Dušan Simović

Dušan Simović (Душан Симовић; 28 October 1882 — 26 August 1962) was a Serbian general who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army and as the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.

Life and career
Simović was born in Kragujevac. He graduated from the military academy in Belgrade in 1900. He earned an advance degree in 1905 and served in The Balkan Wars and World War I. After World War I, he became heavily involved in aviation and air defence, serving as commander of the Air Force from 1936 to 1938. Simović urged the government to accept his plan in the event of an attack by Nazi Germany, and when his plan was rejected and Yugoslavia joined the Tripartite Pact on 25 March 1941, he participated in the British-organized coup d’état two days later on 27 March against Prince Paul of Yugoslavia and Dragiša Cvetković.

After the coup Simović positioned Prime Minister reaffirming Yugoslavia's intentions to fulfill its obligations as a member of the Axis. But Nazi Germany did not trust him and invaded Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941. Simović fled the country with his family. After the end of the Yugoslav Front and the formation of Josip Broz Tito's second Yugoslavia, he returned to Belgrade in 1952 and went on to author a number of books on military issues. He died in Belgrade.