Second birthday

Today’s date used to be very important in former Yugoslavia, it was president Tito's chosen birthday and also youth day of entire country. As hinted few weeks ago here I'm with second part of sage about one of the most influential persons in past century.

As you already know if you read my previous post (if not you can do it now by clicking HERE) his real birthday was May 7th but he preferred today’s date over it due to fact he managed to escape eminent death.

In May 1944 German Nazi military planed operation under the name Knight’s move; main objective was killing Tito, leader of partisan’s resistance in Yugoslavia. Operation failed due to many factors, including rivalry among German numerous intelligence agencies and fearsome resistance from partisan groups. It was a big blow to German army failing in the most spectacular assassination in near history (it included some of the best special forces of time available to Nazis). It resulted in stamps pictured below!

This stamps are first definitive issues of Democratic Federal Yugoslavia depicting Tito, at time Marshal and prime minister, issued not even a year after this attempt.

Much later on in 1953 he was proclaimed president and later on for lifetime president. On that occasion Yugoslav post issued stamp below on June 28th 1953. Is is based on Tito’s sculpture by most prominent sculptor Augustin Augustinčić.

In the beginning Tito had strong connections with Stalin, being communist and socialist but soon after WWII he severed that connection and adopted completely different form of socialism unique to former Yugoslavia, based on workers class rule. Set of stamps below was issued for 1st May 1950, workers day, and it relates to his commitment to make Yugoslavia country of well being for common folk.

Tito was often known under Marshal title rather then president due to his role as a prime commander of JNA, Yugoslavia’s people’s army. He was prone to that title as he begin his climb as a military leader of underground resistance in Nazi occupied Yugoslavia. He often appeared in public dressed in general style uniform which was often considered  dictatorial behavior by his opponents in country and abroad.

22nd December was day of army celebrated in all country and it was important enough to be commemorated by issuing commemorative stamps, like one below issued in 1951, depicting Tito with traditional partisan hat and tank in background.

That is all for now but hope to continue sage as there are more things to be shown and stories to be told about him so if you liked it stay tuned

Orson Welles greatest man in the world today

Hope you are ready for another guest post here 😀! Today is real birthday of one of the most influential but also very controversial personalities of past century. He was an politician, millwright, war commander and a leader. Some call him dictator and a war criminal too but opinions on him are heavily divided.

Orson Welles called him greatest man in the world today (or at least it is considered to be Orson Welles words as I couldn't track down right quote source)

If you still didn’t got it I’m talking about Josip Broz Tito, leader and lifetime president of Yugoslavia. When I mentioned real birthday it is because it is not very well known fact since his birthday officially in Yugoslavia was considered 25^th of May even though he actually came upon this world on today’s date  7^th May 1892. This comes from the fact that in those times documents were often incomplete and birth dates often incorrect in different documents, mostly due to the facts that lot of peasants were illiterate (his parents were presents in small village of Kumrovec in today’s Croatia). 25^th May was his birth date in some documents from Austro-Hungarian   army (which he served since Croatia was part of their empire and under Hungarian dominion). This even led to the Nazis launching attack at Yugoslavian partisan’s army command in Drvar on 25^th of May 1944. Obviously Tito survived and that day was officially taken as Tito’s Birthday and celebrated as Youth day in entire country.

From 1952 till 1990 Yugoslavian post office was issuing stamps depicting Tito on 25^th May on jubilar birthday years.

This is just one stamp from a set of three issued in 1952 for Titos 60^th birtday with topic of Tito in works of contemporary artists. This one is painting of well known Yugoslavian painter and graphic designer Đorđe Andrejević Kun (also did design for first Yugoslavian partisans postage stamp which was never issued but there is a proof print in museum in Belgrade and few examples whose locations are unknown if even still in existence).

In 1962, on Titos birthday Yugoslavian post issued set of four stamps and one imperforated souvenir sheet, recess printed based on Tito bust made by famous Yugoslavian sculptor Augustin Augustinčić.

 

In 1967 post issued set of ten stamps to commemorate 75^th birthday. 300.000 sets were printed in form of a mini sheet of 15 stamps each. Later on they reprinted values from this set as well as some additional values in same design as definitive stamps, this were issued in form of 50 or 45 stamps sheets so this turn out to be most common stamps with Tito face on them due to high print numbers and heavy use for franking letters and cards.

This same design was used for wending machines coil stamps (vertically imperforate) and some of the reminders were used for overprinting with new values when there was a demand for them in postal traffic.

1972, on occasion of 80^th birthday post issued set of two stamps and imperforate souvenir sheet printed in offset technique.  

This is just a few stamps about Tito, so stay tuned as I might soon make another post about his life and work.