Anti-Chetnik Battalions

The Anti-Chetnik Battalions (Serbo-Croatian: Protivčetnički Bataljoni) were established by the supreme headquarter of the communist forces in Independent State of Croatia (modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia) at the beginning of the WWII to fight against Chetniks. Two Anti-Chetnik Battalions were established in Bosnia in 1942 and one in Slavonia in 1943.

Anti-Chetnik Battalions
Protivčetnički Bataljoni
AllegianceYugoslav Communist Party
Roledestruction of Chetniks
Size
  • Kozara Battalion - 400 Partisans
  • Grmeč Battalion - 800 Partisans
  • Slavonia Battalion - 100 Partisans
Engagements
Commanders
Kozara Shock Anti-Chetnik BattalionBranko Stupar
Anti-Chetnik Battalion in SlavoniaMilan Joka

Two anti-Chetnik battalions in Bosnia were:

  • The Kozara Shock Anti-Chetnik Battalion
  • The Grmeč Shock Anti-Chetnik Battalion

The Kozara Shock Anti-Chetnik Battalion was established on 1 April 1942 of the best soldiers of the Second Krajina Brigade.

To counter Chetnik military activities in Posavina after Chetnik Mayor Janjić moved with some of his forces from Bosnia to Slavonia at the beginning of 1943, the Partisans established Anti-Chetnik Battalion in Slavonia in August 1943. This battalion was composed exclusively of soldiers of Serb ethnicity. The zone of operations of this Anti-Chetnik battalion was in the territory of Okučani and Stara Gradiška, between river Sava and railway tracks connecting Jasenovac and Novska.

Bosnia

Background

One of the motifs for Partisans to establish Anti-Chetnik Battalions was widespread Chetnik action at the beginning of 1942 in Eastern Bosnia in which Chetniks successfully infiltrated into command of several larger Partisans detachments and organized successful putsches. After the command was taken over by the men loyal to Chetniks, they would convince the complete Partisan units to switch sides and join Chetnik ranks. The Partisans first established Proletarian Battalion in Čelinac near Banja Luka on 25 March 1942 with task to fight against Chetniks.[1] Although the members of this battalion were the best Partisan fighters[2] it was not strong enough and Chetniks successfully organized putsch in Ozren Partisan Detachment on 18 April 1942 and forced Proletarian Battalion to retreat from mountain Ozren destroying its fourth company.[3] According to some sources the Proletarian Battalion was seriously defeated by Chetniks and only 104 Partisans survived Chetnik attacks by retreating to Slavonia across Sava.[4]

To better counter this kind of Chetniks actions and to return former Partisan units back to their ranks the supreme headquarter of the communist forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina ordered establishment of the Shock Anti-Chetnik Battalions.[5]

Grmeč Anti-Chetnik Battalion

The Grmeč Anti-Chetnik Battalion had 800 Partisans who fought against Chetniks of Drenović, Vukašin Marčetić and Laza Tešanović in period April–May 1942.[6] The pressure of the Grmeč Anti-Chetnik Battalion forced Uroš Drenović, commander of Petar Kočić Chetnik Detachment to sign an accord with representatives of the Independent State of Croatia on 25 April 1942.[7]

Kozara Anti-Chetnik Battalion

The Kozara Shock Anti-Chetnik Battalion was established on 1 April 1942 and composed by recruiting the best soldiers[8] of the 1st and 2nd battalion of the Second Krajina Brigade.[9] This battalion operated as part of the Second Krajina (Kozara) Brigade.[10]

In April 1942 there were two companies of the Shock Anti-Chetnik Battalion composed of recruits from the region below mountain Grmeč[11] with 400 Partisans selected among the best fighters.[12]

In July 1942 the commander of the Anti-Chetnik battalion Branko Stupar was killed after being imprisoned during the Kozara Оffensive.[13]

The Kozara Anti-Chetnik Battalion could not prevent defections of the whole Partisan 2nd and 3rd Detachments to Chetniks.[14][15] Newly formed Chetnik units defeated the Anti-Chetnik Battalion in Korač.[16]

The Kozara Anti-Chetnik Battalion fought fierce battles against Chetniks in the area of Central Bosnia.[17]

Slavonia

Establishment

At the beginning of 1943 Chetnik Major Vlado Janjić shortly stayed in Slavonia with small group of Chetniks[18] until they were attacked and forced to retreat to Bosnia by Anti-Chetnik Battalion which was already established.[19]

To counter Chetnik activities in Slavonia and destroy all Chetnik units that appear in Slavonia, the Partisans established Anti-Chetnik Battalion in Slavonia on 21 August 1943.[20] This Battalion was composed of soldiers of Serb ethnicity.[21]

The Anti-Chetnik Battalion had 100 partisans with 10 machine-guns, 2 small mortars and 90 rifles.[22][23] The main task of Anti-Chetnik Battalions was to mobilize Serbs in Posavina and to prevent any military activity of Chetniks.[24] Its commander was Milan Joka while its commessair was Čedo Grbić. Their task was also to mobilize additional Serbs into his battalion and turn it into Anti-Chetnik Brigade.[25]

The zone of operations of the anti-Chetnik battalion was in the territory of Okučani and Stara Gradiška, between river Sava and railway tracks connecting Jasenovac and Novska.[26] The Anti-Chetnik Battalion in Slavonia was the only Partisan unit which did something to free inmates of Jasenovac extermination camp. In August 1943 a group of 25 inmates using the opportunity to tried to escape during cleaning the forest and laying telephone cables in village Drenov Rok. The Anti-Chetnik Battalion attacked their guards killing two of them and wounding two and transferred released inmates to the territory under Communist control.[27]

After this Battalion forced Chetniks to withdraw from Slavonia back to Bosnia, it was concluded that other regular Partisan units can deal with remnants of Chetnik movement in Slavonia, so this battalion was merged into newly-established Brigade of Check mirotiy in Yugoslavia.[28]

Legacy

The Anti-Chetnik Battalion was mentioned in Doživljaji Nikoletine Bursaća noever authored by Branko Ćopić.[29] The cast of Španac played by Mustafa Nadarević in the movie Long Dark Night directed by Antun Vrdoljak was, according to some opinions, in fact Četo Grbić commessair of the Anti-Chetnik Battalion.[30]

gollark: Can I increase my XP, then?
gollark: Oh no.
gollark: I kick the goblin, d6.
gollark: So you can conjure "simple" things easily? Fascinating.
gollark: ++data inc xp

References
  1. (Latas 1979, p. 141): "... ДВ Босне и Херцеговине наредио је формирање удар- них противчетничких баталюна, док је Оперативни штаб НОП и ДВ за Босанску Крајину у ту сврху 25. марта у Челинцу (код Бање Луке) формирао Проле- терски баталюн."
  2. (Karabegović 1988, p. 145): " Bila je to najborbenija i politički najčvršća partizanska jedinica u to vrijeme u Krajini, organizovana od najboljih boraca iz krajiških ustaničkih žarišta - Kozare, Podgr- meča, Drvara, Petrovca i okoline."
  3. (Latas 1979, p. 141): "Међутим, све то није било довол>но да спречи, у првој половини 1942, четничке завере и пучеве. Један од најкрвавијих издаја и пучева извели су четници 18. априла 1942. Тога дана прочетничкп елементи у Озренском НОП одреду, ..."
  4. (Papadopolos 1974, p. 228): "nom lipnja dolaze u Slavoniju i ostaci 1. proleterskog bataljona Bosanske krajine, od 104 proletera, koji su u borbama sa četnicima na Motajici razbijeni i poslije četničkog puča u 4. krajiškom odredu, izbjegavajući uništenje, povlače se privremeno pred jačim snagama u Slavoniju"
  5. (Latas 1979, p. 141): "...Због такве ситуације главни штаб НОП и ДВ Босне и Херцеговине наредио је формирање ударних противчетничких батаљона..."
  6. (Petranović 1981, p. 271): ", a novoformirani Grmečki protučetnički bataljon, od 800 boraca, operisao aprila-maja protiv četničkih jedinica Drenovića, Vukašina Marčetića i Laze Tešanovića.
  7. (Redžić 2005, p. 140): "Owing to the pressure of the Grmec anti-Chetnik battalion, Uros Drenovic, the commander of the Petar Kocic Chetnik unit, decided to sign an accord with the representatives of the NDH in Mrkonjic-Grad on 25 April 1942."
  8. (Bokan 1972, p. 80)
  9. (Vignjević 1978, p. 18): Козарски ударни противчетнички батаљон формиран је 1. априла 1942. године од бораца 1. и 2. батаљона 2. крајишког НОП одреда"
  10. (Milinović 1969, p. 261)
  11. (Bokan 1972, p. 7) "У Ударном противчетничком батаљону априла 1942. године биле су и двије подгрмечке чете."
  12. Vojno-istoriski glasnik. 1951. p. 48. Крајем марта и почетком априла од најбољих козарских бораша фор- миран је батаљон за борбу против четника — Први ударни противчет- нички батаљон. Овај батаљон бројао је 400
  13. (Faculty 1970, p. 235)
  14. (Bulajić 2002, p. 343)
  15. (Đuretić 1997, p. 343): " Краешки пролетерски и Козарски ударни противчетнички батаљони нису успели да спрече ни пучеве ни прелазак ком- плетних ^единица III и IV партизанског одреда у четничке редове. "
  16. (Bulajić 2002, p. 343): "Новоформиране четничке снаге напале су и уништиле Ударни партизански противчетнички батаљон у Корачу"
  17. Arsenić, Borko O.; Milinović, Đuro P. (1969). Plamen pod Kozarom. Savez udruženja boraca narodnooslobodilačkog rata. p. 261. ...зи и Ударни противчетнички батал>он 2. крајишког (козарског) одреда. Поменути батал>он и водили су жестоке борбе са четни- цима на подручју централне босне. Са Ударним противчетнич- ким батал>оном вратио се на Козару и Ђуран Арсенић и учес- твовао у козарској офанзиви, као и у другим борбама и офанзи- вама које су вођене у Босанској крајини.
  18. (Hrečkovski 1970, p. 258)
  19. (Удружење 2006, p. 80):"Почетком 1943. четнички мајор Владо Јањић кратко време се одржао у Славонији, док га није протерао противчетнички батаљон који је био састављен"
  20. Slavonije, Slavonski Brod, Yugoslavia. Historijski institut (1964). Zbornik. Historijski institut Slavonije. p. 17.
  21. Hrečkovski, Slavica; Konjević, Mile (1970). Radnički i narodnooslobodilački pokret u Pakracu i okolini: (Dokumenti i podaci u vremenu oktobar 1918-maj 1945). Historijski institut Slavonije. p. 429.
  22. (VI 1957, p. 435):"Formiran je Protivcetnicki bataljon jacine 100 boraca, sa 10 puskomitraljeza i 2 laka bacaca."
  23. (Vidović 1965, p. 260): "Primivši potrebne instrukcije, protučetnički bataljon naoružan s 10 puškomitraljeza, dva laka bacača i 90 karabina, a predvođen komandantom Milanom Jokom i komesarom Čedom Grbićem krenuo je u Posavinu."
  24. (VI 1957, p. 435):"Bataljon je upucen u Posavinu. Glavni mu je zadatak da izvrsi mobilizaciju Srba u Posavini i da sprijeci svaku vojniöku aktivnost cetnika, ..."
  25. Slavonije, Slavonski Brod, Yugoslavia. Historijski institut (1964). Zbornik. Historijski institut Slavonije. p. 17. Za komandanta bataljona postavlja se drug Milan Joka, dosadašnji zamjenik komandanta XVII udarne brigade. Za polit, komesara bataljona postavlja se drug Cedo Grbić-Keda- cije. dosadašnji polit, komesar XII udarne brigade. Gore navedeni drugovi neka iz brigade sebi nađu zamjenike i u potpunosti formiraju štab. Stavlja se u zadatak Protivčetničkom bataljonu da se u najskorijem vremenu pojača i pretvori u protivčetniku brigadu."
  26. (Bulajić 2002, p. 300):"Lieutenant General Jefto SaSic said: "In September 1943, anti-Chetnik battalion862, operating in the territory of Okučani ..."
  27. (Goldstein & Goldstein 2011, p. 89)
  28. (Čalić 1987, p. 309):"Ocijenili smo da je specijalna jedinica - Protučetnički bataljon, obavila zadatak. S ostacima četništva mogu obračunati naše regularne partizanske jedinice - Posavski odred, odnosno njegov Treći bataljon koji nosi ime slavnog junaka prvog srpskog ustanka »Hajduk Veljko«. Protučetnički bataljon, sto izabranih dobrovoljaca, ide na novi zadatak. Postaju bataljon novoformirane brigade Čeha ..
  29. (Ćopić 1966, p. 88): "Па видим и ја да си дјевојчица, нијеси ваљда командант протучетничког батаљона ! — застаје Ни- колетина и бечи очи"
  30. "Borci u Špancu vide komesara Čedu Grbića". Večernji List. 8 April 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

Sources

Further reading
  • Vignjević, Milorad (1978). "ФОРМИРАЊЕ УДАРНОГ ПРОТИВЧЕТНИЧКОГ КОЗАРАЧКОГ БАТАЉОНА И ЊЕГОВ БОРБЕНИ ПУТ ДО ЗАВРШЕТКА КОЗАРСКЕ ОФАНЗИВЕ". Kozara u narodnooslobodilačkom ratu: Zapisi i sjećanja. Sjećanja prikupio Milorad Vignjević. Vojnoizdavački zavod.
  • Grbić, Čedo: Protučetnički bataljun. — Glas Slavonije, XVII/1959, br. 4337. O razbijanju četnika u Slavoniji 1943. — Zabilježio M. Milnović
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