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OSPREY WARRIOR No73
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TITO'S PARTISANS. Author:
Velimir Vuksic
In recent years, some of the most interesting and original Ospreys have
been produced by Eastern European authors, bringing the fruits of their research
in previously inaccessible archives to the attention of western readers for the
first time.
This book is no exception, and its subject matter provides a useful
counterweight to those earlier Ospreys which have concentrated on the occupying
Axis and collaborationist forces (see Men at Arms 142 and 282).
A Croat, Vuksic has written a refreshingly even-handed account of the
historical background and progress of the internecine struggle in wartime
Yugoslavia. One senses a real sense of pride in the achievements of the only
genuinely multi-ethnic opposition to the Axis and a solid endorsement of the
ideals of “Brotherhood and Unity” which led so many young Yugoslavs to
choose this difficult path to national liberation. Given recent events in the
region, it is hard not to sympathise.
As a non-regular (although hardly entirely "irregular") army,
the Partisans are not susceptible to description in the traditional Osprey terms
of uniform, organization and campaign history. Wisely, Vuksic has instead sought
to give the reader an understanding of the character of partisan warfare, and in
chapters such as "Recruiting", "Belief and Belonging" and
"The Experience of Battle" he succeeds in bringing out the motivation,
discipline and camaraderie that held these men together in the face of so much
adversity.
However, there are sufficient nuggets of information to still keep the
uniforms and weapons buff interested. The ideological debate about different
styles of forage cap is unexpectedly interesting, as is the revelation of the
full extent to which the Partisans came to be equipped by the Allies from 1944
onwards - whole brigades wore British battledress, and one unit was supplied
with no fewer than 56 Stuart tanks!
The photographic material, from the Croatian Historical Museum, Zagreb,
is well chosen (and all new to this reviewer) and to some extent makes up for a
rather disappointing colour section. The limited material available is spread
rather thinly and only 3 of the 8 plates are genuinely useful or informative.
The book would also have been better for some sharper proof-reading, to avoid
such howlers as the "Boyce" anti-tank rifle, and the presence of both
"political commissar" (in the captions) and "political
commissary" (in the text). Finally, since all quoted sources are
(naturally) in Serbo-Croat, it might have been helpful to suggest some further
reading in more widely-spoken languages.
Nevertheless, these minor criticisms should not detract from a solidly
researched and well-written addition to the Osprey range. Vuksic's book will
bring home to any reader just what the Yugoslav Partisan war was all about.
Perhaps some of his former fellow countrymen - Serb, Croat,Slovene, Bosnian,
Macedonian and Kosovar- will be given pause for thought.
Andy Callan
Tito's Partisans, by Velimir Vuksic
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