{"id":2240,"date":"2022-10-27T21:19:03","date_gmt":"2022-10-27T19:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/balkan-history.org\/the-chetniks-before-the-second-world-war\/"},"modified":"2022-11-15T15:09:04","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T14:09:04","slug":"the-chetniks-before-the-second-world-war","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/balkan-history.org\/en\/the-chetniks-before-the-second-world-war\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chetniks before the Second World War"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section el_name=”Text area” css=”.vc_custom_1628861801859{padding-bottom: 10px !important;background-color: rgba(189, 187, 187, 0.58) !important;*background-color: rgba(189,187, 187, 0.58) !important;}”][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1666870684700{padding-top: 0px !important;}” el_name=”\u010cETNICI PRIJE DRUGOG SVJETSKOG RATA”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The Chetniks before the Second World War<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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The word \u010detnik\/\u0447\u0435\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a <\/em>denotes a member of a \u010deta\/\u0447\u0435\u0442\u0430, <\/em>i.e. a small armed formation. The term came into use in Serbia under Ottoman rule, as a designation for various bands of outlaws who engaged in \u010detovanje\/\u0447\u0435\u0442\u043e\u0432\u0430\u045a\u0435<\/em>, i.e. guerrilla acts in opposition to the repressive policies of local Turkish strongmen. Alongside \u010detnik\/\u0447\u0435\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a <\/em>and \u010detovanje\/\u0447\u0435\u0442\u043e\u0432\u0430\u045a\u0435<\/em>, the terms hajduk\/\u0445\u0430\u0458\u0434\u0443\u043a <\/em>and hajdu\u010dija\/\u0445\u0430\u0458\u0434\u0443\u0447\u0438\u0458\u0430 <\/em>were also commonly used with the same meanings. At the beginning of the 20th<\/sup> century, Chetnik guerrilla bands were formed in what is now North Macedonia, organised, equipped, and financed for the most part by the neighbouring Kingdom of Serbia. Their aim was to liberate Macedonia from Ottoman rule and then unite it with Serbia. Chetnik forces, under the command of the Serbian army, played an important role in the Balkan Wars and then in the First World War as well. Following the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, that is, Yugoslavia, Chetnik veterans in Belgrade founded the \u201cAssociation of Chetniks for Freedom and Honour of the Fatherland\u201d (\u0423\u0434\u0440\u0443\u0436\u0435\u045a\u0435 \u0447\u0435\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430 \u0437\u0430 \u0441\u043b\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0434\u0443 \u0438 \u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442 \u041e\u0442\u0430\u045f\u0431\u0438\u043d\u0435 \/ Udru\u017eenje \u010detnika za slobodu i \u010dast Otad\u017ebine<\/em>) as a leading Serbian patriotic group. In 1925 the Association was renamed \u201cPetar Mrkonji\u0107 Association of Serbian Chetniks for the King and Fatherland\u201d (\u0423\u0434\u0440\u0443\u0436\u0435\u045a\u0435 \u0441\u0440\u043f\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0445 \u0447\u0435\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430 \u201e\u041f\u0435\u0442\u0430\u0440 \u041c\u0440\u043a\u043e\u045a\u0438\u045b\u201c \u0437\u0430 \u041a\u0440\u0430\u0459\u0430 \u0438 \u041e\u0442\u0430\u045f\u0431\u0438\u043d\u0443 \/ Udru\u017eenje srpskih \u010detnika \u201ePetar Mrkonji\u0107\u201c za Kralja i Otad\u017ebinu<\/em>) and brought under the control of the Radical Party. This association was chaired by Puni\u0161a Ra\u010di\u0107 (\u041f\u0443\u043d\u0438\u0448\u0430 \u0420\u0430\u0447\u0438\u045b), the man who in 1927 shot and killed several Croatian Peasant Party representatives in the parliament in Belgrade. The best-known leaders of Chetnik organisations during the 1930s were Ilija Trifunovi\u0107 Bir\u010danin (\u0418\u043b\u0438\u0458\u0430 \u0422\u0440\u0438\u0444\u0443\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0438\u045b \u0411\u0438\u0440\u0447\u0430\u043d\u0438\u043d) and Kosta Milovanovi\u0107 Pe\u0107anac (\u041a\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430 \u041c\u0438\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0438\u045b \u041f\u0435\u045b\u0430\u043d\u0430\u0446). The Chetnik associations in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia were known for their anti-democratic, anti-communist, and anti-liberal views, while their ideology was Serbian nationalism. In April 1940 the Yugoslav government established a Chetnik Command, charged with commanding the Chetnik battalions of the Royal Yugoslav Army as its auxiliary units. Following the invasion of Yugoslavia and the brief war of April 1941, the Yugoslav Army and its Chetnik Command surrendered to the Germans.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1666870311260{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\"\"[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1668521320544{margin-top: -5px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”]Image \u2013 Puni\u0161a Ra\u010di\u0107<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1666870423985{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\"\"[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1668521343098{margin-top: -5px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”]Image \u2013 Kosta Pe\u0107anac<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” el_name=”Obradene teme” css=”.vc_custom_1619732500987{margin-top: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1525096300190{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]