Anđelko E. GOATTI

ANĐEO ANĐELKO GOATTI* BOSNIĆ, son of ERNEST, born on November 11, 1901, in Mostar, lived in Podhum. Machinist. Member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) since August 1, 1919, a pre-war communist. He was arrested and imprisoned multiple times, spending two years in investigative prisons and eight years in prison. He served as the head of the party cell, member and secretary of the Mostar Regional Committee of the KPJ, and a member of the Central Committee of the League of Communist Youth (SKOJ). He joined the People’s Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia in July 1942 in the Mostar Battalion, and later worked as a workshop supervisor in the free territory near Glamoč. He survived the Fifth Offensive (Battle of Sutjeska) and returned to Mostar in July 1943 with 80 other fighters for recovery. He was arrested in Mostar and executed in Ovojci in 1943.

EXCERPTS FROM LITERATURE:

“I was especially happy to meet Anđelko Goati, an old revolutionary, who was a member of the KPJ since 1921, twice imprisoned in the Penitentiary in Sremska Mitrovica. The first time, in 1929, he was sentenced to 3 years, and the second time, in 1932, for 5 years. Anđelko lived in our house with his mother Ana and sister Vjeka. As a child, and later when I was already a young man, a member of SKOJ, I heard about his torture in the Mostar police. I told my friends what I knew about Anđelko and we all felt proud that he was among us. On his combat journey. during the movement, we helped him. During rest, on that journey, Anđelko told me about the misunderstandings with the leaders of KPJ Mostar after returning from prison, to the unfair accusation of poor detention and preventing him from joining the partisans. I told Anđelko that the Central Committee of the KPJ and Comrade Tito are near Prozor, so when we arrive, it is best to discuss all his problems with them, which he did.”

“Anđelko Goati, upon returning from Sutjeska, was immediately arrested upon arrival in the city. The Gestapo knew that he was an old communist and ex-convict. After interrogation, a few days later, Anđelko was released under the same conditions as Kevser, with a message for the partisans to surrender and they would be set free, with the obligation for him to report to the Ustasha authorities daily. Surprisingly, Anđelko naively reported to the police, and after a couple of days, the Ustasha took him away and killed him in Ovčari. It is likely that the love for his wife and son prevailed in the heart of the old ex-convict and illegal activist; he wanted to spend a few days in peace with them before going into hiding. In any case, it is known that he did not betray or expose anyone to save his own life. Anđelko was supposed to be a great bait for us, younger communists, but we didn’t fall for such a deception.” (E. Ćemalović)

Life in the detachment was exhausting, and the Headquarters occasionally made decisions to send some fighters back to Mostar for various reasons. Despite the physical challenges, Goati, although one of the oldest fighters in the Battalion, remained in the unit until the end.

“It was an extremely difficult and exhausting journey. In addition to the impassable terrain we traveled through, the intense heat was a particular burden for us. Along with us were comrades Anđelko Goati, a big and overweight man, and Marijan Pavelić, who had just come out of the hospital. They quickly got tired, often paused and felt discomfort. We encouraged them and helped them move faster. Lemon and sugar that we brought were refreshing for them. (…)”

*In literature, also recorded as Goati, Guati, Guvati, Gvati.