Bajo Stanišić (Serbian Cyrillic: Бајо Станишић; 1890–1943) was a Montenegrin Serb officer of the Royal Yugoslav Army, who was one of the participants of the Uprising in Montenegro against the Italian occupation forces in 1941. After the suppression of the uprising, he became one of the commanders of the Chetnik units in Montenegro[1] and openly collaborated with Fascist Italy until his death in 1943.
Bajo Stanišić | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Бајо Станишић |
| Born | May 16, 1890 Vinići, Principality of Montenegro |
| Died | October 21, 1943 (aged 53) Ostrog Monastery, Italian governorate of Montenegro |
| Allegiance |
|
| Years of service | 1907–1943 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Zeta Chetnik Dettachment |
| Battles / wars | |
Uprising in Montenegro
editStanišić was a member of the Supreme Command of the insurgent forces during the Uprising in Montenegro.[2]
Anti-communist struggle and collaboration with the Italians
editOn 11 February 1942, after the uprising had been suppressed, Stanišić conducted a coup near Danilovgrad. On that occasion, two companies from the "Bijeli Pavle" detachment joined him.[3] Later that month, he established the National Army of Montenegro and Herzegovina (Serbian: Народна војска Црне Горе и Херцеговине) comprising six battalions, most of which were Chetniks, and appointed himself as their commander.[4][5][6] On 17 February and 6 March 1942, Stanišić concluded collaboration agreements with the Italian military governor, Alessandro Pirzio Biroli.[7] In the agreement from March of 1942, signed by Colonel Bajo Stanišić writes that "Montenegrin nationalists, regardless of the final outcome of the war, will never use weapons against Italian troops."[8]
Stanišić commanded the Zeta Chetnik Detachment,[9] and according to his agreement with the Italians, his detachment was responsible for the territories of Nikšić, Danilovgrad and Podgorica.[10] His superior commander was Blažo Đukanović, but Italians always had a final say regarding military matters.[11] Stanišić wanted to negotiate with Partisans but Ivan Milutinović, a commander of the Partisan forces in Montenegro, did not reply to Stanišić's offer.[12] In May of 1943, Chetniks lost control over large part of Montenegro to Yugoslav Partisans. Mihailović harshly criticized Pavle Đurišić and Stanišić for such a loss, describing Stanišić's troops as beneath criticism.[13] Shortly before his death, Stanišić proposed that Draža Mihailović soften his position toward the separatist "Greens" in Montenegro.[14]
Death
editIn mid October 1943, General Đukanović and Stanišić with 25 of their soldiers were located at their headquarters in the Ostrog Monastery. By 14 October they were besieged by stronger Partisan units that demanded their surrender, otherwise the Partisans threatened to destroy the monastery and kill them all. After a fierce resistance, General Đukanović and 22 soldiers laid their weapons on 18 October, but Stanišić and three of his relatives decided not to give up. Stanišić was shot dead by the Partisans on 21 October, while Stanišić's relatives committed suicide.
General Đukanović and his soldiers who surrendered to the Partisans were executed on the same day.[15] They were buried in two mass graves. In 1948, the communists built pit toilets above the graves of Đukanović and his Chetniks for the use of workers who built a railway from Nikšić to Podgorica.
Stanišić was buried in Ostrog, below the Upper Monastery. On 20 October 1945, the Yugoslav authorities excavated his bones and threw them into sinkholes around the monastery. The monks collected his bones and secretly buried them in a grave below the Upper Monastery.[16]
Legacy
editThe killing of Bajo Stanišić and Blažo Đukanović is commemorated in a song the Victory below Ostrog (Serbian: Побједа под Острогом).[17]
Notes
edit- ^ Pajović 1987, p. 110.
- ^ Tomasevich 1975, p. 210.
- ^ Pajović 1987, p. 34.
- ^ Pajović, Radoje; Željeznov, Dušan; Božović, Branislav (1987). Pavle Đurišić, Lovro Hacin, Juraj Špiler. Centar za informacije i publicitet. p. 110. ISBN 978-86-7125-006-1.
U veljači 1942. izveo puč u Pavkovićkom partizanskom bataljonu, proglasio se za komandanta Narodne vojske Crne Gore i Hercegovine.
- ^ Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45. Osprey Publishing. 1995. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-85532-473-2.
In February 1942, Colonel Bajo Stanisic formed a Nationalist National Army of Montenegro and Herzegovina in six battalions with some Nationalist Chetnik battalions.
- ^ Redžić, Vučeta (2002). Građanski rat u Crnoj Gori: Dešavanja od sredine 1942. godine do sredine 1945. godine. Stupovi. p. 206.
- ^ Tomasevich 2001, p. 142.
- ^ Goran Marković; (2014) Četnici i antifašizam (Chetniks and anti-fascism, in Serbian) p. 180; Hereticus Časopis za preispitivanje proslosti Vol. XII, No. l-2; [1]
- ^ Bojović, Jovan R.; Titogradu, Istorijski institut SR Crne Gore u (1985). Prelomni događaji narodnooslobodilaćkog rata u Crnoj Gori 1943. godine: zbornik radova sa naućnog skupa održanog 19. i 20. XII 1983. Istorijski institut SRCG. p. 360.
- ^ Pajović 1987, p. 40.
- ^ Živković 2017, p. 761.
- ^ Marković, Lazo (1970). Ivan Milutinović Milutin. Grafički zavod. p. 235.
- ^ Živković 2017, p. 992.
- ^ Stanišić, Mihailo (2000). Projekti "Velika Srbija". Službeni list SRJ. p. 128. ISBN 9788635504681.
- ^ Tomasevich 1975, pp. 348–349.
- ^ Velibor, Džomić. "Ljudi koji su branili Ostrog". Serbian Orthodox Church. Archived from the original on 2013-11-11.
- ^ Mrkaić, Blagota; Vuković, Novo (1990). Usmeno stvaralaštvo u djelima Mihaila Lalića: susreti, dodiri i prožimanja. Univerzitetska riječ. p. 181. ISBN 9788642702179.
References
edit- Milazzo, Matteo J. (1975). The Chetnik Movement & the Yugoslav Resistance. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-1589-8.
- Pajović, Radoje (1987). Pavle Đurišić (in Serbo-Croatian). Zagreb, Yugoslavia: Centar za informacije i publicitet. ISBN 978-86-7125-006-1.
- Tomasevich, Jozo (1975). The Chetniks. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-0857-9.
- Tomasevich, Jozo (2001). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: Occupation and Collaboration. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-3615-2.
- Živković, Milutin D. (2017). Санџак 1941–1943 [Sandžak 1941–1943] (Doctoral) (in Serbo-Croatian). Belgrade: University of Belgrade. OCLC 1242119546.
