Sunday, May 31, 2015

HONORING O.S.S. AGENT GEORGE MANE VUJNOVICH, LEADER OF LEGENDARY WWII HALYARD MISSION RESCUE OPERATION, ON HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY May 31, 2015.

Major George Mane Vujnovich with his Bronze Star, New York, October 2010.
Photo: Bondareff/AP

Aleksandra's Note: I had the privilege of knowing this gentle soul, O.S.S. Agent Major George Mane Vujnovich, personally, and as is typical of truly great men, he was kind, always humble, and beloved and respected by family, friends, and all those who knew of the great things he did in World War II. He was the leader in Bari, Italy of the Halyard Mission Rescue Operation that saved over 500 American airmen from behind enemy lines in the Nazi-occupied Serbian lands in the former Yugoslavia.

George Vujnovich, an American Serb, was born on this day, May 31, in 1915 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and died at the age of 96 on April 24, 2012, in Jackson Heights, New York, a year and half after having received the Bronze Star in 2010. His personal life story is well-documented in the 2007 book "The Forgotten 500" by Gregory Freeman.

Today I highlight the visit of his beloved daughter Xenia Vujnovich Wilkinson to Serbia for the 70th Anniversary Commemoration of the Halyard Mission. She made this journey on behalf of her father and his memory in September of 2014, and has shared her memoir with me, along with photographs taken of the events by her cousin, Olga Caric. The photographs are posted in random order.

Many thanks to Xenia Wilkinson for sharing her moving memoir of this special commemoration of a great, historic event that has lived on in the hearts and minds of all who appreciate what General Draza Mihailovich and his Chetnik forces did for the Americans in the difficult days of 1944.

Happy 100th birthday, George Vujnovich. You and your legacy have not been, and never will be, forgotten.

Memory eternal.

Sincerely,
Aleksandra Rebic
May 31, 2015

*****
Xenia Vujnovich Wilkinson at Pranjani, Serbia September 2014
Photo: Olga Caric

Journey to Serbia:

Remembering the Halyard Mission
 
By Xenia Vujnovich Wilkinson
 
When my friend, John Cappello, told me that he and his partners in Serbia were organizing a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the rescue of over 500 US airmen who parachuted behind enemy lines in Serbia during World War II, I decided that I should attend to represent my late father, George Vujnovich.  On September 22, I traveled to the region where General Draza Mihailovich’s resistance forces and local farmers saved hundreds of American airmen from capture by Nazi forces in occupied Yugoslavia.

The OSS Halyard Mission of 1944 was an integral part of my family’s life.  I grew up with stories about the downed American airmen, the great Serbian resistance leader, General Draza Mihailovich, the OSS team that organized the rescue and evacuation of the airmen, including my father, our gallant friend Captain Nick Lalich, the courageous Captain George Musulin and so many others.  The memories came flooding back as I flew from my home in Washington, D.C. to Serbia.  I reread “The Forgotten 500” by Gregory Freeman on the plane to review the amazing stories of the participants in the Halyard Mission.

My father attended the first commemoration in Serbia of the Halyard Mission in 2004. The commemoration was sponsored by then Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic.  Following the revolution for democracy of 2000, Serbia was finally able to commemorate the rescue of the U.S. airmen by the forces of General Mihailovich, who was tried and executed by the communist government in 1946.

Having lost my father in 2012, I decided that it was my turn to represent him at a ceremony that meant so much to him.  My husband and daughter were not able to travel to Serbia with me, but Olga Caric, my accomplished young cousin from Novi Sad, agreed to join me at the commemorations and act as my interpreter.

Arriving in Belgrade, I had dinner with Michael Djordjevic, the founder of the Serbian Unity Congress, and his charming wife Marie, who had arrived from San Francisco.  They agreed to change their schedule and attend the commemorations in Pranjani - the site of the 1944 evacuations of the American airmen from a clandestine airfield.

My cousin Olga arrived from Novi Sad and we traveled south by van to Pranjani.  With us was an American family from Virginia - the Hudspeths, including the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of one of the rescued U.S. aviators.  Charles Davis was the navigator of a bomber plane that was shot down in 1944 during a bombing mission to the Ploesti oil fields in Rumania.  After parachuting into Yugoslavia, Davis was rescued by Serbian resistance forces and sheltered by a local farmer in the Pranjani area.  Barbara Davis Hudspeth, her husband Bob, and her daughter Vicky never forgot the sacrifices made by Charles Davis’s Serbian rescuers - the Jevtovic family - and they have maintained a friendship with them that has spanned three generations.

As we entered the mountainous region of southern Serbia that was held by General Mihailovich’s resistance forces, we traveled back in time, observing forests and valleys dotted with small farms and villages, graced by simple wooden Serbian Orthodox churches. The landscape lent itself to guerrilla warfare and the local population actively supported Mihailovich’s resistance forces, although they were suffering from severe wartime shortages of the most basic necessities. German forces occupied the cities and towns in the vicinity.

After driving through dizzying hairpin twists and turns, we arrived at the Jevtovic ranch near Pranjani.  Our host, Zoran Jevtovic, greeted us warmly, and offered us the traditional slivovitz (plum brandy), although it was still morning. The ranch is on a plateau overlooking a lovely green valley. Zoran is a successful banker whose labor of love is the family ranch, which he has expanded and remodeled while maintaining its traditional rural Serbian style.

On a living room wall were photos of Charles Davis’s three-generation family taken many years ago, and showed Vicky Hudspeth as a little girl.  The photos were especially poignant because we learned from Zoran that Tito’s Partisans killed his grandfather when they occupied Pranjani several weeks after the Halyard Mission evacuated the American airmen.  Other local farmers who had sheltered U.S. airmen met the same fate.  The bitter civil war between loyalist and communist resistance forces to decide the postwar future of Yugoslavia took many lives of our allies.  Charles Davis and his family never forgot the sacrifice of the brave people who sheltered them behind enemy lines despite terrible risks to themselves.

It was time to leave for Pranjani - just three kilometers down the road.  As we entered the town, it seemed that the entire population came out to greet us - schoolchildren, older people, and local officials.  We gathered at the secret airfield, where the C-47s had landed in 1944 to evacuate more than 500 airmen.  At the site, I realized how much work it must have required to clear the huge field.  Local farmers, Serbian resistance forces, and American airmen worked together with their bare hands and a few simple farm tools to make this piece of land into a clandestine airfield.

On the grassy Galovica meadow – the site of the wartime airfield - two black marble plaques, one in Serbian and the other in English, commemorate the Halyard Mission. The plaques were placed in the airfield ten years ago by Vuk Draskovic and representatives of the American Embassy.  Charles Davis, Clare Musgrove, Arthur Jibilian, and my father, George Vujnovich, attended that ceremony.  These four veterans have since died and the few surviving rescued US airmen are in their 90’s and seldom travel.

But they still remember.  Rescued airman Tony Orsini told me just before I traveled to Serbia that General Mihailovich and my father are his heroes and sent a message that he will be with us in spirit at the commemorations in Pranjani.

Officials who spoke at the commemoration ceremony included Professor Oliver Antic, adviser to President Tomislav Nikolic; Gordon Duguid, Deputy Chief of Mission of the American Embassy; and Aleksandar Vlajkovic, Foreign Ministry liaison with the Diaspora.  Professor Antic quoted the citation that accompanied the Legion of Merit, which President Harry Truman posthumously awarded to General Mihailovich in 1948.  In addition to commending Mihailovich for the rescue of the US airmen, the citation states that “General Mihailovich and his forces, although lacking adequate supplies and fighting under extreme hardships, contributed materially to the Allied cause and were instrumental in obtaining a final Allied victory.”  It was only after communist rule ended that the contributions of General Mihailovich and his resistance forces to the Allied cause have become subjects for open discussion in Serbia.

After a wreath-laying ceremony, I was interviewed by the Serbian press.  My cousin and interpreter, Olga Caric, did an outstanding job, as my Serbian is too rusty for press interviews.  I explained that I traveled to Pranjani to represent my father and other members of the OSS Halyard Mission - all of whom have died.  They never forgot about the Halyard Mission and transmitted their stories to their descendants.  I told them about veteran airman Curtis Diles who died earlier in September, and was buried with both the American and Serbian flags and a spoonful of earth from the Pranjani airfield.  His children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who attended his funeral will not forget.

The press especially liked the story (told in “The Forgotten 500” by Gregory Freeman) of the cows that saved the secret airfield at Pranjani from bombing.  After working night and day with bare hands and simple farm tools to clear an improvised clandestine airfield in Pranjani, the airmen, local farmers and resistance forces were dismayed to see German reconnaissance planes flying towards them. They hid in the woods as the planes surveyed the cleared airfield and feared the worst – the field would be bombed and made useless. The German planes returned to observe the airfield for a second time, flying at a lower altitude, whereupon a small herd of cows entered the field and began to feed on the newly cut grass.  Bored with looking at cows, the planes turned and departed, thus saving the airfield from destruction.  A journalist whose father was an Orthodox priest solemnly declared that God had sent those cows.

After the ceremony, we attended a blessing at the local Serbian Orthodox Church.  Next to the parish church was a simple wooden church - the original village church built in the eighteenth century by local farmers.

At the town’s school, children greeted us at the door with traditional bread and salt, while a brass band played to welcome us.  We were invited to a “snack” before lunch, a groaning board of delicious Serbian meat and cheese dishes, accompanied by local brandy. Thus fortified, we visited the school’s sports center, which was funded by the U.S. Embassy through the Defense Department, in appreciation for the wartime rescue of the U.S. airmen.   This project was the result of the hard work of many individuals under the dedicated leadership of Lt. Colonel John Cappello while he was Air Force Attaché at the embassy.

We watched a spirited soccer match at the sports center between the Pranjani and American Embassy teams. Most of the American Embassy team members were very tall, and we found out later that through a miscommunication, the Embassy had asked its basketball team to participate in the soccer match!  Pranjani won, 5 to 4 - not a bad showing for the embassy’s basketball team.

Back at the Jevtovic ranch, we enjoyed a delicious Serbian feast, including typical dishes of mushroom soup, assorted grilled meats, sauerkraut and baked beans, and apple pastries. Zoran showed the Hudspeth family the room where Charles Davis was sheltered seventy years ago.  With warm farewells to our generous hosts, we headed by to Belgrade.  Our van broke down along the way, but we reflected that this was a minor challenge compared to what the American airmen faced when they parachuted out of their burning planes into an unknown land occupied by the Nazis.

The next day, the organizers of the Halyard commemorations - John Cappello, and documentary filmmakers Daniel Sunter, Bojan Dragicevic, and Igor Sunter presented a photographic exhibit of the Halyard Mission in an elegant reception hall of the General Staff Headquarters in Topcider, in Belgrade.  The exhibit was by invitation only, because it was held in a secure military facility. The organizers plan to move the exhibit to the Military Museum in Kalimegdan Park in central Belgrade, which is open to the public.

Crown Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic attended the exhibit and spoke with all of the visitors from the United States.  He emphasized the importance of public awareness of this story of wartime cooperation between the United States and Serbia during the Halyard Mission.

Later that evening, we had dinner with the Hudspeth family and the organizers of the commemorations at the traditional Belgrade restaurant “Vuk.”   We expressed our deep gratitude to the Serbian and American organizers, who, without government sponsorship or funding, dedicated themselves to researching the history of the Halyard Mission, organizing and financing this important commemoration and exhibition, and producing a soon-to-be released documentary film. They have established a non-profit Halyard Foundation in both the United States and Serbia, and I look forward to working with this talented and dedicated team.  We hope that others will join us in keeping the history of the Halyard Mission alive.

Xenia Vujnovich Wilkinson
October 2014
 






   

 
 
 
 



 
 





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

Saturday, May 30, 2015

"FATHERLAND" by Nina Bunjevac - CHETNIKS challenge author on depiction of General Mihailovich and his resistance forces.

 
 
Aleksandra's Note: In full disclosure, I have not read this book, FATHERLAND, by Nina Bunjevac. This post is about a challenge to the contents of this book that was first published in 2014, and is now available in several languages. The book includes illustrations by the author who is also a graphic artist.
 
"Fatherland", which tells the tragic story of a Serbian family's struggle after WWII changed their homeland forever, has received a number of favorable reviews that can be found by searching the internet, as can the summary of the contents. The following brief summary is found on Amazon:
 
"Standing alongside Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis and Joe Sacco's Palestine, Nina Bunjevac's Fatherland renders the searing history of the Balkans in the twentieth century through the experiences of the author and her family. In 1975, fearing her husband’s growing fanaticism, Nina Bunjevac's mother fled her marriage and adopted country of Canada, taking Nina—then only a toddler—and her older sister back to Yugoslavia to live with her parents. Her husband and Nina's father, Peter, was a die-hard Serbian nationalist who was forced to leave his country in the 1950s. Remaining in Canada, he became involved with a terrorist organization bent on overthrowing the Communist Yugoslav government and attacking its supporters in North America. Then in 1977, while his family was still in Yugoslavia, Peter was killed in an accidental explosion while building a bomb.
 
"Through exquisite and haunting black-and-white art, Nina Bunjevac documents the immediate circumstances surrounding her father's death and provides a sweeping account of the former Yugoslavia under Fascism and Communism, telling an unforgettable true story of how the scars of history are borne by family and nation alike." [Amazon]
 
Because I want to highlight the response/challenge to this book that a member of a Chetnik group in Canada has issued, and the response he received from author Nina Bunjevac, I will keep my comments brief.

1. The "terrorist organization" that is referred to in this story is the group "Serbian Homeland Liberation Movement" (SOPO), of which the infamous Nikola Kavaja was a central figure. I strongly feel that the goals and activities of this group, regardless of how you may feel about those goals and activities, should NEVER be conflated with General Draza Mihailovich and the legitimate Chetnik organizations in the Diaspora.
 
2. General Mihailovich, though a true Serbian patriot, was far more "inclusive" and fair than allegations of chauvinistic "Serbian nationalism" wrongly and unjustly attribute to him.
 
The effort being made to challenge and address the premises found in and implied by "Fatherland" is a worthy and important effort, and this is what the Chetnik organizations should be doing.
 
Many thanks to Mr. Momcilo Dobrich, Vice President of the Organization of Serbian Chetniks Ravna Gora, Hamilton (Ontario, Canada) chapter, for following through with this initiative.
 
The response of the author of "Fatherland", Ms. Nina Bunjevac, will follow Mr. Dobrich's letter. Pay close attention to that response. She says a lot in a few words, and much that is not said is implied. All of it is revealing on a much wider level than just one family's story, as compelling as it is.
 
In fairness, I recommend that any interested readers whose attention and curiosity is peaked by this posting, go seek out "Fatherland" for themselves, or at the very least, read the reviews and descriptions of the contents. Mr. Dobrich's letter goes a long way in providing balance to what is out there now.
 
Sincerely,
Aleksandra Rebic
 
****
 
April 12, 2015

To:  Ms. Nina Bunjevac
Cc:  Editor/Publisher, Jonathan Cape
Re:  "Fatherland"

Nina, in regards to your recent book [Fatherland], I have been given the responsibility to respond to untruths that you have published through your artistry and commentary. That being said, although I may not appreciate some of the contents of your book, I do appreciate the talent required on your part and I commend you on your gifts as a graphic artist.  I am by no means a critic of these types of novels or a connoisseur, yet it makes me happy that a Canadian of Serbian heritage has become so successful in achieving their goals.

Nevertheless your statements about General Mihailović are totally incorrect and shed a negative light on Serbian people as a whole.  As a Vice-President of the Organization of Serbian Chetniks in Hamilton Ontario, I must try and reach out to you with respect to these types of old smears and outright misinformation about General Mihailović and his resistance forces.

In academia and other historical publications the official Yugoslav Communist Party portrayal of World War II events in Yugoslavia are no longer just being debated, in fact they are being debunked. But then again the Serbian diaspora never required professors or historians to tell us what we had actually witnessed.  In fact the enemies of the Serbian people have expressed the truth for us:

“The basis of every success in Serbia and the entire southeast of Europe lies in the annihilation of Mihailovic. Concentrate all your forces on locating Mihailovic and his headquarters so that he can be destroyed.”   Heinrich Himmler, Reich-Fuhrer SS, July, 17, 1942

We would be willing to meet with you and discuss the reasons for your assertion that General Mihailović (Cica Draža) was a traitor and we would be more than happy to provide you with the proof behind our statements.  I would even try to contact former Royal Canadian Air Force member Norman Leslie Reid who might be willing to speak with you, or you can listen to him recount his experience as presented on Historica Canada’s Memory Project at the following link:

http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/1287:norman-leslie-reid/.

Mr. Reid was saved by General Mihailović’s forces and has seen firsthand the sacrifices the Serbian Chetniks made for the Allied struggle against tyranny.

I look forward to hearing back from you and having a chance to discuss this matter further.  I can be reached at mdobrich@vaxxine.com.

Regards,

Momcilo Dobrich
Vice President
Hamilton Chapter
Organization of Serbian Chetniks Ravna Gora

Mane Srdic
President
Hamilton Chapter
Organization of Serbian Chetniks Ravna Gora

*****

THE FOLLOWING LETTER IS THE RESPONSE TO MR. DOBRICH FROM "FATHERLAND" AUTHOR NINA BUNJEVAC in April 2015

Momcilo Dobric
Vice President
“Organization of Serbian Chetniks Ravna Gora” Hamilton Chapter

April 2015

Re: Your letter

Dear Momcilo,

I must start this letter with an anecdote – it will give you a general idea of where I come from.

As a Serb, you are most likely familiar with Vuk Karadzic, the great reformer of the Serbian language. Back in the 19th century – at which time Serbia began striving for independence from the Ottomans, and Croatia was still under Austria-Hungary rule – Karadzic sought medical treatment for his ailing leg in a Zagreb hospital. The story goes that he was greatly pleased with the way hospital staff had treated him; so pleased, in fact, that once he got to Serbia, he lovingly composed and sent them a letter of gratitude, written not only in Latin alphabet, but in the dialect specific to the region of Zagreb. The hospital staff reacted to this gesture by sending him a letter of gratitude in return, written in Cyrillic, and of course, in Karadzic’s native Serbian dialect. That, my dear Sir, is where I am stuck where the history of Serbia is concerned – not the World War Two – but back there, in that precise moment when Vuk Karadzic opens this letter….That sentiment, my dear Sir, is at the core of my being. You, Sir, seem to be stuck in the WWII. But that’s alright; we all cope with displacement and nostalgia differently.

I belong to only one tribe, and one group of people: the displaced children of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. There are hundreds of thousands of us, scattered across the globe. We do not have an organization, or a leader, or a hero. But we do have something that is the most precious and irreplaceable – love and respect for each other, regardless of nationality or religion. That love fills me, Sir. The same type of love Vuk Karadzic must have felt back in the day, opening letters, travelling, collecting stories and cultural treasures from his people, and then sharing it with his friends in Germany, Austria, France…My dear Sir, the politics of “them” versus “us” is not where I come from. Neither is the sweeping generalization of what constitutes Serbian, Croatian, etc.

In regards to your letter, I must say that I am perplexed by two things. First thing is your statement that I “shed a negative light on Serbian people as a whole”. This might be of news to you, Sir, but nine out of ten Serbian people do not associate being Serbian with Draza Mihailovic. However, ten out of ten would associate with Vuk Karadzic. This proves to me that your entire being resides in a universe called Draza Mihailovic. In my universe, however, Mihailovic plays a very minor role, as a piece of a complex historical background that has shaped the destiny of my family. Whether or not he is a traitor makes no difference to me, as it plays a minute role in my book. The sole purpose of my book is to show the destructive influences of politics and radicalism on individuals and families. I am sorry that this point has escaped you.

I am also quite perplexed as to why you feel the need to clear Mihailovic’s name. Your ideology and the ideology of Croatian nationalist have swept the Balkans in the 90s, torn our country apart, displaced hundreds of thousands of us, created weaker countries where life has become nothing but misery, where the return is impossible, even futile. You have managed to get Mihailovic’s story on TV, I hear “Ravna Gora” TV serial is all the rage in Serbia. Serbian school children are learning religion instead of civics, they have no idea about who the partisans were. Sir, your ideology is by far not endangered; you have nothing to worry about. Your special interest groups are quite active in Serbia. Soccer games have become virtually unbearable to attend. Best of the best are leaving the country.

The sad thing is, my love for humanity, and your love for Draza mean nothing in the larger scheme of things. Money takes precedent over love, duty, devotion; money’s at the core of political opportunism, not ideals. You and I, Sir, are the beasts of yesterday, sentimentalists. And that’s why I respect you. Because you love something. Like, truly love, enough to devote your precious time to defending it. Some people go through life without ever loving anything. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, as am I. Lets agree to disagree on Mihailovic, and show Serbia and the world that we can both exist peacefully and respectfully. At least we can both agree that my book can be seen as a contribution to the Canadian cultural scene, by an artist of Serbian descent. But most importantly, perhaps there are bigger, more important lessons to be learned in this book than whether or not Draza was a traitor.

I thank you for your letter and I do appreciate the effort but I must respectfully decline your request to broaden the discussion. I wish you the best of luck.

Sincerely yours,

Nina Bunjevac

[Author of "Fatherland"]

*****

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

*****

Friday, May 29, 2015

RESURRECTING THE MIHAILOVICH MONUMENT IN WASHINGTON, D.C. INITIATIVE!


Portrait of General Mihailovich
by Wisconsin artist Jim Pollard.

Aleksandra's Note: It's now 40 years since a group of American Airmen rescued by General Mihailovich in WWII along with Serbian patriotic organizations in the Diaspora initiated the effort to get a monument to General Draza Mihailovich erected on the grounds of Washington, D.C. at their own personal expense. From the time the effort was initiated in 1975, progress was made, then setbacks had to be dealt with. Now in 2015, many of the American airmen are gone, but their dream does not have to die with them.

A lot has happened between 1975 and 2015, both here in America and in the Serbian homeland.

Now, in 2015, with the overturning of the original 1946 communist conviction of General Mihailovich in the successful outcome of the long judicial Mihailovich rehabilitation process on May 14th, it's time to move forward on giving the General his proper and well-deserved place of honor in the public arena.

If you support the initiative to get a monument to General Mihailovich erected in Washington, D.C. in public recognition of the over 500 American airmen he and his Chetnik forces saved in 1944 in Nazi occupied Serbia and Bosnia, please contact me ASAP so that it can be determined if the interest in such an initiative is still there. If you do support the initiative, which organization do you feel should spearhead the effort to attain the goal?

This is what the American WWII veterans saved by Mihailovich worked hard for. They took the goal as far as they could. Now, it's up to us to carry the torch.


Sincerely,
Aleksandra Rebic
May 29, 2015

ravnagora@hotmail.com


*****

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

VIDEO / Rusofil, ravnogorac i Krležin kum - Svi paradoksi Dragiše Vasića / "RTS Oko - Zvanični kanal" May 25, 2015


Dragiša Vasić (drugi s desna) sa Dražom / Wikipedia

Rusofil, ravnogorac i Krležin kum
Posted on You Tube by "RTS Oko - Zvanični kanal"
Published on May 25, 2015
 
Svi paradoksi Dragiše Vasića

Učesnik svih ratova svog vremena i pisac antiratnih romana, advokat koji je branio komuniste u vreme kralja Aleksandra, kum Miroslava Krleže, akademik, ubeđeni republikanac i ideolog pokreta čiji je slogan bio "S verom u boga za kralja i otadžbinu". Sovjetski obaveštajac, kako su govorili ideološki protivnici, ili samo ubeđeni rusofil među četnicima? Čovek koji je bio prisutan na oba susreta Draže i Tita.

Sve to je bio Dragiša Vasić, velika enigma i čovek kontrasta, koji je sa ovog sveta otišao pre 70 godina, ali se pouzdano ne zna ni ko ga je ubio, ni gde mu je grob.

Dragiša Vasić pisao je i knjigu o ravnogorskom pokretu, kao i pisma Draži Mihailoviću, u kojima, neki veruju, ima dosta kritike načina na koju je ratovala Dražina vojska. Možda bi knjiga i pisma bila važan dokument za istoriografiju, međutim ni knjige, ni pisma danas nema. Prema nekim tumačenjima, pisma su završila kod bivšeg Vasićevog kuma Krleže, koji na godišnjicu ustanka 1961. posetio i rodnu kuću Vasića u Gornjem Milanovcu.

Kada su se posvađali Vasić i Krleža, kako je Vasić postao Čiča broj 2, da li je menjao ideologiju ili su se samo menjala vremena i kako ćemo pamtiti Dragišu Vasića?
 
Autor: Stevan Kostić
Label and copyright: RTS



https://youtu.be/FBKBZ0B9xYo


*****

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

*****

ПЕТИЦИЈА ЗА ПРОНАЛАЖЕЊЕ ПОСМРТНИХ ОСТАТАКА ДРАЖЕ МИХАИЛОВИЋА / PETITION TO RECOVER THE REMAINS OF GENERAL DRAZA MIHAILOVICH


Ada Ciganlija, Belgrade / Beta Archive

"Петиција за проналажење посмртних остатака Ђенерала Драгољуба Михаиловића и проналажење посмртних остатака свих жртава комунистичког режима након 12.септембра 1944 на територији Републике Србије,обележавање гроба Драгољуба Михаиловића и свих гробница,у сваком граду,којих по досадашњим званичним истраживањима Комисије има 215.Потписници петиције захтевају да се по хитном поступку обелодане документа Озне и Удбе о свим стратиштима и масовним стрељанима након 12.септембра 1944."

http://www.peticije24.com/116569


*****

ПЕТИЦИЈА ЗА ПРОНАЛАЖЕЊЕ ПОСМРТНИХ ОСТАТАКА ДРАЖЕ МИХАИЛОВИЋА

СРНА
May 26, 2015

БЕОГРАД, 26. МАЈА /СРНА/ - Равногорски покрет - регион Београд покренуо је петицију за проналажење посмртних остатака ђенерала Драгољуба Драже Михаиловића и свих жртава комунистичког режима на територији Србије, након 12. септембра 1944. године.

Петиција обухвата и захтјев за обиљежавање гроба Драже Михаиловића и свих гробница у сваком граду, којих по досадашњим званичним истраживањима има 215.

Потписници петиције захтијевају да се по хитном поступку објелодане документа некадашње комунистичких тајних полиција ОЗНА и УДБА о свим стратиштима и масовним стријељанима након 12. септембра 1944. године.

Петиција се може потписати на на линку

http://www.peticije24.com/116569

Виши суд у Београду рехабилитовао је 14. маја команданта Краљевске војске у отаџбини ђенерала Драгољуба Дражу Михаиловића и вратио му грађанска права која су му била одузета у процесу комунистичког режима 1946. године.

Суд је усвојио захтјев за рехабилитацију и поништио пресуду којом је Михаиловић 15. јула 1946. године био осуђен на смрт, а два дана касније стријељан и утврдио да је ранија пресуда донесена у незаконитом процесу из политичких и идеолошких разлога.

Михаиловић на пресуду није имао ни право да уложи жалбу, већ је два дана од изрицања стријељан у тајности.

Посебна Комисија утврђује тачну локацију на којој је стријељан, јер се претпоставља да су његови посмртни остаци пребачени на другу локацију, која још није позната.

У недостатку других доказа о Михаиловићевој смрти, рјешењем Првог основног суда у Београду 2013. године као датум смрти Михаиловића утврђен је 17. јул 1946. године, пошто је суд утврдио да је тог датума стријељан.

http://www.srna.rs/novosti/307383/peticija-za-pronalazenje-posmrtnih-ostataka-draze-mihailovica.htm


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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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Rehabilitacija, kolaboracija i nacionalna izdaja / "Politika" May 24, 2015

Politika
Dragomir Anđelković
May 24, 2015
 
Dragomir Anđelković
Politički analitičar i istoričar

Kada nacije ratuju pre svega se bore za teritorije. Njihov vitalni interes je oduvek bio da kontrolišu oblasti koje smatraju svojim, odnosno da učvrste jedinstvo raznih delova svog nacionalnog korpusa. Iz tog ugla valja se osvrnuti na Drugi svetski rat. Zašta se borila komunistička vrhuška na čelu sa Titom? To se vidi po rezultatima njihove pobede. Kada se radi o nacionalnim posledicama po Srbe to su: 1) stvaranje veštačkih nacija od delova srpskog naroda (Crnogorci, Muslimani); 2) prisilna asimilacija Srba katolika u Dalmaciji i Srba na severozapadu Makedonije; 3) nakaradno definisanje republičkih granica tako da su Hrvati dobili i ono što nije njihovo, a Srbi su izgubili mnogo toga što im istorijski i etnički pripada; 4) postepeno komadanje već osakaćene srpske republike putem sukcesivnog uvećavanja autonomije pokrajina stvorenih samo u Srbiji.

Tako je teritorija pod kontrolom Beograda do 70-ih godina prošlog veka svedena na tek malo veći prostor od onoga koji su Srbiji namenili nacisti. To je nama komunistička borba dala. Za razliku od njih, četnici Draže Mihailovića, uz sve mane koje su imali, borili su se za objedinjavanje gotovo svih srpskih zemalja u okvirima naše jedinstvene (kon)federalne jedinice – usled strašne greške iz 1918. – tada već neizbežne jugoslovenske države. Iz toga se vidi ko je sa stanovišta srpskih nacionalnih interesa izdajnik – Draža ili titoistička srpska garnitura. Naravno, ne sam Tito. Logično je da nam je on želeo dobro taman koliko i Pavelić. Krivi su Srbi koji su mu fanatično služili ili i dalje robuju zloduhu titoizma.

Sve to je mnogo važnije od pitanja kolaboracije, a kad smo već kod nje da vidimo da li su partizani sarađivali sa okupatorima? Nesumnjivo! Dovoljno je setiti se martovskih pregovora iz 1943. Nije se tu prevashodno radilo o razmeni zarobljenika već o iskazanoj spremnosti da se u slučaju iskrcavanja zapadnih saveznika bore protiv njih, odnosno o doživljavanju četnika, a ne okupatora, kao ključnog neprijatelja i o šurovanju sa drugima protiv prvih. Takvi postupci Tita i njegovih doglavnika izazvali su bes Kominterne, kojoj je u to vreme bilo važnije da se oslabi nacistički pritisak na SSSR nego da se inostranim štićenicima trasira put ka vlasti. Njen Izvršni komitet je „jugoslovenskim drugovima“ poručio da je iritiran navedenim postupcima. Doduše, pragmatična Kominterna nije bila ljuta dok je KPJ ozbiljno podrivala odbrambene napore Jugoslavije napadnute od nacista. Komunisti tada nisu bili antifašisti. Posle potpisivanja pakta između SSSR i Nemačke među njima i nacistima neko vreme je „cvetala ljubav“. Posle okupacije čak su se i družili – da se samo podsetimo komunističko-nemačkih fudbalskih nadmetanja u Čačku. Stvari su se promenile s napadom na SSSR. U to vreme ravnogorci su se već suprotstavljali okupatorima.

Proizilazi li iz toga da partizani nisu bili antifašisti? Ne! Nesumnjivo je da su dali doprinos pobedi nad silama osovine. Isto važi i za četnike Draže Mihailovića, kao i to da su i oni imali svoje kolaboracionističke epizode (mada su one mnogo manje nego što je komunistička propaganda tvrdila). No, to ne znači da se ne radi o antifašističkom, oslobodilačkom pokretu. Saradnja sa okupatorom nije smak sveta ako nema strateški karakter, odnosno u funkciji je očuvanja biološke supstance naroda, snaga za otpor u pogodnijem momentu i realizacije vitalnih nacionalnih težnji u završnoj fazi rata.

Problem je što je partizanski vrh kolaborirao iz svojih ideoloških, antisrpskih pobuda, dok je ravnogorsko vođstvo to činilo kako bi izbeglo prekomerna srpska stradanja. Uostalom, i da titoisti kojim slučajem nisu kolaborirali šta to nama znači kada su se u vezi sa srpskim interesima postavljali slično kao i nacisti? Zato rehabilitacija Draže ima mnogo veći simbolički značaj od individualnog čina. To je institucionalizovana rehabilitacija prava srpskog naroda da se bori za svoje interese umesto da je osuđen da ih i za račun neprijatelja mazohistički gazi. Ne čudi me što se Hrvati i njihovi lobisti u Srbiji zbog toga bune, a zgranut sam da to ne vide oni koji se danas izdaju za srpske rodoljube, a imaju naglašene simpatije prema partizanima. Kad smo kod njih, želim da istaknem da su većinom bili časni srpski borci koji su ratovali za slobodu a ne protiv svog naroda. Druga stvar je što su ih titoisti izmanipulisali! Ipak, to nije razlog da ne budemo ponosni što smo imali dva antifašistička pokreta dok se većina naroda u našem okruženju borila na strani nacističke Nemačke.


Politički analitičar i istoričar

Dragomir Anđelković
Objavljeno: 24.05.2015.

http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Komentari/Rehabilitacija-kolaboracija-i-nacionalna-izdaja.lt.html


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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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