Posted on 04/27/2020 9:38:04 PM PDT by MarvinStinson
Mihailovic hinders Rommel
May 8, 2014 By Miloslav Samardzic
http://kingdom-of-yugoslavia-in-ww2.com/mihailovic-hinders-rommel/
Mihailovic and Rommel
The first known German broadsheet announcing the executions of Serbs due to railway sabotage is dated June 12, 1942. On that day, the Germans shot three rail workers in Smederevo, claiming they had destroyed the brakes on a train.
US Col. Robert McDowell, the most educated Allied officer in Yugoslavia during the war, says that any true history of WW2 should mention 1942 as the “year of the great Yugoslav, or Serb, counterattack.”
Gen. Mihailovic knew that America would join the war, having heard it from President Roosevelt’s envoy William Donovan during his visit to Belgrade.
German Transport for Africa: Chetniks blew up this transport near Demir Kapiya (present day FYR Macedonia) on December 27th 1942.
Col. McDowell further writes:
“But the General was sure that, if Soviet military or political resistance to Germany were crushed prior to the effective US intervention in Europe, no deployment of Allied military capacity could have stopped the annexation of Eastern Europe and much of Russia into Hitler’s Reich. Regardless of what happened with Hitler, such a German empire would then last at least for a generation.”
”That is why Gen. Mihailovich organized a network of saboteurs not just in Serbia, but in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, to disrupt railway traffic headed for Africa and the Eastern Front. Col. McDowell found out about this in the summer of 1942, not just from the Mediterranean intelligence HQ, but from Jewish organizations involved in smuggling Jews out of occupied Europe ”, said Colonel Dragan Krsmanovic.
Col. McDowell writes: “I checked information received from the Zionists with our other channels, and established it was accurate.”
The bridge at railroad Belgrade – Thesalloninki near Vranjski Priboy, in Southern Serbia- Chetniks blew up this bridge at night between March 17th and 18th 1943.
Col. McDowell writes that Gen. Mihailovich launched the railway operations on his own. We know today that the British first asked for special attention to railroads in July 1942. After that, they made more requests, gave recognition, and made promises.
As recognition, the White House asked King Petar and Gen. Mihailovich to send a message to the American people and the U.S. military, to be broadcast at a specific date on all U.S. radio stations worldwide.
All the American radio stations carried the message from Gen. Mihailovich and King Petar on November 1, 1942. Here was a poster the Germans put up throughout Serbia in 1942.
German poster (1942): a cartoon with the character of General Mihailovic. The written message: “Long Live Serbia!” His followers with the hellish rant of ‘Long Live Serbia’ demolish railroads and bridges, schools and churches, killing county and state officials”.
It shows a caricature of Gen. Mihailovic under a mined bridge being crossed by a train. Underneath, it says his men are also demolishing schools and churches, which was of course not true.
At the People’s Museum in Nis, historian Aleksandar Dincic also discovered a report from a German counter-sabotage group charged with tracking the most successful Chetnik saboteur unit, codenamed “Group Gordon.”
According to the Germans, “Gordon” performed an incredible 1499 acts of diversion and sabotage. It is the biggest documented tally of any sabotage unit in WW2. And those are just the ones the Germans knew about.
According to the report (November 29, 1942) of the German Commander of the Balkans, General Alexander Lohr, the Germans built in Serbia 177 “guard towers” – bunkers near railroads and “other important facilities” and another 64 were under construction. “Zbornik dokumenata” [Collection of Documents], Beograd 1976, volume 12, book 2, pp. 900). Many of them are preserved to the present day as this one in front of a tunnel near Kraljevo in Serbia.
The Germans finally destroyed “Group Gordon” in the summer of 1943. They caught 773 suspected members, and executed 396 after interrogation. 207 of the detained were sent to hard labor, 120 were released for lack of evidence, and 50 were kept for further interrogation. During their missions, 35 members of “Gordon” had died fighting or in demolition-related accidents.
“Whoever comes close to the railroad, will be shot dead” - typical sign near railroads in Serbia during the war.
Another U.S. officer at the Chetnik HQ, guerrilla specialist Col. Albert Seitz, writes of Mihailovich:
“I can’t forget his magnificent struggle during the dark days when Rommel almost entered Alexandria… All the Chetnik efforts were devoted to blocking, diverting and destroying the railways in Morava Valley, leading to Salonica and Africa…The nationalists knew that war’s increasing pace demanded they constantly pressure the Germans and Bulgarians, so they would need entire divisions to secure their long communication lines, going south towards Greece and Africa and east through Bulgaria and Romania to southern Russia.”
In October 1942, Serbia is visited first by Heinrich Himmler, then Alexander Loehr. They thought the best way to stop the Chetniks was by executing more civilians. Loehr issues an order on October 28 to summarily execute “not just the armed men we capture, but also everyone we can prove is actively aiding the rebels, so anyone who declares for Mihailovich or is in his service.”
“NOTICE On 10th December 1942, a sergeant of the German armed forces, while on duty at Zlatovo- Petrovac canton, was killed by armed gang of Drazha Mihailovic. On 13th December 1942 the Mihailovic’s gang blew up a bridge, on the railway line Pozarevac – Petrovac and downed the telephone poles. In retaliation, 50 followers of Drazha Mihailovic were executed on 15th December 1942, including captain 1st class Radovan Stojanovic, born on 19th August 1907 in Cetinje; head of Zagubica canton Dejan Luchic, born on 25th September 1896 in Zluch… In Belgrade, 17th December 1942 Bader (signed) Arti
Loehr justified his cruelty by the seriousness of the situation:
”Everything is at stake in this struggle. There is no middle way. To consider this heroism of a freedom-loving people is inappropriate.”Serbia is soon covered in posters listing the names of executed Mihailovich supporters.
Some 70,000 Serbs were executed or killed in German punishment expeditions. Most of these Serbs were considered Mihailovich supporters.
“ANNOUNCEMENT Members of rebel DRAZHA MIHAILOVIC killed 4 and wounded 2 German members of TOT Organization in Yoshanica, county Zhagubica, on December 14th 1942. In accordance with the proclamation of the Commanding General and Commander of Serbia, in retaliation 250 followers of DRAZHA MIHAILOVIC were executed on December 26th 1942. Among them are the following leaders: Captain Gradimir Brankovic, born on October 14th 1903 in Belgrade, resident of Kladovo, Cirilo Yonchic…. This is the result of the rebellious activity of DRAZHA MIHAILOVIC. Belgrade, December 26th 1942 Commanding General and Commandant of Serbia” “ANNOUNCEMENT
”We know the Western allies broke all their promises from 1942. In the many books and movies devoted to operations in the Western Desert, not a single one mentions the role of Gen. Mihailovich and his men in winning the Battle for Africa”, said Colonel Dragan Krsmanovic.
bmp
Bookmark
Of course Roosevelt’s Reds in his State Department made sure we screwed Mihailovic towards the end of the War. They guaranteed that Tito and his brutal communist regime would take over and cement the Russian sphere in the Balkans.
Was going to write something similar. Thanks.
It was Churchill who betrayed Milhalovic and got FDR to go along.
The Web Of Disinformation: Churchill’s Yugoslav Blunder
By David Martin
Spring 1991
The Tito-Mihailovic struggle and Allied policies in Yugoslavia in World War II remain a subject of continuing fascination. David Martin, author of two previous books in defense of Mihailovic, has put years of research into this book, among the main contentions of which are that the office of Britain’s Special Operations Executive in Cairo resorted to deliberate distortion and sabotage in order to convince London to abandon Mihailovic and embrace Tito; that one James Klugmann, a convinced communist and probable Soviet agent, played the key role in this deception; and that Churchill committed a colossal blunder in supporting Tito, paving the way for the communist takeover of Yugoslavia at the end of the war.
The Web of Disinformation: Churchill’s Yugoslav Blunder
by David Martin
https://www.amazon.com/Web-Disinformation-Churchills-Yugoslav-Blunder/dp/0151807043
A riveting account of the betrayal of a great Serb ally
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 1998
Martin provides much need insight into this poorly understood theatre of World War II - the Balkans. Using recently declassified British intelligence documents and radio transmission transcripts from the field, Martin builds a strong case for the defense of General Draza Mihailovich, the Serbian guerilla leader who was abandoned by the British in favour of the Communist leader Tito.
British field documents show that Serbian Chetnik forces carried out large scale attacks against German and Croat Nazi units up to 1944 - long after they stopped getting Allied aid.
Importantly, they continued rescuing downed Allied airmen, culminating in the rescue in June, 1944 of more than 500 US and British airmen who were evacuated by US Airforce aircraft from Serbia in an operation codenamed “Halyard” - the largest rescue in US Airforce history. All round a tremendous contribution to WWII history.
I might add, that just last year, more than 50 years after the fact, the official British archives have admitted that Communist moles working for SOE (Special Operations Executive) manipulated and falsified field transcripts from the Serb Chetniks thereby resulting in official British support switching to Tito.
Martin’s thesis has been proven correct.
The Case of General Mihailovich : Proceedings and Report of the Commission of Inquiry of the Committee for a Fair Trial for Draja Mihailovich
Hoover Institution Press, 1978 - - 499 pages
https://books.google.com/books?id=GcpmAAAAMAAJ&source=gbs_similarbooks
“The voluminous transcript of the Commission of Inquiry was never reproduced and seemed destined to oblivion. In the interest of historical accuracy and justice, the present volume reproduces the full text of the hearings and the final report of the Commission of Inquiry. The transcript is preceded by a comprehensive introductory essay, written by David Martin, one of the surviving founders of the Committee for a Fair Trial. The essay includes British archival documents that shed a new — even sensational — light on the abandonment of Mihailovich”-
“Mihailovich isn’t fighting the Germans”—Winston Churchill
In 2014 Harvey Klehr wrote:
“In our more than twenty years of archivally based research on Soviet espionage in America, we have uncovered ample documentation of Soviet intelligence obtaining American technical, military, and diplomatic information but very little indicating successful policy manipulation.”
Churchill had lots of ideas that Roosevelt DIDN’T follow, but he and his RED’s were all too willing to jump on the Tito bandwagon. Certainly, Churchill may have played a part, but Roosevelt was at a minimum willing to get Tito and the Russians installed, at the worst he wanted it.
Of course, FDR wasn’t around at the very end of WWII.
Your post reminds me of the movie FORCE TEN FROM NAVARONE...
Harrison Ford was in the movie...He and others blew up the bridge to stop German tanks...
After the war, Rommel’s son became friends with sons of Patton and Montgomery...
In any case, your post was very interesting...I thought that supplies for North Africa went through Italy...
German air force used transport planes to carry supplies to Rommel...
One day, Allied fighters attacked those transport planes...German air force lost many transport planes...After that air battle, German air force suspended the supply operation to North Africa...This air battle occurred in 1943...
David Martin, a longtime friend and mentor of mine (whether he was still an aide to Sen. Thomas Dodd (R-Ct) or the senior analyst at the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, Sen. Judiciary Committee), was “THE” man behind supporting Mihailovic in the US.
His book “Allied Betrayed” (about 1947), described this betrayal in detail which I believe was enhanced in the subsequent books and Commission materials he wrote or produced.
He knew about Communist OSS agents in Yugoslavia reporting back to the US about how great a job the Communist forces of Tito, i.e. the Partisan, “were doing”, when in fact, they weren’t. In fact, Dave and a few other Yugoslav resistance fighters (including Miles Costick), reported that Tito had several non-aggression (attacking) agreements with occupying German troops which allowed both to go after The Chetniks. There was an article about this put into the Congressional Record either late in the 1960’s or 1970’s.
By the way, Dave was a veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force, and with me, the co-editor and producer of the only U.S. Senate/Congress study (i.e. the name of the study) about “The Human Cost of Communism in Vietnam”, 1972. There were also two follow-up testimonies, one by Hanoi propagandist D. Gareth Porter (as “Testimony of”) and a rebuttal by Vietnam scholar/multi-trip visitor (including one I was on), Daniel Teodoru entitled “The Human Cost of Communism in Vietnam, II), late 1972 (all three volumes are on-line on the internet).
Just as Gen. McArthur had his pipe, so to did Dave. One of America’s greatest “quiet heroes” in the fight against both Fascist and Communist aggression and subversion. Much of the work (hearings, reports, studies) of the SISS were because of his work.
Dave: It was an honor knowing you, working with you, and being friends, and your wife was a wonderful woman too.
[FYI:
*SISS, “Yugoslav Interference With a U.S. Book Publisher”, June 27, 1962, pp. 1-15.
* “Yugoslav Communism, A Critical Study”, Oct. 18, 1961, pp. 1-370. A MUST HAVE STUDY
* “Murder, International, Inc. - Murder and Kidnapping as an Instrument of Soviet Policy”, March 26, 1965, pp. 1-168. A MUST HAVE STUDY
Hope the above has been informative. I’m one of the last of the McDowell Luncheon Group/Council Against Communist Aggression, and the subsequent creators of Accuracy In Media so I want to pass on this personal experience information for those who will follow in the study of an fighting against communism.
This will be part of Dave and my legacies. We pass the “Torch of Freedom” to you. Guard it and carry it well into battle.
MM
I’m sure that by 1944, Churchill was very much the minor player in the Grand Alliance. It was more Big Two than Big Three.
“I thought that supplies for North Africa went through Italy.”
They never got as far as Italy when Milhalovitch and his Chetniks blew up the trains they were being transported on before they got to Italy.
Look at a map of Europe.
His name, at least, can be recollected: “Mikhailovich’s Army” can be found stamped on wartime Browning .380 pistols.
The pistol’s spelling added the “k”. (I hadn’t seen it spelled otherwise before).
I worked with David Martin on a number of projects.
He was suffering from severe Parkinson’s toward the end of his life and I helped him finish his 3rd book on Milhalovitch.
I called him up a while after the book came out and asked him to tell me about reviews of the book.
He said, “Well, the little newspaper at Accuracy in Media had a review. And his friend Alan Ryskind reviewed it for Humant Events. And a conservative New England newspaper had a review.”
Then there was total silence.
I said, “What else?”
There was nothing else.
The big news media had blacklisted the book.
They LOVED their Tito.
Bookmark
Interesting, yesterday there was also a story about Mihailovich that was written by his daughter.........
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.