Mihajlo Apostolski
| Mihajlo Apostolski | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Михајло Апостолски |
| Born | November 8, 1906 Štip, Ottoman Empire (now Republic of Macedonia) |
| Died |
August 7, 1987 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | Bulgarian[1], later Macedonian[2] |
| Alma mater | Military Academy in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| Occupation | colonel general, politician, historian |
| Known for |
Commander of the Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army and Partisan detachments in Macedonia during World War II.[2] |
| Title | Dr., PhD. |
| Term | President of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (1976-1983) |
| Predecessor | Blaže Koneski (1967-1975) |
| Successor |
Jordan Pop Jordanov (1984-1991) |
| Political party | Communist Party of Yugoslavia (since April 1942) |
| Spouse | Cveta Apostolska |
Mihajlo Apostolski (Macedonian: Михаjло Апостолски, Bulgarian: Михаил Апостолов) (born on 8 November 1906 as Mihail Apostolov in a Bulgarian[3] family from Štip, Ottoman Empire (now Republic of Macedonia) - 7 August 1987 in Dojran, SFR Yugoslavia (now Republic of Macedonia)) was an Yougoslavian general, military theoretician, politician, historian, Commander of the Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army and Partisan detachments in Macedonia.[2][4]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
He attended primary and secondary school in Štip (now Republic of Macedonia). In 1927 graduated from the Military Academy in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1933 he graduated from the High Military Academy, and in 1938 graduated Commanding Academy (serbocroatian: Generastabna Akademija).
During the invasion of Yugoslavia by Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Romania, in April 1941, as a commander of the alpine units, he ordered demolition of bridges in order to slow the progress of the German troops.[5]
After the capitulation of Yugoslavia was captured by the Italian army and was taken to the camp Vestone. Shortly after his father, Bulgarian army veteran, made a request to the Bulgarian Minister of War and it was granted soon. Apostolski, as well as other 12,000 Macedonian POWs, were released with Bulgarian intervention by German, Italian and Hungarian authorities.[6][7][8][9] After his liberation from the prison, Apostolski was offered to became Bulgarian officer with rank captain, but he considered this unsatisfactory.[10] Thus, in September Apostolski entered the Macedonian National Liberation Army and became a partisan leader in the National Liberation War of Macedonia. In May 1943 he was appointed Major General. During the Second Session of AVNOJ he was appointed to the Presidency of AVNOJ.[2] In addition to the Macedonian brigades operating under his command, in February 1944, he commanded the brigades from Kosovo and Southern Serbia.[2] He became a member of the Initiative Board for organization of ASNOM. He participated in the First Session of the ASNOM and was elected to its Presidency.[2] He successfully fought against forces of Bulgaria (which, even today, considers itself as force that liberated Macedonia, while in Republic of Macedonia it is considered as occupying force),[11] as well as against Italian fascist and German nazi forces throughout World War II.
[edit] After World War II
After the Second World War Apostolski became one of the military leaders of new SFRY.
After the end of his active military service he began intensively to deal with history of the Macedonian nation. From 1965 to 1970 was head of the Institute of National History in Skopje.
He was actively involved in formation of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, of which he was member since its creation. He was president of Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts for the period 1976-1983.[2]
He was also member of:
- Serbian Academy of Sciences,
- Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (now: Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts),
- Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and
- Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo.
[edit] Legacy
In 1995 the Military Academy in Republic of Macedonia was named "General Mihajlo Apostolski".
[edit] References
- ^ Dimitre Minchev (Military Publishing House, Sofia, 2002) Bulgarian Camagne Committees in Macedonia - 1941, Shtip, July 23, 1941, Document № 41.
- ^ a b c d e f g Blaze Risteski (editor), Macedonian Encyclopedia (vol. I), MANU, 2009, Skopje.
- ^ Dimitre Minchev (Military Publishing House, Sofia, 2002) Bulgarian Camagne Committees in Macedonia - 1941, Shtip, July 23, 1941, Document № 41. (I am taking the liberty to ask you most politely, General, to be so kind to order the necessary steps to be undertaken, so that my son, who is Bulgarian, born by Bulgarian parents in the town of Shtip, to be set free.)
- ^ Narodni heroji Jugoslavije, Mladost, Beograd 1975.
- ^ Kiro Gligorov, Macedonia is Everything we Have, Izdavacki centar TRI, 2001, Skopje Macedonian: Киро Глигоров, Македонија е сè што имаме, Издавачки центар ТРИ, 2001, Скопје
- ^ Letter No.11660 From the Ministry of Ware to the Bulgarian Central Campaign Committee of Macedonia Sofia, May 28, 1941 CSA, fund 396, list 1, file 37, page 4. Original, typed.
- ^ Resolution from General Mitev was: Rome, to be set free, signed on 02.07.1941. CMA, f. 20, op. IV, a.e. 25.
- ^ Dimitre Minchev (Military Publishing House, Sofia, 2002) Bulgarian Camagne Committees in Macedonia - 1941, Shtip, July 23, 1941, Document № 41.
- ^ Bulgarian Central Military Archives (CMA), fund 20, list 4, file 25.
- ^ Contested Ethnic Identity: The Case of Macedonian Immigrants in Toronto, 1900-1996, Chris Kostov, Peter Lang, 2010, ISBN 3034301960, p. 13.
- ^ Rastislav Terziovski, Mihajlo Apostolski. Views on the Yugoslav-Bulgarian relations in the Second World War "Nasa Kniga", Skopje, 1982nd
