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Montenegrin Volunteer Corps

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Montenegrin Volunteer Corps
Active1944–45
AllegianceNazi Germany Nazi Germany
Size7,000–8,000
Part ofSerbian Volunteer Corps (officially)
EngagementsOperation Draufgänger (Andrijevica)
Battle of Poljana
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Pavle Đurišić
Military unit

The Montenegrin Volunteer Corps (Serbian: Crnogorski dobrovoljački korpus, Црногорски добровољачки корпус; German: Montenegrinisches Freiwilligenkorps) was a collaborationist military formation that was created in the spring of 1944 under Chetnik leader Pavle Đurišić with assistance from the Germans, Milan Nedić, and Dimitrije Ljotić. It was formally a part of the Serbian Volunteer Corps. The Corps consisted of some of Đurišić's former troopers that were released from German captivity, but the majority were Chetniks that remained in Montenegro under the name of "national forces". Đurišić developed the force in Montenegro and Sandžak and it consisted of between 7,000 and 8,000 men.

In April 1945, negotiations were launched between Đurišić, Sekula Drljević, and the Ustaša for safe passage to German-occupied Slovenia and a safe-conduct agreement was formed. The details of the agreement are not known, but it appears Đurišić and his troops were meant to cross the Sava River into Slavonia where they would be aligned with Drljević as the "Montenegrin National Army" with Đurišić retaining operational command. Đurišić, however, along with some other Chetnik commanders, including Zaharije Ostojić and Petar Baćović, some political leaders, and a number of Orthodox priests were killed in apparent trap set by Drljević and the Ustaša. A small part of Đurišić's troops escaped and went west; however a larger part of them, left without a leader, were integrated into Drljević's forces and were dispatched towards the Austrian border. A portion of both groups were later caught by the Yugoslav Partisans in Slovenia. The majority of those who successfully crossed into Austria were returned by the Partisans to Slovenia, where, alongside other collaborationist forces, they met their doom in May. Of the entire force that began with Đurišić in Montenegro and other Chetniks that joined him for the trek less than a fourth survived.

Notes

  1. Tomasevich (1975), p. 441
  2. Tomasevich (1975), p. 350
  3. ^ Tomasevich (1975), pp. 447-448

References

  • Tomasevich, Jozo (1975). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: The Chetniks. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0857-6.
Collaboration in Yugoslavia during World War II
Puppet regimes
Political
organizations
People
Croatian &
Bosniak
Serbian
Slovene
Montenegrin
Albanian
Bulgarian
Military
organizations
Chetnik movement (broad term)
Croatian Armed Forces
Government of National Salvation
Slovene military organizations
Italian governorate of Montenegro /
German occupied territory of Montenegro
Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943) and
German occupation of Albania
Bulgarian occupation /
Independent State of Macedonia
See also
Invasion of Yugoslavia
World War II in Yugoslavia
Yugoslav factions in World War II
Allies
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Partisans
Others
Chetniks
Axis
Croatia
Serbia
Montenegro
Slovenia
Others
See also: World War II in Yugoslavia and People of the Yugoslav Front
Categories: