Ivan Katalinić shot in Senj on September 17, 1943.
Ivan Katalinić
Based on the preserved verdict of the so-called “partisan court” and the memories of family members of the victims, in this review the author describes, among other things, the suffering of Ivan Katalinić, one of the 17 arrested innocent citizens of Senj. According to the gathered data and information, the convicts were under orchestrated and planned investigation by the infamous partisan OZNA, during which they were subjected to torture and humiliation, and which convicted them in advance, without evidence and real witnesses. They were eventually executed somewhere in the Krmpote-Pleteno wasteland of on September 27th, 1943.
After the capitulation of fascist Italy (September 8th, 1943), and soon thereafter, the so-called “elite” units of Murgia Division in Senj, the town of Senj and the surrounding area were occupied by relatively few partisan units. By using coercion, more than a fair fight, they disarmed numerous extremely well and modernly armed Italian units, which surrendered all their weapons, equipment and logistics to the partisans. Once the city fell under occupation, the so-called “people’s government” was established in Senj, that was to organize an unhindered operation of communist ruling bodies consisting of loyal and obedient communists. Among other things, the Senj Command was funded, as well as the so-called People’s Court and an OZNA office.
Among the inhabitants of Krivi Put, Veljun, Vratnik, Krasno, Altari, Sv. Juraj, and Senj itself, there were many who had helped the functioning of the newly formed NDH, especially its political and administrative structure of districts and counties. They did it either through the so-called work obligation or out of conviction or they supported directly or indirectly the fight against partisans and their sympathizers, thereby committing the so-called “crime” against the Croatian people, their government, and the so-called “liberation struggle”, as was stated in the communist verdict itself.
A few days after arriving in Senj (after September 14th, 1943), members of the local Command and the OZNA arrested a group of 17 innocent citizens of Senj, whom they simply declared to be “the most active and prominent local Ustasha and occupier sympathizers”, which for the most part had no grounds. They were arrested and imprisoned in a building called the Old Courthouse, actually an old prison, which was located in a house on a side street near the Cathedral and the City Museum.
The arrest of these citizens, as well as some others, whose names we do not list here, caused fear and uncertainty among the people in Senj and its vicinity, but also outrage over the terror that was being carried out with the consent of the Party and the new people’s government. Family members and friends of the detainees believed and hoped that this was clearly some kind of mix-up or a just some sort of ordinary security check.
During the investigation, the Bishop of Senj, Dr. Viktor Burić, intervened and pleaded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees, but all this was in vain, because it seems that the verdict had already been passed before their arrest. To make the whole process look completely legalized, the Military Court, the so-called “Primorje-Gorski Kotar Joint Command”, appointed Đuro Čizmek president, and Dragutin Špinčić and Milan Miculinić members of that court martial in Senj.
According to the statements of the Senj residents living today, as well as the residents of the surrounding area and family members of the victims, everybody remembers that the arrested individuals underwent a short “investigative” procedure during which they were subjected to torture and humiliation.
JUDGEMENT
“Ivan Katalinić, son of Nikola and Lucija Katalinić, born on February 2nd, 1914 in Senj, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, literate, no known vices.
Ivan Katalinić took part in the mentioned action in Prokike. A few days before the fall of Senj he stated that the partisans were bandits and looters, who had committed a crime against the Croatian people and their liberation struggle.
For this reason, all of the above are declared enemies of the people and sentenced to death by firing squad.
I. Ivan Krmpotić is hereby found guilty of accepting the post of the Chief of Staff of the Ustasha Youth in Senj and, in that capacity, he carried out Ustasha propaganda among the youth, organized meetings and communicated with other Ustasha officials. He is also guilty because, a few days before the fall of Senj, he ordered student Zlatko Simatić to burn or destroy the secret archives of the Ustasha Youth Staff, and participated in compiling the list of those Senj citizens who were to be removed during the takeover.”
The Partisans, who temporarily occupied Senj in September 1943, imprisoned a large group of patriots whom they managed to capture. They tortured people while pretending to be conducting trials. On Sunday, September 26th, 1943, after the blessing in the Senj Cathedral, Bishop Viktor Burić and numerous believers headed to a nearby street, the location of the prison where their fellow citizens and relatives were detained. Pale people who already knew they would be executed showed up at the barred windows. They tried to throw the small items they had with them through the bars, and begged those gathered to hand them over to their families. As the only thig he could do, Bishop Burić granted them absolution from sin.
Ivan Katalinić, who would be shot the next day, September 27th, 1943, managed to throw a piece of paper through the prison window, on which he wrote in pencil to his little daughter, wife and father:
“Dear Seka!
Tell mother that I am calm, we prayed the rosary for repentance, for the living and the dead, we commended ourselves to God, we die righteously and that comforts us, let the mother be calm and let her pray to God and nothing else. Greetings from Katica to Ivica and Marijan.
Dear Dad, my last wish is for you to be good to Branka and Seka. Farewell one last time! (Here, Ivica begs his father to take care of his little daughter and his daughter-in-law Nevenka (Seka).
Yours, Ive.”
As far as we know, all the convicts were executed on September 27th, 1943. The judgement itself was probably carried out in the early morning hours of September 27th, 1943, because the military court did not have enough time to properly consider and evaluate the judgement, and it probably had to confirm it by phone. A careful readthrough indicates that the judgement was completely professionally drafted, corrected and urgently printed in the Smetana-Nell printing house in Senj.
List of people from Senj shot by the communist authorities:
1) Brajković, Milan, son of Antun and Kata Matasić, born September 18th, 1884 in Sinac near Otočac, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, widowed, no children, trader, literate, no known vices.
2) Mihovilić, Ivan, son of Ivan and Karolina Maričić, born December 6th, 1911 in Senj, residing in Senj, married, one child, Roman Catholic Croat, literate, trader, no known vices.
3) Biondić, Milan, son of Mile and Paulina Štimac, born May 22nd, 1905 in Brinje, residing in Senj, carpenter, Roman Catholic Croat, married, two children, literate, no known vices.
4) Biondić, Mate a.k.a. Zurac, son of Jure and Mara Šojat, born February 9th, 1900 in Stolac near Senj, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, married, no children, laborer, illiterate, no known vices.
5) Krmpotić, Ivan, son of Juraj and Miroslava Bezjak, born March 8th, 1908 in Senj, residing in Senj, married, one child, Roman Catholic Croat, high school teacher, literate, no known vices.
6) Babić, Josip, son of Mirko and Julka Biondić, born March 19th, 1924 in Senj, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, unmarried, laborer, literate, no known vices.
7) Krmpotić, Katica, daughter of Stjepan Dragičević and Magdalena Vukušić, born October 8th, 1899 in Kladina, residing in Senj, trader, Roman Catholic Croat, widowed, no children, literate, no known vices.
8) Katalinić, Ivan, son of Nikola and Lucija Katalinić, born February 2nd, 1914 in Senj, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, office worker, literate, no known vices.
9) Karadjija, Marijan, son of Franjo and Ivka Sabljić, born September 15th, 1906 in Kostrena Sv. Lucije, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, customs officer, literate, no known vices.
10) Rončević, Joso, son of Joso and Kata Krmpotić, born March 19th, 1881 in Krivi Put, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, peasant, married, five children, literate, no known vices.
11) Babić, Ivan, supposedly Maksimović Milovan, son of Jovan and Spasenija Marković, born April 7th, 1924 in Šepak near Loznice in Serbia, Orthodox, unmarried, pilot, literate, no known vices.
12) Sopić, Vlado, son of Tomo and Rozalija Radović, born September 24th, 1924 in Stupnik near Zagreb, residing in Zagreb, Roman Catholic Croat, unmarried, technician and driver, literate, no known vices.
13) Šimatić, Zlatko, son of Petar and Apolonija Babić, born September 29th, 1924 in Senj, residing in Senj, high school graduate, unmarried, literate, no known vices, Roman Catholic Croat.
14) Sojat, Milan, son of Nikola and Kata Blažević, born November 23rd, 1907 in Krivi Put, residing in Senj, trader, married, five children, literate, no known vices, Roman Catholic Croat .
15) Olivijeri, Franjo, son of Franjo and Julija Vukelić, born August 27th. 1897 in Senj, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, publican, married, 2 children, literate, no known vices.
16) Brlečić, Jure, son of Juraj and Franjka Tomljanović, born June 16th, 1908 in Senj, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, trader, married, two children, literate, no known vices.
17) Antić, Slavko, son of Josip and Marija Kovačević, born February 8th, 1915 in Senj, residing in Senj, Roman Catholic Croat, married, one child, literate, no known vices.
Source:
Ante Glavičić, Victims of partisan madness and crimes in Senj and the surrounding area III, Senj, 1994.
Editorial board/crimesofcommunism.net
