Sava Petrović ( sr-cyr, Сава Петровић, 23 July 1882 – 28 October 1914), known as Sava Grmija (Сава Грмија), was a Serbian soldier, member of the

Serbian Chetnik Organization Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation) ...

and participant in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Life

Petrović was born in the vicinity of

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

, by the Germia mountain, at the time part of the Sanjak of Sjenica (now

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

). He finished Serbian secondary school in Pristina, and five years of gymnasium in Skopje and Thessaloniki. In 1905 he fled to the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

and entered into the 2nd Infantry Regiment "Knjaz Mihailo" in

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...

. After a year, he also entered and finished the

Military Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

in Belgrade, after which he served as a sergeant (''vodnik'') in the 12th Infantry Regiment "Tsar Lazar" in

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, t ...

. In 1906 he joined the

and fought in the

Poreče Poreče, Porečie or Porečje or Poreč ( mk, Порече, Поречие, Поречје or Poreč), is a region in North Macedonia which includes the Makedonski Brod Municipality, and the western part of the Prilep Municipality Prilep ( mk ...

region, after which he was appointed Chief of Upper Staff at the beginning of 1907. His ''

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

'' was ''Grmija''. In the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

he served as a sergeant in the 1st supernumerary Infantry Regiment and participated in the fighting around the Svirci-

Novo Brdo Novo Brdo ( sr-Cyrl, Ново Брдо), or Novobërda and Artana ( sq-definite, Novobërdë or ''Artanë''), is a municipality located in the Pristina district of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 6,729 inhabitants. Th ...

- Kačanik ''karaula'' (Ottoman border station). He participated in the fighting in Kosovo,

Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...

and

Elbasan Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central Al ...

. In World War I, he was a commander of the Royal Gendarmerie Detachment, and sought reassignment on the frontline and thus became commander of the 6th supernumerary Infantry Regiment. Fighting on the

Gučevo Gučevo ( sr-Cyrl, Гучево, ) is a mountain in western Serbia, near the town of Loznica, overlooking the Drina river and Banja Koviljača. Its highest peak ''Crni vrh'' has an elevation of 779 meters above sea level. The mountain was a ...

mountain near

Loznica Loznica ( sr-cyrl, Лозница, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. It lies on the right bank of the Drina river. In 2011 the city had a total population of 19,572, while the administrative ar ...

, he fell in battle on 28 October 1914. At the time of his death he had the rank of captain (''kapetan'').

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sava Petrovic-Grmija 20th-century Serbian people Serbian soldiers Chetniks of the Macedonian Struggle Serbian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Serbian military personnel of World War I Serbian military personnel killed in World War I Military personnel from Pristina Kosovo Serbs 1882 births 1914 deaths Serbian military leaders Royal Serbian Army soldiers Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Serbia People from Kosovo vilayet