The Vardar Corps was a corps of the
Yugoslav Army in the Homeland (JVuO) that operated on the left bank of the river
Vardar
The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...
during the
World War II in Yugoslavia
World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was swiftly conquered by Axis forces and partitioned between Germany, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and their client regimes. Shortly after Germany attacked the US ...
on the territory of modern-day
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
and southern Serbia. Its commander was former Captain of the Royal Guard 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, ...
Stojan Krstić. It consisted of four brigades with total number of 1,000 soldiers. Together with
Jablanica Corps,
South Morava Corps and
Flying Corps it belonged under ''Mountain Staff 110'' ( sr, Горски Штаб 110) located in
Sijarinska Banja which was responsible for the territory of Southern Serbia (which included the territory of contemporary North Macedonia). The four brigades were components of this Corps:
* Kumanovo (or Žegligovo) Brigade
* Ristovac Brigade
* Preševo Brigade
* Kriva Palanka Brigade
The commander of Kumanovo Brigade was Lieutenant Nikola Janjićijević.
Dragutin Keserović
Dragutin Keserović (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгутин Кесеровић; 21 November 1896 – 17 August 1945) was a Yugoslav Chetnik military commander holding the rank of lieutenant colonel and '' vojvoda'' during World War II. Keserović wa ...
reported to Mihailović that the British mission at Vardar Corps HQ, headed by Captain Pervis, aborted their mission and left Chetniks on 20 December 1943, on the same day when the British mission with Toplica Corps headed by Captain Scott left its HQ.
The territory in which this Corps operated was triangle between
Gnjilane
Gjilan, or Gnjilane ( sr-cyr, Гњилане) is the eighth largest city in Kosovo and seat of Gjilan Municipality and Gjilan District.
Name
Ottoman chronicler Evliya Çelebi mentions ''Morava'' as a settlement of the Sanjak of Vučitrn. ...
,
Vranje
Vranje ( sr-Cyrl, Врање, ) is a city in Southern Serbia and the administrative center of the Pčinja District. The municipality of Vranje has a population of 83,524 and its urban area has 60,485 inhabitants.
Vranje is the economical, poli ...
and
Veles which belonged to the former Yugoslav counties of
Preševo,
Kriva Palanka
Kriva Palanka ( mk, Крива Паланка ) is a town located in the northeastern part of North Macedonia. It has 14,558 inhabitants. The town of Kriva Palanka is the seat of Kriva Palanka Municipality which has almost 21,000 inhabitants.
...
,
Kumanovo
Kumanovo ( mk, Куманово ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in North Macedonia and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the largest municipality in the country. Kumanovo lies above sea level and is surrounded by the K ...
,
Ovče Polje and
Skoplje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
.
The Vardar Corps was destroyed by Partisan units from Macedonia and Serbia at the beginning of March 1944.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vardar Corps
Military units and formations of the Chetniks in World War II
Military units and formations disestablished in 1944