac (the Spaniard) for this time spent in struggle with the Spanish people
with whom he had developed a tremendous affinity. He was one of the few remaining International Brigades
volunteers who fled over the frontier to France
, only to be interned by the Gestapo
as an enemy alien following the Nazi invasion. It is believed that along with others he affected an escape via Marseilles, and walked much of the way home after landing in Italy
.
and Greece
, Jovanović wanted to join the army, but was rejected under suspicion of anti-state activities having been a Revolutionary suspect in the so called White Terror of King Alexander
during the 1930s, and later, Prince Regent Pavle.
Three months later, after joining the Partisan movement
led by Josip Broz Tito
, he is reputed to have started the war against fascist occupiers. On July 7, 1941, he shot two members of the Quisling Serbian State Police, or gendarmerie
, at a fair in Bela Crkva
. Then, mounting the steps of the Local Town Hall, he fired into the air to summon the crowd with his two trade mark Webley
Revolvers, giving a rousing speech that called upon the Proletarian Class of Yugoslavia
to destroy the Beasts of Fascism, uttering the legendary words that became the rallying cry of the Yugoslav Communist Party: "Death to Fascism, Freedom for the People". Whether the actual Revolt began in relation to these events, or indeed began as a result of simultaneously localized acts of sabotage organized across many districts cells of the Central Committee of the Yugoslav Communist Party is unclear. The official history of the Communist State regards the actions of Jovanović as the beginning of the anti-fascist war in Yugoslavia, and had a National Holiday referred to in all State matters as "Republic Day".
In the days and weeks that followed, a massive provincial revolt grew which is referred to as the Ustanak (Uprising), that coincided with the Yugoslav Communist Parties' instruction from the Comintern
to light the fires of revolt across Europe following the Axis invasion of the USSR
.
on 13 March 1942, in a battle against the Chetniks
, Yugoslav Royalists, and German Police Battalion after having covered the retreat of a group of Partisans whose positions had been betrayed by their fellow countrymen.
on 6 July 1945.
Today Španac is best remembered in popular songs of Yugoslav Rock Group Riblja Čorba
, and has a number of schools and a hospital in Valjevo named after him. Before the 1990s, the Yugoslav regime often cited him as a model influence, regularly celebrated his life by dedicating monuments and public venues to the Warrior of the Spanish Revolution.
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
during World War II
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...
.
Before World War II
Jovanović was born in ValjevoValjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
, Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...
, related to an extended family of landowners and merchants he graduated from high school there, enrolling the Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
The University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Serbia, founded in the early 19th century within the Belgrade Higher School...
at the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
. However, before completing his studies, Žikica, like so many other idealists across Europe, volunteered to help the Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
rebuff a Fascist Coup
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
launched in the Summer of 1936. Whilst in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
he fought with some distinction in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, and became a highly respected guerrilla warfare specialist and combatant of the Madrid University City Battle between the Republican volunteers
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
and the Spanish Army of Africa
Spanish Army of Africa
The Army of Africa was a Spanish field army that garrisoned Spanish Morocco from the early 20th century until Morocco's independence in 1956....
. He stayed on fighting at the head of the Balkan Volunteer Brigade in a number of campaigns such as Battle of the Ebro
Battle of the Ebro
The Battle of the Ebro was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War...
and Teruel
Battle of Teruel
The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War in December 1937 – February 1938. The combatants fought the battle during the worst Spanish winter in twenty years. It was one of the bloodier actions of the war. The city changed hands several times,...
until the fall of Barcelona
Catalonia Offensive
The Catalonia Offensive was part of the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist Army started the offensive on December 23, 1938, and rapidly conquered Republican-held Catalonia with its capital city from October 1937, Barcelona. Barcelona was captured on January 26, 1939. The Republican government...
in 1939, with the tragic collapse of the Republic.
Among his compatriots and fellow brigadiers, he was later nicknamed Španac (the Spaniard) for this time spent in struggle with the Spanish people
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
with whom he had developed a tremendous affinity. He was one of the few remaining International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
volunteers who fled over the frontier to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, only to be interned by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
as an enemy alien following the Nazi invasion. It is believed that along with others he affected an escape via Marseilles, and walked much of the way home after landing in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
World War II
In April 1941 following the Axis invasion of YugoslaviaInvasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
and Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
, Jovanović wanted to join the army, but was rejected under suspicion of anti-state activities having been a Revolutionary suspect in the so called White Terror of King Alexander
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
during the 1930s, and later, Prince Regent Pavle.
Three months later, after joining the Partisan movement
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
led by Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
, he is reputed to have started the war against fascist occupiers. On July 7, 1941, he shot two members of the Quisling Serbian State Police, or gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
, at a fair in Bela Crkva
Bela Crkva, Krupanj
For other uses, see Bela Crkva Bela Crkva is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Krupanj municipality, in the Mačva District of Central Serbia...
. Then, mounting the steps of the Local Town Hall, he fired into the air to summon the crowd with his two trade mark Webley
Webley
Webley Inc. is a company providing speech-driven unified communications solutions.Webley is privately held and headquartered in Bannockburn, IL....
Revolvers, giving a rousing speech that called upon the Proletarian Class of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
to destroy the Beasts of Fascism, uttering the legendary words that became the rallying cry of the Yugoslav Communist Party: "Death to Fascism, Freedom for the People". Whether the actual Revolt began in relation to these events, or indeed began as a result of simultaneously localized acts of sabotage organized across many districts cells of the Central Committee of the Yugoslav Communist Party is unclear. The official history of the Communist State regards the actions of Jovanović as the beginning of the anti-fascist war in Yugoslavia, and had a National Holiday referred to in all State matters as "Republic Day".
In the days and weeks that followed, a massive provincial revolt grew which is referred to as the Ustanak (Uprising), that coincided with the Yugoslav Communist Parties' instruction from the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
to light the fires of revolt across Europe following the Axis invasion of the USSR
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
.
Death
Žikica Jovanović "Španac" died in battle. He died in the village of RadanovciRadanovci
Radanovci is a village in the municipality of Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
on 13 March 1942, in a battle against the Chetniks
Chetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
, Yugoslav Royalists, and German Police Battalion after having covered the retreat of a group of Partisans whose positions had been betrayed by their fellow countrymen.
Legacy
He was proclaimed a People's Hero of YugoslaviaPeople's Hero of Yugoslavia
The Order of the People's Hero was a Yugoslav gallantry medal, the second highest military award, and third overall Yugoslav decoration. It was awarded to individuals, military units, political and other organisations who distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroic deeds during war and in...
on 6 July 1945.
Today Španac is best remembered in popular songs of Yugoslav Rock Group Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
, and has a number of schools and a hospital in Valjevo named after him. Before the 1990s, the Yugoslav regime often cited him as a model influence, regularly celebrated his life by dedicating monuments and public venues to the Warrior of the Spanish Revolution.