The Transformation of Mihailović’s Chetnik Movement: From Royalist Yugoslav Forces to Serb Nationalist Guerrillas by Aleksandar Petrovic M.A. (History), Simon Fraser University, 2003 B.A. (History), University of British Columbia, 2000 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the Department of History Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Aleksandar Petrovic 2011 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2011 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for “Fair Dealing.” Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Aleksandar Petrovic Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: The Transformation of Mihailović’s Chetnik Movement: from Royalist Yugoslav Forces to Serb Nationalist Guerrillas Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Hilmar Pabel Professor Dr. Andre Gerolymatos Senior Supervisor Professor Dr. Ilya Vinkovetsky Supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Dimitri Krallis Internal Examiner Assistant Professor, Department of History Dr. John Fine External Examiner Professor, Department of History University of Michigan Date Defended/Approved: September 30, 2011 ii Partial Copyright Licence Abstract General Dragoljub Mihailović’s Chetnik movement has been the subject of historical studies for more than half a century. Most have focused on the Chetnik- Partisan war and the issues of Chetnik resistance to and collaboration with the Axis powers. This study expands on the existing body of knowledge by considering the effects of ethno-religious conflict on the Chetnik wartime strategy and ideology. By examining primary source documents, this thesis looks at the original wartime Chetnik plan for guerrilla resistance as envisioned by Mihailović and traces its gradual transformation in the light of both the Ustaša genocide against the Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia and the Serb uprising there. As Chetnik and Axis wartime documents show, ethno-religious conflict had a profound transformative effect on Chetnik wartime behaviour and their post-war vision for royalist Yugoslavia. Ethno- religious conflict also had a significant impact on the Chetnik strategy of collaboration with the Italians in the Independent State of Croatia, the Chetnik relationship with the Partisans and the Chetniks’ resistance plans. As a result of these various wartime processes, the Chetnik movement transformed from being a direct extension of the Yugoslav Royal Army into a Serb national force that focused on the survival of Yugoslav Serbs and was devoted to Serb post-war territorial unification within a restored Yugoslavia – or even without the restoration of Yugoslavia, for that matter. This meant abandoning Yugoslavism as an ideological platform, something that contributed to the Allies’ abandonment of the Chetniks in favour of the communist Partisans. Keywords: The Chetniks; Yugoslavia, History, Axis occupation 1941-1945; World War, 1939-1945, Underground movements, Yugoslavia; Guerrillas, Yugoslavia; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia iii Dedication For my parents. iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank my Senior Supervisor, Dr. Andre Gerolymatos, for his mentorship and guidance over the years. Without his input and knowledge of Balkan history, this thesis would not have been possible. Special thanks to Dr. Ivan Avakumović of the University of British Columbia, whose lifelong study of the Chetnik movement provided many valuable insights. I am also grateful to the archival staff in Belgrade, whose patience and expertise greatly assisted my research. Special thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Thompson for her proofreading efforts and editorial suggestions. v Table of Contents Approval .............................................................................................................................ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication .........................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ..............................................................................................................vi Preface ............................................................................................................................ viii Review of Literature ........................................................................................................ 1 Yugoslavia’s Post-war Historiography ............................................................................... 1 Western-Produced Historiography .................................................................................... 6 Post-Yugoslav Historiography ......................................................................................... 10 Original Contribution ....................................................................................................... 14 Historical Background .................................................................................................. 16 Notes on Yugoslavia’s History ........................................................................................ 16 Notes on Yugoslavia’s Geography .................................................................................. 25 War and Occupation ....................................................................................................... 27 Chetnik Historic Roots ..................................................................................................... 44 Chapter 1. Mihailović’s Chetnik Movement: The New Historical Approach .......... 63 Chapter 2. Mihailović’s Initial Vision ........................................................................ 79 Organization in Serbia and Montenegro: Imposing the Initial Vision ............................... 85 Chetnik-Partisan War in Serbia Changes Chetnik Strategy ............................................ 89 The German View of Mihailović’s Chetniks in Serbia ...................................................... 91 Utilizing the Enemy: ‘All Trickeries Allowed’ .................................................................... 99 Chapter 3. The Chetniks and Ethno-religious Conflict in the German Zones of the ISC during the Period of Unified Chetnik-Partisan Resistance ................ 104 The Ethno-religious Conflict and Axis Reaction ............................................................ 104 The German Policy of Non-interference and Its Consequences ................................... 108 The Chetnik Dilemma in the ISC: Preservation of Serbs vs. Resistance ...................... 127 The Axis Conference on Eastern Bosnia: The Germans Tie Their Own Hands ........... 139 Eastern Bosnia from the Chetnik Perspective ............................................................... 147 Chapter 4. The Chetniks and Ethno-religious Conflict in the German Zones of the ISC during 1942 .......................................... 150 Chetnik-Partisan War Undermines Chetnik Strategy in Eastern Bosnia ....................... 150 Two Conflicts Merge into One in Eastern Bosnia .......................................................... 153 Chetnik Activities in the Bosanska Krajina Region ........................................................ 176 Controversies Regarding Chetnik-ISC Agreements ...................................................... 181 vi Bosnian Chetnik Regionalism ....................................................................................... 189 Chetnik Headquarters and Central Bosnia .................................................................... 197 German Interpretation of Chetnik Strategic Goals ........................................................ 209 Chetnik Integration from the German Perspective ........................................................ 214 Pacified Serbia and the ISC in Continuous Turmoil ...................................................... 221 Chapter 5. The Chetniks and Ethno-religious Conflict in the German Zones of the ISC from 1943 to the End of the War ........ 235 The Chetnik Waiting Game Continues .......................................................................... 235 Legal and Illegal Chetniks from the German Perspective ............................................. 240 Continuing Atrocities and their Effects on Guerrilla Activity .......................................... 245 Establishing a Single Chetnik Command in Bosnia in 1943 ......................................... 247 The ISC and the End of the Italian Occupation ............................................................. 248 The Unfailing German Support of the Ustašas ............................................................. 256 Chetnik Engagements in Bosnia in 1945 ...................................................................... 257 Conclusions on the German Zone of the ISC ............................................................... 260 Chapter 6. The Chetniks and Ethno-religious Conflict in the Italian Zones of the ISC .................................................................. 263 Italian Perspectives