Serbian Chetnik Organization

The Serbian Chetnik Organization (Српска четничка организација) was a revolutionary organization with the aim of liberation of Old Serbia (Kosovo) and Macedonia from the Ottoman Empire (in the Vilayets of Kosovo, Monastir and Salonika). It's Central Committee was established in 1902, while the Serbian Committee (Српски комитет) was established in September 1903 in Belgrade, by the combined Central Boards of Belgrade, Vranje, Skopje and Bitola. It's armed wing was activated in 1904. Among the architects were members of the Society of Saint Sava, Army Staff and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It operated during the Macedonian Struggle, a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts in the region of Macedonia. The central committee had initially funded individual, and small groups of hajduks (brigands), who were either self-organized or part of the Bulgarian revolutionary organizations in Macedonia (Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee or Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization). These sought to protect the Slavic Christian population from zulum (atrocities, persecution). With the failed negotations of a joint Serbian-Bulgarian action, and growing nationalism within the Bulgarian committees, the Serbian committee decided to fully organize their own armed groups. The Central Committee sent the first two bands into Macedonia in 1904, which were exposed early and completely destroyed. The second wave proved more successful, however, hostility between the Bulgarian Committee and the Serbian Committee began. Serb Chetniks now fought the Ottomans, and Bulgarian and Albanian bands. Prominent guerilla fighters include Jovan Babunski, Gligor Sokolović, Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin, Mihailo Ristić-Džervinac, Jovan Grković-Gapon, Vasilije Trbić, Garda Spasa, Borivoje Jovanović-Brana, Ilija Jovanović-Pčinjski, Jovan Stanojković-Dovezenski, Micko Krstić, Lazar Kujundžić, Cene Marković, Miša Aleksić-Marinko, Doksim Mihailović, Kosta Milovanović-Pećanac, Vojin Popović-Vuk and Savatije Milićević Milošević. After the proclamation of the Young Turk revolution in 1908 and the proclamation of the constitution, all of the brigands in Macedonia, including the Serbian Chetniks put down their weapons. However, the organization continued its existance and played an important role in the Balkan Wars and the First World War.

Background
The Society Against Serbs was established in 1897 in Sofia, Principality of Bulgaria, whose activists were both "Centralists" and "Vrhovnists" of the Bulgarian committees, and had up until 1902 murdered at least 43 persons, and wounded 52 persons, who were owners of Serbian schools, teachers, clergy, and other notable Serbs.

Organization
The Central Committee, established in 1902, was established in Belgrade and had the members included Dr. Milorad Gođevac, Luka Ćelović, Vasilije Jovanović, Nikola Spasić, Ljuba Kovačević, Jovan Atanacković, Ljubomir Jovanović-Čupa, Ljubomir Davidović, Golub Janić and academian Ljubomir Stojanović. Captain Žika Rafailović later joined the Committe; he had up until then independently organized armed bands in Old Serbia. The seat of the board was in the house of Ćelović. The organization was initially funded by Ćelović who donated 50,000 dinars yearly, which at that time was a very large sum. The Committee chose Dr. Gođevac as President. It had initially funded individual, and small groups of hajduks (brigands), who were either self-organized or part of the Bulgarian revolutionary organizations in Macedonia (Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee or Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization). The Serbian Committee (Српски комитет), or Central Revolutionary Secret Board (Централни револуционарни тајни одбор), or Central Board of the Serbian Chetnik Organisation (Централни одбор српске четничке организације), was established in September 1903 in Belgrade, by the combined Central Boards of Belgrade, Vranje, Skopje and Bitola. The fighters sought to protect the Slavic Christian population from zulum (atrocities, persecution), and carried out assassinations of known persecutors. With the failed negotations of a joint Serbian-Bulgarian action, and growing nationalism within the Bulgarian committees, the Serbian committee decided to fully organize their own armed groups. It's armed wing was thus officially activated in 1904. Among the architects were members of the Society of Saint Sava, Army Staff and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Operations in Old Serbia and Macedonia
The operations and history of the organization in Old Serbia and Macedonia is referred to as the "Serbian Chetnik action" (српска четничка акција), or "Struggle for Macedonia".

Early history
Milorad Gođevac, Luka Ćelović and Vasilije Jovanović formed the first armed band in Belgrade on May 29, 1903. The band, which had 8 soldiers, was commanded by Ilija Slave, a Serb from Macedonia who was a kaldrmdžija (one who paves with cobblestones ).

In the beginning, and also at times at the end, the Serbian Chetniks had strict orders of defence and protection, and not any offensive; Ottoman government and the Great Powers agreed that the Chetniks did not carry out crimes and massacres, though the great armed conflicts could not be without violence. In 1906 and 1907, the Serbian Chetniks had most success.

The organization continued its existance and also played a role during the Balkan wars of 1912 and 1915, as well as during World War I.