Baština (Jan 2018)
The conflict in 'Javorski' corps of the Yugoslav Army in the homeland during 1942
Abstract
The forces of the Yugoslav Army in the homeland during the war had a problem with the lack of discipline and fighting spirit among the soldiers, poor response to mobilisation, disputes between the commanders and so on. 'Javorski' corps was not exempt from these unpleasant things. Moreover, during 1942 this unit proved to be particularly vulnerable to them. A largescale conflict was, therefore, only a matter of time. Disagreements among the commanders were increasing for months and exploded during summer. The culprit of discord was the commander of 'Javorski' Corps captain Branimir Petrović, although we cannot say that he was the only culprit. His behavior, however, was completely inappropriate for a military commander and, in our view, stemmed from Petrović's nature combined with the chaos that spawned the occupation of Serbia. Although it was evident that Captain Petrović takes his politics to the detriment of the movement, General Mihailović did not take action to prevent him from doing so. His mild reaction had encouraged the rebel commander and thus deepened the crisis, which at one point began eroding the fundamental interests of the Yugoslav Army in the homeland.
