User:Antidiskriminator/Drafts of articles/Battle for Borač

KRONOLOGIJA DOGAĐAJA NA PODRUČJU KOTARA GACKO OD ČETNIČKOG ZAUZIMANJA FOČE U PROSINCU 1941. DO OPERACIJE FOČA KRAJEM TRAVNJA 1942. Vladimir Šumanović *

The Battle for Borač was a battle between Muslim Ustashe forces and Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland held

Background
The region of Borač had two subregions: Upper Borač and Lower Borač. The battle of Borač waged in January 1942 refers to Upper Borač region which encompassed following villages:
 * Zurovići
 * Šumići
 * Bundići
 * Luka
 * Jabuka
 * Šipovica
 * Soderi
 * Stambeliće
 * Igri
 * Laze
 * Melečići
 * Lončari
 * Pridvorica
 * Pode
 * Mjednik
 * Počelje

Ustaše from Borač had very important role in the Ustaše massacres of Serbs in Eastern Herzegovina, while Ustaše themselves referred to Borač as "Alkazar of Ustaše".

When Ustaše took control over Gacko they appointed Herman Tongal as their chief officer (poverenik). Tongal appointed Marjan Banovac on the position of the commander of Ustaše garrison in Šipovica in Borač. To arm Ustaše in his garrison Banovac acquired 200 rifle guns, 12 light machine guns, 3 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition.

The main organizer of supporter of the Ustaše ideology in region of Eastern Herzegovina was Alija Šuljak, a professor from Trebinje. Šuljak propagated Ustaše ideology in Gacko even before World War II, promoting fascism and disseminating religious and ethnic hatred toward Serbs. When Axis occupied Yugoslavia in April 1941, Šuljak went to Gacko. Alija Šuljak had important role in genocidal organization of Ustaše, he held the rank of "poglavni pobočnik". Šuljak became notorious for organizing aggressive Ustša propaganda.

At the end of Autumn 1941 Alija Šuljak went to the region of Borač and organized Ustaše units in Borač which torched Serb populated villages of Bodenište and Vratlo at the end of 1941.

At the beginning of December 1941 Todorović requested support of Durmitor Partisan detachment to fight against Muslim units that committed numerous massacres of Serbs. The Partisans perceived Chetnik actions as the policy of revenge and sent their patrol to Borač, one of the strongest strongholds of Ustaše to "help them to organize appropriatelly together". The Muslim Ustaše imprisoned and tortured soldiers from this partrol and eventually killed some of them. Nevetheless, the Partisans refused to participate in struggle against Ustaše together with Chetniks and actually used Chetnik defeat in battle with Ustaše from Birač to attack Chetniks and capture members of their Headquarters.

At the end of December 1941 larger group of Croatian soldiers led by Đuro Kindel enforced the Croatian troops in Borač that were already considered as "well armed" by Croatian authorities in Gacko. On 3 January 1942 Kindel ordered his troops to organize aggressive reconnaissance into surrounding villages instructing them to burn villages in which they are attacked. According to official Ustaše sources the Croatian troops were attacked in Bodežište and Vratlo villages on 4 January 1942 and after one day battle Ustaše torched those villages and killed 200 people after suffering 8 killed Croatian soldiers and 7 wounded. During the night between 4 and 5 January 1942 the armed groups of Serb villagers attacked Muslim villages Bahore and Mrđenoviće, captured and torched them until the morning.

The forces of allegedly 1,000 Chetniks that captured Foča at the beginning of January 1942 advanced toward Oblje passing Kalinovik on 5 January 1942. The main group of Chetniks moved along the main road running from Kalinovik toward Gacko, trough Oblje, Ulog and Plužine.

Before their final attemtp in January 1942, the Chetniks unsuccessfully attacked Borač several times.

Aftermath
The defeat of Chetniks in the battle for Borač was precondition of their military and political defeat from Partisans who could not defeat them if they managed to capture Borač.