The 6th Proletarian Assault Lika Division "Nikola Tesla" () was a Yugoslav Partisan division formed on 22 November 1942. It was formed from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Lika Brigades. On 11 November 1943, it became part of the 4th Corps and later a part of the 1st Corps. It operated in Dalmatia until November 1943 when it crossed into Bosnia, later it fought in Serbia and on the Syrmian Front. From October 1944, the 22nd Serbian Kosmaj Brigade also fought as part of the division, and in December 1944 an Artillery Brigade was formed within the division.

After its formation, it participated in the operations of the 1st Bosnian Corps in the lower course of the Una, and at the end of 1942 and early 1943 it carried out attacks on Italian, Ustaše and Chetnik garrisons in Lika and northern Dalmatia. During the initial phase of the Operation Weiss, it successfully led battles against strong Italian forces, to which it inflicted heavy losses in Lapačko polje. Then, together with the units of the 8th Kordun Division, it captured all enemy possessions in Lika, except for Gospić.

In November 1943, the division moved to Bosnia, where it took part in intensive combat operations against the enemy forces. It distinguished itself during Operation Rösselsprung when it rescued the Supreme Headquarters, on 25 May 1944. In September 1944, together with the 1st Proletarian Division, it managed to penetrate Serbia, took part in the defeat of the Chetnik Fourth Group of Assault Corps and weaker German parts, as well as the liberation of Valjevo and parts of western Serbia. In the Belgrade operation, in October 1944, it distinguished herself in breaking the resistance in the ministry buildings in Nemanjina Street and liberating Zemun. It took part in the fighting on the Syrmian Front, and after its breakthrough, together with the units of the 21st Serbia Division, it took part in the liberation of Đakovo and Slavonski Brod. Then it took part in the final operations for the liberation of Yugoslavia and on 9 May 1945, it entered Zagreb.

It was considered one of the most combative divisions among Yugoslav Partisans and for the successes achieved in the battles, by the decision of the Supreme Headquarters, on 19 March 1944. It was declared proletarian and named after the scientist Nikola Tesla, who was a native of Lika. All three brigades, which were part of the division when it was formed, were also declared proletarian and awarded the Order of the People's Hero.

Formation of the division Development of the Partisan resistance in Yugoslavia during 1942 was such that it became impossible to manage brigades, battalions, and partisan detachments in a previous way, so in the autumn of the same year, the Yugoslav Partisan Army was formed. In the army, the first divisions and corps were formed, which were easily mobile, maneuverable units suitable for combat operations in all parts of Yugoslavia. They were organizationally, as well as politically and morally prepared. First divisions formed, by order of the Supreme Headquarters on 1 November 1942 were the First and The Second Proletarian and Third Assault Divisions, and then on 9 November, the Fourth and Fifth Krajina Divisions. By an order number 95 of Supreme HQ in the area of the Main Staff of the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Croatia, three divisions were formed - 6th Lika, 7th Banija and 8th Kordun divisions, as well as the 1st Croatian Corps which was composed of the three newly formed divisions.

With the order on the formation of the 6th Lika Division, the 1st, 2nd, and 9th Brigade of the National Liberation Army of Croatia became part of it, which were then renamed to 1st Lika Brigade, 2nd Lika Brigade, and 3rd Lika Brigade. At the time of the formation of the 6th Division, all three brigades that were part of it were located outside Lika - the 1st Lika Brigade in the Veljun region, the 2nd Lika Brigade between Cetingrad and Velika Kladuša, and the 3rd Lika Brigade was located in the region of Bosansko Grahovo, where it was under the direct command of the Supreme Headquarters.

Srećko Manola, former commander of the First Operational Zone of Croatia and lieutenant in the Spanish Republican Army, was appointed for the division commander, and Rade Žigić, former political commissar of the Headquarters of the Group of Partisan Detachments for Lika, was appointed for political commissar. Other positions in the headquarters of the division were filled in December, when Milan Šakić Mićun, the former commander of the 2nd Lika Brigade, was appointed for the Chief of the Division Headquarters; Ilija Bato Orlić was appointed for the intelligence officer of the division; Milan Bobić, former deputy commander of the 1st Brigade, was appointed for the operative officer. The headquarters of the 6th Division was subordinated to the Headquarters of the 1st Croatian Corps, headed by Commander Ivan Gošnjak. +Number of soldiers and weapons in 6th Division upon its formationBrigade1st Lika 2nd Lika 3rd Lika TotalSoldiers1,0821,0711,2013,354Rifles8279699362,732Machine guns712625Light machine guns435620119Mortars25310

Operations

First operations (November 1942 - January 1943) After the establishment, the units of the 6th Lika Division took part in the joint actions of the 1st Bosnian and the 1st Croatian Corps in the valleys of the Sana and Una rivers at the end of November 1942. The 1st and 2nd Lika Brigades, in cooperation with two brigades of the 7th Banija Division, took part in the attack on the Croatian Home Guard garrison in Dvor na Uni from November 26 to 29, but they failed because of an intervention of stronger enemy forces from Kostajnica. During that time, the 3rd Lika Brigade took part in the battles near Bosansko Grahovo and Golubić. After this, the units of the 6th Lika Division concentrated in Lika in December 1942 where they carried out attacks on Italian, Ustaše, Home Guard and Chetnik forces until mid-January 1943.

Operation Weiss (January - March 1943)

During the first phase of Operation Weiss, units of the 6th Lika Division and the Lika Partisan Detachment fought hard in the heavy snow and severe cold and slowed the advance of Italian divisions - the 12th Infantry Division Sassari and the 13th Infantry Division Re, which tried to penetrate the liberated territory of Lika and further towards Bosanski Petrovac with Ustaše and Chetnik forces. The 6th Lika Division in cooperation with the units of 8th Kordun Division managed to carry out a successful counterattack against Italian Division Sassari near Gornji Lapac between 18 and 21 February 1943. In these battles, 470 enemy soldiers were killed or injured and a large amount of military equipment was seized. The 6th Division continued a counter-offensive in a wide area from Knin to Otočac, they captured parts of Northern Dalmatia and all of Lika except for Gospić. They also destroyed the railway in Lika. During this counter-offensive, more than 1,200 enemy soldiers were imprisoned and artillery pieces, mortars, machine guns and rifles were seized. During the night between 2 and 3 March 1943, the 6th Division together with two brigades of 8th Division attacked 5,000 men-strong Ustaše garrison in Gospić but they failed to capture it.

Operations in Lika and Dalmatia (May - October 1943) At the end of May 1943, the 2nd Lika Brigade was sent to Knin, where it fought against Italian, Chetnik and Ustaše forces until the beginning of September 1943, capturing several places, including Kijevo on July 26 and Vrlika on August 5. During that time, the 1st and 3rd Lika Brigades fought in the area of Ličko Polje and Gacko Polje. In July 1943, by the order of the Main Staff of the National Liberation Army and the Partisan Detachments of Croatia, the Blue Adriatic partisan company was placed under the command of the HQ of 6th Division, operating in the area between Obrovac and Karlobag. In September 1943, it grew into a detachment, which continued its independent activities on the between Obrovac and Zadar. During September and October 1943, units of the 6th Lika Division attacked parts of the German 114th Jäger and 373rd Legionary Divisions at the Donji Lapac-Gračac road and it fought in the Gospić area.

After the capitulation of Italy, in September 1943, over 200 fighters-leaders were sent from the division to northern Dalmatia and Istria, where they represented the leading staff for the newly formed units. At the same time, the division's units were filled with about 1,000 new fighters from the Croatian coast. By the order of the Main Staff of the National Liberation Army and the Croatian Armed Forces, on October 24, 1943, the Headquarters of the 6th Lika Division formed a Lika Partisan Detachment of 150 fighters.

Operations in Bosnia (October 1943 - June 1944)

On 11 November 1943, the 6th Lika Division left the Serb region and reached Bugojno via Drvar and Kupres, where it became part of the 1st Proletarian Corps, while the Lika Partisan Detachment remained active in Lika. Together with the units of the 1st Proletarian Division, the units of the 6th Lika Division took part in the battles near Travnik and Zenica in the second half of November and early December 1943, thus securing the liberated Jajce where the Second session of AVNOJ was held.

Between December 1943 and January 1944 brigades of the division carried out several independent operations. On the night of 16/17 December, the 2nd Lika Brigade successfully attacked German garrison in Šujica, in January 1944 the brigade moved to the liberated Drvar. The 3rd Lika Brigade moved towards Banja Luka via Jajce, Mrkonjić Grad and Ključ where it took part in the First Banja Luka Operation on New Year's Eve. In the beginning of December 1943, the 1st Lika Brigade operated on the route from Travnik to Jajce and Donji Vakuf. The brigade was later sent to Mrkonjić Grad area where it fought against German 92nd Motorized Regiment, between 8 and 11 January 1944. From 13 to 20 January 1944, units of the 6th Lika Division fought fierce battles near Pecka, Medna, Gerzovo, Mlinište and Jasenovi Potoci against strong German motorized forces that penetrated from Banja Luka and Mrkonjić Grad towards Glamoč.

The Supreme Commander of the Yugoslav Partisans, Josip Broz Tito, expressed his gratitude to the entire composition of the division for the heroism shown in these battles. At the beginning of February, the 1st Lika Brigade moved to the Drvar area, and the 3rd Lika Brigade to Glamoč. For the successes achieved in the battles, the 6th Lika Division was declared proletarian on 19 March 1944 by the Decree of the Supreme Headquarters and was named after the scientist Nikola Tesla. This was the first time for the division to be declared proletarian in Yugoslav Partisans, previously division would become proletarian through its brigades. Simultaneously with the assignment of the proletarian title to the division, all three of its brigades became proletarian as well.

At beginning of April 1944, units of the 6th Division gathered in Drvar area to prevent enemy attack and to protect the Supreme Headquarters staff. At that time, about 150 Soviet prisoners who had previously escaped from German units joined the division. Russian Battalion was formed from the Soviets as a part of the 1st Lika Brigade. On 17 May 1944, Russian Battalion was dissolved because of its fighting weaknesses and the soldiers form the battalion were transferred to other units of the 1st and 3rd Lika Brigades.

Operation Rösselsprung (May - June 1944)