page_title: Rade Končar
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Rade Končar / World War II
caption_attribution_description: Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски: Streljanje Rade Končara i drugova u Šibeniku 22. V. 1942.
context_page_description: Rade Končar was a Croatian Serb politician and leader of the Yugoslav Partisans in the Independent State of Croatia and Dalmatia during the early stages of World War II in Yugoslavia. He became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 1934 and was arrested in 1936 when the Belgrade branch of the party was banned by Yugoslav authorities. After serving one year of hard labour in Sremska Mitrovica prison he was released and elected political secretary of the central committee of the Communist Party of Croatia in Zagreb. In October 1940, he was made a member of the central committee of the KPJ at the Fifth National Conference of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.
  Following the April 1941 Axis occupation of Yugoslavia Končar took part in the anti-fascist uprising which retook areas from German control in Serbia, and personally led attacks against Axis forces in Independent State of Croatia. Having relocated to Governorate of Dalmatia in October 1941, in November 1941 he was ambushed by fascist agents, arrested and beaten. The Ustaše disclosed his identity to Italian authorities who then put him on trial.
context_section_description: With the Axis occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941, Končar moved to Zagreb on 8 April 1941. He became involved in planning a national anti-fascist revolt throughout the country and extended resistance actions to Independent State of Croatia despite encountering great difficulties. He personally organized diversions in Zagreb, including the September 1941 sabotage at the General Post Office in Zagreb. Later the same month, he participated in Stolice conference of Partisan commanders and representatives in the Serbian village of Stolice. Having participated in retaking areas of Serbia from the Germans, Končar was tasked with forming the General Staff Headquarters of the Yugoslav Partisans in Croatia. He went to Governorate of Dalmatia in October 1941 to work on improving the organization of Communist forces there and helping them gain momentum against the Axis. He personally organized many attacks against Axis forces in the city of Split.
  On 17 November 1941, returning from a trip to Šibenik, he discovered anti-Communist agents waiting to ambush him at his Split apartment. He was arrested and beaten before being taken to hospital. The Ustaše informed Italian authorities that Končar was an important prisoner. The Italians put him on trial in Šibenik, where he was sentenced to death. He was executed by firing squad on 22 May 1942. Twenty-five of his colleagues were killed alongside him.
caption: Death of Rade Končar and his comrades
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