Serbia Serbia - Original Chetnik items

[chetnik1942]

Hi, The first photo of your grandfather, he appears to be wearing an officers cap badge for Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The man to left is wearing a chetnik cap badge (skull & bones), likely from the Dinaric Division from Bosna or Lika. The other photos appear to be taken in camps is Germany after the war. The men wearing the black berets are Serbs who served in the British army after WW2. What I can suggest is to go onto a group on facebook called "I am from a chetnik family". There are many members on there, some that may even be able to identify or give further information on the individuals in the photos.

Try this link and see if it works

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/JaSamIzCetnickeFamilije/

Go through and spend some time looking at the photos and reading articles on there, you may find something useful in tring to identify and find more info on your grandfather. What was his full name?

Happy hunting,

Regards,

Danilo

[xceilix]

Thanks for the link! I've just requested to join that group now.

His full name was Petar Grmusa, changed the spelling to Peter when he came to the UK.

My Grandfather's friend (also a yugoslav) told my Mother that my Grampy had changed his age (to make him older) when he moved to the UK, so he wouldn't have to serve in another war. Did this happen a lot? It makes searching for him more difficult as I'm not sure of the actual year he was born. And he also told us, that everyone in the village he lived in had the same surname.. is this likely? I know this is a bit off topic, but you may have more chance of knowing than I do!

He told his children that the buildings where records (births, marriage etc.) were kept near his village was blown up in the war, I think maybe to deter us from looking into his past. I have contacted the Croatian State Archives, but haven't heard anything back yet, not sure where else I could find any information about him.

Thanks for the information Danilo!

Kayleigh

[ЧЕТНИК]

This badge, it´s a bit different. Do you know which chetniks it belonged to exactly?

As far as I know, this badge was made after the war in Italy for Chetniks and some Ljotis`s wolonterrs("Dobrovoljci")...

[ЧЕТНИК]

Thanks for the link! I've just requested to join that group now.

His full name was Petar Grmusa, changed the spelling to Peter when he came to the UK.

My Grandfather's friend (also a yugoslav) told my Mother that my Grampy had changed his age (to make him older) when he moved to the UK, so he wouldn't have to serve in another war. Did this happen a lot? It makes searching for him more difficult as I'm not sure of the actual year he was born. And he also told us, that everyone in the village he lived in had the same surname.. is this likely? I know this is a bit off topic, but you may have more chance of knowing than I do!

He told his children that the buildings where records (births, marriage etc.) were kept near his village was blown up in the war, I think maybe to deter us from looking into his past. I have contacted the Croatian State Archives, but haven't heard anything back yet, not sure where else I could find any information about him.

Thanks for the information Danilo!

Kayleigh

Your late grandpa, God bless his soul, was most probably from Lika or dalmatia-Serb dominated areas in what is today Croatia.It is less likely that he was from neigbouring counties of Banija or Kordun.Judging by the photos he was a member of Lika Corps od Dinaric Chetnik Division.After the war , he served in the British Army in Italy.Judging by the photos,he was most probbably located in Eboly(Southern Italy) camp where most of the Dinaric Division staff where located from 1946 untill 47.I am not suprised that Croats are not cooperating in your search. Area in which your granfather lived was subjected to vicious genocide (extermination of the Serbs) by the Croatian state in 1941-45 and again in 1991-5.It was and still is official Croatian state policy to erase every trace of Serbian exsistance in those areas, hence burning of the records, destroying of the churchies and council buildings, expelling of the Sebs...Hope this was helpull in your search.

Cheers

[ЧЕТНИК]

Back to the issue of the Kings Guardmen Cocarde used by the Chetniks (mostly Dukes) prior to WWI. Attached photo made me make the conclusion that those cocardes where used by the chetniks...The hero on the photo is Kosta Milovanovich-Petcsanacs, a very famous Chetnik Duke from the WWI and WWII.Photo taken in 1917 during the Toplica Uprising in occupied Serbia

Edited August 18, 2012 by ЧЕТНИК

[ЧЕТНИК]

Bit more photos of Kings Guardsmen Cocardes from the period.

Edited August 18, 2012 by ЧЕТНИК

[ЧЕТНИК]

And for the closing comment, the badge on the guardsmens hat.Enoy!

[ЧЕТНИК]

And for the closing comment, the badge on the guardsmens hat.Enoy!

[leigh kitchen]

The 3rd photo in Post 50 - are those Polish troops in battle dress?

[chetnik1942]

The 3rd photo in Post 50 - are those Polish troops in battle dress?

Are you referring to the men wearing the berets?

[Chris Boonzaier]

I had a Chetnik moment a few years ago....

Looking for a cheap B+B in London I booked the Ravna Gora in >Nottinghill

I thought it would be an Indian or Pakistani B+B from the name.

When i got there it turned out that "Ravna Gora" is a name pulled out of Chetnik history, the house itself was the Chetnik HQ in London during the war, there are still old statues and photos on the walls. It now serves as a B+B with a very friendly Serb lady running the show... the dingy Basement pub is run by her husband and consisted of Serb Expatriats in Cammo T-Shirts, playing pool and talking about the early 90s (it seemed)...

If you have a Chetnik interest and need a place to say in london... it is a couple of hundred meters from Portobelo road...

[Sajkaca]

And for the closing comment, the badge on the guardsmens hat.Enoy!

This is officers' M1911 busby or "kalpak" for the full dress uniform and has nothing to do with chetniks at all.

[ЧЕТНИК]

If you read carefully trough my post you would realise that I claim that guardsmans badge (cocarde) was probably used by the Chetnik Dukes in the preiod before and during the WWI. I submited photos to prove my claim. At no time did I claim that Kings Guardsmans busby (kalpak) prior to the WWI has anything to do with the chetniks. I posted the photo so that interested people can see how the original cap and the badge looked like together...As far as wearing of busbys by the chetniks, check out the photos of Duke Skopljanac or Skopljance on this topic , post number 28...Chetniks wore busbys in the WWII as well, check the photo below...

This is officers' M1911 busby or "kalpak" for the full dress uniform and has nothing to do with chetniks at all.

Edited August 21, 2012 by ЧЕТНИК

[Sajkaca]

This cockade was issued for all officers' full dress busby, without any exclusivity for the Royal Guard officers.

[rrasic]

Hi! i found today this photo of my grandfather in uniform, his name was Stanko Rasic, he was born in Veliki Susnjar in croatia but i am not sure if this is a croatian or serbian WWII uniform hat and badge.

While i was investigating on my own i found it could be a chetnik badge on the hat but i cant find any picture with a similar hat of chetnik soldiers, would you help me with this? i would be very happy to know more about my grandfather´s history.

[paja]

Greetings and welcome to GMIC,

Hat badge was introduced in 1939 and it was worn by officers, it's not chetnik badge per se but it was worn by chetniks during the war.

I do not recognize the uniform from the picture but it definitely is not related to NDH because of the Serbian (Yugoslav) two-headed eagle.

Could it perhaps be that he was one of the Yugoslav volunteers of the Allied Forces? That could explain the "strange" uniform with Royal Yugoslav insignia.

By the way even though that place is today in Croatia before the Breakup of Yugoslavia it's population was 98% Serbian.

Best regards.

[Rogi]

Uniform itself looks very US, I'll check my sources again and confirm Especially the tie and dress shirt. Brits usually had a different tone and look to their uniforms.

Paja is spot on for the other items in the picture

[rrasic]

Greetings and welcome to GMIC,

Hat badge was introduced in 1939 and it was worn by officers, it's not chetnik badge per se but it was worn by chetniks during the war.

I do not recognize the uniform from the picture but it definitely is not related to NDH because of the Serbian (Yugoslav) two-headed eagle.

Could it perhaps be that he was one of the Yugoslav volunteers of the Allied Forces? That could explain the "strange" uniform with Royal Yugoslav insignia.

By the way even though that place is today in Croatia before the Breakup of Yugoslavia it's population was 98% Serbian.

Best regards.

thank you very much for your answers!

I dont really know that much about the participation of my grandfather with the yugoslav volunteers but i know that he had anti-fascist and anti-communist ideals so i think there is a posibility.

I was asking about the badge being chetnik because my grandmother used to say that his husband supported the general Mihajlovic and that he was some kind of guerrilla fighter, they met in austria so i thought it could be that he was with the chetnik movement and escaped his country at some time during the war.

About the uniform being US or brittish i dont really know and never knew about contact with the US or brittish army.

The uniform also looks strange to me, i find the difference of colors between the hat and the jacket weird, i was told that he was once a police officer so you think it could be some knid of old uniform adapted for being a volunteer or chetnik?

thanks again for your answers!

[paja]

You are welcome.

I don't think that that kind of a uniform was used by the police or gendarmerie, their uniforms were very different, at least to my knowledge.

I am not a big expert for uniforms but I've never seen anything like that being used is Serbia/Yugoslavia so my personal opinion is that it's foreign.

[rrasic]

Rogi´s comment about the uniform being US or British kept me thinking, i know there is some kind of anecdote of my grandfather and plane repairing then i found about the operation hayard where chetniks helped out US aviators and well who knows? lol
Although i know that that is just speculation, i will keep searching but at least i am sure that the badge is the yugoslav two headed eagle
cheers!

[ЧЕТНИК]

Few photos for you Rašić(Rasic).Most General Mihailovic fighters on those photos have same and/or very similar bagde as your granpa.

[ЧЕТНИК]

Rogi´s comment about the uniform being US or British kept me thinking, i know there is some kind of anecdote of my grandfather and plane repairing then i found about the operation hayard where chetniks helped out US aviators and well who knows? lol

Although i know that that is just speculation, i will keep searching but at least i am sure that the badge is the yugoslav two headed eagle

cheers!

And here are some photos of the badge itself...

[rrasic]

Thanks! those are awesome photos! the curious thing is the hat my grandpa is wearing, it looks different than those used by Mihailovic soldiers but it guess it can be any reason.

[andrejm75]

G'day everyone...just a question about this little beauty- I've been searching for one (to no avail. ) for years, but recently there has been few poping up on ebay ( I believe 3 in a month from different sellers)

As far as I know these were official issue given to WW1 chetnik veterans between the wars and then used in WW2.

Considering I have been unable to locate one for years ( I looked believe me), and now all of a sudden there have been few for sale, I am a little hesitant to part with my hard earned...couldthere be a batch of fake ones on the market? Any ideas? Cheers

[Lightfoot]

I personally belive that there are some very very good fakes that have been showing up the last year. So be aware. Also it´s very hard to make a difference between a fake and an original.