Milutin Đ. Nedić ( sr-Cyrl, Милутин Ђ. Недић; 26 October 1882 – 1945) was a Yugoslav '' Armijski đeneral'' (lieutenant general) and

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afg ...

of 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 ...

prior to the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was replaced in late 1938, and later commanded the 2nd Army Group during the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-led

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...

of April 1941. Nedić's command consisted of General Milan Rađenković's 1st Army, responsible for the area between the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

and the

Tisza The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders. The Tisza be ...

, and the 2nd Army of General

Dragoslav Miljković Dragoslav Miljković was an Army general (Kingdom of Yugoslavia) in the Royal Yugoslav Army who commanded the 2nd Army during the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia of April 1941 during World War II. Biography Miljković's command consis ...

, responsible for the border from Slatina to the Danube. Nedić had no Army Group reserve, but the 2nd Army was to constitute a reserve of one infantry division deployed south of

Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod was the 7th large ...

Early life

Milutin Nedić was born in the

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 ...

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

Sopot Sopot is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, and has the status of the county, being the smallest city ...

on 26 October 1882, to Đorđe and Pelagija Nedić ( Ilić). His was an old revolutionary family. His brother

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

would go on to have a long military career lasting until

. Nedić's father was a district chief and his mother was a schoolteacher. She was the granddaughter of Nikola Mihailović, who was mentioned in the writings of the poet

Sima Milutinović Sarajlija Simeon "Sima" Milutinović "Sarajlija" ( sr-cyr, Симеон "Сима" Милутиновић "Сарајлија", ; 3 October 1791 – 30 December 1847) was a poet, hajduk, translator, historian and adventurer. Literary critic Jovan Skerlić ...

and served as an ally to the revolutionary leader

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Петровић, ), better known by the sobriquet Karađorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Карађорђе, lit=Black George, ; – ), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independ ...

. The Nedić family was originally from the village of Zaoka, near

Lazarevac Lazarevac ( sr-cyr, Лазаревац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. , the town has a total population of 25,526 inhabitants, while the municipal area has a total of 58,622 inhabitants. Its name stems from the name of medieval Ser ...

. It traced its origins to two brothers, Damitrije and Gligorije, who had defended the Čokešina Monastery from the Turks during the

Serbian Revolution The Serbian Revolution ( sr, Српска револуција / ''Srpska revolucija'') was a national uprising and constitutional change in Serbia that took place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Ottoman prov ...

. The family received its surname from Nedić's great-grandmother Neda, who was a member of the

Vasojevići The Vasojevići ( sh, Васојевићи, ) is a historical highland tribe (''pleme'') and region of Montenegro, in the area of the Brda. It is the largest of the historical tribes, occupying the area between Lijeva Rijeka in the South up to ...

tribe of Montenegro. In 1920, Nedić married Anastasija Krsmanović, the daughter of a successful Belgrade merchant. The couple had one child, a son named Nastas. After Anastasija's death, he married a Jelica Hristić, daughter of lawyer, diplomat, and Minister of Justice, Kosta Hristić, and granddaughter of Serbia's 4 times prime minister,

Nikola Hristić Nikola Hristić (Sremska Mitrovica, 10 August 1818 – Belgrade, 26 November 1911) was a Serbian politician who served as Prime Minister of Serbia for four terms. Biography Hristić was born and educated in Sremska Mitrovica. In 1840 he came ...

Military career

Balkan Wars and World War I

Nedić attended 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 in the late-19th century, and finished first in his class. He began his military service in 1901, and participated in both

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 ...

, during which he was in the communications section of the Supreme Command and later adjutant to the Chief of the General Staff. During

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 ...

, Nedić was the chief of the General Staff section of the Ministry of War, and chief of staff of the ''Drinska'' Division.

Interwar period

During the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

, Nedić was the Yugoslav

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in Bulgaria, France and Italy, before being appointed as the General Officer Commanding the Air Force. He remained in this position until he was appointed as Chief of the General Staff in September 1936. On 17 September 1938, Nedić approved a Yugoslav war plan to address a potential attack from the north following

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

's annexation of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

(the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

''). In October, he was replaced as Chief of the General Staff by General

Dušan Simović Dušan Simović (; 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 1940–1941. Biography Simović, born on 28 ...

, who implemented a new war plan code-named ''Plan S'' ("S" standing for ''sever'', or north). Nedić became the Minister of the Army and Navy. Contemporary British diplomatic staff described him as having "a charming personality", and stated that he was "very energetic and keen". However, they also blamed him for the indecision that plagued Yugoslav air policy during his time as minister.

World War II

Nedić commanded the 2nd Army Group during the German-led

of April 1941. Nedić's command consisted of General Milan Rađenković's 1st Army, responsible for the area between the

and the

, and the 2nd Army of General

, responsible for the border from Slatina to the Danube. Nedić had no Army Group reserve, but the 2nd Army was to constitute a reserve of one infantry division deployed south of

. During the invasion, he was taken into captivity by the Germans and detained in a German

prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

camp in Germany. The Germans allowed Nedić to return to Belgrade in 1942. He left Belgrade in October 1944 and retreated to Austria, where he committed suicide in 1945.

Notes

Footnotes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nedic, Milutin 1882 births 1945 deaths Military personnel from Belgrade People from the Kingdom of Serbia Royal Yugoslav Army personnel Government ministers of Yugoslavia Serbian generals Serbian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Serbian military personnel of World War I Serbian people of World War I Serbian people of World War II Suicides in Austria Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of St. Sava Royal Serbian Army soldiers Army general (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)