Ivan Gošnjak

Ivan Gošnjak Иван Гошњак
Ivan Gošnjak, 1966.
2ndFederal Secretary of People's Defence of Yugoslavia
In office 14 January 1953 – 18 May 1967
Preceded by	Josip Broz Tito
Succeeded by	Nikola Ljubičić
Personal details
Born	(1909-06-10)10 June 1909 Ogulin,Croatia-Slavonia,Austria-Hungary
Died	8 February 1980(1980-02-08)(aged 70) Belgrade,SR Serbia,SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality	Yugoslav
Political party	SKJ
Spouse	Tea Gošnjak
Awards	Order of Freedom Order of National Hero of Yugoslavia
Military service
Allegiance	Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Branch/service	International Brigades Yugoslav People's Army
Years of service	1937–1939 1941–1974
Rank	General of the Army
Commands	Yugoslav People's Army
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War World War II

Ivan Gošnjak(10 June 1909 – 8 February 1980) was aCroatianandYugoslavcommunist who held numerous important offices inYugoslaviaduring and afterWorld War II,serving as the Minister of Defence from 1953 to 1967.

Ivan Gošnjak was a carpenter by profession and joined theCommunist Party of Yugoslaviain 1933. In 1935 Gošnjak was sent toMoscowand was enrolled for one year at theLenin Schoolwhere he also attended lectures by "comrade Walter", better known by his World War II-era codenameTito.In 1936 Gošnjak was sent to a military barracks inRyazanwhere he was given the designation "Number 36", instead of his real name and was given military instruction before being sent as avolunteerto theSpanish Civil Warin January 1937. A great admirer ofJoseph Stalin,Gošnjak was appointedcaptainin theInternational Brigades.After the defeat of the republican forces inSpain,Gošnjak was detained inFrancein 1939. After the capitulation of France in 1940 Gošnjak escaped from the camp, going in 1941 to Germany as a worker. InGermanyhe used a fake passport, and in July 1942 returned toCroatiaand immediately joinedTito's partisans.

As a Spanish civil war veteran, he was given command of allCroatian Partisanunits, regrouped in the4th (Croatian) Corps,in 1943. Gošnjak was appointed as deputycommander-in-chiefat the end of the war, a post which he held until 1950.

In 1946, Tito wanted to send him to complete his military studies at the SovietVoroshilov Military Academy,but Gošnjak asked him for permission to stay inBelgradeand work in theCentral Committee.Tito agreed and later appointed him as deputy Defence Minister (1950–1953). At the Fifth Yugoslav CP congress Gošnjak was elected a member of thePolitburoand later was made a member of the Executive Committee (the new name for the Politburo), elected at the sixth (1952), seventh (1958), and eighth (1964) party congresses. In 1953 Gošnjak became Defence Minister, a post which he held until 1967 when he was replaced byGeneral of the ArmyNikola Ljubičić.In 1963, he was considered for promotion to the rank ofgeneralbut was never promoted.

General Ivan Gošnjak retired from active military service in 1974, and was later appointed to serve on the Council of Federation, an advisory body to President Tito.He is buried in theAlley of Distinguished CitizensinBelgrade,Serbia.