Gravina, Italy, establishment of the Artillery Brigade

The Prekomorci also had an exceptionally large share in the establishment of artillery or gunnery. Their divisions participated in all major concluding battles in Yugoslavia and, with each of them, the artillery was reinforced with new captured guns, which the defeated and retreating German units were unable to take with them. The Prekomorske artillery units began to take shape on 20 June 1944, when a group of nearly 1,000 coastal Slovenes arrived from Africa at the Gravina camp, mostly deployed into new artillery units, especially into the anti-tank battalion. From 6 to 11 August 1944, the head of the artillery department of the VŠ, Karel Levičnik36, accompanied comrade Tito on a visit to Caserta and Naples. On 30 August 1944, by an order of the supreme staff, the artillery group of the 8th Corps was established, composed of the 1st and 2nd mountain battalions (each battalion had three batteries) and the anti-tank battalion (with four batteries). At that time, the group of positional artillery (83 guns of various calibers) and the training supplementary battalion at the artillery school of the VŠ in Vis were also established. New Prekomorske fighters and guns kept arriving from Italy. Fighters of Italian nationality also arrived in Vis, who joined our units and became involved in our fight. We must also count the anti-aircraft battalion, which had 36 guns of 20 mm caliber and was mainly composed of Slovenes. In August 1944, the mountain mechanized battalion was also established. After the liberation of the central Dalmatian islands, Split, Šibenik, Drniš, Knin and Mostar, they also joined the liberation of the Slovenian coast. On 21 April 1945, the battles for Kranj began. In the destruction of the German 97th Corps, the artillery of the 4th Army played an important role, when it bombarded the enemy and caused him heavy losses. The 3rd mountain battalion participated in a rapid group that advanced towards Trieste. This battalion, after the liberation of Trieste, continued together with the units of the 9th Corps on the march to Gorizia and liberated it together with the infantry, and then, as part of a motorized detachment of the JA, advanced into Carinthia.

Source: Prekomorci, M. Ivančič, Koper, 2024Photo: Prekomorske artillerymen, Karel Levičnik

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