Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Excavation of Draza Mihajlovic’s grave to begin at Ada Ciganlija / "Blic Online" in English


Blic Online

By Vuk Z. Cvijić
March 1, 2010


One of biggest secrets of WWII to be revealed


Excavation of General Dragoljub Mihajlovic’s grave, a commander of Yugoslav Royal Army shall start at Ada Ciganlija as soon as weather conditions improve. It is believed that he was buried there after rigged trial.




Photo of Ada Ciganlija by J. Vuchetich


The search shall be carried out by most contemporary probes for terrain search.



Forensic doctors say it shall be possible to determine for sure the identity of General Mihajlovic on the basis of his remnants regardless of their condition and the time elapsed.


‘Several indirect witnesses mentioned Ada Ciganlija as a location of Mihajlovic’s grave. The most important is testifying by former member of the Corps of Peoples Defense of Yugoslavia who watched the shooting and who is ready to show exact location where General Mihajlovic’s body was buried’, ‘Blic’ source close to the Commission for finding of Draza Mihajlovic’s grave says.


If the grave is not found at Ada Ciganlija, the search shall be carried out at another two locations, Lisiciji Potok and the Central Cemetery because they were also mentioned as possible secondary graves where Mihajlovic’s body was moved.


At the same time the Commission is trying to get in possession of the documents on shooting and burial of General Mihajlovic removed from the State Security at the beginning of the 80s.


‘It has been determined that those documents are no longer at the BIA. However, there is not full cooperation with the VBA and it seems that somebody there is trying to hide the documents’, ‘Blic’ source says.


General Mihailovich, center with arms crossed,
surrounded by his communist accusers


Historian Slobodan Markovic, member of the Commission confirmed to ‘Blic’ the search for the documents ‘because they certainly do exist’.

The Commission shall also insist on hearing of other possible witnesses since only voluntary witnesses have given their statements until so far.


General Mihajlovic was executed on July 17, 1946 together with another seven people at Ada Ciganlija. According to partisan documentation the execution was carried out in the presence of Slobodan Penezic Krcun, then Serbia home minister, Josip Hrncevic, then prosecutor of the Federal Peoples Republic of Yugoslavia, Colonel Milos Minic, then military prosecutor, Mihajlo Djordjevic, then president of trial chamber, Slobodan Krstic Uca, security official and a doctor on duty.


Mihajlovic has been given the highest USA and French decorations for merits in fight against the Nazis. French General Charles de Gaulle awarded Mihajlovic with War Cross for war merits in 1943 while American President Harry Truman decorated Mihajlovic posthumously in 1948 for huge contribution to the victory of the allies and for saving of more than 500 American pilots whose planes were shot down in 1944.


General Mihajlovic was rehabilitated in Serbia as late as in 2004 by decision of Serbia Parliament.



http://english.blic.rs/In-Focus/6091/Excavation-of-Draza-Mihajlovics-grave



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Aleksandra's Note: The text of this English version of the original news story in Serbian is posted here exactly as it appeared in 'Blic Online'.

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If you would like to get in touch with me, Aleksandra, please feel free to contact me at ravnagora@hotmail.com


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3 comments:

  1. Without the caption below the image of Mihailovic you would think he was surrounded by his close friends...this photo is a visual metaphor for Serbia in Europe in this day and age.

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  2. Thank you for your comment, Garasanin. That's why I wanted to make sure to add the caption (my own) to that photograph of Mihailovich in the center, surrounded by his communist accusers. I think the expression on Mihailovich's face is priceless.

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  3. r.i.p draza <3 ill get this right

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