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Wikipedia talk:Requests for mediation/Draza Mihailovic/Archive13

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World War II (JJG's version)

Following the invasion of Yugoslavia and the country's defeat by Germany in April 1941, a small group of officers and soldiers led by Mihailović escaped in hope of finding Yugoslav army units still fighting in the mountains. Mihailović planned to establish an underground intelligence movement and establish contact with the Allies, though it is unclear if he initially envisioned to start an actual armed resistance movement[1].

Formation of the Chetniks

For the time being, Mihailović established a small nucleus of officers with an armed guard, which he called the "Command of Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army"[2]. After arriving at Ravna Gora, Serbia on May 8 in early May, 1941, he realized that his group of seven officers and twenty four non-commissioned officers and soldiers was the only one. [3]. He began to draw up lists of conscripts and reservists for possible use. His men at Ravna Gora were joined by a group of civilians, mainly intellectuals of the Serb cultural club, who took charge of propaganda[4].

In order to dissociate his forces from The the rival Chetnik group led by Kosta Pećanac already in existence when the war in Yugoslavia broke out , who actually started collaborating with the Germans, did not share Mihailović's desire for resistance.[5] In order to distinguish his group and other groups calling themselves Chetniks, such as Nedic's followers, Mihailović and his followers identified themselves as the "Ravna Gora movement".[6] Most of 1941 was spent consolidating the scattered army remnants elsewhere and raising and recruiting new forces. The stated goal of the Chetniks was the liberation of the country from the occupying armies including mainly the forces of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Ustaše fascist regime of the Independent State of Croatia.[citation needed]

Mihailović spent most of 1941 was spent consolidating the scattered army remnants elsewhere and raising and recruiting new forces.In August, Mihailović set up a civilian advisory body, the Central National Commitee, including composed of Serbian nationalist political leaders like including some with strong nationalist views such as Dragiša Vasić and Stevan Moljević[7]. On June 19, a clandestine Chetnik courier reached Istanbul, whence royalist Yugoslavs relayed the information to their principals that a colonel Mihailović seemed to start a resistance movement against the Axis. reported that Mihailović appeared to be organizing a resistance movement against Axis forces.[8] Mihailović first established radio contact with the British in September 1941 when his radio operator raised a ship in the Mediterranean, and his first radio message to to King Peter's government in exile announcing that he was organizing a resistance force formed of remnants of the Yugoslav army was received on September 13.[9]. He also received the help of various from officers from the rest in other areas of Yugoslavia, like the such as Slovene officer Rudolf Perinhek, who came to report the about brought reports on the situation in Montenegro. Mihailović sent him back to Montenegro with written authorization to organize units there, and with oral approvals for other officers like Đorđe Lasić and Pavle Đurišić. He only gave vague and contradictory orders to Perinhek, mentioning the need to put off civil strife and to "remove enemies"[10].

Chetnik flag.

Mihailović gathered men and weapons in the easily defensible Serbian mountains, waiting for an Allied landing in the Balkans, upon which he could attack any Germans or Italians from behind. Mihailović's strategy was to avoid direct conflict with the Axis forces, intending to rise up after Allied forces arrived in Yugoslavia.[11] Though Mihailović's Chetniks who were initially the first to go underground, and had had defensive encounters with the Germans, but reprisals and the tales of the massacres in the Independent State of Croatia made them reluctant to engage directly in armed struggle, except against the Ustaše at the border[12]. In the meantime, following the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia led by Tito also went into action and called in July for an insurrection against the occupiers, setting up their armed force which came to be known as the Partisans[13]. At the end of August, Chetniks and Partisans both came into action, sometimes jointly despite their mutual diffidence, capturing prisoners[14]. But Mihailović discouraged sabotage due to German reprisals (such as more than 3,000 killed in Kraljevo and Kragujevac) unless some great gain could be accomplished; instead, he favored delayed sabotage that could not easily be traced. [15] His reluctance to engage in more active resistance meant that most sabotage carried out in the early period of the war were due to efforts by the Partisans, and Mihailović lost several commanders and a number of followers who wished to fight the Germans to the Partisan movement[16] Mihailović established radio contact with the British in September 1941 : his first radio message was received on September 13 by King Peter's government in exile, announcing that the remnants of the Yugoslav Army were continuing resistance in the mountains[17].

Even though Mihailović initially asked for discreet support, propaganda from the British and from the Yugoslav government in exile quickly began to exalt his feats. The creation of a resistance movement in occupied Europe was received as a morale booster. On November 15, the BBC announced that Mihailović was the commander of the Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland, which became the Chetniks' official name[18].

Though Mihailović's who were initially the first to go underground, and had had defensive encounters with the Germans, reprisals and the tales of the massacres in the Independent State of Croatia made them reluctant to go immediately into armed struggle, except agains the Ustaše at the border[19]. In the meantime, following the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia led by Tito also went into action and called in July for an insurrection against the occupiers, setting up their armed force which came to be known as the Partisans[20]. At the end of August, Chetniks and Partisans both came into action, sometimes jointly despite their mutual diffidence, capturing prisoners[21].

Notes

  1. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 54
  2. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 54
  3. ^ Freeman, Gregory A.; The Forgotten 500: the untold story of the men who risked all for the greatest rescue mission of World War II; New American Library, 2007 ISBN:978-0-451-22495-8 p. 123
  4. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 54
  5. ^ Roberts, p 21
  6. ^ Roberts, p. 21
  7. ^ Walter R. Roberts, Tito, Mihailović, and the Allies, 1941–1945, New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1973, pages 21-22
  8. ^ Roberts, p. 22
  9. ^ Walter R. Roberts, Tito, Mihailović, and the Allies, 1941–1945, New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1973, page 22
  10. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 79
  11. ^ Roberts, p 26
  12. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 59
  13. ^ Stevan K. Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 56
  14. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 60
  15. ^ Freeman, Gregory A.; The Forgotten 500: the untold story of the men who risked all for the greatest rescue mission of World War II; New American Library, 2007 ISBN:978-0-451-22495-8 pp.124-26
  16. ^ Roberts, pp. 26-27
  17. ^ Walter R. Roberts, Tito, Mihailović, and the Allies, 1941–1945, New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1973, page 22
  18. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 64
  19. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 59
  20. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 56
  21. ^ Stevan K.Pavlowitch, Hitler's new disorder : the Second World War in Yugoslavia, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, page 60

Suggested changes

Once again, please show your changes or provide a diff in this section. Please take it slow. Make your points succinctly. Don't repeat yourselves, and be nice <joke>  :) Sunray (talk) 19:12, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

I just made a minor name correction. [1]. FkpCascais (talk) 20:18, 5 July 2010 (UTC)
For me, it´s OK. We could add more, but for now is enough. If others also wish and consider apropriate, we could move on. FkpCascais (talk) 19:42, 6 July 2010 (UTC)
It will be a few days before I'll have time to review and make editing suggestions to this section--since we're not in a rush, I hope I can have that time.... --Nuujinn (talk) 19:56, 6 July 2010 (UTC)
Ok, I made a couple of passes. Generally speaking, much of the changes are relocations and copy edits to improved flow and structure. I think the bit about British propaganda needs expansion. Also, I added some material from Roberts, in particular:
  • page 21 has the date of M.'s arrival as May 12.
  • Changed some of the wording that apparently comes pretty much verbatim from Roberts to mitigate copyvio.
  • Roberts notes that M's reluctance led to loss of leaders and men to Partisans, added a bit about that.
  • I struck some characterization that seemed too puffy or peacock, for example, "easily defensible". If those characterizations can be source, please feel free to restore, but as far as I can tell from the timeline the Germans had little trouble pushing both the Chetniks and Partisans out of the mountains.
Also, we need a source for the "stated goal" of M's movement. -Nuujinn (talk) 22:48, 15 July 2010 (UTC)
Looks fine to me. Thank you Nuujinn. FkpCascais (talk) 03:11, 16 July 2010 (UTC)
Thanks Nuujinn. I've been away and several others have as well. So let's proceed at a measured pace. I'm purposely leaving the "Legacy" section for now. If we can get through most of the rest of the article we can come back to "Legacy" and lead sections as our final effort. Sunray (talk) 17:13, 19 July 2010 (UTC)
Would anyone object if I take the draft sections we have discussed and move them to a subpage? It would free up some space here, and I would like to work on cleaning up the references, since they are quite extensive. I promise not to edit any of the content. --Nuujinn (talk) 18:27, 19 July 2010 (UTC)
Makes sense to me. I would suggest you go ahead with that. If there are any objections, we can deal with them. Sunray (talk) 18:36, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

Is everyone more or less satisfied with this last section as it is worded now? No one's been active here for a while, but I suppose like me many of us have been on various vacations. --Nuujinn (talk) 19:55, 31 July 2010 (UTC)

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