Milan Tepić: Difference between revisions
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'''Milan Tepić''' ([[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet|Serbian Cyrillic]]: {{lang|sr|Милан Тепић}}, [[1957]] - [[September 29]], [[1991]]), was a [[major]] of former [[Yugoslav People's Army]], [[Serbs|ethnic Serb]] from village [[Komlenica]] near [[Bosanska Dubica|Kozarska Dubica]] (now [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]) under [[Kozara]] mountain. He is the last person that was given [[National Hero of Yugoslavia|Order of the National Hero of Yugoslavia]]. |
'''Milan Tepić''' ([[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet|Serbian Cyrillic]]: {{lang|sr|Милан Тепић}}, [[1957]] - [[September 29]], [[1991]]), was a [[major]] of former [[Yugoslav People's Army]], [[Serbs|ethnic Serb]] from village [[Komlenica]] near [[Bosanska Dubica|Kozarska Dubica]] (now [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]) under [[Kozara]] mountain. He is the last person that was given [[National Hero of Yugoslavia|Order of the National Hero of Yugoslavia]]. |
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After [[Croatia]] seeked |
After [[Croatia]] seeked independence from [[Yugoslavia]] in 1990 and its Serbian minority [[Log Revolution|rebelled]] against this, the [[Croatian War of Independence|war in Croatia]] erupted in 1991, between the [[Croatian army]] and the Yugoslav Peoples Army (YPA) which supported the [[Republic of Serbian Krajina|local Serb forces]]. |
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==Bjelovar events== |
==Bjelovar events== |
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Revision as of 15:13, 12 October 2008
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2008) |
Milan Tepić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Тепић, 1957 - September 29, 1991), was a major of former Yugoslav People's Army, ethnic Serb from village Komlenica near Kozarska Dubica (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) under Kozara mountain. He is the last person that was given Order of the National Hero of Yugoslavia.
After Croatia seeked independence from Yugoslavia in 1990 and its Serbian minority rebelled against this, the war in Croatia erupted in 1991, between the Croatian army and the Yugoslav Peoples Army (YPA) which supported the local Serb forces.
Bjelovar events
In July of 1991, major Tepić was given command of central YPA ammunition depot in village Bedenik near Bjelovar. Like in other parts of the country, the YPA refused to withdraw from Bjelovar and instead sent tanks out to support armed action in other areas of the country.[1] Many of the conscripted soldiers in the YPA objects (which included many Kosovo Albanians) deserted from the barracks to the Croatian side, refusing to fight for the Serb cause.[1]
In September, the YPA barracks in Bjelovar, including the central ammunition depot, were attacked by Croatian forces.[citation needed] The attack was ordered by colonel Josip Tomšić, ethnic Croat who defected from YPA to Croatian army.[citation needed]
The barracks, which weren't supplied with electricity and water for weeks, were captured after heavy fighting.[citation needed] YPA conscripts were given direct order from major Tepić to retreat to safe distance from the base.[citation needed] Soldier Stojadin Mirković refused this direct order, and from his APC he fired at the enemy until he was hit by anti tank projectile.[citation needed] Major Tepić and seven officers under his command, retreated to the ammunition depot and destroyed the facility when first of the Croatian soldiers entered the depot. He did not want to surrender weapons and ammunition to the enemy.[2]
According to Croatian sources, 11 Croatian solders and 20 Serbian reservists (members of the YPA, including Tepić himself) were killed in the explosion.[1] The explosion devastated the surrounding 200 meters of wood area and the shockwave caused material damage in nearby houses. The explosion was heard as far as Bjelovar were some windows were broken.
Serbian sources claim that more than 200 Crotian soldiers died in explosion, but were declared MIA by the Croatian Army.[citation needed]
The explosion could have killed many civilians in the nearby Bjelovar had Tepic not been distracted by the Croatian soldiers, because of which he managed to destroy only one of the three depots.[3]
In revenge the Croatian army executed POW Ranko Stefanović.[citation needed]
Aftermath
Major Milan Tepić was declared for National Hero of Yugoslavia.[2] He is the last person that received this order.[citation needed]
Streets in Belgrade, Banja Luka,[4] Vršac,[5] Zrenjanin,[6] Sremska Mitrovica[7] are named after him. There is also a monument of Milan Tepić in his street in Belgrade. One street in Novi Sad was also named after him until being changed in 2004.[8] Army of Republika Srpska introduced Order of Milan Tepić for bravery in Bosnian war [1].
Some Serbs link Tepić's act to Stevan Sinđelić, who did a similar act almost 200 years before during the First Serbian Uprising.[citation needed] Others in Serbia see Tepić's entire fame as being an experiment of Slobodan Milošević's failed propaganda attempt to mythologize the "new Serbian hero".[8] A parallel is drawn to Vladimir Trifunović, the commander of the Varaždin barracks who refused to have his men killed in a needless fight and left the barracks with minor losses, only to be sentenced by Serb military courts to 11 years for treason.[8][9]
In Croatia, Tepić is seen as a criminal who attempted to destroy the city of Bjelovar by performing a suicide bombing.[3]
Despite Tepić's sacrafice, Croatian forces captured over 100 T-55 tanks, many Armoured personnel carriers and other weapons and ammunition from YPA's Bjelovar objects, which is the largest number of captured tanks during the war, except those captured in Varaždin.[3][10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Template:Hr icon Vjesnik.hr: U granatiranju iz bjelovarske jugovojarne srušene su cijele ulice u gradu i ubijeni civili
- ^ a b Sikavica, Stipe (1997). "Republika - Skromne pocasti jedinom heroju". yurope.com. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ a b c "ZLOCINAC IZ BJELOVARA IMA ULICU U BEOGRADU". Vecernji List. 2006. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
- ^ "Oficijelna internet prezentacija grada Banjaluke". Retrieved 2008-08-27.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Mapa: Narodnog heroja Milana Tepića". Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ "Kompletni spisak ulica u Zrenjan". Retrieved 2008-08-27.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Sremska Mitrovica, Milana Tepica 6a". Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ a b c Teofil, Pančić (2004-07-15). "Tehnološki višak istorije". Vreme. Retrieved 2008-08-27..
- ^ Template:Hr icon Nacional news report on Trifunović
- ^ Antun Tus, Rat u Sloveniji i Hrvatskoj