The Yugoslav National Liberation Army from 1941 to 1945
During the Second World War from 1941 to 1945, the holders of anti-occupation battle at the Yugoslav battlefield (Central Committee of the Yugoslav Communist Party and Main HQs of the National Liberation Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia) realized the historical importance of the documents created in the whirlwind of war to explore the National Liberation War. Therefore, they timely emphasized to Partisan Detachments, Brigades, Divisions and Corps HQs and the leaders of communist party organizations, the importance of collection and preservation of their own documents, as well as those found or seized from the enemy. In that sense, Supreme HQs of the National Liberation Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia ordered Partisan Brigades and Detachments HQs to constantly submit the copies of their magazines, brochures and promotional leaflets, cultural and educational materials and others, as well as photos of our and enemy units. Additionally, they were requested to send the descriptions of some major actions and combat operations and write about the prominent units and fighters, individuals and the crimes committed by occupying forces and their collaborators. Thanks to this order, a great number of our and enemy documents was preserved.
The funds of the National Liberation Army and Yugoslav Army archival materials are among all archival funds the most complete and richest. They include the archival materials of partisan detachments and other units of the National Liberation Army, Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia and Yugoslav Army, which are completely thematically and chronologically arranged, registered and processed in card files, excluding the archival materials of the units on the Slovenian territory, situated in Ljubljana, and significantly smaller number of documents which are placed in local museums and certain revolution museums. During the arrangement of archival materials, another 15,000 documents were collected which were left in units and seven personal diaries of the participants in the National Liberation War were repurchased. Totally, the archival funds of the National Liberation Army, Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia and Yugoslav Army have hundred thousands of original documents and 3,200 different brochures, pocket brochures, etc.
In order to fill the gaps in the archival materials of the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, the documents, which originate from the National Liberation War archival funds, were shot, but are places in other archival and scientific institutions and museums. Besides, in order to shed the light on certain events from the National Liberation War, numerous statements and recollections of the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachment of Yugoslavia commanders were collected.
According to the structure of the National Liberation War and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia archival materials, they are divided into the funds:
- Supreme Headquarters,
- Main HQs,
- Operational areas,
- Corps,
- Armies,
- Divisions,
- Partisan detachments,
- Air Force,
- Bari Base,
- Yugoslav Mission in Cairo,
- rear organizations and institutions and
- War press Fund.
This fund has 1978 boxes of archive processed archival materials.
The Military Archives preserve the rich archival materials of the enemy and quisling units in the Second World War. Collecting of the materials was conducted simultaneously with collecting of the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia materials. The number of the archival materials was significantly increased during the process of their arrangement and registration. Nowadays, the funds of original archival materials on the enemy and quisling units from the Second World War have more than 600,000 documents, which are grouped into numerous funds such as German, Italian, Hungarian and Bulgarian enemy units and Ustasha Defense units. The structure and names of these archival materials funds are defined by their originator and thematically in line with the chronology principle.
Besides the aforementioned funds of the archival materials, the Military Archives have the archival materials on the Yugoslav Army in the homeland, Nedic’s and the Government in Emigration in London archival materials.