Sreten Rajković or Sreten Rudnički ( Vojkovci,

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia () was an autonomous, later sovereign state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was negotiated first through an unwritten agre ...

, 8 November 1874 - Dušanovac,

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

, 22 March 1940) was a Serbian Chetnik

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

and Infantry Colonel. Народна енциклопедија српско-хрватско-словеначка, Београд 1929, књига 3, 798

Biography

He was born on 8 November 1874 in the village of Vojkovci in the h mining district (hence the sobriquet ''Rudnički''). Upon graduation from the Military Academy in Belgrade, he received the rank of second lieutenant in 1899.

Chetnik action

He was among the first who joined the

Serbian Chetnik Organization The Serbian Revolutionary Organization () or Serbian Chetnik Organization (Српска четничка организација / Srpska četnička organizacija) was a paramilitary revolutionary organization with the aim of liberation of Old Se ...

that went into action in

Old Serbia Old Serbia () is a Serbian historiographical term that is used to describe the territory that according to the dominant school of Serbian historiography in the late 19th century formed the core of the Serbian Empire in 1346–71. The term does ...

and

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

. He went as an advisor in the autumn of 1904 together with Voivode

Gligor Sokolović Gligor Sokolović ( sr-cyr, Глигор Соколовић; 17 or 5 January 1870 or 1872 – 30 July 1910]) was one of the supreme commanders (''Great Voivode'') of the Serbian Chetnik Organization, Serbian Chetnik Movement, that fought the Ot ...

and his troop (''četa''). During the spring of 1905, Rudnički was the first instructor who taught

Jovan Babunski Jovan Stojković ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Стојковић; 25 December 1878 – 17 February 1920), known as Jovan Babunski (), was a Serbian Chetnik commander (Serbian: ''vojvoda'' / ) during the Macedonian Struggle, Balkan Wars and World W ...

military skills. On April 8, 1905, the troops of both Babunski and Rudnički crossed the border and after crossing

Vardar The Vardar (; , , ) or Axios (, ) is the longest river in North Macedonia and a major river in Greece, where it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of ...

, Rudnički formed a mountain headquarters in

Poreč Poreč (; known also by several alternative names) is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, west Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, which was designated a UN ...

.Станислав Краков, самртно коло четничко One of the major challenges for the Chetniks was crossing the Vardar river, where the Turkish troops guarded the bridges. Sreten Rajković-Rudnički solved the problem by creating a distraction—getting local peasants to fire random gunshots a kilometer or two away, thus forcing the Turks to leave their guard post. The Chetniks then would safely cross the river from the Serbian to the Ottoman side. Because of his courage, skill and patience, he gained the utmost respect of his subordinates, peers, and superiors, the High Command. From 1905 until the end of the Chetnik action he held the position of Chief Secretary of the Central Chetnik Committee. He was the first commander of the Mountain Staff in the West

Povardarje Povardarie () is a geographic region in the central part of North Macedonia, and includes all of the canyons, mountains, and valleys through which the Vardar river flows. The term is used in the names of Diocese of Povardarie of the Macedonian Or ...

, in Poreč.

The Balkan Wars, World War I and after

He was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

. During the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

in 1913 he commanded a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

and also during the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914 he was in command of a battalion. In 1915 he was put in command of a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

. Sreten Rudnički was seriously wounded on 8 November 1915 during the withdrawal of the army from Serbia. After his recovery in 1919, Rudnički took command of a border section for three years. He was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and became commander of the Kosovo-Mitrovica military district. After retirement, he lived for some time in

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

References

* Translated and adapted from Serbian Encyclopedia
Сретен Рајковић-Руднички - Српска енциклопедија
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudnički, Sreten 1874 births 1940 deaths Serbian military leaders

Biography

Chetnik action

The Balkan Wars, World War I and after

See also

References