During WWII the Americans
were using bombers of the types;
Liberator carrying capacity 5.8 tons of the bombs, and bigger ones
Flying
fortress B-17, carrying a capacity of 8 tons. They were flying in
large
formations, few hundreds of bombers accompanied by fighter planes,
either
American Thunderbolts and/or English Spitfires. They were flying
from
southern Italy north to Hungary, and they were flying over
the Imotski
County daily from the beginning of
1944. The Germans
had 2 anti-aircraft units in the Imotski area, one near the Eastern
Orthodox
Church in Glavina Donja, and the second one in the village of
Rebići.
They had 7 anti-aircraft guns; 75 mm
caliber and numerous 4 barrels machine guns. These anti-aircrafts
units
were part of the 7. SS division Prince Eugen. The units were well
camouflaged and were frequently changing locations. They were
only
attacking bombers on their way back, when they were not accompanied by
fighter
planes.
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On
the May 22. 1944,
partisans reconnaissance unit radioed location of the German
anti-aircraft
units, and 6 fighter planes suddenly appeared over mountain
Biokovo. In
the low flight they destroyed both Germans antiaircraft units, and they
also
attacked Germans motorized convoys and burned 4 and damaged 3 personnel
carriers, they killed 19 and wounded 8 Germans soldiers. Due to
collateral
damage, 5 civilians were killed too, whole family of Stipe Vujčić, his
wife Ana
born Brečić (39), son Anđelko (5), daughters Kata (10) and Neda (2),
and his
mother Manda born Zujić (81).
According
to the
witness account, one of the American fighter plane flow over The Red
Lake and
dropped a wreath in the memory of the fallen comrades.
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