Marko Babić was a Croatian war hero who returned from abroad in 1991 to defend his homeland during the Homeland War. Known for his bravery in the Battle of Vukovar, especially on Trpinjska Road, Babić became a symbol of resistance against Serbian aggression. This is the remarkable true story of a born leader who gave everything for Croatia.
Working abroad before the war
In the mid-1980s, like many Croats, he went abroad to work.
He was first in Germany, and then in Switzerland. When he saw the threats posed by the Greater Serbian politics towards Croatia, he didn’t hesitate for a moment.
In April 1991, Marko Babić returned to his homeland, to his native Vukovar, and offered himself for the defence of the city. He was stationed in the Borovo neighbourhood where the legendary Blago Zadro was the commander. He did not possess any particular military knowledge, but he had the heart and determination to defend his homeland at any cost.
First combat and the birth of a legend
This became evident during the first major tank attack on that part of Vukovar. The Serbian forces advanced arrogantly, convinced they would capture the Croatian city within days.
Marko was on position with other defenders when a Serbian tank approached them. One of his comrades had an “osa”, a handheld rocket launcher, which was meant to be fired at the tank.
However, partly due to inexperience and partly out of fear — as the entire street shook when the tank approached — he simply, in military terms, froze. Marko then cursed and told his comrade to show him how to use it.
He then took aim and fired. He hit the tank, then turned to his comrades and smiled with his recognisable grin. That was the beginning of the legendary battle on Trpinjska Road, which soon became known as the “graveyard of Serbian tanks”.
Tactical brilliance on Trpinjska Road
He later described one of the attacks:
“Everything was full of tanks, everything shook because of them. We let them get close. We moved through the gardens of houses, waited for the tank, hit the first one, retreated 50 metres, hit another. We hit them through fences toward the road. What was our advantage and our luck? The JNA came in arrogantly, cocky and full of themselves. They left the infantry about 200 metres behind, so the tanks were like sitting ducks!” he said.
Inspiring resistance
He also explained why this was important.
“We have to show others that we can stop them. Only when we do that, people won’t run, but will stay and fight to the end,” he said.
He personally destroyed 14 tanks, and some say another five or six. He never bragged about it. For his demonstrated bravery, he earned great respect. After the tragic death of Blago Zadro, he was chosen at a defenders’ meeting to be his successor.
Holding the line and continuing the fight
Until just before the fall of the city, Serbian tanks were unable to break through. Marko left Vukovar during a breakout. He continued to fight on other fronts afterwards. He left the army with honourable discharge in 1997 with the rank of colonel. He refused to take a veteran’s pension.
A life of service and a sudden end
He was the initiator of a television series about the defence of Vukovar. He did not live to see its completion. At the funeral of one of his comrades, he fell ill. He died of a stroke in Zagreb in 2007 at the age of 42.
He died before the remains of his parents, Iva and Stipan, were found — they had been taken from their home by the Serbian army.
Today, a vocational secondary school in Vukovar that he attended bears his name, as does the Leadership Development Centre in Udbina, where commandos are trained.
A warrior and a leader
Those who fought alongside him say — he was the embodiment of a born warrior and leader.
