Operation Mihailović
Encyclopedia
Operation Mihailović was the codename for the final German anti-guerrilla offensive to suppress the Serbian Chetnik detachments of the Yugoslav Army
, headed by Colonel Dragoljub Mihailović in the area of Šumadija
, in the German occupation zone of Serbia. The offensive took place from 4 to 9 December 1941 during World War II
.
, which was the starting point of the Serbian uprising against the German occupation. During September 1941 the uprising had taken on large proportions and the Chetniks freed the entire Podrinje and Mačva
areas (except the city of Šabac
). In late September and early October 1941, the uprising spread to most of Šumadija
and the river valley of Western Morava (Čačak
, Kraljevo
, Kruševac
). However, in early October 1941 the Germans started an offensive against the Chetniks (Operation Drina), where strong forces from the north (the 342nd Infantry Division) and Croatian
forces from Srem
to the south attacked. By the end of October the whole of the Mačva and the middle of Podrinje was taken from the Chetniks, breaking the siege of Valjevo
and by an outbreak by the same division east of this city, the Germans reached Ravna Gora
, the main headquarters of the rebels. During October 1941 German forces carried out mass executions in several places of Serbian civilians in retaliation for their dead and wounded soldiers in order to intimidate and pacify the rebellion. About 10,000 Serbian civilians were killed.
Due to new circumstances in late October 1941 between the two rebel groups, the Partisans and the Chetniks, a fratricidal war broke out. The Germans temporarily suspended their pending offensive, waiting for the rebel forces to destroy themselves. However, the Chetniks and Partisans signed an armistice on 20 November 1941 in Čačak
, thereby suspending hostilities. That was the signal to the Germans to launch a new offensive codenamed Operation Valley Western Morava between 25 to 30 November 1941 against both the Chetniks and Partisans. Having successfully conducted two offensives in the direction of the river Drina
and Western Morava, the Germans closed the ring around Šumadija. The Germans decided to focus their main forces on Ravna Gora, where the leader of the Chetniks, colonel Dragoljub Mihailović, had his headquarters.
, which should achieve a total siege of the Ravna Gora
and fire accurately set forth the plan made cleansing the ground area of 120 square kilometers. The Germans were planning to attack Ravna Gora from four directions. The final offensive in breaking the Serbian uprising received its code name after the leader of the rebels, operation Mihailović. The German military command in Serbia allocated for this military operation the 342nd Infantry Division, a unit which had made the greatest contribution to the struggle against the Chetniks and the crushing of the uprising in the two preceding months. In addition to the planned offensive, the German forces had a psychological advantage in the fact that their higher command two months earlier had issued an order that for every dead German soldiers 100 Serbian civilians would be shot.
major Ljuba Jovanović, that told the Germans they were going to confront them head on. With this strategy they wanted to increase the Germans caution and slow their progress towards Ravna Gora. In addition colonel Mihailović envisaged a special mission for Captain Dragoslav Račić and his forces, which were supposed to divert the attention of the Germans.
while the battalions of these divisions had been deployed in many places in the interior. These were the 704th, 714th, and 717th infantry divisions. At the start of the Serbian uprising the Germans transferred the 125th Infantry Regiment from Thessaloniki
on 5 September 1941 but since the rebellion by the end of September on a mass scale, the German command transferred from Germany the 342nd Infantry Division on 23 September 1941. In mid-November 1941 the Germans transferred another unit from the Eastern Front
to Serbia, the 113th Infantry Division
, which had suffered heavy losses on the Eastern Front where its strength had fallen from 20,000 to 14,000 soldiers. The main German force for breaking the Serbian uprising was the 342nd Infantry Division (20,000 soldiers) of which 10,000 troops would be striking force in operation Mihailović.
military mission, captain Duane "Bill" Hudson
.
and penetrated the village of Divci
and then on 6 December 1941 broke out towards the village of Struganik
forcing a group of Serbian civilians to march in front of them as human shield
s.
Before the start of the German offensive colonel Mihailoivić ordered his units to withdraw from the field of Ravna Gora. However, colonel Mihailović, whilst in the command post in the village of Beršić, received a courier around noon on 5 December that brought him the news that major Aleksandar Mišić with part of the Chetnik units in the village of Struganik intended to confront the Germans frontally. Colonel Mihailović entrusted command to lieutenant colonel Dragoslav Pavlović, who along with the supporting unit the Ravna Gora Royal Guard, commanded by Lt. Nikola Kalabić, was to make a breakthrough towards Ovcar Kablar Gorge according to the previously established plan. Colonel Mihailović along with major Zaharije Ostojić and five guerrillas rode on horseback to major Aleksandar Mišić in Struganik to personally order him to suspend his action.
The second German combat column was on 4 December 1941 also the first to set off from Valjevo, but went the other way around through the village of Klinci
, penetrated the village of Paune and on 6 December arrived at the village of Rajković. The third of the German combat columns started on 4 December from Čačak
, went over Gornja Gorijevice during the night between 5 and 6 December and arrived at the village of Družetić
. Near this village was the command of the Chetnik detachments, which Colonel Mihailović had entrusted to lieutenant colonel Dragoslav Pavlović, (in this village was also the head of the British military mission Captain Duane "Bill" Hudson). Together with an accompanying unit lieutenant Nikola Kalabić maneuvered under cover of darkness and managed to escape from the German encirclement. Afterwards, on December 6, the third German combat column followed toward the village of Teočin and then towards Brajići. The fourth German combat column went from Kragujevac
on 4 December, through Gornji Milanovac
and appeared at Takovo
and Gornji Banjani. Colonel Mihailović arrived at the village of Struganik on evening of 5 December, where he found major Aleksandar Mišić.
Early on the morning of 6 December, the first German combat columns went over the Razboj hill under the protection of tanks and suddenly penetrated into the village of Struganik, ahead of which were combat columns with a large group of civilians used as human shields. The Germans opened fire on the Chetniks, who had sought shelter in a nearby forest. To protect colonel Mihailović and save the lives of the hostages, majors Aleksandar Misić and Ivan Fregl, along with a few Chetniks appeared before the German soldiers, who immediately captured them. Major Aleksandar Mišić falsely presented himself to the Germans as Draža Mihailović. The Germans were surprised and did not suspect this was a ruse and temporarily suspended the attack, allowing colonel Draža Mihailović and major Zaharije Ostojić along with the rest of the Chetniks to safely pull out from the besieged forest. The Germans later carried major Aleksandar Mišić and mајоr Ivan Fregl to Valjevo where they were tortured and then killed on 17 December 1941.
On the night between 6 and 7 December colonel Mihailović bypassed the German forces and came to the village of Kadina Luka
. All four German combat columns met on 7 December at Ravna Gora
, crashed into the empty area, thoroughly searched the grounds and after a few hours went into nearby villages and burned them to the ground as a retaliatory measure. They then went in a large column to Mionica
where they continued their pursuit in other directions. On the next day colonel Draža Mihailović arrived from Kadina Luke to the village of Teočin near Ravna Gora which the German forces had searched carefully the previous day. Due to the increased activity of the German forces at this time, south and east of the town of Valjevo, captain Dragoslav Račić, going by previous orders from colonel Mihailović, transferred the Cer brigade from the mountains of Medvednik
to the west of Valjevo near the river Drina
, onto the mountain of Bobija
. The Cer brigade crossed the river Drina in eastern Bosnia on 12 December 1941, where it joined Serbian rebels under the command of major Jezdimir Dangić
, who from this part of the Independent State of Croatia
had created a territory liberated from the Ustasha and Germans in the preceding months.
The German force suspended their offensive on 9 December 1941. Their command wrote a report which stated that during the operation they had liquidated 12 Chetnik officers and soldiers, captured 482 men and two women, seized 317 guns, 21,000 bullets, three cars, 37 horses, two telegraph stations, one shortwave radio station, etc. Having failed to eliminate the headquarters of colonel Mihailović, the German military command in Serbia on 9 December announced through radio, fliers and posters a bounty of 200,000 dinars for the head of Draža Mihailović, saying that he was the leader of a gang of outlaws and accused him of starting the uprising against the German occupation forces and because of all this carried on his conscience the blood of thousands of Serbs. The daily bulletin of the supreme command of the Wehrmacht which was located in the capital of the Third Reich, Berlin, recorded on 10 December 1941 about operation Mihailović:
The Germans thought that the "remnants of the gang" were located southwest of Valjevo, in fact that was the Cer brigade under Captain Dragoslav Račić, which had during the previous day transferred from the mountains of Medvednik
to the mountain of Bobija
in order to move into eastern Bosnia, the territory of major Jezdimir Dangić. The Germans therefore assumed that colonel Mihailović was with these forces, as was listed in the warrant "is now in hiding, presumably in the direction of Bosnia". However, colonel Mihailović on 10 December was near Ravna Gora, in the village of Teočin, in the same territory where he was before the German offensive, demonstrating his guerrilla military skills and creating confusion among the Germans who after operation Mihailović still did not know in what part of Serbia "the leader of the outlaws" was.
The Germans in Serbia, at the end of operation Mihailović had successfully broken the revolt, restored all the settlements to their control, as well as their main transport corridors, but failed to destroy the resistance movement of colonel Mihailovic whose organization, represented by a small groups of operating officers' headquarters, was located in mountain villages across the country from which it could easily fill its ranks with young people ready to fight against the enemy. After the collapse of the uprising in Serbia, the Germans in the subsequent months focused all of their attention, resources and military forces towards the eastern part of the Independent State of Croatia, a territory which at this time was controlled by Serbian rebels under the command of major Jezdimir Dangić, whom German-Croatian forces already in January 1942 launched an offensive against. Up until 21 December 1941 colonel Mihailović was located in the village of Teočin
, where he was joined by lt. col. Dragoslav Pavlović, major Mirko Lalatović, lt. Nikola Kalabić and lieutenant Zvonimir Vučković, radio operator Slobodan Likić, and British SOE Captain Duane "Bill" Hudson. At this time, colonel Mihailović received two pieces of news, the first was that after a proposal by the Yugoslavian government-in-exile of prime minister Dusan Simovic (which was located in London
) by decree of King Peter II of Yugoslavia
on 19 December 1941 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, and the second was much more important for his resistance movement and the Yugoslavian government: the United States
had declared war on Japan
, Germany
and their allies.
relocating to the village of Lunjevica
, and then on 12 January 1942 found a permanent accommodation in a winter house above the village of Jablanica
. At this time, the new president of the Yugoslavian government (member of the anti-Hitler coalition in London) academician Slobodan Jovanović
, appointed general Mihailović to minister of the Army, Air Force and Navy in his cabinet on 11 January 1942 because of the merit he had achieved, from May to December 1941 with its guerrilla resistance movement in leading the first mass uprising against the Germans in occupied Europe. King Peter II of Yugoslavia therefore decreed on 19 January that he was promoted to the rank of division general. By this act the Chetniks had become the legitimate and internationally recognized armed forces of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
by the Allies
, because all members of the anti-Hitler coalition (Great Britain
, the Soviet Union
, Poland
, France
, Greece
, Czechoslovakia
and the USA) had established diplomatic relations with and accredited ambassadors to the Yugoslavian government whose military minister was Draža Mihailović.
And one soldier, in a cheerful mood, wrote with coal on the wall of the mountain house: Department of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
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...
, headed by Colonel Dragoljub Mihailović in the area of Šumadija
Šumadija
Šumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...
, in the German occupation zone of Serbia. The offensive took place from 4 to 9 December 1941 during 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...
.
Background
On 31 August 1941 the Jadar Chetnik detachment freed Loznica from German occupation in the Battle of LoznicaBattle of Loznica (1941)
The battle to Loznica was fought on 31 August 1941 between Chetniks and Germans in World War II. Chetnik attack on the Germans in Loznica followed immediately after the German refusal to surrender. During these struggles was killed Chetnik commander Lt. Col. Veselin Misita, who led the attack on...
, which was the starting point of the Serbian uprising against the German occupation. During September 1941 the uprising had taken on large proportions and the Chetniks freed the entire Podrinje and Mačva
Macva
Mačva is a geographical region in Serbia, mostly situated in the northwest of Central Serbia. It is located in a fertile plain between the Sava and Drina rivers. The chief town of this region is Šabac. The modern Mačva District of Serbia is named after the region, although the region of Mačva...
areas (except the city of Šabac
Šabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
). In late September and early October 1941, the uprising spread to most of Šumadija
Šumadija
Šumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...
and the river valley of Western Morava (Čačak
Cacak
Čačak is a city in central Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Moravica District of Serbia. Čačak is also the main industrial, cultural and sport center of the district...
, Kraljevo
Kraljevo
Kraljevo is a city and municipality in central Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.In 2011 the city has population of...
, Kruševac
Kruševac
Kruševac is a city and municipality, and the administrative center of the Rasina District, in central Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the municipality has a population of 127,429, while the town has 57,627....
). However, in early October 1941 the Germans started an offensive against the Chetniks (Operation Drina), where strong forces from the north (the 342nd Infantry Division) and Croatian
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...
forces from Srem
Srem
Śrem is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999; from 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship...
to the south attacked. By the end of October the whole of the Mačva and the middle of Podrinje was taken from the Chetniks, breaking the siege of Valjevo
Valjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
and by an outbreak by the same division east of this city, the Germans reached Ravna Gora
Ravna Gora
Ravna Gora is a Slavic toponym meaning flat hill. The name may refer to:-Serbia:* Ravna Gora , a highland in Serbia* Ravna Gora , a village near Ivanjica* Ravna Gora , a village near Vlasotince-Serbia and Montenegro:...
, the main headquarters of the rebels. During October 1941 German forces carried out mass executions in several places of Serbian civilians in retaliation for their dead and wounded soldiers in order to intimidate and pacify the rebellion. About 10,000 Serbian civilians were killed.
Due to new circumstances in late October 1941 between the two rebel groups, the Partisans and the Chetniks, a fratricidal war broke out. The Germans temporarily suspended their pending offensive, waiting for the rebel forces to destroy themselves. However, the Chetniks and Partisans signed an armistice on 20 November 1941 in Čačak
Cacak
Čačak is a city in central Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Moravica District of Serbia. Čačak is also the main industrial, cultural and sport center of the district...
, thereby suspending hostilities. That was the signal to the Germans to launch a new offensive codenamed Operation Valley Western Morava between 25 to 30 November 1941 against both the Chetniks and Partisans. Having successfully conducted two offensives in the direction of the river Drina
Drina
The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...
and Western Morava, the Germans closed the ring around Šumadija. The Germans decided to focus their main forces on Ravna Gora, where the leader of the Chetniks, colonel Dragoljub Mihailović, had his headquarters.
The German plan
The German military command in Serbia created a plan on 3 December 1941 and issued orders to their troops in which it stated that the main aim was to destroy Mihailović's detachment and his headquarters south of the town of ValjevoValjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
, which should achieve a total siege of the Ravna Gora
Ravna Gora
Ravna Gora is a Slavic toponym meaning flat hill. The name may refer to:-Serbia:* Ravna Gora , a highland in Serbia* Ravna Gora , a village near Ivanjica* Ravna Gora , a village near Vlasotince-Serbia and Montenegro:...
and fire accurately set forth the plan made cleansing the ground area of 120 square kilometers. The Germans were planning to attack Ravna Gora from four directions. The final offensive in breaking the Serbian uprising received its code name after the leader of the rebels, operation Mihailović. The German military command in Serbia allocated for this military operation the 342nd Infantry Division, a unit which had made the greatest contribution to the struggle against the Chetniks and the crushing of the uprising in the two preceding months. In addition to the planned offensive, the German forces had a psychological advantage in the fact that their higher command two months earlier had issued an order that for every dead German soldiers 100 Serbian civilians would be shot.
The Chetnik plan
The command of the Chetniks detachments of the Yugoslav Army, headed by colonel Dragoljub Mihailović, knew of the concentration of German forces which were to attack Ravna Gora and therefore made a plan that reduced most of the Chetnik units to groups of dozens, fives and threes of soldiers for ease of maneuvering and penetration. Colonel Mihailović thought that the German units would not stay for long in inaccessible areas so after the passage of the German forces the Chetniks units could regroup again in the same area. For the same reason the plan of colonel Mihailović did not involve a frontal clash with the German force which was supposed to pass through the area of the offensive without making contact with the Chetniks. The Chetniks were on the eve of the German offensive successful in launching a disinformation campaign, led by the commander of the gendarme station in ValjevoValjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
major Ljuba Jovanović, that told the Germans they were going to confront them head on. With this strategy they wanted to increase the Germans caution and slow their progress towards Ravna Gora. In addition colonel Mihailović envisaged a special mission for Captain Dragoslav Račić and his forces, which were supposed to divert the attention of the Germans.
German forces
In the German occupation zone of Serbia just before the start of the uprising the Germans had held three full divisions whose commands were located in BelgradeBelgrade
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...
while the battalions of these divisions had been deployed in many places in the interior. These were the 704th, 714th, and 717th infantry divisions. At the start of the Serbian uprising the Germans transferred the 125th Infantry Regiment from Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
on 5 September 1941 but since the rebellion by the end of September on a mass scale, the German command transferred from Germany the 342nd Infantry Division on 23 September 1941. In mid-November 1941 the Germans transferred another unit from the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
to Serbia, the 113th Infantry Division
113th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 113th Infantry Division was created on 10 December 1940 in Grafenwöhr. The Division was annihilated in the Battle of Stalingrad and reformed on 21 March 1943 in France...
, which had suffered heavy losses on the Eastern Front where its strength had fallen from 20,000 to 14,000 soldiers. The main German force for breaking the Serbian uprising was the 342nd Infantry Division (20,000 soldiers) of which 10,000 troops would be striking force in operation Mihailović.
Chetnik forces
The command of the guerrilla detachments of the Yugoslav army in early December 1941 was located in the villages at the foot of Ravna Gora. Among the Chetnik guerrillas in the command area were the supporting unit, the Ravna Gora Royal Guard, commanded by Lt. Nikola Kalabić at the time numbering about 500 Chetnik guerrillas. Other units were divided into smaller sections for easier penetration such as the Ribnička Brigade under the command of major Aleksandar Mišić, and the Takovo Brigade under the command of lieutenant Zvonimar Vučković, the strength of both brigades was about 300 Chetnik guerrillas. The largest Chetnik unit at the time was the Cer Brigade under the command of Captain First Class Dragoslav Račić which at that time was located to the south of Valjevo and whose numerical strength was around 1,200 Chetnik guerrillas. In the headquarters of colonel Mihailović there was also the head of the British SOESpecial Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
military mission, captain Duane "Bill" Hudson
Duane Hudson
Colonel Duane Tyrell Hudson DSO OBE was a British SOE officer who fought in Yugoslavia during World War II.Hudson, a mining engineer, was a rugby player, swimmer, rider, skier, boxer, and wrestler. He attended St. Andrew's College in Grahamstown, South Africa. He spoke six foreign languages and...
.
The offensive
By order of the German military command in Serbia, the 342nd Infantry Division went into action on 4 December 1941, advancing in four columns towards Ravna Gora. The first column set off from ValjevoValjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
and penetrated the village of Divci
Divci
Divči is a small settlement northeast of Komen in the Littoral region of Slovenia.-External links:*...
and then on 6 December 1941 broke out towards the village of Struganik
Struganik
Struganik is a village situated in Mionica municipality in Serbia....
forcing a group of Serbian civilians to march in front of them as human shield
Human shield
Human shield is a military and political term describing the deliberate placement of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets. It may also refer to the use of civilians to literally shield combatants during attacks, by forcing the civilians to march in...
s.
Before the start of the German offensive colonel Mihailoivić ordered his units to withdraw from the field of Ravna Gora. However, colonel Mihailović, whilst in the command post in the village of Beršić, received a courier around noon on 5 December that brought him the news that major Aleksandar Mišić with part of the Chetnik units in the village of Struganik intended to confront the Germans frontally. Colonel Mihailović entrusted command to lieutenant colonel Dragoslav Pavlović, who along with the supporting unit the Ravna Gora Royal Guard, commanded by Lt. Nikola Kalabić, was to make a breakthrough towards Ovcar Kablar Gorge according to the previously established plan. Colonel Mihailović along with major Zaharije Ostojić and five guerrillas rode on horseback to major Aleksandar Mišić in Struganik to personally order him to suspend his action.
The second German combat column was on 4 December 1941 also the first to set off from Valjevo, but went the other way around through the village of Klinci
Klinci
Klinci is a village in the municipality of Valjevo, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 269 people....
, penetrated the village of Paune and on 6 December arrived at the village of Rajković. The third of the German combat columns started on 4 December from Čačak
Cacak
Čačak is a city in central Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Moravica District of Serbia. Čačak is also the main industrial, cultural and sport center of the district...
, went over Gornja Gorijevice during the night between 5 and 6 December and arrived at the village of Družetić
Družetic
Družetić is a village in Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Ub river in the Koceljeva municipality, in the Mačva District of Central Serbia. The village had a Serb ethnic majority and a population of 501 in 2002.-Historical population:...
. Near this village was the command of the Chetnik detachments, which Colonel Mihailović had entrusted to lieutenant colonel Dragoslav Pavlović, (in this village was also the head of the British military mission Captain Duane "Bill" Hudson). Together with an accompanying unit lieutenant Nikola Kalabić maneuvered under cover of darkness and managed to escape from the German encirclement. Afterwards, on December 6, the third German combat column followed toward the village of Teočin and then towards Brajići. The fourth German combat column went from Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
on 4 December, through Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44.012691° North, 20.273572° East. Its name means "Upper Milanovac" while Milanovac stems from name "Milan" in the Serbian language. The population of town is 24,048.The city was founded in 1853...
and appeared at Takovo
Takovo
Takovo is a village in the municipality of Gornji Milanovac, Serbia. It has a population of about 500.The Second Serbian Uprising under the leadership of Miloš Obrenović started in this village.- External links :*...
and Gornji Banjani. Colonel Mihailović arrived at the village of Struganik on evening of 5 December, where he found major Aleksandar Mišić.
Early on the morning of 6 December, the first German combat columns went over the Razboj hill under the protection of tanks and suddenly penetrated into the village of Struganik, ahead of which were combat columns with a large group of civilians used as human shields. The Germans opened fire on the Chetniks, who had sought shelter in a nearby forest. To protect colonel Mihailović and save the lives of the hostages, majors Aleksandar Misić and Ivan Fregl, along with a few Chetniks appeared before the German soldiers, who immediately captured them. Major Aleksandar Mišić falsely presented himself to the Germans as Draža Mihailović. The Germans were surprised and did not suspect this was a ruse and temporarily suspended the attack, allowing colonel Draža Mihailović and major Zaharije Ostojić along with the rest of the Chetniks to safely pull out from the besieged forest. The Germans later carried major Aleksandar Mišić and mајоr Ivan Fregl to Valjevo where they were tortured and then killed on 17 December 1941.
On the night between 6 and 7 December colonel Mihailović bypassed the German forces and came to the village of Kadina Luka
Kadina Luka
Kadina Luka is a village situated in Ljig municipality in Serbia....
. All four German combat columns met on 7 December at Ravna Gora
Ravna Gora
Ravna Gora is a Slavic toponym meaning flat hill. The name may refer to:-Serbia:* Ravna Gora , a highland in Serbia* Ravna Gora , a village near Ivanjica* Ravna Gora , a village near Vlasotince-Serbia and Montenegro:...
, crashed into the empty area, thoroughly searched the grounds and after a few hours went into nearby villages and burned them to the ground as a retaliatory measure. They then went in a large column to Mionica
Mionica
Mionica is a town and municipality located in the Kolubara District of Serbia. In 2011, the population of the town is 1,571, while population of the municipality is 14,263....
where they continued their pursuit in other directions. On the next day colonel Draža Mihailović arrived from Kadina Luke to the village of Teočin near Ravna Gora which the German forces had searched carefully the previous day. Due to the increased activity of the German forces at this time, south and east of the town of Valjevo, captain Dragoslav Račić, going by previous orders from colonel Mihailović, transferred the Cer brigade from the mountains of Medvednik
Medvednik
Medvednik is a mountain in western Serbia, near the town of Valjevo. Its highest peak has an altitude of 1247 meters above sea level....
to the west of Valjevo near the river Drina
Drina
The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...
, onto the mountain of Bobija
Bobija
Bobija is a mountain in western Serbia, near the town of Ljubovija. Its highest peak, Tornička Bobija, has an altitude of 1272 metres above sea level.-External links:*...
. The Cer brigade crossed the river Drina in eastern Bosnia on 12 December 1941, where it joined Serbian rebels under the command of major Jezdimir Dangić
Jezdimir Dangic
Jezdimir "Jezda" Dangić was a Bosnian Serb lawyer and gendarmerie officer. During World War II he was a member of the Chetnik movement.- Early life :...
, who from this part 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...
had created a territory liberated from the Ustasha and Germans in the preceding months.
The German force suspended their offensive on 9 December 1941. Their command wrote a report which stated that during the operation they had liquidated 12 Chetnik officers and soldiers, captured 482 men and two women, seized 317 guns, 21,000 bullets, three cars, 37 horses, two telegraph stations, one shortwave radio station, etc. Having failed to eliminate the headquarters of colonel Mihailović, the German military command in Serbia on 9 December announced through radio, fliers and posters a bounty of 200,000 dinars for the head of Draža Mihailović, saying that he was the leader of a gang of outlaws and accused him of starting the uprising against the German occupation forces and because of all this carried on his conscience the blood of thousands of Serbs. The daily bulletin of the supreme command of the Wehrmacht which was located in the capital of the Third Reich, Berlin, recorded on 10 December 1941 about operation Mihailović:
The Germans thought that the "remnants of the gang" were located southwest of Valjevo, in fact that was the Cer brigade under Captain Dragoslav Račić, which had during the previous day transferred from the mountains of Medvednik
Medvednik
Medvednik is a mountain in western Serbia, near the town of Valjevo. Its highest peak has an altitude of 1247 meters above sea level....
to the mountain of Bobija
Bobija
Bobija is a mountain in western Serbia, near the town of Ljubovija. Its highest peak, Tornička Bobija, has an altitude of 1272 metres above sea level.-External links:*...
in order to move into eastern Bosnia, the territory of major Jezdimir Dangić. The Germans therefore assumed that colonel Mihailović was with these forces, as was listed in the warrant "is now in hiding, presumably in the direction of Bosnia". However, colonel Mihailović on 10 December was near Ravna Gora, in the village of Teočin, in the same territory where he was before the German offensive, demonstrating his guerrilla military skills and creating confusion among the Germans who after operation Mihailović still did not know in what part of Serbia "the leader of the outlaws" was.
The Germans in Serbia, at the end of operation Mihailović had successfully broken the revolt, restored all the settlements to their control, as well as their main transport corridors, but failed to destroy the resistance movement of colonel Mihailovic whose organization, represented by a small groups of operating officers' headquarters, was located in mountain villages across the country from which it could easily fill its ranks with young people ready to fight against the enemy. After the collapse of the uprising in Serbia, the Germans in the subsequent months focused all of their attention, resources and military forces towards the eastern part of the Independent State of Croatia, a territory which at this time was controlled by Serbian rebels under the command of major Jezdimir Dangić, whom German-Croatian forces already in January 1942 launched an offensive against. Up until 21 December 1941 colonel Mihailović was located in the village of Teočin
Teočin
Teočin is a village in the municipality of Gornji Milanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 690 people....
, where he was joined by lt. col. Dragoslav Pavlović, major Mirko Lalatović, lt. Nikola Kalabić and lieutenant Zvonimir Vučković, radio operator Slobodan Likić, and British SOE Captain Duane "Bill" Hudson. At this time, colonel Mihailović received two pieces of news, the first was that after a proposal by the Yugoslavian government-in-exile of prime minister Dusan Simovic (which was located in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) by decree of King Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
on 19 December 1941 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, and the second was much more important for his resistance movement and the Yugoslavian government: the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had declared war on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and their allies.
Minister in the Forests
Because of the growing threat of German pursuit in the area of Ravna Gora, brigadier general Mihailović on 22 December 1941 transferred to the mountain of VujanVujan
Vujan is a mountain in central Serbia, near the town of Gornji Milanovac. Its highest peak Veliki Vujan has an altitude of 855 meters above sea level....
relocating to the village of Lunjevica
Lunjevica
Lunjevica is a village in the municipality of Gornji Milanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 512 people....
, and then on 12 January 1942 found a permanent accommodation in a winter house above the village of Jablanica
Jablanica
Jablanica or Yablanitsa may refer to:* Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a town in Herzegovina* Yablanitsa, a town in Lovech Province, Bulgaria* Yablanitsa, Sofia Province, village in Sofia Province, Bulgaria* Jablanica, Zlatibor, village in Serbia...
. At this time, the new president of the Yugoslavian government (member of the anti-Hitler coalition in London) academician Slobodan Jovanović
Slobodan Jovanovic
Slobodan Jovanović was one of Serbia's most prolific jurists, historians, sociologists, journalists and literary critics. He distinguished himself with a characteristically clear and sharp writing style later called the "Belgrade style"...
, appointed general Mihailović to minister of the Army, Air Force and Navy in his cabinet on 11 January 1942 because of the merit he had achieved, from May to December 1941 with its guerrilla resistance movement in leading the first mass uprising against the Germans in occupied Europe. King Peter II of Yugoslavia therefore decreed on 19 January that he was promoted to the rank of division general. By this act the Chetniks had become the legitimate and internationally recognized armed forces 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...
by the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, because all members of the anti-Hitler coalition (Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and the USA) had established diplomatic relations with and accredited ambassadors to the Yugoslavian government whose military minister was Draža Mihailović.
Interesting facts
- After the capture of major Aleksandar Mišić and major Ivan Fregl, the Germans held them in separate cells in the GestapoGestapoThe Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
prison in ValjevoValjevoValjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
, were they after several days of cruel torture were executed on 17 December 1941. At the suggestion of brigadier general Draža Mihailović the Yugoslavian government in London posthumously awarded major Aleksandar Mišić with the Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords III. order and major Ivan Fregl with the Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords IV. order on 7 January 1942.
- During the operation Mihilović the Germans burned several villages near Ravna Gora in ŠumadijaŠumadijaŠumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...
. The most destroyed villages were StruganikStruganikStruganik is a village situated in Mionica municipality in Serbia....
and KostunićiKoštunićiKoštunići is a village in the municipality of Gornji Milanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 660 people....
because they were very near Ravna Gora. In these villages, the headquarters of colonel Draža Mihailović had been since May 1941, from where he had led the uprising against the Germans in Serbia which began in the late summer of 1941. During the offensive, on 6 December 1941, the Germans looted and completely destroyed a house in the village of Struganik belonging to the deceased duke Živojin MišićŽivojin MišicŽivojin Mišić OKS GCMG was a Vojvoda and the most successful Serbian commander who participated in all Serbia's wars from 1876 to 1918.-Early years:Misic's grandfather was born in Struganik near Mionica...
, a war hero during World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. For most of the uprising the headquarters of colonel Mihailović had been located in the duke's house, who there together with the duke's son, major Aleksandar Mišić and other officers, had made battle plans against the enemy. Even today the ruins of this house are preserved.
- The Germans in their wanted poster issued on 9 December 1941 offered a sum of 200,000 dinars to anyone who turned in Draža Mihailović. This offer was primarily aimed toward Serbian peasants because the Germans knew that colonel Mihailović was in their territory. In 1941 a pair of good oxen cost about 1000 dinars. The Germans offered the Serbian peasant a sum of money for which he would be able to buy 400 steers for revealing Draža Mihailović.
- General Draža Mihailovic's started to wear a beard after the collapse of the Serbian uprising and after being informed that the invading troops during the German-Croatian offensive in eastern Bosnia in January 1942 were given photos with his image.
- The headquarters of general Mihailović was during January 1942 located in a house above the village of JablanicaJablanicaJablanica or Yablanitsa may refer to:* Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a town in Herzegovina* Yablanitsa, a town in Lovech Province, Bulgaria* Yablanitsa, Sofia Province, village in Sofia Province, Bulgaria* Jablanica, Zlatibor, village in Serbia...
, on the slopes of the snow covered mountain VujanVujanVujan is a mountain in central Serbia, near the town of Gornji Milanovac. Its highest peak Veliki Vujan has an altitude of 855 meters above sea level....
. Here general Mihailović was informed through the BBC radio news, enabled by liaison officer Capt. Josip Grbec, that he had been appointed minister of the Army, Navy and Air Force. General Mihailović commented to his officers on the news in a joking fashion:
And one soldier, in a cheerful mood, wrote with coal on the wall of the mountain house: Department of the Army, Navy and Air Force.