Petar Bojović

Petar Bojović
Petar Bojović
Born	16 July [O.S. 4 July] 1858
Died	January 20, 1945(1945-01-20) (age 86)
Place of birth	Miševići, Ottoman Empire
Place of death	Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Allegiance	Principality of Serbia Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Years of service	1876–1922; 1941
Rank	Vojvoda (Field Marshal)
Commands held	Serbian 1st Army Chief of the Serbian General Staff
Battles/wars	Serbian-Ottoman Wars, Balkan Wars, World War I
Awards	Order of the Star of Karageorge Order of the Star of Karageorge with Swords Order of the Yugoslav Crown Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus

Petar Bojović GCMG (Serbian language: Петар Бојовић, pronounced [pɛ̂tar bɔ̂ːjɔʋitɕ]; July 16, 1858 in Miševići, Nova Varoš – January 20, 1945 in Belgrade) was one of four Serbian vojvodas in Balkan Wars and World War I.

Life

Early

Bojović was born on July 16, 1858 in Miševići, Nova Varoš. He had distant ancestry from the Vasojevići.

He fought in Serbian-Ottoman Wars from 1876 to 1878 as a cadet of the Artillery school, as well as in wars that Serbia waged at the beginning of the 20th century. He was Chief of the General Staff for the first time from 1905 to 1908.

Balkan Wars

In the Balkan Wars, he was the Chief of Staff of the 1st Army, which scored huge success in battles of Kumanovo, Bitola (First Balkan War) and Bregalnica (Second Balkan War). He took part in peace negotiations with Turkey, held in London in 1913, as a military expert in the Serbian Government delegation.

World War I

At the start of World War I, he was given command of the 1st Army. His army suffered huge losses at the Battle of Drina, but managed to stop the Austro-Hungarian offensive. Bojović was wounded in the battle, and was replaced at the army general position by Živojin Mišić. In January 1916, he was appointed Chief of General Staff for a second time in place of the ailing vojvoda Radomir Putnik, who was carried by his soldiers to the city of Skadar. He held that position until June 1918, when he resigned because of disputes with the allied generals on the issue of widening the Thessaloniki Front. He returned to his position Commander of the 1st Army, which broke the enemy lines and advanced deep into the occupied territory. He received the title of vojvoda on October 13, 1918 for his contribution during the war.

Post-war and last years

In 1921, he was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army, and in 1922 he withdrew from active service. At the very beginning of World War II, Petar Bojovic was appointed Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Yugoslavian Armed Forces, the young King Petar II Karađorđević. However, because of his old age, he did not participate in the events that followed.

Death

Petar Bojović was beaten on January 20, 1945 by a group of partisans who came to forcibly evict him from his home in Trnska street in Belgrade. According to one of testimony of this shameful event looked exactly like this:

Broz 'liberators' entry into the house of the Bojović in Trnska street No. 25. They like the house. Once inside, the noticeable Voivod robe was over a chair, and on the table Vojvod hat. The very fact that Bojović was 'King's Voivoda' was enough for 'liberators' to use of force. First, kicking his voivoda hat, and then after the harsh words rushed to the weak Bojović at that time at his ninth decade of life. Petar's son Dobrosav jumps to protect his father, but he was overcome by a strong shock, and soon after being sent to the penitentiary Sremska Mitrovica.

From injuries sustained during a beating Bojović soon died, and his body was transferred to the new cemetery in wagon. To prevent giving tribute to one of the greatest heroes of Serbian history, the Communists on Radio Belgrade announced news that anyone who tries to come to the funeral of the Vojvoda Bojović be arrested and prosecuted.