Ratko R. STEVIĆ

RATKO STEVIĆ, son of RISTO, born on December 19, 1914, in Hodbina near Mostar. A farmer. He joined the People’s Liberation Army in October 1944, serving in the 3rd Battalion of the 13th Herzegovina Brigade. A fighter, died on March 1, 1945, in Ostrošac near Konjic.

EXCERPT FROM LITERATURE:

“It turned out that the arrival of the Ustasha battalion in Ostrožac the previous day was just a rotation and a weak replacement for the withdrawn 1st Battalion of the 370th Grenadier Regiment (at Ivan-sedlo), and that there was not a battalion in Lisičići, but rather a company of Ustasha. The garrison still counted around 1,300 soldiers before the attack. Its core consisted of the mobile German 369th Reconnaissance Battalion, while the remaining forces consisted of the 5th and 3rd Battalions of the Ustasha 9th Regiment, as well as a company of the Italian Fascist militia from the “San Marco” legion, most of which was located in the Tarčin and Hadžići area. The enemy’s total losses amounted to over 300 dead (some of whom drowned in the Neretva), 34 captured, and at least 100 wounded. Captured were 2 cannons of 75mm, 6 mortars of 81mm, 4 mortars of 46mm, 13 machine guns, 25 submachine guns, 5 automatic rifles, 350 rifles, around 1,000 mortar shells, and 50,000 rifle rounds. In the battle, the 13th Brigade had 11 killed and 20 wounded, including Ratko Stević from Hodbina near Mostar.”