With the national anthem, a minute’s silence and the laying of wreaths in the “Tri heroja” memorial park, Smederevo today marked 79 years since its liberation in the Second World War.
On this occasion, wreaths were laid at the busts of the People’s Heroes Ivan Stefanović Srba, Milivoje Stojković Mića and Svetomir Mladenović Sveta by representatives of the Požarevac Garrison of the Army of the Republic of Serbia, SUBNOR of Serbia, the SUBNOR city committees of Smederevo, Sremska Mitrovica, Sopot, Mladenovac, Grocka and Velika Plana, the SPS City Committee, the Association of Descendants of the Warriors of 1912–1918 and the Smederevo Pensioners’ Association, while the wreath on behalf of the City of Smederevo was laid by the Mayor, Jovan Beč, and Maja Ćirković, Member of the City Council.
Recalling the events of the Second World War, Ranko Višekrunić addressed those gathered at the commemoration on behalf of the SUBNOR City Committee.
“The battles for the final liberation of Smederevo lasted from 14 to 16 October. Two battalions of the First Krajina Brigade, supported by Red Army guns, attacked Leštar, Karađorđevo brdo and Provalija in the morning and forced the Second Battalion of a German infantry regiment to retreat.
Fighters of the First Krajina Brigade and the Red Army, together with local people who had taken up arms, entered the city, and just when the city was expected to be liberated, strong enemy forces arrived from the direction of Požarevac, along with a vanguard of 20,000 German soldiers breaking through towards Belgrade. On 15 and 16 October, heavy fighting took place around Provalija and Orešac and near Brestovik, forcing the enemy to leave Smederevo. After that, on 16 October, citizens celebrated their freedom in their streets,” Višekrunić stressed.
The German side lost 250 soldiers in Smederevo, while the First Krajina Brigade and the Red Army had 6 dead and around 35 wounded.
More than 6,000 fighters from Smederevo fought on the side of the Partisans in the Second World War, 990 of whom did not live to see the country’s liberation.
