Radomir Putnik

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Minister of Army
In office
17 April 1906 – 30 March 1908
Prime MinisterSava Grujić
Nikola Pašić
Preceded bySava Grujić
Succeeded byStepa Stepanović
In office
26 January 1904 – 16 May 1905
Prime MinisterSava Grujić
Nikola Pašić
Preceded byMilan Andrejević
Succeeded byVasilije Antonić
Personal details
Born(1847-01-24)24 January 1847
Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
(full list in the article)
Military service
AllegianceSerbia Principality of Serbia
 Kingdom of Serbia
Branch/serviceSerbian Army
Years of service1861–1896
1903–1917
Rank Field Marshal
Battles/wars

Radomir Putnik

First World War
. He served in every war in which Serbia fought from 1876 to 1917.

Biography

Family background and early career

Putnik with his family

The Putnik family was originally from

second Serbo-Ottoman War (1877–1878. The Serbian troops, under Major Putnik, were obliged to pull back to Merdare
in order to meet a stipulation in the general armistice between Russian and the Ottomans. Putnik was noted for being a self-righteous and demanding officer prone to strongly defending his point of view.

Putnik became a professor in the

protégé of the king to pass an examination. Political intrigue and latent conflict with King Milan Obrenović and his successor, King Alexander I, would hinder his advancement throughout this part of his career. In 1895 he was forced to retire by the king, under suspicion of sympathy for the Radical party of Nikola Pašić
.

Rehabilitation under Peter I

Putnik was rehabilitated following the

Field Marshal. In 1912, he led the Serbian Army into spectacular victories in the First Balkan War against the Ottomans (Battle of Kumanovo, October 1912, Battle of Monastir, November 1912) and the Second Balkan War against Bulgaria (Battle of Bregalnica 1913). Field-Marshal Putnik, expecting Bulgarian attack, had deployed his troops on the most important strategic points near the river Bregalnica
(Bregalnitza), which was essential for a quick victory after the sudden, unannounced Bulgarian attack.

World War I

Radomir Putnik in his office

Caught in

campaign. Serbia defeated the Austro-Hungarian Army's offensives in August and September 1914 (battles of Cer and Kolubara
), driving it out of Serbia by December 1914.

In early 1915, Prince Alexander insisted upon assuming direct command of the army from Putnik. Putnik refused to abide by request, arguing that it was unconstitutional and that a monarch could not assume such a responsibility.[4]

The Serbian front then remained relatively quiet until autumn 1915, when joint Austro-Hungarian, German and Bulgarian forces, led by German Field Marshal August von Mackensen, began a large offensive against Serbia with more than 300,000 soldiers. Before the joint attack, Putnik warned the Serbian government that Bulgaria was concentrating her troops at the eastern Serbian borders and that a preventive attack on Bulgaria was the only chance for Serbia to avoid fighting on two fronts. His demand was rejected due to the wishes of the Allies, who were still hoping to isolate Bulgaria from joining the Triple Alliance. Despite heroic resistance, the Serbian troops were obliged to retreat towards Kosovo. On 31 October, Putnik ordered a general retreat onto Kragujevac, attempting to keep his exhausted army together as it sought to escape into friendly territory. Many of Putnik's soldiers were farmers, who occasionally slipped away from the retiring army to resume their rural lives. Putnik's rapidly declining forces continued their withdrawal towards Albania during the first week of November 1915, a process aided by the fact that the Germans, Bulgarians and Austro-Hungarians were reluctant to pursue Serbian troops through the highlands of Albania. The Germans felt that the war against Serbia was won, with most of the nation under the control of the Central Powers. Regarding the Russian Empire as the main threat in the East, Mackensen was eager to move his forces back to the Russian front. The Bulgarians were satisfied with their territorial gains in Macedonia and southeast Serbia, while the Austro-Hungarians were equally content with the notion that the Bulgarians were not moving to establish a Greater Bulgaria.[5]

The final confrontation occurred in Kosovo, the

Skadar) and transported first to Brindisi and then to Corfu
, along with the core of the army.

Dismissal and death

In the atmosphere of recrimination that followed between the Serbian Government and the High Command, the entire General Staff was dismissed in January 1916, including Field Marshal Putnik. He felt embittered, having learned of his dismissal from a cashier who gave him his salary without a Chief of General Staff's supplement. He traveled to Nice, where the French authorities welcomed him with honors and gave him a villa. Putnik was overcome by lung emphysema and died on 17 May 1917 without seeing his homeland again.[8] His remains were transferred to Serbia in November 1926 and buried with honors in a chapel at Belgrade's New Cemetery. The grave carries the epitaph "Grateful Homeland to Radomir Putnik".

Legacy

Mount Putnik in Alberta, Canada was named after him in 1918 for his exceptional services to the allied cause.[9] He is included in The 100 most prominent Serbs.

Military career

Putnik as a mayor, 1879
Field Marshal Putnik and king Peter of Serbia entering Prilep
Royal Serbian Army HQ in modern-day Skopje
Chapel with Putnik's remains, Belgrade New Cemetery
  • Commander of 3rd Mountain Battery, January 1867
  • Commander of Čačak Battery of People's Army, October 1868
  • Commander of 4th Mountain Battery, April 1867
  • Commander of Merzetska Battery, February 1871
  • Duties at Artillery inspection, October 1872
  • Duties at Department of the Artillery, January 1874
  • Chief of Artillery Factory at Kragujevac, 1875
  • Adjutant I class of Rudnik Brigade, April 1876
  • Chief of staff of Rudnik Brigade, June 1876
  • Commander of Rudnik Brigade, 1876
  • Commander of Vranje Military District, 1878
  • Duties at Artillery Department of Ministry of the Military, 1879
  • Chief of staff of Division of standing army, 1880
  • Commander of Toplica Military District, April 1881
  • Duties at Artillery Department of Ministry of the Military, March 1883
  • Chief of staff of Danube Division, September 1883
  • Chief of Foreign Intelligence Department of Operational Department of Main General Staff, 1886
  • Chief of Operational Department of Main General Staff, April 1888
  • Deputy Chief of Main General Staff, 1890
  • President of examination committee for a rank of major, March 1893
  • Commander of Šumadija Division, June 1893
  • President of examination committee for a rank of major, April 1894
  • Deputy Chairman of the Military Court of Cassation, January 1895
  • Retired on 26 October 1896
  • Chief of General Staff
    , 1903

Awards and decorations

Serbian military decorations
Order of the Karađorđe's Star
, Knight Grand Cross
Order of the Karađorđe's Star
, Grand Officer
Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords
, Grand Officer
Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords, Commander
Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords, Officer
Order of the White Eagle, Commander
Order of the White Eagle, Officer
Order of the White Eagle, Knight
Order of St. Sava, Grand Cross
Order of the Cross of Takovo, Commander
Order of the Cross of Takovo, Officer
Order of the Cross of Takovo with swords, Cavalier;
Serbian Service Medals
Medal for Bravery, Gold
Medal for Bravery, Silver
Commemorative medal of the King Petar I
Commemorative medal of the wars with Turkey 1876-1878
Commemorative medal of the war with Bulgaria 1885
Medal for Devoted Service
Commemorative Medal of the First Balkan War
Commemorative Medal of the Second Balkan War
International and Foreign Awards
Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd class (Austria-Hungary)
Order of Military Merit, Grand Cross (Bulgaria)
Legion of Honour, Grand Officer (France)
Order of the Crown, Grand Officer (Romania
)
Order of Saint Stanislaus, 1st class (Russian Empire
)
Order of Saint Stanislaus
with Swords, 3rd class (Russian Empire)
Order of St. George, 4th class (Russian Empire)
Order of St Michael and St George, Knight Commander (United Kingdom)

Quotes

'Troop concentration on paper is a quick and easy matter.'

Ironic remark in a letter to Andra Knićanin on the movements of the Serbian army across very difficult terrain at the beginning of the Serbo-Turkish war of 1878.

'Those were only skirmishes with Turkish rearguards.'

Upon first hearing of the Battle of Kumanovo – The Serbian High Command expected that a decisive battle with the Ottoman forces has yet to take place – most likely on Ovče Polje plateau just north of Skopje. Also, due to communication problems, it first heard of the battle when it had already been won.

See also

References

  1. ^ "VASE – Visual Archive Southeastern Europe". gams.uni-graz.at.
  2. ^ Rothenburg, G. The Army of Francis Joseph. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 1976. p 182.
  3. ISBN 978-1-78200-648-0
    .
  4. ^ Bakić, Dragan (2017). "Regent Alexander Karadjordjević in the First World War". Balcanica. XLVIII: 193.
  5. ^ Jordan 2008, p. 57
  6. ^ Tucker & Roberts 2005, pp. 1075–6
  7. ^ Willmott 2008, p. 121
  8. ^ Jordan 2008, p. 25
  9. ISBN 9780919813731
    .

Sources

Further reading

External links

Media related to Radomir Putnik at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by
Chief of the General Staff

(acting)
1890–1892 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Chief of the General Staff

1903–1905 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Minister of Army

1904–1905 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Minister of Army

1906–1908 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Minister of Army

1912 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by
Chief of the General Staff

1908–1915 		Succeeded by
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