Martin Špegelj facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Špegelj
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Martin Špegelj 2011
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| 2nd Minister of Defence of Croatia | |
| In office 24 August 1990 – 2 July 1991 |
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| President | Franjo Tuđman |
| Prime Minister | Stjepan Mesić Josip Manolić |
| Preceded by | Petar Kriste |
| Succeeded by | Šime Đodan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 November 1927 Pitomača, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (now Croatia) |
| Died | 11 May 2014 (aged 86) Zagreb, Croatia |
| Political party | League of Communists of Yugoslavia (until 1990) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Yugoslavia(1941–1943)  Yugoslavia(1943–1989)  Croatia(1990–1992) |
| Branch/service | Yugoslav Ground Forces Croatian Armed Forces |
| Years of service | 1941–1989 1990–1992 |
| Rank | Colonel General (YPA) General of the Army (HV) |
| Commands | Commander of 5th Army District YPA Croatian Defence Minister Chief of General Staff HV |
| Battles/wars | World War II Croatian War of Independence |
Martin Špegelj (born November 11, 1927 – died May 11, 2014) was an important Croatian army general and politician. He served as Croatia's second defense minister. Later, he became the chief of staff for the new Croatian army. He also worked as the inspector-general of the army.
Špegelj worked very hard to build and equip the Croatian army from the ground up. Many people believe his efforts were key to Croatia surviving the first year of the Croatian War of Independence. He retired in 1992 after the war mostly stopped with a ceasefire. This was partly because he had some disagreements with President Franjo Tuđman.
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Early Life and Military Career
Martin Špegelj was born on November 11, 1927, in a place called Stari Gradac, which is part of Pitomača. During World War II, he was a partisan soldier. These were fighters who resisted the occupation of their country.
Over time, he rose through the ranks. He became a General in the 5th Yugoslav Army (JNA) Army District. This district was based in Zagreb, which is now the capital of Croatia.
After Croatia held its first free elections, Špegelj became the second Defence Minister. He was one of the few top leaders in Croatia who believed that a war was coming and could not be avoided.
Preparing for Conflict
Špegelj worked with the military leaders of Slovenia. Together, they created a plan to defend both countries if the JNA attacked them. At the same time, Špegelj was secretly bringing weapons into Yugoslavia. He was arming groups of fighters and getting them ready to defend against the JNA.
The Špegelj Tapes
In mid-1990, a group of Croatian Serbs started an armed uprising. This event is known as the Log Revolution. They refused to accept the authority of the Croatian government. The JNA supported them, first secretly, then openly.
At this time, Croatian forces did not have many weapons. So, Špegelj started buying weapons through the black market. He imported arms from countries that used to be part of the Warsaw Pact, like Hungary and Romania.
In October 1990, Špegelj was recorded talking to someone he thought was an assistant. However, this person was actually a secret agent from KOS. KOS was a military intelligence service of Yugoslavia. The Croatian War of Independence had not officially started yet.
In these recorded conversations, Špegelj talked about arming Croatians. He was preparing them for Croatia to become independent and for the civil war that he expected.
These recordings became known as the Špegelj tapes. In January 1991, they were made into a documentary film. This film was shown to the public across Yugoslavia. The government in Belgrade used these tapes to try and turn people against the newly elected Croatian government.
At first, Croatian leaders, including Špegelj himself, quickly said the tapes were fake. They claimed that the conversations were harmless and that the voices were added later. However, the truth about the tapes was later confirmed. Stjepan Mesić, who was the president of Croatia, was one of the first on the Croatian side to admit the tapes were real. He did say that some sentences might have been taken out of context.
Because of this, the JNA leaders in Belgrade wanted Špegelj to be put on trial for treason. To help calm the situation, President Tuđman removed Špegelj from his position. Fearing for his safety, Špegelj went to Austria and stayed there for several months.
Returning to Croatia
Tensions were rising, and the first deaths of the coming war had begun. Špegelj was convinced to return to Croatia. He came back to become the chief of staff for the new Croatian army, which was still being formed.
In June 1991, the Slovenian War happened. Špegelj wanted to use the joint defense plan he had created. This plan would have meant Croatia attacking JNA army bases within Croatia. This was known as Špegelj's plan. However, President Tuđman was worried about a full-scale fight. He decided not to support the Slovenes in this way.
Later, Špegelj was made inspector-general of the Croatian army. He was replaced as chief of staff partly because he often disagreed with Tuđman.
Only a few months later, a full-scale war broke out in Croatia. Špegelj's plan for attacking the JNA's army bases in Croatia was put into action. This led to the Battle of the Barracks. This battle was very important because it helped Croatia get many much-needed heavy weapons.
The war in Croatia became less intense after a ceasefire was arranged by the United Nations in early 1992. After this, Špegelj officially retired from the military.
After the War
After the war, Špegelj became a strong critic of Tuđman's policies. He accused Tuđman and his supporters of war profiteering. This means making money unfairly from the war.
In 2001, Špegelj published his autobiography. In this book, he was very critical of Tuđman's political party, HDZ. He argued that their actions made the war worse than it needed to be. He also said they supported some groups in Bosnia, which led to fighting between different groups during the Bosnian War.
In turn, Špegelj was criticized by people who supported Tuđman. One notable critic was Davor Domazet-Lošo. He believed that the June 1991 Slovenian War was just an excuse to pull Croatia into the conflict.
