Sergej Mašera

Sergej Mašera (May 11, 1912 – April 17, 1941) was a naval Lieutenant of the Yugoslav Royal Navy. At the end of the April War, Mašera, along with his fellow Lieutenant Milan Spasić, scuttled the Destroyer Zagreb in the Bay of Kotor near Tivat to prevent it from being captured by the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina Italiana). They both died in the explosion and subsequently became revered Yugoslav heroes of the Second World War.

Before World War II
Sergej Mašera was born in 1912, in a Slovene family in Gorizia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian County of Gorizia and Gradisca (now in Italy). After the end of World War I, his family fled from the Italian-administered Julian March to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia), in order to escape the violent policies of Fascist Italianization. They first settled in Slovenian Carinthia in and then in Ljubljana. In Ljubljana he attended primary and secondary education, before enrolling to the Naval Military Academy (VII class) in Dubrovnik, which lasted three years. Upon completion of the Academy in 1932, he gained the rank of Corvette Lieutenant.

April War and Death
In the time of outbreak of the short April War in 1941, Sergej Mašera was a lieutenant on Destroyer Zagreb stationed in Dobrota (Bay of Kotor ), the first officer in charge of the ship's artillery.

Destroyer Zagreb together with destroyers Belgrade and Dubrovnik was then the most recent Yugoslav Navy ship, and therefore the target of an air attack of five Regia Aeronautica bombers on 6 April, but the attack was carried out from a great height - and not suffered any damage. Italian aircraft bombed the Bay once again on 13 April, but even then did not made any damage to "Zagreb". But on 15 April demoralized and smashed Yugoslav Royal Army asked for a truce, and the crews of ships stationed in the Bay of Kotor were instructed to do not open fire on the Axis forces and to surrender peacefully. Indeed they were ordered to not destroy anything. Most of the sailors landed on the mainland, and on 17 April in the Bay of Kotor began to enter Italian forces. Then for the remaining crew members of Destroyer Zagreb (an approximately 14 h) were ordered to abandon ship.

But Sergej Mašera along with his schoolmate lieutenant Spasić decided that the ship could not deliver the Italians and refused the order of his commander Captain Nikola Krizomalija to abandon the ship. A little later they blew up the ship in the air with ordinary cords, but with the utmost sacrifice - lost of their lives.

After two explosions - Destroyer Zagreb badly damaged, sank to the shallow bottom. The body of Sergej Mašera was not found (unlike Milan Spasić), but he was buried along with Milan Spasić on 19 April 1941, on the naval cemetery at village Savini near Herceg Novi. In their funeral many people came, and one detachment of the Italian army - who were impressed by the heroism of Sergej Mašera and Milan Spasic and accompanied them with the usual military honors. On 24 April, seven days after the explosion - fishermens have found in the sea just a torso of Sergej Mašera.

Legacy of Spasić & Mašera
Soon after their feat and their sacrifice reported the British newspapers (Daily Mirror). The British Army have already in 1942 within their barracks in Malta erected a Commemorative plaque dedicated to the Masić & Spasić. British journalist David Divine, in his book "Navies in Exile" (London: John Murray, 1944.) particularly stressed feat Spasic and Mašera. In the FPR Yugoslavia on the rank of the first postwar years - nobody say anything or written (and not even know) - about Spasić & Mašera, they probably did not fit the ideological form that only the communists have a proper concept and patriotism enough to resist the occupiers. Spasic and Mašera are probably not fit into that framework, King King Peter II, exactly in those years, was accused for collaboration with the Axis powers through the Chetniks. Indirectly these charges were related to all royal officers, and then it could not be explained how are these two young Lieutenants able to do such heroic act. About them is started to timid write and speak until 1960s, following the democratization of the Yugoslavia (Economic reform 1964 /1965) The French have taken a film Flammes sur l'Adriatique (Flames on Adriatic) on 1968, dedicated to this event by scenario of Meša Selimović directed by Alexandre Astruc and Stjepan Čikeš.

On the wave of these processes they have been declared People's Hero of Yugoslavia by decree of President Tito on 10 September 1973, on the occasion of 30 anniversary of Yugoslav War Navy.

After that, by their names are called some of the street in Yugoslav cities (like Mašerin prilaz in the Siget settlement in Novi Zagreb - until to the 1990s, - today is renamed) In the Montenegrin town Tivat they have a monument in the city park. Since 1967 Maritime Museum in Piran carry the name Sergej Mašera. According to their names Youth Hostel near town Kotor, carry the name „Spasić - Mašera”. Many towns in Slovenia also have streets named after Mašera and Spasič, including Ljubljana, Nova Gorica, and Koper. In Nova Gorica, there is a monument to Sergej Mašera.