1st Proletarian Brigade (Yugoslav Partisans)

Koča Popović, commander

It was formed by Josip Broz Tito and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia on 22 December 1941 (Stalin's birthday) in the village of Rudo in eastern Bosnia. Initially comprising 1,200 of the best Serb and Montenegrin Partisans under the command of the Spanish Civil War veteran Koča Popović, it began to take on a more multi-ethnic character from March 1942 when 15 Bosniaks from Sarajevo joined the brigade.[3] The formation of the brigade represented a significant change for the Partisans, as it gave the Partisan Supreme Command a politically reliable and mobile force that was not tied to a particular geographic area. This innovation allowed the Partisans to more easily concentrate fighting power at a particular point to achieve a decision, and permitted withdrawal when faced by a superior enemy force.[4] The brigade fought its first battle on the day following its creation, when it encountered Italian troops and Chetniks as it marched out of Rudo.[5]

During Operation Southeast Croatia the brigade crossed Mt Igman in freezing temperatures. After Operation Trio, it participated in the Partisan Long March from Zelengora in eastern Bosnia to the west. The withdrawal of the brigade from eastern Bosnia to Foča caused a number of problems, including recriminations between Tito and Svetozar Vukmanović.[6]

From its formation until June 1942 this was as an independent brigade, after which the brigade formed part of the Strike Group of Proletarian Brigades. From November 1942 the brigade became part of the 1st Proletarian Division. In 1971, a museum was established in the village of Rudo to commemorate the Brigade.

For the most part of its war time, the Brigade relayed mostly on manoeuvrability and initiative. In frequent marches it covered some 20,000 km. The change in tactics occurred after Belgrade Offensive, when it was engaged in frontal battles on Sremski front.