Petar "Peko" Dapčević
(Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: Петар Пеко Дапчевић; 25 June 1913 – 13 February 1999) was a Yugoslav
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
who fought as a
volunteer
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, joined the Partisan
uprising in Montenegro, and became commander of the Yugoslav
1st Proletarian Corps, 1st and 4th Armies.
Dapčević led the Partisan troops that, along with Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
under General
Vladimir Zhdanov
Vladimir Ivanovich Zhdanov (russian: Владимир Иванович Жданов; 29 April 1902 – 19 October 1964) was a colonel-general of tank troops in the armed forces of the Soviet Union. He was a major general in the Soviet Red Army duri ...
,
liberated Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
on October 20, 1944. He was the first person to be proclaimed as
honorary citizen of Belgrade. He was also among the founders of
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Партизан, ; en, Partizan Football Club), sometimes known as Partizan Belgrade in English, is a Serbia, Serbian professional football club (association football), football ...
, the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
section of the
Partizan Sports Society.
In 1953, Dapčević was named
Chief of the Yugoslav General Staff, but was demoted as a result of being indirectly involved in the
Milovan Đilas
Milovan Djilas (; , ; 12 June 1911 – 30 April 1995) was a Yugoslav communist politician, theorist and author. He was a key figure in the Partisan movement during World War II, as well as in the post-war government. A self-identified democrat ...
troubles with the party.
Biography
Born in the area of
Cetinje
Cetinje (, ) is a town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital (''prijestonica'' / приjестоница) of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the president of Montenegro ...
known as Ljubotinj, his father Jovan was an
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
deacon. He had one sister named Danica who was a public school teacher, and brothers Milutin (an officer in the
Royal Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav Army ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslovenska vojska, JV, Југословенска војска, ЈВ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Army, was the land warfare military service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (originally Kingdom of Serbs ...
), Dragutin (Major of Yugoslav Armies) and
Vlado who was a revolutionary, dissident and
anti-revisionist
Anti-revisionism is a position within Marxism–Leninism which emerged in the 1950s in opposition to the reforms of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Where Khrushchev pursued an interpretation that differed from his predecessor Joseph Stalin, ...
.
Dapčević died at the age of 85 in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
.
References
1913 births
1999 deaths
Military personnel from Cetinje
People of the Kingdom of Montenegro
Yugoslav communists
Montenegrin communists
International Brigades personnel
Yugoslav people of the Spanish Civil War
Yugoslav politicians
Yugoslav Partisans members
Chiefs of Staff of the Yugoslav People's Army
Recipients of the Order of the People's Hero
Generals of the Yugoslav People's Army
Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia members
Montenegrin atheists
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni
Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery
Politicians from Cetinje
{{Montenegro-politician-stub