Arso Jovanović Arso R . Jovanović ( ; 1907 – 1948 ) was a Yugoslav partisan general and the foremost military commander to participate in the Yugoslav front of the World War II . Educated through the Yugoslav Royal Army academies , General Jovanović was one of the best - educated generals among the partisan forces in Yugoslavia , speaking French , Russian and English . His military reports distinguished him , sometimes running to as many as ten pages , and he stayed close to the partisan High Command , lecturing in the first partisan officer school in Drvar , 1944 . Biography . Arso Jovanović was born in Zavala village near Podgorica , Principality of Montenegro on March 24 , 1907 into a family with a strong military tradition , belonging to the Piperi clan . His father was , until 1910 , an officer of the Kingdom of Serbia army , stationed with the artillery regiment in Topčider , a suburb of Belgrade . Jovanović went to school in Nikšić , and then progressed to the Yugoslav Royal Army ' s military academy in Belgrade in 1924 . There he was a contemporary of Velimir Terzić and Petar Ćetković , who would later also become significant commanders in the partisan forces during World War II . He graduated the top of his class , and was recommended to go to France for ' professional perfection ' . He finished with top grades at the academy and went on to its higher school , graduating in 1934 . By this time he had reached the rank of lieutenant and continued with his studies . He completed the additional course of the military academy in 1940 , being promoted to the rank of captain on January 18 , 1938 and then to first class captain on December 20 , 1938 . On the recommendation of military experts and the minister of defense , Milan Nedić , and in recognition of his abilities , Jovanović was transferred to become troop commander of the school of reserve infantry officers . Not long before the Nazi German invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941 , he was posted as commander of the school battalion of the infantry school of active officers . In the meantime , he had met and married Senka , a law student at the Belgrade Law School . They were separated when the war started , meeting up again in Drvar in 1944 . After the war , when Josip Broz Tito broke with Moscow and Stalin in 1948 , General Jovanović openly sided with the Soviet Union . He was killed by Yugoslav border guards while trying to escape to Romania . The German invasion . When the German invasion started , Arso Jovanović was commander of the school battalion . He was subject to the Second Army Group under General Dragoslav Miljković . His task was to take action in the direction of Sarajevo - Travnik . An interesting fact is that here he served with a number of future high commanders in the army such as Dragoslav Mihailović , Major Miodrag Palošević and Major Radoslav Đurić . Following the breakdown of the front at Sarajevo on April 15 , and the entry of a German armoured group into the city , Captain Jovanović did not go forward to support Colonel Mihailović who was being attacked near Derventa . Instead he returned to his birthplace , unwilling to surrender to the enemy . There he awaited the famous 13 July uprising in Montenegro , in which he participated . In these actions other active officers of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia who subsequently crossed over to the partisan lines also excelled themselves . Examples include infantry Colonel Savo Orović , reserve Lt . Colonel Veljko Bulatović , infantry Captain 1st Class Velimir Terzić and infantry Captain 1st Class Petar Ćetković . All fought then in the Royal Yugoslav Army that renounced the country ' s capitulation to the invaders , and later alongside the partisan units commanded by Peko Dapčević , Vlado Ćetković , Jovo Kapičić and others . Since Montenegrins had traditionally held great affection for Russia , when the Soviet - German war broke out Montenegro rose in revolution . Despite the fact that plans and preparations for guerrilla warfare had not been made , a universal uprising was under way . Jovanović commanded his forces in a drive against the Italians near Crmnica , where they defeated one Italian battalion . Alone , Jovanović ' s unit captured 2 , 000 Italians and a significant amount of war equipment . Captain Jovanović then joined the partisan forces . The partisan war . Jovanović was well received among the partisans . Due to his experience , he was assigned as chief of staff of the partisan guerrilla units for Montenegro and Boka . Until December , he was chief of staff for Montenegro . Meanwhile , the Italian army had managed to transfer one army corps and three squadrons from Albania in order to quell the uprising . Jovanović found himself pressed between strong forces that slowly cleared the partisan units from the territory . He ordered a move towards Cetinje , where partisan units even managed to surround the Italian governor . The Italians however succeeded in deblocking Cetinje . Captain Jovanović then ordered an attack on Kolašin and Šavnik but the enemy forces were too strong , and the partisans were forced to retreat . Arso Jovanović faced the ire of the people due to the deteriorating military situation . In this situation , he ordered a retreat on the entire front until the arrival of troops from Sandžak . For this action , 3 , 500 people were mobilised in Montenegro . On November 20 , these forces commenced a march - manoeuvre in all parts of Montenegro . The main objectives were Kolašin , Mojkovac , Mioče , Donja Morača , Gornja Morača , Boan , Đurđevića Tara , Nikšić , Šavnik and Žabljak . Jovanović ordered his troops to take the city of Pljevlja at any cost , and manoeuvres were made to surround the city . The battle for Pljevlja commenced on December 1 when the majority of the forces entered the city itself . Arso Jovanović was among his fighters , and ordered charge , then retreat , and charge again . The Komski , " Bajo Pivljanin " and " Zetsko - lješanski " battalions all participated in this battle . The city was almost taken , but the enemy counter - attack was so strong that Jovanović had to order a retreat . The Axis forces suffered 74 dead , compared to 253 among the partisan units . After the unsuccessful battle for Pljevlja , which was intended to connect the free territory in Sandžak and Montenegro , Jovanović was called to supreme command . He thought that he would be relieved of duty , but ( instead of Captain Branko Poljanac ) Jovanović was appointed on December 12 , 1941 as head of the Supreme Command of Yugoslavia ' s partisan forces . He held this post until the end of the war . Jovanović wrote an extensive report on the uprising in Montenegro and the reasons for the unsuccessful attempt on Pljevlja . In this report he described the shortcomings of the partisan forces . After the war . When Joseph Stalin broke with Josip Broz Tito in 1948 , General Jovanović openly sided with the Soviet Union . He was killed by border guards while allegedly trying to escape to Romania .