Mihailovic ruling welcomed, and condemned

The reaction of Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic is farcical and the result of a lifetime watching Yugoslav Communist War films. Since it was the Red Army that liberated Belgrade he could not come from a family of "Partisan fighters who liberated Belgrade and Serbia in the Second World War."

The Partisans, who were the 1944 version of DOS, who seized power in Yugoslavia and justified their rule by attacking their political opponents. There was no problem discrediting Croat, Bosnian Moslem and Albanian Nazis, because the Germans had lost the war and Nazism was out of fashion.

The big problem for the Partizans were the Chetniks. It was the Chetniks, and not the Partizans, that fought the Nazis from the first day of the invaision of Yugoslavia. The Partizans only fought the occupiers when the Soviet Union was attacked.

The British establishment supported Tito throughout the war, and he was most probably one of their agents. General Mihailovic had to be discredited to give Tito the position of saviour of the nation.

Croats, Moslems and Albanians were happy to go along with the anti-Chetnik views of the Partizans because it showed that Serbs could be as evil as they were. Not everyone was fooled by this anti-Serbian propaganda, the American President Harry Truman awarded Mihailovic The Legion of Merit, and Charles de Gaulle awarded him The Croix de Guerre.

I think Truman and de Gaulle knew more about Mihailovic that any Partizan peasant.

The fact that Serbs are still actually attacking one of there heroes underscores just how stupid the Serbian people can be. Mihailovic was a hero and the first resistence leader in all of Europe. He fought the Nazis and the Communists and was condemened because the Communists won. Plain and simple facts. The question all Serbs should ask today is "What do the Serbian people have today as a result of the Communist victory in WWII?" Nothing. They were bombed in the 1990s and vilified and the Serb communities of Croatia and Kosovo do not exist. Mihailovic is a proud and honorable patriot who fought and died for the Serbian people and his Western Allies in World War II.

"No decision of any court can erase and annul history. Serbia, as the victim of such attempts on international scene, must fight against historical revisionism and relativization of historical facts in Serbia itself," the MFA statement concluded.

And that's exactly what Serbia did today, fight against historical revisionism. Anyone who wishes for the Partizans to have a monopoly over anti-fascism is either ignorant of Serbia's role in WWII, or simply does not have Serbia's best interest at heart.

Had Mihailovic succeeded the Serbs would have been recognised as the only true victors over fascism in the Balkans along with their long suffering compatriots the Greeks. Instead their triumph was subsumed into the nightmare of communist dictatorship. Every other nation in the Balkans other than the Greeks sided with German and Italian terror and Nazism. To compare Serb fighters with Croat Ustashe butchers or Bosniak Nazis was always a sick joke conjured up in the name of brotherhood and unity. And where did it get the Serb people. To the nadir that they find themselves in to this day. Mihailovic was a patriot betrayed. To recognise this historical injustice is at least a step in the right direction.

Beli - Here are a few facts/questions for you to ponder:
- If Mihailovich collaborated with the Nazis why did Hitler place a $100,000 reward on his head?
- Why did Mihailovich's Chetniks risk their lives in rescuing more than 500 downed US airmen?
- Why did Hitler bomb Belgrade unmercilessly?
- Why did the Germans have a policy of killing 100 Serbs for every German killed and 50 Serbs for every German wounded by the Chetniks?
- Why did President Truman posthumousley award Mihailovich the Legion of Merit Medal for his role in WWII? This is the highest military honor a non-American can receive from the U.S. during wartime.

In answer to your questions, it is well known that British military intelligence had a number of communist moles who were successful in duping the British & American leadership into thinking the Partizans would have more success than the Chetniks. After many successful Chetnik military incursions against the Germans, these communist liaisons would report back that Tito's Partizans were responsible. I suggest you read The Rape of Serbia by Michael Lees, a British Intelligence Officer in Yugoslavia during WWII. The truth is out there...if you really want to find it. Oh, and one final question: Why did Winston Churchill admit that his biggest mistake during WWII was abondoning the Chetniks?

Congratulations Serbia, this decision is long, long overdue. Also, congratulations to those who have fought tirelessly against the historical revisionists who have attempted to discredit Mihailovich and the sacrafice of his Chetniks.

This is a giant step for the Serbian people to rid themselves of the shackles of communism that has for too long prevented the truth from being told. Much more needs to be done, however, as is evidenced by Stefanovic's and Dacic's comments. Too many, if not most of Serbia's present-day leaders are re-cycled communists.

Mihailovic and his movement were the heart and soul of the Serbian people during WWII. Abandonment by the US & Britain led to a communist victory. Winston Churchill said that his biggest mistake during WWII was abandoning the Chetniks. This decision goes a long way to retoring the reputation of a once proud nation.

Not half the man Tito was.
(Andy UK, 14 May 2015 17:52)

You are right, Tito was a criminal, murderer and Communist who tricked the allies into thinking the Partisans were doing more of the fighting in Yugoslavia and thus got more arms and support. Tito and the Partisans are responsible for mass crimes including Bleiburg where many Croats and Italians were mowed down and executed without trial.

Who freed Belgrade? It was the Russians, very few Partisans fought and liberated Belgrade contrary to what the history books say. Tito betrayed his country but was popular among international statesmen and benefited as an intermediary between Communist Russia and Democratic US collecting lots of loans from the IMF.

Tito was responsible for a massive purge involving murder and imprisonment with no right to legal representation and the appropriation of property and land to the state. Mihailovic was one of those who was in a show trial that lasted two days and he was also drugged , beaten and the grave site is still in secret thanks to the death of Milos Minic, Tito's prosecutor and the last witness to the execution of Draza Mihailovic.

As for current Serbian government members Stefanovic and Dacic, you can plainly see that the Communists that took power in 1945, the sons continue to wield power under the guise of democracy.

I really hope the Serbian people read these comments. They are still under the influence of communist propaganda. I have read all the american intelligence documents that were declassified in the 1980s, i.e. the Mansfield Report, etc. The real anti-Nazis were Mihajlovic`s forces. It was also revealed how Tito was more interested in discrediting centniks than in fight Germans. There are many wonderful books on this subject, for those of you who read Serbian, I recommend Sloboda ili Smrt by Radoje and Zivan Knezevic. For those of you who do not, then I point you to the works of American professor Kirk Ford. Those who would like to sell this moment as exonerating fascists is patently uninformed or simply misrepresenting the truth.

This certainly says a lot about current government in Serbia and some Serbs themselves.
Serbs were not united back then and still are not and wonder why they can't prosper.
If there is anything to learn from Croatians, Bosnian Muslims and Albanians it's that unity gets results. Ditch Communism once and for all and ditch Communists in the government. Only then you will get results.
Follow Draza's example.

Beli

I have seen two Nazi posters offering rewards for General Mihailovic. One, you say, offers 200,000 Dinars (a considerable sum St that time), the other offers 100,000 gold reichmarks.

On a second point, are you seriously denying that the British Foreign Office and ruling elite were no infiltrated by Soviet Agents?

For what it's worth I believe Tito was a British double agent who duped Stalin and weakened the Soviet Union around the world by drawing natural Soviet allies into something called the Non-Alligned Movement. Tito always was the West's Darling, and he served them well.

Draza was a patriot.

The diaspora understands that better than those that stayed behind.

The historical record in the West and the immigrant community is in contradiction to what Serbs were taught post war.

Draza's problem was that he wasn't as cunning as Tito and Churchill.

His other problem was also that he wasn't in 100% control of his men (some of whom committed atrocities).

That said the Chetniks were a honorable resistance movement and those who reported to Draza were upstanding.

Ivica Dacic should stay respectfully silent in this matter.

The people have spoken and the people support the decision.

Now we need to "re-habilitate" Tito. Cunning, treacherous, very intelligent, even masterful. But a big SOB and bloodsucker. may be we can start by shipping his remains back to Croatia where they came from!

Jugoslavia

Like you I am a non-Serb but unlike you I am a Russian and my word costs more than any other when it comes to the two partisan armies of the former Yugoslavia. Because they were our only COMBAT allies for 3 most heavy years of the war. I am free from communist or monarchist propaganda about Tito and Mikhailovic so I am grateful to them both because they saved many Russian lives … at the cost of mostly Serbian ones. This goes as a Gospel and everybody in Russia knows that there was only one real resistance in Europe before 1944 and it was the two Yugoslavian armies. Yes you are right that the Soviets played the main role in Belgrade operation but think about the figures ! Soviet combat losses without the wounded exceeded 1 200 000 during liberating those who now hate us more than the Germans. Out of those losses 600 000 were suffered in Poland , 123 000 in the Reich ect. Minimal combat losses were in Yugoslavia – 7 900 “only” ! before the Soviets came partisans already liberated 90% of the territory but they had no such arms and experience to storm strongpoints like Belgrade. So you cannot blame them. Also in the context your anti-communists rhetoric sounds disgusting because it was the Communists who set Europe free. They composed absolute majority of the Allied resistance all over Europe including France and Italy. to say nothing of the 5 000 000 killed in USSR. Even in Poland the Armia Ljudowe killed much more Germans than the 10 times bigger Armia Kraiowa.

Rehabilitation of the chetniks, by the Chetniks - what a surprise. As we've written many times, Serbia is desperately in need of de-nazification - but instead, fascist rhetoric and mentality has hardly been worse. And the media there is utterly complicit.

Not half the man Tito was.

Serbia and all the Serbian people really need one very strong leader, one who will dedicate his or her total love for Serbia and God! a strong and rightous leader who will demand and establish TOTAL UNITY among ALL Serbian people! Every Serbian to love and honor ALL his Serbian Sisters and Brothers! Why do we Serbian people need to be so divided, is our Mother not Serbia and is our Father not Crucified and Holy in the Kingdom of Heaven? Why do Serbian people draw blood and tears from their Brothers and Sisters? Why did Serbian people in 1945 put a Croatian on the trone in Beograd to rule Serbia? Does any Serbian think Croatia will or would ever put a Serbian on the trone in Zagreb to rule them? How will Serbia ever become liberated from Satan when there is no unity amoung Brothers and Sisters. Serbia really needs a very powerfull and strong leader who will impose the fear of God and the most profound love and respect amoung all Serbian Brothers and Sisters! As a Serbian I don't care that some ones father or Grandfather was a Partisan, Chetnik, Prisioner of War in Germany or any thing else, I only care that Serbia is united by One Slavic Eastern Orthodox people who profoundly love our Dear Lord Crucified and Holy in the Kingdom of Heaven. So my Dear Serbian Brothers and Sisters remember that what I say to you all next time you hear in the news that our people suffer and die at the hands of our eternal sadistic and satanic enemies! God Bless Serbia and ALL Serbian people!!!

In Russia the reds and whites are further down the process and it allows their country to make unified decisions for their greater good. Serbia god willing will do the same, cut the political one upmanship and unify for Serbia's greatness. If those who believe they were the only ones who fought the Nazis relegate the others, then they are the ones trying to create a bourgeois class or exclusive privilege. Both the Chetniks and Partisans have a lot to be proud of, now get on with unifying Serbia and stop serving the 5th columnists. Country first, politics second for a change. As for Pusic ask yourself about the home guard and Stepinac before you show the world what a right royal hypocrite you are, no shame is a theme you learnt well.

Not half the man Tito was.
(Andy UK, 14 May 2015 17:52)

Can't disagree there. I see no problem in rehabilitating the person of Mihailovic, but if he's "guilty" of anything, it that his grand strategy was to sit around and wait out the war. There's nothing heroic is doing nothing while people in Kragujevac and Uzice were rounded up and shot. As for the rest of the Chetniks, one needs to study each leader's actions. Some were true resistors, while others certainly did collaborate with the Axis powers, which critics love to use to lump the entire decentralized organization as "fascist". I'm fine with Draza, but my money remains with Tito.

(Michael Thomas, 14 May 2015 17:51)
'The British establishment supported Tito throughout the war, and he was most probably one of their agents. General Mihailovic had to be discredited to give Tito the position of saviour of the nation'

Wrong. The British Government/establishment did not support Tito throughout the war.

The Allies shift of support to Tito occured due to number of reasons. The fact that the radio operator at allied HQ, Egypt (responsible for the balkans) was a soviet agent, was probably the more damaging to the chetniks cause.

Instead of expressing my own opinion of the court ruling concerning Draza Mihajlović, I will pose a set of questions and present some evidence which makes clear that Draža collaborated with Germans and Italians. Firstly, why did Western Allies break a connection with Chetniks in 1943 and commenced cooperation with partisan movements(communists). Secondly ,how were chetniks equipped with weaponry and ammunitions after the break of cooperation with W. Allies. Thirdly ,why isn’t Chetnik’s association invited to the antifascist commemoration day in Europe.

The last:
An excerpt from the encyclopedia Britannica:
‘’ The battle of Sutjeska was of first importance in persuading the Allies to switch their support from the royalists to the communists. Anglo-American and Soviet arms and equipment thenceforth were supplied in ever-increasing amounts.
In 1943, after Tito's headquarters survived bruising Axis operations from January to June (particularly in the battles of Neretva and Sutjeska), the Western Allies recognized him as the leader of the Yugoslav resistance and obliged the London government-in-exile to come to terms with him. Tito's Partisans became a threat not only to the occupiers and collaborators but also to the royal government-in-exile and its domestic exponents, the Serbian Chetniks of Dragoljub Mihailovic. In time, Communist pressure drove the Chetniks into tactical alliances with the Axis, thereby precipitating their isolation and defeat.’’

"we can start by shipping [Tito's] remains back to Croatia where they came from!"
(Patriot, 15 May 2015 22:27)

Before he is sent anywhere a DNA analysis of his remains should be carried out. The Broz family is a real Croat family and some of them probably still live in Croatia. The Broz family should be asked for a DNA sample which could be compared with that taken from Tito's remains. I am sure Tito was not Josip Broz and not a Croat; DNA could provide a final answer this question.

@ Njegoš
As for the reward of a 200,000 dinars (not Reichsmark), that is true, and it refers to the period to 1943. Hitler never trusted Mihajlovic, even though the latter made a deal with Nazi generals.
Draza played a double game.
American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt recognized partisans’ movement and Tito’s regime. Truman was his vise president and he came to office after Roosevelt’s death and he is notorious for dropping the atomic bomb on Japan in the first months of his office.
Rubbish!!!, communists’ moles in British intelligence. You must have been watching movies about Tihi and Prle too much.

peggy...I never thought I'd say this but in a way I agree with you.

one thing you were wrong about though...Croatia has been infested with Yugoslav's and it has caused major issues within the political system.

I'd rather anyone be a Cetnik or an Ustasa instead of a Yugoslav...at least Cetnici are Serbian and proud of it, I can respect that just as I prefer to say I am a Croat and despised being part of Yugoslavia!

Ok, I'm nether on Chetnik side, nether on communist side, but my great grandfather was telling me stories about WWII when I was a kid. Chetniks slaughtered more than 2000 people in just one day in the village of Vranic, and Russian and Yugoslav communists raped women as they were liberating Yugoslavia. So they both have a dark side story. Btw. Draza was supported from Churchill and Roosevelt until 1943. and all of a sudden they started supporting communists. That's kinda strange.

This decision of the court is, to put it mildly, DISGRACEFUL! I’ve been ashamed by the actions of my people many times in recent history, but this, I think is the final nail in the coffin of what once was a homeland to be proud of. Draza Mihalovic may not had very legally straightforward trial, but neither did Rudolf Hess, so is anybody considering “rehabilitating” him? Or, just to mention Saddam Hussein’s trial, or Gadhafi, he had no trial at all, is anybody in this whole wide world weeping for them? No. This is not about Draza at all. This is about introducing the fascist, “Bigger Serbia” ideology through the back door. Everybody here knows who supports rehabilitation of Draza – the same sort of scum that supports Mladic and Karadzic, and the concept of slaughtering everybody that are not Serbian or orthodox along with those who are, but stand against such insane ideas.

As for Draza Mihalovic, the documents of his orders to his notorious chetnik Troikas and testimonies from the original trial still exist, people who were lucky enough to escape Chetnicks ‘ daggers are still alive, so don’t come her and LIE about his benevolence and “resistance”. The only think he resisted were those who fought for their lives and freedom. In killing, he and his chetnik gangs did not discriminate in raping and butchering – by cutting peoples’ throats – women, children, babes in their cradles, old men, Muslim, Croats, Serbian, partisans. That was his single continuous activity throughout the WWII. Everything else he did – saving US paratroopers, and then helping Nazis attack in all their major battles – in exchange for weapons – was his favourite policy “sitting on two chairs”. That is why the allies, who figured that out by 1943 – stopped supporting him, and started collaborating with the Communist Partisans. Churchill abhorred the Communist system, but he hated Nazism even more.
And what did the Serbian Court do? Rehabilitated the person who, without a shadow of a doubt, committed the high treason. And that is a fact.

I am sure Tito was not Josip Broz and not a Croat; DNA could provide a final answer this question.
(Michael Thomas, 16 May 2015 10:23)

Out of curiosity, what do you think Tito's origins are? You, obviously, have something other than Croatian in mind. Are you implying that he was ashamed of his true origins? In the final analysis, does it make any difference?

Out of curiosity, what do you think Tito's origins are? You, obviously, have something other than Croatian in mind. Are you implying that he was ashamed of his true origins? In the final analysis, does it make any difference?
(Militant Turk, 17 May 2015)

Josip Broz was a ill-educated Croat-Slovene who trained as a locksmith. He was also a native speaker of Serbo-Croat. Tito, who claimed to be Josip, was sophisticated, urbane gentleman who spoke several languages and played the classical piano. His was a skilled speaker of Serbo-Croat but he spoke with a foreign accent. I am not an expert in accents but friends of mine who are native Serbo-Croat speakers believe he had a Russian accent. I don't know where he is from but I know a DNA test would help us find out.

Not half the man Tito was.

Rehabilitation of the chetniks, by the Chetniks - what a surprise. As we've written many times, Serbia is desperately in need of de-nazification - but instead, fascist rhetoric and mentality has hardly been worse. And the media there is utterly complicit.

peggy...I never thought I'd say this but in a way I agree with you.

one thing you were wrong about though...Croatia has been infested with Yugoslav's and it has caused major issues within the political system.

I'd rather anyone be a Cetnik or an Ustasa instead of a Yugoslav...at least Cetnici are Serbian and proud of it, I can respect that just as I prefer to say I am a Croat and despised being part of Yugoslavia!

The reaction of Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic is farcical and the result of a lifetime watching Yugoslav Communist War films. Since it was the Red Army that liberated Belgrade he could not come from a family of "Partisan fighters who liberated Belgrade and Serbia in the Second World War."

The Partisans, who were the 1944 version of DOS, who seized power in Yugoslavia and justified their rule by attacking their political opponents. There was no problem discrediting Croat, Bosnian Moslem and Albanian Nazis, because the Germans had lost the war and Nazism was out of fashion.

The big problem for the Partizans were the Chetniks. It was the Chetniks, and not the Partizans, that fought the Nazis from the first day of the invaision of Yugoslavia. The Partizans only fought the occupiers when the Soviet Union was attacked.

The British establishment supported Tito throughout the war, and he was most probably one of their agents. General Mihailovic had to be discredited to give Tito the position of saviour of the nation.

Croats, Moslems and Albanians were happy to go along with the anti-Chetnik views of the Partizans because it showed that Serbs could be as evil as they were. Not everyone was fooled by this anti-Serbian propaganda, the American President Harry Truman awarded Mihailovic The Legion of Merit, and Charles de Gaulle awarded him The Croix de Guerre.

I think Truman and de Gaulle knew more about Mihailovic that any Partizan peasant.

"No decision of any court can erase and annul history. Serbia, as the victim of such attempts on international scene, must fight against historical revisionism and relativization of historical facts in Serbia itself," the MFA statement concluded.

And that's exactly what Serbia did today, fight against historical revisionism. Anyone who wishes for the Partizans to have a monopoly over anti-fascism is either ignorant of Serbia's role in WWII, or simply does not have Serbia's best interest at heart.

The fact that Serbs are still actually attacking one of there heroes underscores just how stupid the Serbian people can be. Mihailovic was a hero and the first resistence leader in all of Europe. He fought the Nazis and the Communists and was condemened because the Communists won. Plain and simple facts. The question all Serbs should ask today is "What do the Serbian people have today as a result of the Communist victory in WWII?" Nothing. They were bombed in the 1990s and vilified and the Serb communities of Croatia and Kosovo do not exist. Mihailovic is a proud and honorable patriot who fought and died for the Serbian people and his Western Allies in World War II.

Beli - Here are a few facts/questions for you to ponder:
- If Mihailovich collaborated with the Nazis why did Hitler place a $100,000 reward on his head?
- Why did Mihailovich's Chetniks risk their lives in rescuing more than 500 downed US airmen?
- Why did Hitler bomb Belgrade unmercilessly?
- Why did the Germans have a policy of killing 100 Serbs for every German killed and 50 Serbs for every German wounded by the Chetniks?
- Why did President Truman posthumousley award Mihailovich the Legion of Merit Medal for his role in WWII? This is the highest military honor a non-American can receive from the U.S. during wartime.

In answer to your questions, it is well known that British military intelligence had a number of communist moles who were successful in duping the British & American leadership into thinking the Partizans would have more success than the Chetniks. After many successful Chetnik military incursions against the Germans, these communist liaisons would report back that Tito's Partizans were responsible. I suggest you read The Rape of Serbia by Michael Lees, a British Intelligence Officer in Yugoslavia during WWII. The truth is out there...if you really want to find it. Oh, and one final question: Why did Winston Churchill admit that his biggest mistake during WWII was abondoning the Chetniks?

@ Njegoš
As for the reward of a 200,000 dinars (not Reichsmark), that is true, and it refers to the period to 1943. Hitler never trusted Mihajlovic, even though the latter made a deal with Nazi generals.
Draza played a double game.
American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt recognized partisans’ movement and Tito’s regime. Truman was his vise president and he came to office after Roosevelt’s death and he is notorious for dropping the atomic bomb on Japan in the first months of his office.
Rubbish!!!, communists’ moles in British intelligence. You must have been watching movies about Tihi and Prle too much.

Ok, I'm nether on Chetnik side, nether on communist side, but my great grandfather was telling me stories about WWII when I was a kid. Chetniks slaughtered more than 2000 people in just one day in the village of Vranic, and Russian and Yugoslav communists raped women as they were liberating Yugoslavia. So they both have a dark side story. Btw. Draza was supported from Churchill and Roosevelt until 1943. and all of a sudden they started supporting communists. That's kinda strange.

Congratulations Serbia, this decision is long, long overdue. Also, congratulations to those who have fought tirelessly against the historical revisionists who have attempted to discredit Mihailovich and the sacrafice of his Chetniks.

This is a giant step for the Serbian people to rid themselves of the shackles of communism that has for too long prevented the truth from being told. Much more needs to be done, however, as is evidenced by Stefanovic's and Dacic's comments. Too many, if not most of Serbia's present-day leaders are re-cycled communists.

Mihailovic and his movement were the heart and soul of the Serbian people during WWII. Abandonment by the US & Britain led to a communist victory. Winston Churchill said that his biggest mistake during WWII was abandoning the Chetniks. This decision goes a long way to retoring the reputation of a once proud nation.

Not half the man Tito was.
(Andy UK, 14 May 2015 17:52)

Can't disagree there. I see no problem in rehabilitating the person of Mihailovic, but if he's "guilty" of anything, it that his grand strategy was to sit around and wait out the war. There's nothing heroic is doing nothing while people in Kragujevac and Uzice were rounded up and shot. As for the rest of the Chetniks, one needs to study each leader's actions. Some were true resistors, while others certainly did collaborate with the Axis powers, which critics love to use to lump the entire decentralized organization as "fascist". I'm fine with Draza, but my money remains with Tito.

Draza was a patriot.

The diaspora understands that better than those that stayed behind.

The historical record in the West and the immigrant community is in contradiction to what Serbs were taught post war.

Draza's problem was that he wasn't as cunning as Tito and Churchill.

His other problem was also that he wasn't in 100% control of his men (some of whom committed atrocities).

That said the Chetniks were a honorable resistance movement and those who reported to Draza were upstanding.

Ivica Dacic should stay respectfully silent in this matter.

The people have spoken and the people support the decision.

Now we need to "re-habilitate" Tito. Cunning, treacherous, very intelligent, even masterful. But a big SOB and bloodsucker. may be we can start by shipping his remains back to Croatia where they came from!

Beli

I have seen two Nazi posters offering rewards for General Mihailovic. One, you say, offers 200,000 Dinars (a considerable sum St that time), the other offers 100,000 gold reichmarks.

On a second point, are you seriously denying that the British Foreign Office and ruling elite were no infiltrated by Soviet Agents?

For what it's worth I believe Tito was a British double agent who duped Stalin and weakened the Soviet Union around the world by drawing natural Soviet allies into something called the Non-Alligned Movement. Tito always was the West's Darling, and he served them well.

I really hope the Serbian people read these comments. They are still under the influence of communist propaganda. I have read all the american intelligence documents that were declassified in the 1980s, i.e. the Mansfield Report, etc. The real anti-Nazis were Mihajlovic`s forces. It was also revealed how Tito was more interested in discrediting centniks than in fight Germans. There are many wonderful books on this subject, for those of you who read Serbian, I recommend Sloboda ili Smrt by Radoje and Zivan Knezevic. For those of you who do not, then I point you to the works of American professor Kirk Ford. Those who would like to sell this moment as exonerating fascists is patently uninformed or simply misrepresenting the truth.

Jugoslavia

Like you I am a non-Serb but unlike you I am a Russian and my word costs more than any other when it comes to the two partisan armies of the former Yugoslavia. Because they were our only COMBAT allies for 3 most heavy years of the war. I am free from communist or monarchist propaganda about Tito and Mikhailovic so I am grateful to them both because they saved many Russian lives … at the cost of mostly Serbian ones. This goes as a Gospel and everybody in Russia knows that there was only one real resistance in Europe before 1944 and it was the two Yugoslavian armies. Yes you are right that the Soviets played the main role in Belgrade operation but think about the figures ! Soviet combat losses without the wounded exceeded 1 200 000 during liberating those who now hate us more than the Germans. Out of those losses 600 000 were suffered in Poland , 123 000 in the Reich ect. Minimal combat losses were in Yugoslavia – 7 900 “only” ! before the Soviets came partisans already liberated 90% of the territory but they had no such arms and experience to storm strongpoints like Belgrade. So you cannot blame them. Also in the context your anti-communists rhetoric sounds disgusting because it was the Communists who set Europe free. They composed absolute majority of the Allied resistance all over Europe including France and Italy. to say nothing of the 5 000 000 killed in USSR. Even in Poland the Armia Ljudowe killed much more Germans than the 10 times bigger Armia Kraiowa.

This certainly says a lot about current government in Serbia and some Serbs themselves.
Serbs were not united back then and still are not and wonder why they can't prosper.
If there is anything to learn from Croatians, Bosnian Muslims and Albanians it's that unity gets results. Ditch Communism once and for all and ditch Communists in the government. Only then you will get results.
Follow Draza's example.

In Russia the reds and whites are further down the process and it allows their country to make unified decisions for their greater good. Serbia god willing will do the same, cut the political one upmanship and unify for Serbia's greatness. If those who believe they were the only ones who fought the Nazis relegate the others, then they are the ones trying to create a bourgeois class or exclusive privilege. Both the Chetniks and Partisans have a lot to be proud of, now get on with unifying Serbia and stop serving the 5th columnists. Country first, politics second for a change. As for Pusic ask yourself about the home guard and Stepinac before you show the world what a right royal hypocrite you are, no shame is a theme you learnt well.

Had Mihailovic succeeded the Serbs would have been recognised as the only true victors over fascism in the Balkans along with their long suffering compatriots the Greeks. Instead their triumph was subsumed into the nightmare of communist dictatorship. Every other nation in the Balkans other than the Greeks sided with German and Italian terror and Nazism. To compare Serb fighters with Croat Ustashe butchers or Bosniak Nazis was always a sick joke conjured up in the name of brotherhood and unity. And where did it get the Serb people. To the nadir that they find themselves in to this day. Mihailovic was a patriot betrayed. To recognise this historical injustice is at least a step in the right direction.

(Michael Thomas, 14 May 2015 17:51)
'The British establishment supported Tito throughout the war, and he was most probably one of their agents. General Mihailovic had to be discredited to give Tito the position of saviour of the nation'

Wrong. The British Government/establishment did not support Tito throughout the war.

The Allies shift of support to Tito occured due to number of reasons. The fact that the radio operator at allied HQ, Egypt (responsible for the balkans) was a soviet agent, was probably the more damaging to the chetniks cause.

Serbia and all the Serbian people really need one very strong leader, one who will dedicate his or her total love for Serbia and God! a strong and rightous leader who will demand and establish TOTAL UNITY among ALL Serbian people! Every Serbian to love and honor ALL his Serbian Sisters and Brothers! Why do we Serbian people need to be so divided, is our Mother not Serbia and is our Father not Crucified and Holy in the Kingdom of Heaven? Why do Serbian people draw blood and tears from their Brothers and Sisters? Why did Serbian people in 1945 put a Croatian on the trone in Beograd to rule Serbia? Does any Serbian think Croatia will or would ever put a Serbian on the trone in Zagreb to rule them? How will Serbia ever become liberated from Satan when there is no unity amoung Brothers and Sisters. Serbia really needs a very powerfull and strong leader who will impose the fear of God and the most profound love and respect amoung all Serbian Brothers and Sisters! As a Serbian I don't care that some ones father or Grandfather was a Partisan, Chetnik, Prisioner of War in Germany or any thing else, I only care that Serbia is united by One Slavic Eastern Orthodox people who profoundly love our Dear Lord Crucified and Holy in the Kingdom of Heaven. So my Dear Serbian Brothers and Sisters remember that what I say to you all next time you hear in the news that our people suffer and die at the hands of our eternal sadistic and satanic enemies! God Bless Serbia and ALL Serbian people!!!

Not half the man Tito was.
(Andy UK, 14 May 2015 17:52)

You are right, Tito was a criminal, murderer and Communist who tricked the allies into thinking the Partisans were doing more of the fighting in Yugoslavia and thus got more arms and support. Tito and the Partisans are responsible for mass crimes including Bleiburg where many Croats and Italians were mowed down and executed without trial.

Who freed Belgrade? It was the Russians, very few Partisans fought and liberated Belgrade contrary to what the history books say. Tito betrayed his country but was popular among international statesmen and benefited as an intermediary between Communist Russia and Democratic US collecting lots of loans from the IMF.

Tito was responsible for a massive purge involving murder and imprisonment with no right to legal representation and the appropriation of property and land to the state. Mihailovic was one of those who was in a show trial that lasted two days and he was also drugged , beaten and the grave site is still in secret thanks to the death of Milos Minic, Tito's prosecutor and the last witness to the execution of Draza Mihailovic.

As for current Serbian government members Stefanovic and Dacic, you can plainly see that the Communists that took power in 1945, the sons continue to wield power under the guise of democracy.

Instead of expressing my own opinion of the court ruling concerning Draza Mihajlović, I will pose a set of questions and present some evidence which makes clear that Draža collaborated with Germans and Italians. Firstly, why did Western Allies break a connection with Chetniks in 1943 and commenced cooperation with partisan movements(communists). Secondly ,how were chetniks equipped with weaponry and ammunitions after the break of cooperation with W. Allies. Thirdly ,why isn’t Chetnik’s association invited to the antifascist commemoration day in Europe.

The last:
An excerpt from the encyclopedia Britannica:
‘’ The battle of Sutjeska was of first importance in persuading the Allies to switch their support from the royalists to the communists. Anglo-American and Soviet arms and equipment thenceforth were supplied in ever-increasing amounts.
In 1943, after Tito's headquarters survived bruising Axis operations from January to June (particularly in the battles of Neretva and Sutjeska), the Western Allies recognized him as the leader of the Yugoslav resistance and obliged the London government-in-exile to come to terms with him. Tito's Partisans became a threat not only to the occupiers and collaborators but also to the royal government-in-exile and its domestic exponents, the Serbian Chetniks of Dragoljub Mihailovic. In time, Communist pressure drove the Chetniks into tactical alliances with the Axis, thereby precipitating their isolation and defeat.’’

"we can start by shipping [Tito's] remains back to Croatia where they came from!"
(Patriot, 15 May 2015 22:27)

Before he is sent anywhere a DNA analysis of his remains should be carried out. The Broz family is a real Croat family and some of them probably still live in Croatia. The Broz family should be asked for a DNA sample which could be compared with that taken from Tito's remains. I am sure Tito was not Josip Broz and not a Croat; DNA could provide a final answer this question.

Out of curiosity, what do you think Tito's origins are? You, obviously, have something other than Croatian in mind. Are you implying that he was ashamed of his true origins? In the final analysis, does it make any difference?
(Militant Turk, 17 May 2015)

Josip Broz was a ill-educated Croat-Slovene who trained as a locksmith. He was also a native speaker of Serbo-Croat. Tito, who claimed to be Josip, was sophisticated, urbane gentleman who spoke several languages and played the classical piano. His was a skilled speaker of Serbo-Croat but he spoke with a foreign accent. I am not an expert in accents but friends of mine who are native Serbo-Croat speakers believe he had a Russian accent. I don't know where he is from but I know a DNA test would help us find out.

This decision of the court is, to put it mildly, DISGRACEFUL! I’ve been ashamed by the actions of my people many times in recent history, but this, I think is the final nail in the coffin of what once was a homeland to be proud of. Draza Mihalovic may not had very legally straightforward trial, but neither did Rudolf Hess, so is anybody considering “rehabilitating” him? Or, just to mention Saddam Hussein’s trial, or Gadhafi, he had no trial at all, is anybody in this whole wide world weeping for them? No. This is not about Draza at all. This is about introducing the fascist, “Bigger Serbia” ideology through the back door. Everybody here knows who supports rehabilitation of Draza – the same sort of scum that supports Mladic and Karadzic, and the concept of slaughtering everybody that are not Serbian or orthodox along with those who are, but stand against such insane ideas.

As for Draza Mihalovic, the documents of his orders to his notorious chetnik Troikas and testimonies from the original trial still exist, people who were lucky enough to escape Chetnicks ‘ daggers are still alive, so don’t come her and LIE about his benevolence and “resistance”. The only think he resisted were those who fought for their lives and freedom. In killing, he and his chetnik gangs did not discriminate in raping and butchering – by cutting peoples’ throats – women, children, babes in their cradles, old men, Muslim, Croats, Serbian, partisans. That was his single continuous activity throughout the WWII. Everything else he did – saving US paratroopers, and then helping Nazis attack in all their major battles – in exchange for weapons – was his favourite policy “sitting on two chairs”. That is why the allies, who figured that out by 1943 – stopped supporting him, and started collaborating with the Communist Partisans. Churchill abhorred the Communist system, but he hated Nazism even more.
And what did the Serbian Court do? Rehabilitated the person who, without a shadow of a doubt, committed the high treason. And that is a fact.

I am sure Tito was not Josip Broz and not a Croat; DNA could provide a final answer this question.
(Michael Thomas, 16 May 2015 10:23)

Out of curiosity, what do you think Tito's origins are? You, obviously, have something other than Croatian in mind. Are you implying that he was ashamed of his true origins? In the final analysis, does it make any difference?