Beginning of Chetnik movement

Beginning of Chetnik movement

History

During collapse of Royal Yugoslav Army in April 1941 small group of officer and soldiers, almost all Serbs, refused to surrender on there positions near Doboj, northern Bosnia. Under leadership of staff Colonel Dragoljub DraÅ¾a MihailoviÄ‡, chief of staff of the Second Army, they retreated to the hills with the goal of getting to mountains regions of Serbia and finding other retreated elements of Yugoslav Army to continue fight against enemy. During next week group moved South-East and them East towards Serbia. Smaller groups of lost soldiers joined them but no information of some unit defending in the mountains has been heard. During first few days group was attacked by some German detachments and later, after crossing into Serbia, by some Gendarmerie.

On April 28th group had around eighteen officer and soldiers but during next few days some of them left. Later MihailoviÄ‡ sent part of his men to mountain Rudnik with orders to join them ten days later. When reaching huts on Ravna Gora (western side of Suvobor mountain, half way between Valjevo and ÄŒaÄak in western Serbia) he had only seven officer and twenty four non-commissioned officers and soldiers. Few day later one officer, Croat, left and joined LjotiÄ‡. After realizing that there is no remains of Yugoslav army still fighting inside mountains interior, MihailoviÄ‡ groups found them selves with choice: surrendering (late) to occupation authorities and probably getting most severs punishment or start a resistant movement. They chose the second option and become the most controversial resistant movement in Yugoslavia.