Yugoslavia, Republic. An Award Document for an Order of the People to National Hero of Yugoslavia Ivan I. Gošnjak, 1953

The award document for an Order of the People (Order of the National Hero of Yugoslavia) to the Federal Secretary of People’s Defence of Yugoslavia, Ivan I. Gošnjak. The award document consists of a large page of heavy-weight paper. It states that, by the Decree of the President of the Federal National Republic of Yugoslavia, Jospia Broza Tito, for outstanding unprecedented heroism in the fight against its enemies and proven heroism and merit during the war of national liberation from 1941 to 1945, Lieutenant General of the JNA (Jugoslovenskoj Narodnoj Armiji/Yugoslavian People’s Army) is awarded the Order of the National Hero by the Office of the Order, in Belgrade on November 27th, 1953. The writing on the document is superimposed on an image of the Order, with the Yugolsavian Coat of Arms at the top, and featuring a wooden seal attached to an interwoven dual set of red, white, blue strings. It measures 36 cm (w) x 49 cm (m), is in mint condition, contained in a stiff tube constructed of heavy-duty cardstock, with a bright red embossed exterior liner, measuring 40 cm long with a diameter of 84 mm, also in mint condition.

Footnote: Ivan I. Gošnjak (June 10th, 1909 - February 8th, 1980) was a Croatian and Yugoslav communist who held several important positions during and after the Second World War. He was a carpenter by profession and joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 1933. He attended Lenin School for one year during 1935, receiving lectures from Josip Tito. In January 1937 he was stationed as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War. Following the defeat of the republican forces in Spain, Gošnjak was a prisoner of war from 1939 until his escape in 1941. He traveled from France to Croatia with a fake passport, and joined Tito’s partisans later in 1941. Ivan Gošnjak served under Tito as Defense Minister from 1950-1953 and was elected a member of the Politburo several years in a row at the at the Yugoslav congress. General Ivan Gošnjak retired from active military service in 1974, and was later appointed to serve on the Council of Federation. He is buried in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens in Belgrade, Serbia.