By the end of September 1942, Yugoslav partisans in Dalmatia intensified their actions against the axis forces, which caused disturbance among Italian officers who were in charge of that region. Italian General Umberto Spigo, commander of the XVIIIth Army Corps was particularly frustrated with Independent State of Croatia's authorities because he considered that they are not cooperating sufficiently with the Italians and because they weren't able to obtain information about recent communist sabotages from the local Croatian population. Italians therefore devised plan of action against communist activities in area of Omiš. As additional reinforcements, some 150 chetniks were brought by Italian transport trucks. Around 6 am, on 1 October 1942, elements of chetnik forces started moving towards Dalmatian village of Gata.
The Massacre
Just before entering the village, chetniks met group of Croatian women who were carrying milk to Omiš. The women were killed by slitting their throats. Gata was then surrounded by the Italian and chetnik forces after which chetniks started massacring locals. Then nine year old boy Maksim spotted his cousin Ante who was running away covered in blood, with a knife sticking out of his throat. He then alarmed rest of his family which started escaping towards mount Mosor. Then 12 year old survivor Andrija Pivčević recalled witnessed events:
" I was in a group of twelve. I've seen with my own eyes how they killed people. I saw them slaughtering Danica Miloš, her 10 year old son and how they tossed her 1 year old daughter in the air and impaled her on a bayonet. At first they shot me with a rifle in my buttock, then one chetnik approached me and asked me if I prefer being finished by a bullet or a knife. I was begging him not to kill me because I was my mom's only son. He then started stabbing me with his knife. He stabbed me 9 times."
Pivčević survived the massacre by pretending to be dead and after the war, he testified on a trial of Draža Mihajlović. After the mass killings were over, most of the village houses were set alight by the chetniks. The youngest victim of this carnage was nine months old baby, while the oldest was 87 year old woman.
Remembrance
On 70th anniversary of the massacre, commemoration was held. Among notable people present was the Croatian presidentIvo Josipović. Elementary school in Gata is named "1st October 1942." in remembrance of this event.
