The end of the war. A few hours before dawn on 9 May 1945, at the crossroads near the village of Metleče, on the outskirts of Šoštanj (about 40 km from the German border), a company of the Protection Battalion of the Partisan IV Operational Zone tried to stop the first of endless German columns that continued retreating towards the border and the Western Allies, avoiding a surrender to the Partisans. After a brief firefight (which caused casualties on both sides, even among civilians), the fire was ceased and the column was temporarily stopped. In the photo, taken in the morning on the same day, at the same crossroads, starting the negotiations are Petar S. Brajović (on the right), chief of staff of the Partisan IV Operational Zone, and German Major Engelbrecht (second from the left), commander of the Assault Brigade South-East (of Battle Group Fischer, which was subordinated directly to the Commander-in-Chief South-East, Colonel General Löhr). (Standing on the left is Robert Plan, a member of the Anglo-American military mission at the Partisan headquarters.) During the negotiations, the Partisans were energetic and (seemingly) full of confidence – while, in fact, they were bluffing, very much fearing the exposure. They had a very small force at their disposal, but well deployed strategically, so that it seemed much larger (an incomplete battalion pretended to be a brigade), and they were also threatening with an (unplanned) attack by aviation and strong (far away) ground units. The Germans, although incomparably superior in numbers, well armed and still relatively mentally strong and determined – not knowing the actual strength of the Partisan forces, eventually, after a tense battle of wits, did cave in and agreed to surrender. In the afternoon on the same day, also in the vicinity of Šoštanj, the Commander-in-Chief South-East Alexander Löhr signed the capitulation of his troops, surrendering to the Partisans himself (after he realised that he was the victim of a bluff, Löhr fled and surrendered to the British – who then returned him to the Partisans). With occasional skirmishes, the stopping and disarmament of German forces in Yugoslavia lasted for a whole week.
Text: Ivan Ž.
Photographer: unknown.
Date: 9 May 1945.
Location: Metleče (district of Slovenj Gradec), Yugoslavia.
Original caption: unknown.
File source: Petar S. Brajović, "Konačno oslobođenje" (p. 374).
NOT ALLOWED: removing source credits from the files – using text without crediting the original author – using files and information for political propaganda and commercial purposes.
Kraj rata. Nekoliko sati pred zoru 9. maja 1945. godine, na raskrsnici kod sela Metleča, na periferiji Šoštanja (četrdesetak kilometara od nemačke granice), jedna četa zaštitnog bataljona partizanske IV operativne zone pokušala je da zaustavi prvu od nepreglednih nemačkih kolona koje su i posle kapitulacije nastavile povlačenje ka granici i Zapadnim saveznicima, izbegavajući predaju partizanima. Posle kraćeg oružanog obračuna (u kojem je bilo žrtava na obe strane, čak i među civilima), vatra je obustavljena, a kolona privremeno zaustavljena. Na slici, snimljenoj istog dana u rano jutro, na istoj raskrsnici, pregovore započinju Petar S. Brajović (desno), načelnik štaba partizanske IV operativne zone, i nemački major Engelbreht (drugi sleva), komandant Jurišne brigade Jugoistok (iz sastava Borbene grupe Fišer, podređene direktno komandantu Jugoistoka, general-pukovniku Leru). (Sasvim levo stoji Robert Plan, član angloameričke vojne misije pri partizanskom štabu.) Tokom pregovora, partizani su bili energični i (naizgled) samouvereni – a u suštini su blefirali, i te kako strepeći da ne budu razotkriveni. Raspolagali su izuzetno malim snagama, ali odlično strateški raspoređenim, tako da su delovale znatno veće (jedan nepotpuni bataljon izigravao je brigadu), a dodatno su pretili i (neplaniranim) napadom avijacije i jakih (daleko udaljenih) kopnenih jedinica. Nemci, iako su brojčano bili neuporedivo nadmoćniji, dobro naoružani i još uvek relativno psihički čvrsti i odlučni – ne znajući stvarno brojno stanje partizanskih snaga, ipak su na kraju, posle napete igre nadmudrivanja, popustili i pristali na predaju. Istog dana popodne, takođe u okolini Šoštanja, komandant Jugoistoka Aleksander Ler potpisao je kapitulaciju svojih trupa, predajući se i sam partizanima (kada je shvatio da je bio žrtva blefa, Ler je pobegao i predao se Britancima – koji su ga potom vratili partizanima). Uz povremene okršaje, zaustavljanje i razoružavanje nemačkih snaga u Jugoslaviji potrajalo je čitavih nedelju dana.
Tekst: Ivan Ž.
Fotograf: nepoznat.
Datum: 9. maj 1945.
Mesto: Metleče (srez Slovenjgradski), Jugoslavija.
Originalni natpis: nepoznat.
Izvor fajla: Petar S. Brajović, "Konačno oslobođenje" (str. 374).
