Evening star., 1943-10-08
BY DANIEL DE LUCE,

AT A PARTISAN BRIGADE
HEADQUARTERS IN YUGO-
SLAVIA, Oct. 3 Delayed There S
red magic in the name Drug Tito
In Yugoslavia today. That is the
name by which Partisan Leader
Josip Broz is known to his followers.
Drug Tito-Comrade Tito-is mar
shall of the national liberation army
and the Partisan free corps which
are battling Germany and the Quis-
ling governments in Zagreb and
Belgrade for control of at least two
thirds of Yugoslavia. He spokes-
man for Partisan Yugoslavia. He is
organizer of a political system which
administers large reconquered areas
of the mountains, the highlands
and the coast. He is past master
of guerrilla warfare.
OF the hundreds of thousands of
Yugos,av youths now making war
on Germany only handful ever
have seen their aloof, inscrutable
chief
This morning. sitting in an un-
tidy office that once belonged to the
commander of the italian occupation
forces, I talked with deputy COM
mander of South Dalmatian
Partisan brigade who said that only
two months ago he saw and spoke
with Drug Tito at Partisan supreme
headquarters in the granite-walled
tastness of Bosnia.
A peace time taXicab driver in
Split and a Partisan volunteer from
my informant wore captured
Italian uniform. His rank was
denoted by three vertical bars of red
felt on his sleeve, surmounted by
red star.
Son of Laboring Family.
We breakfasted from a plate of
purple and yellow skinned grapes
and the Partisan officer. his beard
already half gray at the age of SO,
answered my questions with ap-
parent frankness. This is what he
said:
Drug Tito is the son of Croat
laboring family of orthodox Catholic
faith. Once he worked in metal
shop. There he became acquainted
with people who put him in touch
with modern political and social
ideas"
The deputy commander paused to
light a ConflScated Italian cigarette.
During the Spanish civil war
Drug Tito volunteered to fight
against the Fascist terror. He rose
high in the command of Barcelona,
which YOU remember was one of
the Republican stroneholds that
held out the longest. Afterwards he
studied in Russia; it may have been
in the Comintern school, I don't
know.
He was in Yugoslavia when the
Germans began the war against us.
1t was over quickly-hardlv more
than eight days. He started organ
izing the PartiSans for resistance.
In November, l94l. the Germans
were making their second offensive
In Yugoslavia and Drug Tito offered
to put the Partisan forces under
the combined command of Gen.
Draja Mlhallovich. who was well
trained Serbian general and had
installed Chetnik troops in the
mountains, Mihailovich refused.
Good As Strategist.
Drug Tito had given Mihailovich,
1000 rifles. We needed those rifles
later.
Drug Tito is good in strategy and
organization. The Communist party
was the only political party which
continued to fight against the Fas-
clsts and through the Communist
party Drug Tito enlisted Partisans
in all parts of Yugoslavia. Religion
was no barrier. Our soldiers came
from all creeds-Moslem, Jew, Ro-
man and Orthodox Catholic
Here in South Dalmatia We Par
tisans are Croats, but there are 2O0-
600 Partisans in Serbia, many thous-
ands in Slovenia and around Trieste.
-Four Garibaldi brigades of Italian
partisans from the Monfalcone Ship
yards are fighting the German oc-
cupators You can see the Partisans
movement includes each race in Yu-
goslavia.
Drug Tito offered collaboration to
Or. Vladko Mack, head of the Croat
Peasant party. When (Dr. Ante)
Pavelic Qeader of the Croatian Fed
eralists) came out of Italy and made
himself Poglavnik fuehrer) at Ia
greb, Mack issued statement ask
ing his followers to obey the new
governments orders but he appeared
to avoid politics and stayed on his
farm. Drug Tito sent a delegation
to tell Mack two Partisan brigades
would fetch him from Ustashi ter
ritory. Mack refused The next
day German SIS troops, Italians and
Ustashi put combined guard over
Mack.
1000 Persons Conscripted.
Mack still appears to avoid poll
tics, but We know he supported the
Conscription of the Bella Garda
fWhite Guard among his followers
to fight against Russia on the east