Draža Mihailović

Dragoljub Mihailovic
File:DrazamWW2.jpg Draža Mihailović during the Second World War
Nickname(s)	Чича Дража or Čiča Draža
Allegiance	Allies of World War I and Allies of World War II
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1910-1946
Rank	General
Commands	Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland
Awards	Legion of Merit

Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгољуб "Дража" Михаиловић; Anglicised: Drazha Mihailovich ; also known as Чича or Čiča) (April 27, 1893 - July 17, 1946) was a Serbian general now primarily remembered as leader of the Yugoslav Royal Army in the Fatherland during World War II. After the war, he was tried by the Communist Partisans for collaboration with Fascists and crimes against civilian population, shot and then buried in an unmarked grave. U.S. President Harry S. Truman posthumously awarded him the Legion of Merit for overseeing the rescue of five hundred American airmen by Chetniks during World War II.

Early life

Born in Ivanjica, Kingdom of Serbia, Mihailović went to the Serbian military academy in October 1910 and as a cadet fought in the Balkan Wars 1912–1913. In July 1913 he was given rank of Second Lieutenant as the top soldier in his class. He served in World War I and together with the Serbian army marched through Albania in 1915 during the long retreat of the Serbian army. He later received several decorations for his achievements on the Salonica front.

Between the wars he became a staff officer (elite of Serbian/Yugoslav army) and achieved the rank of colonel. He also served as military attaché in Sofia and Prague.

His military career almost came to an abrupt end after several incidents, the most important one being the idea of dividing the Yugoslav army along national lines into (Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes), for which he was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment. World War II found Mihailović occupying a minor position of assistant to chief of staff of the Second Army.

World War II

Following the Yugoslav defeat by Germany in April 1941, a small group of officers and soldiers led by Mihailović refused to surrender, and retreated in hope of finding Yugoslav army units still fighting in the mountains. After arriving at Ravna Gora, Serbia on May 8, he realized that his group of seven officers and twenty four non-commissioned officers and soldiers was the only one.

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Colonel Mihailović, 1930s

At Ravna Gora, Mihailović organized the Chetniks detachment of the Yugoslav Army, which became the Military-Chetnik Detachments and finally the Yugoslav Army of the Homeland (Југословенска војска у отаџбини or Jugoslovenska vojska u otadžbini).

The first Chetnik formations led by Mihailović were formed around Ravna Gora on June 14. The stated goal of the Chetniks was the liberation of the country from the occupying armies including the forces of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Ustaše (the fascist regime of the Independent State of Croatia).

However, he decided against a mass uprising because of catastrophic Serb losses in World War I, in which the Kingdom of Serbia lost a quarter of its population to the war. Instead, Mihailović gathered logistics in men and weapons, waiting for an Allied landing in the Balkans. Kosta Milovanović Pećanac, a First World War uprising leader and former Chetnik himself, opposed this view and opted for cooperation with the Germans against the Communists. Pećanac and Mihailović became rivals, both claiming the Chetnik heritage and with Pećanac commanding a much smaller allegiance than Mihailović. Because of his open collaboration with the Germans, Pećanac was shot in 1944 by Mihailović's Chetniks for treason upon his capture.

In 1943, the Fascist-sponsored regime in Serbia offered a reward of 100,000 Reichsmarks for the capture of Mihailović, dead or alive.

The British Special Operations Executive were being sent to aid Mihailović's forces beginning with the autumn of 1941. Mihailović rose in rank, becoming the Minister of War of the exile government in January 11, 1942 and General and Deputy Commander-in-Chief on June 17 the same year.

The Chetniks were forced to move to eastern Bosnia where they engaged in heavy combat with the Ustaše, resulting in several incidents of war crimes against people who supported the other faction. It is unclear however how much say Mihailović himself had in these incidents. The Chetnik movement was highly decentralized, and in that way was more like a collective of many small regional guerrillas which shared the same name, rather than a unified army under complete control of Mihailović and his staff.

German standing offer of 100,000 Reichsmarks in gold for Mihailović capture, 1943

By the middle of 1943, the partisan movement had survived an intense period of Axis pressure. At the Tehran Conference in November 1943, a decision was made by the Allies to cease their support of the Chetniks, and switch support to Tito's Partisans. Several sources (especially Michael Lees 1991 and David Martin 1990) attribute the switch to falsefied reports processed by British Communists or Communist sympathizers in Cairo whose doctored reports of Chetnik "inactivity" or "collaboration" were believed by Churchill.

Towards the end of the war, Mihailović went into hiding in East Bosnia. Nikola Kalabić, his comrade from war was the only person who knew where Mihajlović was. In exchange for freedom, since Kalabić was wanted as well, he revealed where Draža Mihajlović was hiding.

Chetnik Crimes Against Bosniaks and Croats?

As part of his opportunist policies in support of creating Greater Serbia, Mihailović issues the following instructions to his commanders on December 20, 1941:

"The mission of our units is: 1. Struggle for the freedom of all of our people under the scepter of His Majesty, the king Peter II; 2. Create Greater Yugoslavia, and within it Greater Serbia, ethnically clean within the borders of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Srem, Banat, and Backa; 3. Struggle for incorporation into our social structure of those unliberated Slovenian territories under Italy and Germany (Trieste, Gorica, Istria, and Kaernten), as well as Bulgaria and Northern Albania with Shkodra; 4. Cleansing from the state territory all national minorities and anti-state elements; 5. Create direct common borders between Serbia and Montenegro, as well as Serbia and Slovenia by cleansing Bosniak population from Sandžak, and Bosniak and Croat populations from Bosnia and Herzegovina; 6. Punish all Croats and Bosniaks who have mercilessly destroyed our people in the tragic days; 7. The areas cleansed of national minorities and anti-state elements are to be settled by Montenegrins (to be considered are poor, nationally patriotic, and honest families).

There may be no collaboration with Communists, as they are fighting against the dynasty and in favor of Socialist revolution. Albanians, Bosniaks, and Ustashe are to be treated in accordance with their merit for the horrendous crimes against our population, i.e. they are to be passed to the "People's Court". The Croats living on the territory under Italian occupation are to be treated based on their disposition at the given moment."

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Chetnik Commander Djurisis reporting to Mihajlovic on the execution of his Instrukcije in 1943

The exact number of Bosniak, Croat and other civilians murdered (if any) under the direct command of Draza's Chetniks has never been established. In his book Crimes Against Bosnian Muslims 1941-1945, historian Semso Tucakovic quoted that of 150,000 Bosniaks who lost lives in WWII, some 100,000 were murdered by Chetniks. He also listed at least 50,000 Bosnian Muslim names directly known to have perished from Chetniks. According to WW2 historian Vladimir Zerjavic, a total of 29 thousand Moslems and 18 thousand Croatians were killed by Chetniks during WW2. Zerjavic figures have been cited as too conservative and figures of up to 300,000 non-Serbs have been suggested.

Some of the major crimes perpetrated by Chetniks against ethnic Bosniaks in World War II include: - July 1941, Herzegovina (Bileca/Stolac) - 1,150 Bosniaks slaughtered; - December 1941/January 1942, Eastern Bosnia (Foca, Gorazde) - 2,050 Bosniaks slaughtered; - August 1942, Eastern Bosnia/Sandžak (Foca, Bukovica) - 1,000 Bosniaks slaughtered; - August 1942, Eastern Bosnia (Ustikolina, Jahorina) - 2,500 Bosniaks slaughtered; - October 1942 - Central Bosnia (Prozor) - 1,250 Bosniaks slaughtered; - January 1943, Sandžak (Bijelo Polje) - 1,500 Bosniaks slaughtered; - February 1943, Eastern Bosnia/Sandžak (Foca, Cajnice, Pljevlja) - 9,200+ Bosniaks slaughtered - the worst single massacre campaign by Chetniks in World War II.

Execution

Main article: The Trial of Draža Mihailović

Mihailović was captured on March 13, 1946 by agents of OZNA (Odeljenje za Zaštitu Naroda — Department for Protection of People). Tried for high treason and war crimes from June 10 to July 15, he was found guilty and sentenced to death by firing squad on July 15th. The Presidium of the National Assembly rejected the clemency appeal on July 16. He was executed together with nine other officers in the early hours of 18 July 1946, in Lisiciji Potok, about 200 meters from the former Royal Palace, and buried in an unmarked grave on the same spot. His main prosecutor was Miloš Minić, later minister of foreign affairs for the Communist government of Yugoslavia.

His execution was a striking point in Franco–Yugoslav relations and Charles de Gaulle, Mihailović's friend, refused to visit Yugoslavia due to what he viewed as Mihailović's murder by Marshal Tito's communist regime.

Exoneration by Independent U.S. Commission

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General Dragoljub Mihailovich, portrait by Jim Pollard, St. Sava Cultural Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1981

Evidence of Mihailović’s loyal Allied and anti-Axis actions, all the way to the end of the occupation, comes from the 500 to 600 Allied (mostly UK and US) military personnel who were rescued by Mihailović forces over almost the entire area where Mihailović forces existed. These British and American personnel often remained with Mihailović and his various forces for months at a time, before they were able to be flown back to the West. As an independent American commission concluded in 1946, these Allied airmen were instructed by their American and British superiors to look for any signs of collaboration, they were given freedom of movement by Mihailović forces, and yet not one of these hundreds testified of Mihailović collaboration with the Axis. Several of these western military personnel gave very detailed testimony of witnessing, and in some cases participating in, anti-Axis actions, even after the Chetniks were abandoned by the Western Allies. The independent American commission that took testimony from some of these airmen concluded:

"ALLEGED COLLABORATION WITH THE ENEMY No evidence was adduced before the commission which tended to show any collaboration between General Mihailović and the Axis powers. On the contrary, all the evidence tended strongly to disprove the existence of any such collaboration. …all classes of witnesses were constantly on the lookout for collaboration, had full opportunity to discover it, and would be expected to discover it if it had existed. … all the witnesses testified that in Mihailović territory they were allowed to go freely, and without escort, wherever they wanted, to talk without restriction to civilians and soldiers alike, and to make observations as they wished.

OPERATIONS AGAINST THE ENEMY The evidence of American officers before the Commission indicated not merely the absence of collaboration between General Mihailović and the Axis powers, but also establish that General Mihailović and his men continued to conduct hostile operations against both the Germans and the Italians, even after the Allies had stopped sending him supplies and had concentrated their support in favor of Marshal Tito, and even after the date of the Italian surrender. American officers testified to numerous specific operations of this kind in which they had themselves participated with General Mihailović or with troops acting under his direction.

HOSTILITIES BETWEEN CHETNIKS AND PARTISANS The statement of the Minister of the Interior of the present Yugoslavia … says that … General Mihailović will be charged with '…murder, arson, plundering and the handing over to the Germans of members of our National Liberation Army.' No evidence was adduced before the Commission which tended to support these charges … " (see David Martin 1978).

Legion of Merit

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Legion of Merit, posthumous award by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, 1948

Due to the efforts of Major Richard L. Felman and his friends, President Harry S. Truman, on the recommendation of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, posthumously awarded Mihailović the "Legion of Merit", for the rescue of American Airmen by Chetniks. For the first time in history, this high award and the story of the rescue was classified secret by the State Department so as not to offend the communist government of Yugoslavia.

"General Dragoljub Mihailovich distinguished himself in an outstanding manner as Commander-in-Chief of the Yugoslavian Army Forces and later as Minister of War by organizing and leading important resistance forces against the enemy which occupied Yugoslavia, from December 1941 to December 1944. Through the undaunted efforts of his troops, many United States airmen were rescued and returned safely to friendly control. General Mihailovich and his forces, although lacking adequate supplies, and fighting under extreme hardships, contributed materially to the Allied cause, and were instrumental in obtaining a final Allied victory." March 29, 1948, Harry S. Truman.

Almost sixty years later, on May 9 2005, Draža Mihailović's daughter Gordana was presented with a decoration bestowed posthumously on Draža Mihailović by President Truman in 1948, for the assistance provided to the crews of US bombers that were gunned down on the territory under Chetnik control in World War II.

Bibliography

• Tucakovic, Semso. ""Sprski zlocini nad Bosnjacima Muslimanima 1941. - 1945." Sarajevo: El Kalem, 1995.
• Karchmar, Lucien. Draža Mihailović and the Rise of the Četnik Movement, 1941-1942. New York: Garland Pub., 1987.
• Lees, Michael. The Rape of Serbia: The British Role in Tito's Grab for Power, 1943-1944. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991.
• Martin, David. Ally Betrayed: The Uncensored Story of Tito and Mihailović. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1946.
• Martin, David. Patriot or Traitor: The Case of General Mihailović: Proceedings and Report of the Commission of Inquiry of the Committee for a Fair Trial for Draja Mihailović. Hoover Archival Documentaries. Hoover Institution Publication, volume 191. Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, Stanford University, 1978.[1]
• Martin, David. The Web of Disinformation: Churchill’s Yugoslav Blunder. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990.
• Roberts, Walter R. Tito, Mihailović, and the Allies, 1941–1945. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1973.
• Trew, Simon. Britain, Mihailović, and the Chetniks, 1941–42. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan; New York: St. Martin’s Press in association with King’s College, London, 1998.

See also

• Trial of Draža Mihailović

External links

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General Mihailovich on the cover of Time, 1942

• Execution of Draza's Instructions by his Commander, "Bloody Priest" Momcilo Djujic
• Trial of Draza Mihajlovic
• General Mihailovich on TIME Magazine cover, 1942
• V-E Day celebrations in Serbia with Chetnik and U.S. veterans
• Mihailović's bio at Columbia Encyclopedia
• Biography of Dragoljub-Draža Mihailović at Vojska.net
• SUC Biography
• Congressional Record on Mihailović
• General Mihailović's Legion of Merit
• Tribute to Mihailović
• Draža Mihailović In Memoriam
• Erection of Mihailović monument in US
• Stenographic record of trial

Photos

• Photo gallery Template:Fr icon
• 100th Anniversary of Chetnik Movement