Đorđo N. BALAĆ 

ĐORĐE ĐOLE BALAĆ, son of NIKOLA, born on August 26, 1916, in Benkovac (near Knin), lived in Mostar. He worked as a sheet metal worker. He was a pre-war member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) and a member of the Local Committee of the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia (SKOJ). He was part of the first unsuccessful detachment, a group of Mostar communists who left Mostar on July 17. He was captured by the Ustasha forces in Podveležje in July 1941 and killed.

The detachment was scattered on Mount Velež the next day, at the location Jarac Kuk, where the volunteers were resting, allowing themselves to be surprised by a group of 7-8 Ustasha soldiers. As determined: “…the casualties (occurred) due to lack of alertness. When they reached Jarac Kuk and stopped to rest, they sent Đole Balać to see who lived in the surrounding villages. However, before he reached the village, he was intercepted by a patrol of local Ustasha soldiers who immediately tied his hands. As they were taking him in the direction he came from, at one point he threatened his captors, saying that his comrades were nearby. He wanted to give his comrades a chance to prepare, but they didn’t hear him. The Ustasha soldiers opened fire immediately. Inexperience came at a high cost. After the gunfire, members of the detachment scattered (…).” Đole Balać, Smajo Brkić, Mustafa Alajbegović were captured. After being captured, Đorđo was killed (sources indicate two versions of his execution – either he was killed immediately or “taken somewhere to a camp, but pulled out of the train in Jablanica and killed”).

Đorđe was said to be “an example to the youth of Mostar.”

Three of Đorđe’s brothers were killed in the National Liberation War: Natko Balać, Slavko Balać, and Boro Balać. A street in Mostar is named after the Balać brothers.