Bistrica ob Dravi, Memorial to the Fighters of the Pohorska četa

Lackov's detachment, which remained on Pohorje after the main detachment left for Kozjak in September 1944, carried out actions on a relatively large area. It mainly destroyed the Maribor-Celje and Maribor-Dravograd railway lines and attacked smaller enemy outposts. Its most significant action was carried out in Bistrica near Limbuš on the night of 27 December 1944. The detachment's command decided to carry out the action in order to improve its equipment, as due to the influx of new recruits, the detachment had greatly lacked weapons and other equipment.

Not the entire detachment went to Bistrica. The partisans first carried out a supply action, in which they seized large quantities of flour, wine, two oxen, a pig and other items, then went to the factory of ironware and sheet metal products, where they destroyed the office, seized writing machines and collected driving harnesses, which they used for their footwear.

After the partisans completed the supply action at the factory, a group of twelve volunteers attacked a military outpost at the railway station, which was protected by barbed wire, mines and bunkers. The partisans first disarmed the guards and then the remaining soldiers. Only the commander tried to resist, but was quickly subdued. The disarmed soldiers, whom the partisans took their uniforms from and left only in their undergarments, warned them to leave Bistrica as soon as possible, as they would otherwise be killed if they came back. The partisans seized a machine gun, a submachine gun, 16 rifles, a rocket pistol, 30 hand grenades and considerable ammunition, and also destroyed equipment in the traffic office. The rich plunder was taken on carts to Pohorje. The successful action of Lackov's detachment in Bistrica near Limbuš (on the Drava) was important, as it was carried out during the time of the occupiers' major offensive operations on the territory of the 4th operational zone. Units of this zone did not occupy any other enemy outposts at the end of 1944.

The memorial plaque was unveiled in 1983. Its dimensions are 60 x 90 x 3 cm.

Source: Marjan Žnidarič, Memorial Monuments of Lackov's Detachment, Maribor, 2007, p. 39

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Bistrica_ob_Dravi