Boško Buha was a young Yugoslav

Yugoslavs

Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...

 Partisan

Partisans (Yugoslavia)

The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...

 who used to be one of the greatest icons of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in the former Yugoslavia

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...

.

Boško Buha was born to Serbian

Serbs of Croatia

Višeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...

 parents in the Slavonia

Slavonia

Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...

n village of Gradina

Gradina, Croatia

Gradina is a municipality in Croatia in the Virovitica–Podravina County. It has a population of 4,485 , 85.6% which are Croats. Gradina is the birthplace of Boško Buha, famous Serbian WWII child-hero, member of the Yugoslav Partisans....

, near Virovitica

Virovitica

Virovitica is a Croatian town near the Croatian-Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,663, with 21,327 people in the municipality...

 in today's Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

. In 1941, after the Axis

Axis Powers

The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...

 invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...

 and the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia

Independent State of Croatia

The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...

, his family was targeted by Ustasha and had to seek shelter in Serbia.

Buha eventually reached territory under Partisan

Partisans (Yugoslavia)

The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...

 control. There he tried to join the Partisans

Partisans (Yugoslavia)

The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...

, but he was rejected due to his young age (at the time he was only 15). After a few attempts, he managed to con his way into the Partisans and took part in active combat. In 1942 he joined the 2nd Proletarian Brigade of YNLA.

Soon he developed a talent for sneaking towards enemy bunker

Bunker

A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...

s and destroying them with hand grenade

Hand grenade

A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...

s. His talent and bravery almost immediately became stuff of legends and his unit, which had many young men and teenagers, was nicknamed the "Partisan Artillery". In late 1942 Buha was publicly commended by Tito

Josip Broz Tito

Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...

.

A year later, Boško Buha died when the truck he was in got ambushed by the Chetniks

Chetniks

Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...

. After the war Boško Buha received the title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia

People's Hero of Yugoslavia

The Order of the People's Hero was a Yugoslav gallantry medal, the second highest military award, and third overall Yugoslav decoration. It was awarded to individuals, military units, political and other organisations who distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroic deeds during war and in...

.

A theatre house

Boško Buha Theatre

Boško Buha Theatre is the theater in Belgrade, Serbia. It was founded in 1950 by Gita Predić-Nušić i Đurđinka Marković, as first Serbian professional theatre for the children. Now, it is one of the most famous Serbian children theatre, with numerous festivals and plays...

 in Belgrade

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

 is named after him. In 1979, the Croatian director Branko Bauer

Branko Bauer

-Early life:Bauer became interested in cinema as a school boy, influenced by a Jewish girl, a piano player, who was hiding from Ustaše in his parents' home. After World War II, he began working in the Zagreb-based Jadran Film studio as a documentary filmmaker...

made a film about his life.

Boško Buha shouldn't be mistaken for contemporary Serbian police official with the same name.