Dušan Simović
Dušan Simović | |
---|---|
Душан Симовић | |
In exile from 15 April 1941 | |
Monarch | Peter II |
Preceded by | Dragiša Cvetković |
Succeeded by | Slobodan Jovanović |
Personal details | |
Born | Kragujevac, Kingdom of Serbia | 28 October 1882
Died | 26 August 1962 Belgrade, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia | (aged 79)
Citizenship | Yugoslav |
Spouse | Snežana Tadić |
Children | 2 |
Occupation | Soldier, politician |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
Branch/service | Royal Serbian Army Royal Yugoslav Army |
Years of service | 1900–1943 |
Rank | Army general |
Commands | Royal Yugoslav Air Force Chief of the General Staff |
Dušan Simović (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Симовић; 28 October 1882 – 26 August 1962) was a Yugoslav Serb army general who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army and as the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia in 1941.[1]
Biography
Simović, born on 28 October 1882 in
From May 1938 until 1940 he served as Chief of the General Staff, in which position he replaced General Milutin Nedić. He joined other officers in the March 1941 coup against the government of Dragiša Cvetković. After the coup, Simović became the new prime minister (27 March 1941). He did not have much time to make his mark on Yugoslav politics: on the wedding day of his daughter, 6 April 1941, Nazi Germany invaded Yugoslavia,[4] which surrendered on 18 April 1941.
Simović fled Yugoslavia with his family on 15 April 1941. On 28 October 1941 Simović sent a message to the commander of the Chetniks, Draža Mihailović, and urged him to avoid premature actions and to avoid reprisals.[5]
World War II in Europe ended in May 1945; the Constituent Assembly of Yugoslavia, dominated by Tito, formed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in November 1945. Simović returned to Belgrade from London in June 1945. In 1946 he was a witness for the prosecution in the trial of Draža Mihailović, and went on to author a number of books on military issues. He died in Belgrade in 1962.[citation needed]
He married Snežana Tadić (1883–1971), a Serbian-Ukrainian-Croatian pharmacist from Valjevo, and daughter of Milorad Tadić (1861–1940), in October 1908. They had three sons and four daughters.[6]
References
- ^ A. W. Palmer, "Revolt in Belgrade, March 27, 1941,"History Today (March 1960) 10#3 pp 192-200.
- ^ Dusan Biber, "The Yugoslav Coup d'État, 27 March 1941" in John Erickson and David Dilks (eds), Barbarossa: The Axis and the Allies (Edinburgh University Press, 1994), pp.34-42
- ^ Dusan Biber, "The Yugoslav Coup d'État, 27 March 1941" in John Erickson and David Dilks (eds), Barbarossa: The Axis and the Allies (Edinburgh University Press, 1994), pp.34-42
- ^ Germany and the 2nd World War Volume III: The Mediterranean, South-east Europe, and North Africa: 1939-1941, Gerhard Schreiber, Bernd Stegemann, Detlef Vogel, editors, 1995, p. 484. ISBN 9780198228844. Chapter: "From the coup in Yugoslavia to the outbreak of war on 6 April 1941".
- ^ (Karchmar 1973, p. 241)
- ^ Obituary, The New York Times (28 August 1962); "Gen. Simovic Dies; Yugoslav Leader; Headed Royal Government When Nazis Invaded in '41."
Sources
- Karchmar, Lucien (1973). Draz̆a Mihailović and the Rise of the C̆etnik Movement, 1941-1942. Department of History, Stanford University.