Junaci Domovinskog rata #2

The second book in the acclaimed documentary-historical series Heroes of the Homeland War by Davor Runtić continues to systematically and in detail record the harrowing and heroic fates of Croatian defenders who stood on the front lines of defending the Homeland in 1991.

This volume is dedicated to the personal treatment of the lives and war journeys of fourteen prominent individuals. The book covers the fates of the defenders: Nediljko Madžar, Matija Mandić, Željko Kučić, Darko Sikavica, Franjo Kračak, Mija Vrkašević, Ivan Ićo Hižman, Ivo Ivić-Maček, Nedjeljko Husnjak, Marinko Antunović-Bosanac, Milan Komljenović, Antun Tuna Čibarić, Fran Mile Mamić and Venerable Ivan Burik.

Runtić with particular reverence reconstructs wartime events from key points of defense — from the bloody battles at Vukovar's Sajmište and Trpinjska cesta to the suffering in Sotin. Among the stories covered, the fate of the Sotin parish priest, Rev. Ivan Burik, the only Catholic priest killed in Vukovar and its surroundings during the war, stands out, as well as the war journey of the legendary commander of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Guards Brigade "Thunderstorms" Ivo Ivić-Maček.

Using direct testimonies of comrades, documents and family memories, the author not only depicts military operations, but also delves into personal dramas, immense courage and sacrifice of people who jumped from everyday life into the hell of war. The book remains an invaluable document of the truth about the Homeland War and a lasting monument to those who gave the most for a free Croatia.