HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT SERBIAN CHERNOBIL? 2.500 people died in the explosion in Smederevo fortress in 1941 (PHOTO)
It is a fact that in this city by the Danube, with 11.000 residents, only 21 homes were left undamaged, and the explosion killed every forth man in the city
On this day in 1941, in 14:14 there was the explosion in Smederevo fortress, when the city was destroyed in an instant and over 2.500 innocent people died!
Recommended
BUT I AM NOT A GRADUATE: Take a look how this kid fooled the reporter! (VIDEO)
THERE IS HOPE: These graduates celebrated the end of school year with a rock band, and on the DRUMS - RELIGIOUS TEACHER! (VIDEO)
That number was never confirmed, because only 585 victims were identified. It is a fact that in this city by the Danube, with 11.000 residents, only 21 homes were left undamaged, and the explosion killed every forth man in the city.
The cause of explosion remained secret, it was never revealed if it was a communist sabotage or an accident.
After the capitulation of Yugoslavia, Germans declared Smederevo as a place where all the confiscated equipment, weapons, ammo and petrol will be held. In the city was, according to some estimates, around 400 wagons of ammo!
It was all in the fortress near the railroad.
It was a summer atmosphere in the city. The local papers said it were pleasant 25 degrees. It was a market day, because the population of the nearby villages rushed to the city to sell whatever they can. Pupils were going to get their school report carts. The summer break was about to start.
German occupation was not so strongly felt on that 5th of Jun 1941 in Smederevo. Of course, there were German soldiers here and day, but the people moved freely, there was trade and work, and the live carried on somehow.
Then there was explosion from the direction of the fortress, one of the symbols of Smederevo in the downtown.
- The fortress was guarded by 6 German soldiers, because the occupier didn't think anyone was stupid enough ti set fire on the huge amount of weapons in the middle of the city. Some historians claim that, if there wasn't for the fortress to absorb the strongest impact, after the explosion there weren't be Pozarevac, Kovin, Grocka, even parts of Belgrade! Only Smederevka Palanka would survive because it is in a gap - said for the Dnevno.rs Dobrica Jovicic, historian from Smederevo.
The first version of the story was that the incident occurred by accident, because of the high temperature, but later it was proved it is impossible. Simply, it's not that hot.
Much later, there were stories about communist sabotage.
Infamous soviet agent Mustafa Golubic traveled from Moscow at the time and was seen in Belgrade on 4th Jun, there are testimonies about people seeing him in Smederevo on 5th.
What is known for sure that, only two days later he was arrested in the middle of Knez Mihajlova street. 11th of Jun is taken to be the day of his death, only six days after the Smederevo explosion - claims the historian.
If this version is true, says our source, communists wanted to create a diversion probably not knowing how much ammo was in the fortress, nor the dimensions of the disaster they would cause.
- The date was not picked at random! It was known it is a market day, many people and children come to the city. It would be the same if someone committed a terrorist act on Vidovdan - explains Jovicic.
The real truth remained mystery to this day.