Friday, April 29, 2011

Трибина ће се одржати у згради општине Вождовац у среду 11.5.2011.год. (May 11, 2011) са почетком у 18 часова: "ИСТОРИСКО-ПРАВНИ АСПЕКТ РЕХАБИЛИТАЦИЈЕ ГЕНЕРАЛА МИХАИЛОВИЋА"




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Поводом седамдесет година од доласка генерала Михаиловића на Равну Гору Српски либерални савет одржава трибину под називом:

"ИСТОРИСКО-ПРАВНИ АСПЕКТ РЕХАБИЛИТАЦИЈЕ ГЕНЕРАЛА МИХАИЛОВИЋА"

Трибина ће се одржати у згради општине Вождовац у среду 11.5.2011.год. са почетком у 18 часова.

На трибини ће говорити:

академик Коста Чавоски

историчар Драган Крсмановић

бивши судија сад адвокат Гојко Лазаров

адвокат Зоран Живановић


У Бгд. 30.4.2011 год
Српски либерални савет

April 30, 2011
Belgrade



*****

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

*****


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Draza Mihailovich: Comic Book Hero


"Real Heroes"
1942


"What Kind of Man is a Hero?"

By George J. Hecht, President and Publisher
"Real Heroes" Comics and Founder of "Parents Magazine"

"Does War make heroes? On first thought you say, 'Yes, of course, war makes heroes.' And in a way it is true. A great many famous men would never have been known as heroes if war had not brought them fame. But on the other hand, the uniform does not make the man. He has to have the stuff inside him, before he puts on that uniform.

...Most of the "Chetniks" in Mihailovich's growing army of guerrilla fighters who refuse to submit to Hitler's rule in Yugoslavia, escaped and joined him with neither uniform nor guns. Some of the Greek patriots who cast their lot in with him came ragged and penniless. But they have armed themselves with guns, tanks, cannon and small arms by repeated successful attacks on Nazi troop trains and supply trucks. It took "guts" to do that."



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Draza Mihailovich: Comic Book Hero

Carl Savich
 April, 2011


The Chetnik guerrilla resistance movement led by Draza Mihailovich reached superhuman dimensions in the U.S. during World War II. Indeed, his exploits became the stuff of legend, rivaling the superheroes in comic books. Draza Mihailovich himself became a comic book hero and the Chetnik guerrillas assumed the status of superheroes.

Before television and mass market paperbacks, comic books were a dominant, mainstream form of entertainment in the U.S. The period from the late 1930s to the late 1940s became the Golden Age of Comics, a period when comic books proliferated the market. In the early 1940s, there were 125 different regular comic books published in the U.S. with sales of 25 million copies per month with a total yearly revenue of $30 million. The superhero archetype was developed during the 1930s with the appearance of Superman in June, 1938 in Action Comics #1 and Captain Marvel in the 1940s.

The first major appearance of Draza Mihailovich in an American comic book was in the September, 1942 issue of Real Heroes Comics, the cover story “The Chief of the ‘Chetniks’: Draja Mihailovich”, issue #6, published by the Parents' Magazine Press in New York. The comic book was about real-life people: "Real Heroes Comics ... Not about impossible supermen, but about real-life heroes and heroines who have made and are making history!" Draza Mihailovich, "Chief of the Chetniks", was across from New York Yankees icon "Iron Man" Lou Gehrig on the cover.

The "V for ...Victory" symbol---three dots and a dash---was on the cover. A "v" in Morse Code is three dots and a dash. The V for Victory Campaign during World War II was a symbol of resistance to the Nazis and was tied into the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony---G-G-G-Fflat.

Real Heroes Comics was published every other month from 1941 to 1946 in 16 issues from September, 1941 to October, 1946. George J. Hecht was the Publisher and President. The Managing Editor was G. G. Telfer while the Art Editor was Ralph O. Ellsworth. George H. Gallup, the director of the Institute of Public Opinion, David S. Muzzey, Professor of History at Columbia University, and Hendrik Van Loon, the author of "The Story of Mankind", were Senior Advisory Editors.

The Parents' Magazine Institute published comic books from 1941 to 1950. Some of the comic books they published were Calling All Kids, Calling All Boys, Calling All Girls, True Comics, Jack Armstrong, Polly Pigtails, Steve Saunders Special Agent, Tex Granger, and Real Heroes Comics.

‎In the essay "What Kind of Man is a Hero?", publisher George J. Hecht emphasized that a hero possessed inherent human qualities that set him apart from others: "Does war make heroes? On first thought you say, 'Yes, of course, war makes heroes.' ... But on the other hand, the uniform does not make the man. He has to have the stuff inside him, before he puts on that uniform. ...Most of the 'Chetniks' ... in Mihailovich's growing army of guerilla fighters who refuse to submit to Hitler's rule in Yugoslavia, escaped and joined him with neither uniform nor guns. Some of the Greek patriots who cast their lot in with him came ragged and penniless. Bu they have armed themselves with guns, tanks, cannon and small arms by repeated successful attacks on Nazi troop trains and supply trucks. It took 'guts' to do that."

‎Many heroic acts go unreported and unseen: "Some of the greatest unsung heroes of all are those who remain on their farms or pretend to work in the Nazi-occupied factories in Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia and other invaded countries, so that they can watch what goes on and sabotage the most vital points."

In "Chief of the 'Chetniks'", a large figure of Draza Mihailovich is drawn based on his 1937 photograph that became widely reproduced during the war with the description: "General Draja Mihailovich leader of the Yugoslavian guerilla army, known as the 'Chetniks!' The 'Chetniks' now numbering over 150,000, are pledged to die rather than surrender to Hitler." Draza's early career was recounted during World War I: "In World War 1 Lieut. Mihailovich was seriously wounded and decorated for bravery." Later Mihailovich joined the Yugoslav Army General Staff and was made a professor of strategy at the Belgrade military academy. His criticisms of Yugoslav defense strategy got him in trouble with the Yugoslav military authorities. Mihailovich, however, remained defiant: "Better to die than live a slave."

After the German invasion and occupation in 1941, Mihailovich vowed to resist: "I shall never surrender! ... Not I! I shall resist my country's enemy until death." He formed a guerrilla army in the mountains. Spies revealed German troop movements and weapons shipments. Chetnik guerrillas "blew up the bridge and derailed the Axis troop train." The Nazis retaliated by shooting Yugoslav hostages and by shelling and bombing more than 40 villages. "But the guerilla army grew to more than 100,000---both men and women!" The German occupation forces decreed: "For every Nazi killed, we shall butcher 100 'Chetniks!'" "Pitched battles raged all over Yugoslavia" as Chetnik guerrillas attacked Italian and German forces and "cut telephone cables" and "fired fuel stores". Trains were derailed and depots were burned. The guerrillas even published their own "underground" newspaper.

The resistance grew. People exclaimed: "While Draja Mihailovich lives, Yugoslavia is still free!" As news of Mihailovich's exploits spread, "hope was reborn in enslaved Europe." The guerrillas then blew up the Belgrade power station. The Nazis vowed: "Death to all who aid the 'Chetniks!'" Mihailovich refused to relent and continued sabotage operations, blowing up bridges. He freed German prisoners. He also forced the Germans to release their prisoners. The Germans placed a reward of "200,000 dinars ($1,000,000) for the capture of this outlaw Mihailovich!" He established "one island of resistance."

Mihailovich remains a beacon of resistance to the Nazis: "Meantime the invisible guerilla army grows like a snowball. Now it is over 150,000. The Nazis have to keep four army divisions in Yugoslavia besides their Gestapo and the Italian army of occupation. The 'Chetniks' may well be the army of liberation for all Europe." Mihailovich is made Minister of War and in the final scene from "somewhere in the woods" transmits over the short-wave radio: "I pledge myself to execute the sacred duties of my office unto death or until my country is free of the invader!"

Draza Mihailovich next appeared on the cover of the November, 1942 issue of Real Life Comics. The publisher and editor of Real Life Comics, Ned L. Pines, was a major publisher of comic books during the Golden Age of Comics. The comic book Real Life Comics was published by Nedor Publishing at 10 East 40th Street in New York City. It was a comic book series that ran from September, 1941 to September, 1952 for 59 issues. The covers were created by Alex Schomburg, one of the major comic book artists of the 1930s and 1940s. Pines also published Thrilling Comics, Startling Comics, Standard Comics, Better Comics, and Exciting Comics. Pines also purchased Hugo Gernsback’s Wonder Stories science fiction magazine in 1936 and published it as Thrilling Wonder Stories and established the Popular Library paperback series in 1942. The comic book series Real Life Comics was published every other month and cost ten cents. The comic book featured real persons such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Igor Sikorsky, Claire Chennault, and Draza Mihailovich.



Draza Mihailovich was featured in issue No.8 from November, 1942, Volume 3, No. 2. Mihailovich was also on the cover drawn by artist Alex Schomburg. Mihailovich was in section 4 entitled “Draja Mihailovitch: The Jugoslav Hero.” The title of the story was “Draja Mihailovitch: The Yugoslav MacArthur”, comparing him to U.S. General Douglas MacArthur. The story was introduced as follows: “Drawing upon a background of military education and diplomatic skill, the commanding officer of the Chetniks has held the hordes of Hitler and Mussolini at bay.” The issue also contained comics featuring Miguel Cervantes, Leonardo Da Vinci, Johnny Appleseed, Claire Chennault, and Benito Juarez.

The comic recounted Draza Mihailovich’s service in World War I, his diplomatic assignment in Czechoslovakia in 1936 as the military attache, his imprisonment by Milan Nedich, and his emergence as a resistance leader in 1941. "For over a year he has defied Hitler and his armies--and kept Yugoslavia unconquered." He launched a resistance movement that was unprecedented: "Yugoslavia ... is the only conquered country in Europe that will not bow down to Hitler!"

The story opens with his swearing in as Minister of War: "I, Draja Mihaiilovitch, promise to carry out the duties of my office until death---or until my country is freed of the invader!" Then he is shown at 15, joining in World War I "to fight for Balkan independence". He is wounded three times. After the war he advocates guerrilla tactics: "Modern war can't be fought with old-fashioned tactics! Guerilla warfare is the only answer" As a colonel he becomes the youngest officer on the General Staff. He is court-martialed and imprisoned by Milan Nedich for his criticisms of Yugoslav defenses.

The Germans bomb and invade Yugoslavia on April 6, 1941, Palm Sunday: "The Nazis bombed Belgrade for eight hours and killed 20,000 persons!" The Yugoslav slogan was: "Rather war than a shameful pact! Rather death than slavery!" After the surrender of Yugoslavia, Mihailovich maintained: "I'm staying--to organize a guerilla army to fight the Nazis!" He created an army in the mountains to "fight for freedom".

The comic focuses on his guerrilla activities against the German occupation forces, blowing up railroad bridges, attacking German troop columns, derailing trains, engaging in sabotage, and organizing a massive popular resistance movement. The guerrillas were fighting in "our own style". The Germans retaliated by executing 50 civilians. They placed a reward of a million dollars for his capture, dead or alive. Mihailovich created his own small air force. They tied down 18 German divisions. The Germans stated that they had lost 50,000 men in Yugoslavia and needed seven new divisions from Germany. Bulgarian troops attack the Chetniks but are defeated. Moreover, the Nazis have taken 16,000 Yugoslav civilians as hostages and have arrested their relatives. Mihailovich, however, refuses to surrender: "Freedom does not come easy!" In the concluding scene, Mihailovich is shown defiant and victorious: "Outwitting Hitler at every step, inspiring his people, and setting an example to the rest of the world, the great General Draja Mihailovitch, commander-in-chief of the Yugoslav Army and Minister of War--fights on!"

Draza Mihailovich and the Chetniks also appeared in:

1) Military Comics, Stories of the Army and Navy, #14, December, 1942, Quality Comics; 3. “Mission to Yugoslavia”, The Blue Tracer, by Fred Guardineer, script, pencils, inks; 8. “The Chumps and the Chetniks”, Shot and Shell, by Klaus Nordling, script, pencils, inks;

2) Master Comics, Captain Marvel Jr., #36, February, 1943, Fawcett Comics; 1. “Liberty for the Chetniks”, artwork by Emmanuel Mac Raboy, pencils, inks;

3) Thrilling Comics, American Crusader, #35, May, 1943, Standard Comics, Nedor Group; 2. “The American Crusader Joins the ;

4) Kid Komics, Red Hawk, #3, Fall Issue, September, 1943, Timely Comics; 10. “The Origin of Red Hawk”, featuring Jan Valor; artwork by George Klein, pencils; Cover by Alex Schomburg, pencils, inks;

5) Black Cat Comics, #1, June-July, 1946, Harvey Comics; 3. “The Story of the Fighting Chetniks”, attributed to Arthur Cazeneuve; and,

6) Prize Comics, #20, March, 1942, “The Chetniks”, Ted O’Neil of the R.A.F., pages 20-25, Prize.


During World War II, Draza Mihailovich and the Chetnik guerrillas caught the American public imagination like few others before and since and became ingrained in American popular culture. They became icons and superheroes whose exploits became the stuff of legend and myth as they themselves became heroes in comic books.


Carl Savich
April 2011




TO ENLARGE THE IMAGES BELOW
SO THAT YOU CAN READ THE TEXT,
JUST CLICK ON EACH AS YOU ARE READING.














*****

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


*****


Friday, April 22, 2011

The Story of Lt. Thornton L. Carlough of the U.S.Army Air Corps, one of the American veterans rescued by the Mihailovich Chetniks in the great Halyard Mission Operation of 1944


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Aleksandra's Note: The following material relates to the personal story of U.S. Army Air Corps Lieutenant Thornton L. Carlough, a World War II veteran who was rescued by the Mihailovich Chetniks in Serbia during the great Halyard Mission operation in August of 1944.


Lt. Thornton L. Carlough
U.S. Army Air Corps
1944

Veterans History Project
Central Connecticut State University



Thornton L. Carlough

Born: 09/29/1920

Died: 04/05/2008

Branch: U.S. Army Air Corps.

War Served: WWII

Rank: Lieutenant

Served In: Italy; Eastern Europe (Balkans)

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Please click on the links below for the Carlough story:


Carlough Photo Slideshow


Carlough Military Documents


Carlough Personal Documents


Carlough Publications


Carlough Audio Recording of his WWII Memoirs


http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=6837

*****

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

*****

U.S. Army Air Corps Lt. Thornton L. Carlough: Memoir of WWII experiences and rescue by the Mihailovich Chetniks


Lt. Thornton L. Carlough
1944

Veterans History Project
Central Connecticut State University

Thornton L. Carlough

Born: 09/29/1920

Died: 04/05/2008

Branch: U.S. Army Air Corps.

War Served: WWII

Rank: Lieutenant

Served In: Italy; Eastern Europe (Balkans)


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Veterans History Project Digital Archive

Title: Audio recording of Thornton L. Carlough, memoir of war experiences recorded [200?]

Description: Audio recording of an oral memoir by Thornton Carlough. Carlough recounts the story of his military service in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. He was a co-pilot on the "Lucky Strike" in the 460th Bomber Group stationed in Italy. On April 15, 1944 his crew was forced to parachute out of the plane as it went down following a mission. Carlough ended up in Bulgaria, as a POW, before escaping with one of his crewmates into Yugoslavia. There the Chetniks (a political group loyal to the monarchy) assisted him in travelling across Yugoslavia to avoid being captured by the Germans. During the interview, Carlough describes in great detail his experiences as a POW, as well as his experiences with the Chetniks. He returned home and was discharged in 1945.

Coverage: 1943-1945

Date Original: [200?]

Digital Format: audio/x-ms-wma

Duration: 01:52:08

Contributors: Carlough, Thornton L.

Software: Windows Media Player required for viewing

Access Restrictions and Permissions: No access restrictions. For permission to reproduce contact Central Connecticut State University, Center for Public Policy and Social Research at (860) 832-2976

Image Identifier: VHP2009.37

Creator/Owner: Carlough, Thornton L.

War or Conflict: World War II, 1939-1945

Branch of Service: United States. Army Air Corps

Unit of Service: 460th Bombardment Group. 761st Squadron.

Rank: Lieutenant

Status: Veteran

Subject: Vietnam War, 1961-1975-Personal narratives, American
Veterans -- Connecticut
Prisoners of war
World War II, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Yugoslavia

Geographic Location: Yugoslavia, Italy, Bulgaria

Publisher: Central Connecticut State University. Center for Public Policy and Social Research

Language: English

Relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Type of Resource: Moving image

Citation: Thornton L. Carlough Papers. VHP2009/37. Veterans History Project; Central Connecticut State University, Center for Public Policy and Social Research.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:nhbHWqke_GkJ:content.library.ccsu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT%3D/VHP%26CISOPTR%3D5885%26CISOBOX%3D1%26REC%3D8+thornton+carlough+chetniks&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com


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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
 
*****

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Kalabić mrtav ubio Dražu?! / ALO! / April 20, 2011



Alo! Vesti
B.P.
Sreda - 20.04.2011
Wednesday - April 20, 2011


Nikola Kalabic

Potomci Nikole Kalabića ogorčeni nalazima vladine komisije

Po ko zna koji put u proteklih više od pola veka, u porodici jedinih potomaka Nikole Kalabića, bliskog saradnika generala Draže Mihajlovića, zavladalo je ogorčenje i nemir.

Ovog puta, razlog su nalazi Komisije za utvrđivanje istine o čuvenom Čiči i tvrdnja da je u njegovom zarobljavanju i egzekuciji učestvovao Nikola Kalabić, iako je on poginuo šest meseci ranije?!

- Ceo život plačem i patim zbog te neistine. Gde su dokazi te komisije za to što tvrde? Jako neozbiljno, istorijski i ljudski nekorektno - kaže Kalabićeva unuka Vesna Dragojević-Kalabić.

Da je nalaz Komisije apsurdan pokazuje dokument kojim je sudski utvrđena Kalabićeva smrt, a koji bitno negira „istinu“ koju su oni otkrili. Naime, krajem prošle godine u Osnovnom sudu u Valjevu doneto je rešenje, kojim je utvrđeno da je Kalabić ubijen 19. januara 1946. na izlasku iz Degurićke pećine, pri probijanju obruča Ozne. Rešenje je doneto na osnovu svedočenja prote gornjomilanovačke parohije u penziji Mijaila Danilovića, kome su to preneli preživeli članovi tadašnje Kalabićeve pratnje.

- Ne mogu da verujem da se ponovo i na takav način provlači takva priča! Moj deda je bio patriota, vrlo obrazovan i ugledan čovek za ono vreme i zakletva mu je mnogo značila. Nikada ne bi izdao kralja i otadžbinu, a pogotovu ne najbližeg saradnika i prijatelja, kome se zakleo! - dodaje Kalabićeva unuka.

U izjavi za „Alo!“, ona kaže da ne veruje ni u ostale nalaze komisije.

- Žalosno je što mi i posle 65 godina živimo isto, u totalnom mraku. Ne zna se istina, pitanje da li će se ikada i znati - ogorčena je i Kalabićeva praunuka Jelena.

Kako kažu, njima je od čuvenog Kalabića ostao samo zlatni džepni sat i nešto fotografija, ali su zahvalni proti i ostalima koji su im pomogli u pokušaju da saznaju istinu o njegovoj pogibiji i speru ljagu sa svog imena, bar na ovaj način.


B. P.





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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

*****

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Chetniks on the Air: Broadcasts on American Radio - Treasury Star Parade / By Carl Savich



To listen to the broadcast, please click on one of the links below:







Note: You may need to install "Quick Time" from Apple, Inc.
 in order to be able to listen to the broadcast.


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The Chetniks on the Air:
Broadcasts on American Radio


By Carl Savich
April 2011

Draza Mihailovich and the Chetnik guerrillas created an unprecedented sensation and frenzy in the U.S. in 1942 and 1943. This is reflected in their appearance in all phases of American media. They were featured on magazine covers, newspapers, comic books, and a major Hollywood movie. It was not long before they were featured on American radio.

The U.S. Treasury Department, the Radio Section of the War Savings Staff, made a radio recording, program 101, Treasury Star Parade, “The Chetniks”, starring Orson Welles and Vincent Price with David Broekman and His Orchestra and Chorus. The script was written by Violet Atkins. The record was made by the Allied Record Manufacturing Company of Hollywood, California. It was produced by William A. Bacher, the first producer of the show, who was a writer and radio producer whose credits included Maxwell House’s Showboat and Campbell’s Hollywood Hotel series produced in 1942 and 1943.

Created by the U.S. Treasury Department to stimulate sales of war bonds and stamps, Treasury Star Parade was produced in New York and Hollywood and syndicated to radio stations across the U.S. The program recruited major writers for radio such as Arch Oboler, Neal Hopkins, Violet Atkins, and others to write “patriotic” scripts based on the scenario “if Hitler won the war, America will have to expect…”

The radio series featured major American actors from Broadway and Hollywood such as Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, Lynn Fontanne, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Hull, Fredric March, Alfred Lunt, Vincent Price, and Orson Welles. Actress Jane Froman was a frequent contributor to the show. These actors and many others donated their time in producing 15-minute performances to support the war effort. Musicians such as Bing Crosby, Kay Kyser, Bob Crosby, Harry James, Xavier Cugat, Fred Waring, and Ted Lewis, were also on the show.

Treasury Star Parade was broadcast three times a week. The radio program was syndicated to more than 800 radio stations in the U.S. The 15 minute episodes sought to “personalize” the war, to bring it home and into the living rooms of average Americans, by producing melodramatic and highly emotionally-charged dramatizations of the war. The objective was to shock and galvanize average Americans and to draw listeners out of their secure shells and comfort zones. The scripts were meant to make Americans experience and feel viscerally the trauma, anxiety, fear, and psychological terror of war. Average American citizens were to experience the war via the radio to simulate what U.S. troops underwent in combat. The U.S. Treasury Department also sponsored the Treasury Salute radio program to stimulate the sale of war bonds and stamps, to buy “more than before”. Treasury Salute featured biographies of members of the U.S. military forces and dramatized real events. In the 1950s, the radio program became known as Guest Star.

In Treasury Star Parade Program 101, “The Chetniks”, broadcast in 1942, Vincent Price was the narrator while Orson Welles played Dushan, a Yugoslav who recounts the German bombing and invasion of Belgrade on Palm Sunday on April 6, 1941. He describes the Chetniks and guerrilla leader Draza Mihailovich on whose head the Nazis placed a reward of 10 million dinars. Dushan’s wife Jovana is killed in the bombing. He recounts how the Serbian Orthodox had endured 500 years of “slavery” under the Ottoman Turks. Dushan joins the Chetnik guerrillas under Draza Mihailovich. They are determined and steadfast in their resistance to Nazi occupation.


Orson Welles

Vincent Price

“The Chetniks” is a “story of unconquered Yugoslavia”. Dushan is a leader of Chetnik guerrillas. Their “destiny” is “to free Yugoslavia”. In the opening scene of the radio drama, Chetniks are sworn in and take the oath or pledge. Their goal is to free Yugoslavia of the Nazi occupation troops “and God lives again in Yugoslavia”. When you join the Chetniks you are regarded as dead, striking your name from the list. Chetniks carry a gun, a cartridge, a knife, and a vial of poison.

Jovana is Dushan’s wife. At a fair, in a flashback, a pledge by Jovana and Dushan is made to each other and to the land of Yugoslavia. Dushan as a child herded sheep. They both grew up as Yugoslavs after the creation of the new country following World War I.

Dushan recounts that “we were the free generation” that was “growing with free Yugoslavia” that was “fed on the history of the old and the new Yugoslavia” with “500 years of unceasing war against slavery … and 25 years of freedom as dear as our blood.” On his marriage day, Dushan went to Belgrade where he was a shopkeeper. His wife Jovana, 19, pregnant, was killed during the German bombing of April 6, 1941. She had asked: “Why should war come to little people like us?” The German bombing was on “Palm Sunday when the Nazi planes came to Belgrade.” Welles pronounces the name of the city as “Belgrad”. He and others join “Draza Mihailovich’s ‘island of freedom’”. He says that “200,000 free men live now in the mountains”. He states that “this is our army, Draza Mihailovich’s army”, an “army of shadows”, “yes, Mihailovich’s Chetniks”.

Dushan recounted the Belgrade coup and the rejection of the pact with Nazi Germany by the Yugoslav people. The Yugoslav people said “no, no, no” to Adolf Hitler. Dushan emphasized the determination of Yugoslavs to continue the resistance to Nazi occupation: “If a people desire freedom, weapons will grow in their hands.”

After the radio play concludes with a fervent and emotional crescendo, Vincent Price then makes a call for war bonds and stamps. “This is your country—keep it yours.” He suggests that each person donate 10% of their income to buy bonds and stamps and 10% more if they can afford to.

The show was not without controversy, however, because the government was involved in radio programs that were meant to sell a particular agenda. The program had the approval of the Office of War Information (OWI). The program presented World War II as a just war fought by a democratic nation of citizen-soldiers who were free and equal. This was misleading. The members of the U.S. armed forces were conscripted. The Army was divided based on race. The U.S. policy towards the Japanese was racist. Thousands of Japanese-American citizens were rounded up and placed in internment camps. The show emphasized “American values” of fair play and support for the underdog.

Many criticized the show for being “jingoistic” and relying on “propaganda” techniques. But Treasury Star Parade was no different than the other major dramatic productions of World War II, such as Casablanca (1942) and Mrs. Miniver (1942) in terms of style or technique. Philip G. and Julius J. Epstein’s screenplay for Casablanca relies on emotion and “patriotism” and “nationalism” to an equal if not greater degree than does “The Chetniks”. The screenplay for Mrs. Miniver by James Hilton, George Froeschel, Claudine West, and Arthur Wimperis, based on the character created by Jan Struther, is almost identical to “The Chetniks” radio play by Violet Atkins. A central scene in Mrs. Miniver is the destruction of a church by Nazi bombers. Similarly, in “The Chetniks”, Dushan and Jovana witness the bombing of a Serbian Orthodox church in Belgrade. Neither Casablanca nor Mrs. Miniver is an objective, unbiased analysis and examination of all sides to the conflict. Instead, a single, biased perspective or viewpoint is proffered. Mrs. Miniver won six Academy Awards including Best Picture. Casablanca won three Academy Awards including Best Picture. “The Chetniks” radio play has to be seen in this wider context as a reflection of a drama set during a global war, World War II.

A second radio play on Draza Mihailovich and the Chetniks was produced by Radio Reader’s Digest. On September 27, 1942, a half hour segment entitled “Fight of the Chetniks/The Lost Gold Piece” was broadcast on the radio series Radio Reader’s Digest starring Vincent Price, Joseph Schildkraut, and Henry Hull. Radio Reader’s Digest was on CBS on Sundays, 9:00-9:30 pm, sponsored by Campbell Soup. The host was Conrad Nagel until December 10, 1944 when he was replaced by Quinton Reynolds. The announcer was Ernest Chappell. Robert Nolan was the director. The orchestra was under Lynn Murray until December 3, 1944 when replaced by N. Van Cleef.


Reader's Digest, June 1942 issue
"The Fight of the Chetniks"

The radio program was based on an article in the June, 1942 issue of Reader’s Digest. The article was entitled “The Fight of the Chetniks” by Major Erwin Christian Lessner (1898-1959), reprinted from Free World. Lessner had been a decorated Austrian officer in World War I, a major who had received nine decorations for valor. He had fled to the U.S. after the Nazi takeover. Lessner recounted the Chetnik guerrilla movement led by Draza Mihailovich:”The most elusive foe the Nazis face is Draza Mihailovitch, who … today is famous as leader of a crafty and dauntless army of 100,000 Chetniki. … Their skill and bravery have aroused the admiration of the world.” He recounted how the Nazis offered a reward of “50,000,000 dinars—about $1,000,000” for the capture of Draza Mihailovich. Lessner recounted Chetnik guerrilla attacks on Shabac and Uzice in Serbia and assaults on Dubrovnik and Kotor in Dalmatia in 1941. He noted that the Chetniks control “almost 20,000 square miles of their country”. He described Draza Mihailovich as a proponent of guerrilla warfare who sought to wage an “invisible war” against the Nazi occupation troops. He concluded: “The Chetniks are in a position to serve the United Nations cause out of all proportion to their numbers.” At the time of writing, Lessner reported that Draza Mihailovich and his forces were attacking Sarajevo. Finally, he stated that “organized resistance continues throughout Serbia and none of the incredibly cruel reprisals visited by the Germans upon the innocent Serb population has affected the fighting ardor of the redoubtable Chetniks.”

Reader’s Digest represented grassroots America. Their appearance in that publication was indicative of the fact that Draza Mihailovich and the Chetniks had achieved widespread popularity among the general American public. They then were on the air, on American radio, being broadcast into the living rooms of America.


Carl Savich
April 2011


Lessner, Erwin Christian. “The Fight of the Chetniks”. Reader’s Digest, June, 1942, Vol. 40, No. 242, pp. 37-40.

MacDonald, Fred. Government Propaganda in Commercial Radio: The Case of Treasury Star Parade, 1942-1943. The Journal of Popular Culture, Volume 12, Issue 2, pp. 285–304, Fall, 1978.

Smith, Kathleen E. R. God Bless America: Tin Pan Alley Goes to War. University Press of Kentucky, 2003.


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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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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Draža završio u nekoj toplani! / Vecernje Novosti / April 19, 2011

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Vecernje Novosti
D. MILJKOVIĆ
19. april 2011.
April 19, 2011
 
Nikola Ilić (86), bivši šef odseka UDBE za Leskovac, tvrdi da je četnički komandir zadavljen u zatvoru, a njegovi ostaci završili u nekoj od beogradskih toplana. Iliću istinu otkrio Krcunov šef kabineta



Nikola Ilić i njegovo svedočenje

DRAŽA Mihailović zadavljen je u zatvoru, a njegovi ostaci završili su u nekoj od beogradskih toplana - otkriva za „Novosti“ Nikola Ilić. Bivši šef odseka Udbe za Leskovac, rešio je, kaže, da progovori posle skoro sedam decenija ćutanja i skrivanja tajne „koju je nosio na duši“.

Istinu o stradanju četničkog komandanta, kako tvrdi Ilić, saopštio mu je 1957. godine „sada pokojni Vladimir Babić iz Bojnika, jedan od bivših šefova kabineta ministra unutrašnjih poslova Slobodana Penezića Krcuna“.

Ilić se, kako kaže, seća svake reči koju mu je Babić ispričao o tome kako je Mihailović završio:

- Draža nije ubijen ni sahranjen na Adi ciganliji. Nije streljan, već je udavljen u zatvoru. Dok je spavao, dežurni oficiri su mu navukli omču. Prethodno su ga naterali da popije više alkohola da bi se uspavao. Beživotno telo su umotali u ćebe i uz pomoć dva nemačka zarobljenika utovarili u kamion.

Ilić kaže da je očekivao da će Komisija za pronalaženje groba Dragoljuba Mihailovića dati realniji izveštaj o rezultatima istrage. Posle svega što se desilo, kako kaže, „ne želi da bude odgovoran ukoliko istina o jednoj od najvećih misterija naše novije istorije ode s njim u grob“.

- Prošle godine ispričao sam dr Momčilu Pavloviću da uzalud traže Dražin grob na Adi ciganliji, Lisičjem potoku ili Dedinju. Očekivao sam da objave da nemaju dokaze o tome gde je streljan i sahranjen. Pošto to nisu učinili, rešio sam da posle toliko godina progovorim i jednom stavim tačku na tu polemiku - kaže za „Novosti“ Nikola Ilić, koji je došao u naše leskovačko dopisništvo i istovremeno nam dostavio i pisanu izjavu.

U njoj on navodi „da je tu istinu čuo i pokojni Milutin Ristić, tadašnji načelnik leskovačke policije i da su razgovor sa Babićem vodili na Višoj školi za unutrašnje poslove“, a da je povod bio predavanje pukovnika Drecuna o hvatanju Draže Mihailovića.

Babić je tokom hapšenja i egzekucije Draže Mihailovića služio u jedinici Pete armije u Skoplju.

- On nije znao u koju beogradsku toplanu je telo odvezeno. Zna samo da je „ložač“ bio saradnik Ozne, kome je rečeno da je u ćebetu nemački zarobljenik.

Ilićeva ispovest samo je još jedna u nizu onih koje pričaju oni koji su „nešto čuli“ i kojima su „upućeni ljudi ispričali istinu o Draži“. Tako će, verovatno, biti sve dok se ne pronađu jaki argumenti koji će potvrditi gde je i kako ubijen Draža Mihailović i gde se nalaze njegovi posmrtni ostaci.


KOMISIJA

DRŽAVNA komisija za utvrđivanje istine o Draži Mihailoviću, posle višegodišnjeg rada, prošle nedelje je saopštila manje-više ono što se znalo u poslednjih šest decenija. Rečeno je da, iako nije pronađen nijedan pisani trag, da se na osnovu iskaza svedoka došlo do zaključka da je četnički komandant streljan na Adi ciganliji i da je tu njegova primarna grobnica. Konstatovano je da nije poznato da li su, i gde, odneti Dražini posmrtni ostaci. Najavljeno je da će teren na Adi biti skeniran kako bi se eventualno pronašli posmrtni ostaci Mihailovića, a potom izvršila i DNK analiza.





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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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МАМУРЛУК - Драган Крсмановић

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Код пијанства је најнепријатнија ствар мамурлук. Ону слатку занесеност, усплахиреност, једноставност и лакоћу замењује шум у глави, отежалост удова, болна јасноћа слика и постиђеност над, вече пре буђења, учињеним глупостима.

Хрватска је у шоку, суочила се са оним што смо ми знали још од раније а сада је јасно и целом свету. У темеље своје државе уградила је крв и кости недужних жртава. Њени хероји у ствари су злочинци који су жељу хрватског народа за сопственом државом злоупотребили за властити злочиначки подухват. Хрватско, шовинистичко пијанство завршило се мамурлуком.

Нажалост код нас опијеност још увек траје. Када се Српски либерални савет 4.априла обратио јавности са захтевом да „комисије за утврђивање чињеница о погубљењу и гробном месту генерала Драгољуба Михаиловића“ положи рачун није очекивао да ће држава тако брзо реалговати. Већ 14.априла на конференцији за штампу ова комисија али и „комисија за тајне гробнице стрељаних од 12.септембра 1944.године“ изашле су са својим саопштењима. Брзина за похвалу али не и садржај онога што је саопштено. Комисија за откривање гроба генерала Михаиловића дала је саопштење које се није одмакло од наших сазнања од пре пар година за које нам комисија ни није требала. Али чињеница да одговора нема и сама представља неки одговор. Како је могуће да се у некој земљи изврши смртна казна над бившим министром војске, а да о томе не буде сачуван било какав податак. Много је садржајнија била порука господина Слободана Марковића, председника комисије за тајне гробнице који је потврдио да је његова комисија дошла до спискова 24.000 људи погубљених од 12.септембра 1944. године. Посебно важно је храбро истицање да је „злогласна ОЗН-а у случају Михаиловића спровела монтирано суђење и ликвидацију под окриљем ноћи, а све уз заверу ћутања државног врха. Судило се не само Дражи Михаиловићу, већ и Краљевини Југославији и њеним савезницима, Великој Британији и САД-у“ (према извештају „Политике“ од 15.априла 2011. године).

Нама је познато како је монтиран процес генералу Михаиловићу и зашто је и како из политичких и идеолошких разлога реализовано његово погубљење. Сада видимо да је то познато и стручној и научној јавности.

Пијанство је завршено, остаје нам само да сачекамо зору. Да се и политичка елита у Србији суочи са истином и преко својих медија саопшти свим грађанима Србије. Пре више од 65 година, једна група разбојника је користећи патриотизам и жељу за слободом српског народа, покренула властиту борбу у којој је, крвљу и страдањем српског народа, уз борбу против фашизма водила грађански рат, у коме је поразила свог политичког противника. А онда је злочиначки без суђења уништила не само противника већ и оне за које је претпоставила да би то могли постати. Списак од 24.000 лица није коначан. Српски либерални савет прати рад комисије и настојаће да да свој допринос откривању пуне истине. Јер време је да се суочимо са оним што је заиста било. Док се не открије пуна истина још ће међу нама бити оних који ће веровати „да смо их премало побили“ и да је ОЗН-а требала само још неколико хиљада више да побије па да би непријатеља нестало. Идеје социјалне правде, солидарности и једнакости неће и не могу нестати. Не треба да нестану ни друге политичке идеје. Морају нестати они који су за ове али и за било које друге политичке идеје спремни да газе у крви и чине злочине.

Шта додати ономе што је блаженопочивши патријарх Павле рекао о геноциду: „Ако велика Србија треба да почива на геноциду боље да је нема. Ако и мала Србија треба да почива на геноциду боље да је нема. Ако и мој живот треба да почива на геноциду боље да и мене нема“. Само тако Србија може закорачити уздигнута чела у друштво европских народа.

Социјалистичка Југославија је пропала јер је у својим темељима имала лаж и злочин. Ни полет и рад милиона њених грађана није могао да надокнади прећутани Јасеновац, Јадовно, Коричку јаму, безгробу војску генерала Михаиловића , разбаштињеног сељака и замандаљене цркве.

Другови из СУБНОР-а време је да се определите који део традиција „народноослободилачког рата и социјалистичке револуције“ баштините. Да ли у ваш тефтер да допишемо и ове 24.000 недужно побијених (само је њих 1.650 осуђено пред војним судовима и то у поступку за који се може основано тврдити да није био поштен).

Господо из „социјалистичке интернационале“, ако се данас јасно не одредите према томе да ли је политичка корист оправдање за злочин, сутра и сами можете доћи под удар неког новог револуционарног заноса који ће брозовски упутити прекор правосуђу да се „држи закона као пијан плота“.



Драган Крсмановић
Чллан Српскога либералнога савета
April 18, 2011


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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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Monday, April 18, 2011

RTV Studio B Najave emisija Utorak, 19.04.2011. u 21:00 U Centru - Tema: "Draža Mihajlović" / "RTV Studio B" Program, Tuesday April 19, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. CST / 3:00 p.m. EST - Theme "Draza Mihailovich"





Najave emisija



U CENTRU


Utorak, 19.04.2011. u 21:00


Hoće li, posle otkrića gde je ubijen, ikada biti pronađene i kosti Draže Mihajlovića?


Na osnovu čega komisija za otkrivanje istine o bivšem četničkom vođi, zaključuje da je, pored partizanskog, i četnički pokret bio antifašistički?


Zašto je važno da saznamo kakva je sudbina Draže Mihajlovića?


Koliko ljudi su komunisti ubili neposredno posle rata, bez suđenja?


Zašto je istorija toliko važna Srbima i da li se po zanimanju za prošlost razlikujemo od ostatka sveta?


Da li smo nešto naučili iz istorije?


Koliko su mitovi na kojima smo odrasli podsticaj, a koliko opterećenje u izgradnji budućnosti i u Srbiji?


Gosti emisije U CENTRU:


SLOBODAN G. MARKOVIĆ, član Komisije za utvrđivanje istine o Draži Mihajloviću


BOŠKO JAKŠIĆ, novinar Politike


MOMČILO PAVLOVIĆ, direktor Instituta savremene istorije


Autor:Đorđe Mićić


http://www.studiob.rs/tv/tvprogram.php?dan=utorak


http://www.studiob.rs/tv/emisije.php?id=2


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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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