Testimony of the Dalj Massacre: Two Days Hidden in a Pigsty
On this day in 1991, 39 Croatian defenders who refused to surrender to the JNA were killed defending the police station in Dalj.
On this day in 1991, 39 Croatian defenders who refused to surrender to the JNA were killed defending the police station in Dalj.
On the anniversary of one of the darkest days at the beginning of the Homeland War, memories of the defense of the police station in Dalj are being revived. Among the records and testimonies passed down, the confession of a man who survived the horrific attack through superhuman effort is particularly harrowing.
A witness to the events, whose name is known, spent two days hidden in a pigsty, watching the massacre unfold just steps away. The horror he witnessed left an indelible mark. His testimony is summed up in a single sentence that captures the full terror of the moment: "I saw everything; I was afraid to breathe."
On August 1, 1991, a group of 20 Croatian policemen, 15 members of the National Guard Corps, and 4 members of civil protection defended the police station in Dalj. When the aggressor Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) issued an ultimatum to surrender, they refused. A brutal and unequal attack followed, in which all were killed.
Their sacrifice remains a lasting symbol of resistance and defense of eastern Slavonia in the earliest phase of the Homeland War, reminding us of the price of freedom paid by the defenders.
This horrific event will be commemorated this year, as in all previous years, with the laying of wreaths and the lighting of candles. This collective act of remembrance honors the courage of those who did not surrender, as well as the personal tragedies of civilians who, while hiding, witnessed the unimaginable horrors of war.
