Evening star., 1941-10-15
Saws War Continues
In YugosIovio
Writer Tells How Legend
Of 'Hoyduks' Inspires
Modern Chetniks
By 1t. Col. q. Radoychitch,
Yusoslav Military and Air Attaehs.


Europe and the Near East. The shortest
and fastest connection between the East
and the West crosses her territory.
Therefore the history Of Serbia tells Of
ceaseless struggles against invaders at
tempting to use her territory as their
avenue for further expansions. The
Serbs, who are by nature gentle, peaceful,
religious, fair and industrious, have a
great feeling of devotion and love for
liberty. Continuous wars made them
into excellent fighters, creating tough
and resistant people. The Serbs, small
nation, were not always able to resist
the often enormous forces of the in
vaderS. There were times when they
were subjugated, but they never &C
cepted slavery without fight. When
in the Middle Ages the gigantic Turkish
power attempted to subjugate the whole
Of Europe, the Serbs were the first to
offer resistance. On June %, 1889, after
the famous and bloody battle of Kosovo,
where the Serbian Tsar Lazar and most
Of the Serbian aristocracy met death,
the people of Serbia lost their liberty.
The Turkish oppression lasted for almost
five centuries, but the Serbs refused to
give up their struggle.
Armed youths took to the mountains
and forests and from their hiding places
there attacked the Turks to avenge in
justice and brutality. BY such action they
compelled the forces of occupation to
adopt a more humane treatment of the
people. To be effective, they had to be
season for such operations was the spring
when the crowns of the trees in the
forests were covered with leaves. For
that reason, the first day of spring, the
"Djurdjevdan," was selected to be the
yearly meeting day. On that day the
plans for the years campaign were dis
cussed and agreed upon.
These men, who gathered when the
first green covered the trees, were the
famous Serbian "Hayduks." In the
Serbian epic poetry, there is an entire
cycle of national poems dealing with
them. These poems inspired the entire
Serbian nation; they rooted deeply in
their souls. In schools the children
learned them by heart.
Serbia was liberated from the Turkish
slavery and became an independent
state in 1904, in the time Of Karagjorgje
tthe Black George, the great grand
father of the present Yugoslav King,
Peter IL After a whole century Of con-
structive independent political life, Serbia
felt strong enough to become the pied
mont of all the Serbs, those who still
were enslaved by the Turks and by
Austria Hungary. In 1904 Serbia, then
ruled by King Peter 1 Karagjorgjevich,
hastily prepared for her new role. 1t
was necessary first of all to liberate
those Serbs who lived under Turkish
oppression in South Serbia and Mace
donia. At that particular time, their
prosecuted by the Turkish "Begs" and
executors, by the members Of the Bull
garian Revolutionary Macedonian Com
mittee" and by the Egzarhists. To pro-
tect these Serbs, the Chetniks were
organized. They were volunteers, young
men and enthusiastic patriots, younger
officers, peasant youths, students, high
school boys, the youth from all social
circles. Armed and specially trained
for individual warfare, they were or
ganized in groups of 20 to 80 men. Those
groups were called "cheta" troop. Hence
the name "Chetnik" Their leader Is
called "voyvoda." Famous chetnik
"voyvodas" were Sokolovich. Brana,
Tankosich, Vojin Popovich-Vuk the
nickname "vuk," which means wolf, was
given to Popovich for his extreme bravery
and ability to deal with difncult situa-
tions). The Chetniks are sometimes
confused with the Comitajis. This is
gross error. The Comitajis are men,
bers of a Bulgarian terroristic organiza-
ton which tried to change" the Serbs
into Bulgarians They had committee
hence the name "Comitaji."
The Chetniks. in this period, continued
the work of the Hayduks. In fact,
they kept alive the tradition Of the
Hayduks.
During the Balkan Wars, of 1912 and
1918. and during the World War the
Serbian Chetniks were organized in
special "Chetnik Battalions." One Of
them was under the command Of Voy-
voda Vuk and the other under Voyvoda
Tankosich. During these wars, these
battalions were under the direct orders
of the Serbian High Command and were
used for particularly difficult situations
and UNDERTAKINGS
In the spring of 1917, the Chetnik
Voyvoda Kosta Pechanatz returned to
Serbia by plane from the Salonika front.
There he organized an uprising which
lasted until the liberation of Serbia.
For a long time after the World War,
there were no Chetniks in Serbia. The
reason was simple. There was nothing
for them to do. Only organizations OF
veteran Chetniks' existed. They took
part in different parades and national
manifestations, dressed in their tradi-
tional uniforms.
In 1899. the Yugoslav Military Com
mand re-created the Chetnik battalions.
They were organized as peacetime units.
To each army was added one battalion
of Chetniks-altogether five battalions.
They were volunteers, selected from
among the recruits They had to be in
perfect health and particularly tough.
Their main duty was to conduct
guerrilla warfare behind such enemy
motorized and panzer columns which
succeeded in breaking the defense lines.
The Chetniks are supplied with spe-
cial equipment. The uniform is light to