Petar Bojović GCLH, KCMG (Serbian: Петар Бојовић, pronounced [pětar bǒːjoʋitɕ]; 16 July 1858 – 19 January 1945) was a Serbian and Yugoslav military commander who fought in the Serbo-Turkish War, the Serbo-Bulgarian War, the First Balkan War, the Second Balkan War, and World War I. He was briefly the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Yugoslav Royal Army in World War II, but played no real part in the conduct of the defence of Yugoslavia when it was invaded by the Axis powers in April 1941.

Petar Bojović
Deputy Commander in Chief of the Royal Yugoslav Armed Forces
In office
3 April 1941 – 17 April 1941
MonarchPeter II
Preceded byPrince Paul
Succeeded byDušan Simović
Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Armed Forces
In office
21 January 1921 – 8 December 1921
MonarchsPeter I
Alexander I
Preceded byŽivojin Mišić
Succeeded byPetar Pešić
Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command of the Serbian Army
In office
8 December 1915 – 1 July 1918
MonarchPeter I
Preceded byRadomir Putnik
Succeeded byŽivojin Mišić
Chief of the Serbian General Staff
In office
1906–1908
MonarchPeter I
Preceded byAleksandar Mašin
Succeeded byRadomir Putnik
Personal details
Born(1858-06-16)16 June 1858
Miševići, Nova Varoš, Ottoman Empire
Died19 January 1945(1945-01-19) (aged 86)
Belgrade, DF Yugoslavia
Resting placeBelgrade New Cemetery
SpouseMileva Bojović (1893–1945; his death)
ChildrenBožidar Bojović
Vojislav Bojović
Jelica Bojović
Dobrosav Bojović
Rada Bojović
Radoslav Bojović
Alma materMilitary Academy Serbia
ProfessionArmy officer
Awards Order of the Star of Karageorge
Order of the Star of Karageorge with Swords
Order of the Yugoslav Crown
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
Military service
AllegianceSerbia Principality of Serbia
 Kingdom of Serbia
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Branch/serviceSerbian Army
Years of service1876–1921
1941
Rank Field Marshal
CommandsSerbian 1st Army
Battles/warsSerbo-Turkish War
Serbo-Bulgarian War
First Balkan War
Second Balkan War
World War I
World War II

Following the breakthrough on the Thessaloniki Front of World War I, he became the fourth Serbian officer promoted to field marshal.

Life

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Early life

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Bojović was born on 16 July 1858 in Miševići, Nova Varoš. He had ancestry from the Vasojevići.

He fought in Serbian-Ottoman Wars from 1876 to 1878 as a cadet of the Artillery school, as well as in wars that Serbia waged at the beginning of the 20th century.[1] He was Chief of the General Staff for the first time from 1905 to 1908.

Balkan Wars

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In the Balkan Wars, he was the Chief of Staff of the 1st Army, which scored huge success in battles of Kumanovo, Bitola (First Balkan War) and Bregalnica (Second Balkan War). Given that the commander was the militarily infinitely less experienced crown prince Alexander who had to rely heavily on his chief of staff - the appointment made him effectively the commander of the army. He took part in peace negotiations with Turkey, held in London in 1913, as a military expert in the Serbian Government delegation.

World War I

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At the start of World War I, he was given command of the 1st Army. His army suffered huge losses at the Battle of Drina in 1914, but managed to stop the Austro-Hungarian offensive. Bojović was wounded in the battle, and was replaced at the army general position by Živojin Mišić. In January 1916, he was appointed Chief of General Staff for a second time in place of the ailing vojvoda Radomir Putnik, who was carried by his soldiers to the city of Skadar. He held that position until June 1918, when he resigned because of disputes with the allied generals on the issue of widening the Thessaloniki Front. He returned to his position Commander of the 1st Army, which broke the enemy lines and advanced deep into the occupied territory. He received the title of Field Marshal on 26 September [O.S. 13 September] 1918 for his contribution during the war.[1]

Inter-war years and World War II

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In 1921, he was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army, and in 1922 he withdrew from active service.

At the very beginning of World War II, Petar Bojovic was appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Yugoslavian Armed Forces by the young King Petar II Karađorđević. However, because of his old age, he did not participate in the events that followed.

Death

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One of the most famous historical myths in Serbia is that Bojović was tortured by the new communist authorities following the liberation of Belgrade in October 1944 and that he died from the consequences of that torture. Bojović was indeed questioned by the new authorities for three days, however according to Kosta Rakić, a close family friend of Bojović, the elderly commander was not harmed in any way during the interrogation. Two months passed between the questioning and Bojović's death. Later two members of the Yugoslav Partisans, including an officer, broke into his home, insulted him and stole his sabre. Bojović's son Dobrica then hit the officer who fell down the stairs, and then both Partisans ran away. Bojović was disturbed by the incident, but wasn't physically harmed during it. Bojović died during on January 19 1945 from pneumonia.[2]

Bojović was not buried with military and state honors, but privately. This was expected as Bojović was a commander of the Yugoslav Royal Army that capitulated in 1941 and state that didn't exist anymore. Two members of OZNA were present at his funeral.[2]

Awards and decorations

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Serbian and Yugoslavian military decorations[3]
  Order of the Karađorđe's Star, Grand Officer
  Order of the Karađorđe's Star, Commander
  Order of the Karađorđe's Star, Knight
  Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords, Grand Officer
  Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords, Commander
  Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords, Officer
  Order of the White Eagle, Commander
  Order of the White Eagle, Officer
  Order of the White Eagle, Knight
  Order of the White Eagle with swords, Grand Officer
  Order of the White Eagle with swords, Knight
  Order of the Yugoslav Crown, Knight Grand Cross
  Order of St. Sava, Commander
  Order of the Cross of Takovo, Grand Officer
  Order of the Cross of Takovo, Commander
  Order of the Cross of Takovo, Officer
  Order of the Cross of Takovo, Knight
Serbian Service Medals
  Medal for Bravery
  Commemorative medal of the King Petar I
  Commemorative medal of the wars with Turkey 1876-1878
  Commemorative medal of the war with Bulgaria 1885
  Commemorative Medal of the First Balkan War
  Commemorative Medal of the Second Balkan War
  Commemorative Medal of the First World War
  Commemorative Medal of the Albanian Campaign
International and Foreign Awards
  Order of St Michael and St George, Knight Commander (United Kingdom)
  Order of St Michael and St George, Companion (United Kingdom)
  Order of Franz Joseph, Knight (Austria-Hungary)
  Legion of Honour, Grand Officer (France)
  Legion of Honour, Commandeur (France)
  Legion of Honour, Officer (France)
  Legion of Honour, Chevalier (France)
  War Cross 1914–1918, Bronze palm (France)
  Order of the Redeemer, Grand Commander (Greece)
  Order of the Redeemer, Gold Cross (Greece)
  Order of Saint Alexander (Bulgaria), II class (Kingdom of Bulgaria)
  Order of Military Merit, II class (Bulgaria)
  Order of Civil Merit, II class (Bulgaria)
  Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Knight Grand Cross (Italy)
  Order of the Dannebrog, Knight (Kingdom of Denmark)
  Order of Saint Vladimir, III class (Russian Empire)
  Order of St. George with swords, III class (Russian Empire)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Nikola Belić (October 31, 2012), "Dan sećanja na zaboravljeno oslobođenje Beograda" [Day of remembrance on the forgotten liberation of Belgrade], Politika (in Serbian)
  2. ^ a b "Žrtva komunista ili nešto drugo? Ovo je istina o smrti vojvode Bojovića" [Victim of communists or something else? This is the truth about death of Vojvoda Bojović]. Mondo (in Serbian). Serbia. September 26, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  3. ^ "Деда Коста сачувао војводинo ордење". www.novosti.rs (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved February 15, 2020.

Literature

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Military offices
Preceded by Chief of the General Staff
(acting)

1915–1916
Succeeded by
Continued service
Preceded by
Himself
Chief of the General Staff
1916–1918
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of the General Staff of the Army of The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
1921
Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Commander in Chief of the Yugoslavian Armed Forces
1941
Succeeded by