Serbs in political and military elites of the Ustaše's Independent State of Croatia

Abstract

The phenomenon of Serbian participation in the political and military elites and leadership of the Independent State of Croatia was not enough or rather not at all scientifically analysed and researched. The purpose of this paper is to inspire the historians of our recent past to research and critically evaluate the problems. In the beginning of the war during the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia, the Serbs were not involved in the Home Guard units as regular armed forces of Independent State of Croatia. Along with the development of the Independent Ustaš State of Croatia, the necessity for Serbian participation in Home Guard units arose. The Serbs were mainly educated in Austro-Hungarian schools for officers. They also participated in the armed forces of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes i.e. the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The most prominent among them were: Dr Savo Besarović, general Teodor Dragojlov, general Đuro Dragičević, general Đuro Grujić, a knight, general Milan Desović, general Mihailo Lukić, general Dušan Palčić, general Miroslav Opačić (Fridrich), a church official Zvonimir Stimaković, general Miloš Obrknežević, Minister without portfolio Ljubomir Antić, general Lalislav Milić, general Milan Uzelac and others. Apart from being the most prominent ones in the Home Guard units, there were Serbs in the political elites of the Independent State of Croatia, as well as in the Presidency of the Parliament and in the positions of the Ministers in the Independent State of Croatia. This phenomenon should be an example for future generations, in a case of war, not to happen that one part of the people takes the enemy side because the greatest sin ever is to betray its own people and country.

Keywords

• military
• politics
• Serbs
• Independent State of Croatia