Živojin Mišić ( sr-cyrl, Живојин Мишић; 19 July 1855 – 20 January 1921) was a

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

who participated in all of Serbia's wars from 1876 to 1918. He directly commanded the First Serbian army in the Battle of Kolubara and in breach of the Thessaloniki Front was the Chief of the Supreme Command. He is the most decorated Serbian military officer in history.

Early years

Mišić was born in Struganik near Mionica. His parents Radovan and Anđelija had thirteen children. Živojin was the youngest child, and when he was born, only eight of his brothers and sisters were still alive. When he turned six, he became a shepherd. He finished primary school in

Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...

. In 1868, he started his gymnasium education in Kragujevac, where he finished his primary schooling and part of his secondary, before completing the rest in Belgrade. He was admitted to the Military Academy in 1874. In late 1884, he married a German woman, Louise Krikner (1865-1956), at Ascension Church in Belgrade, and they had six children, three sons and three daughters. He participated with distinction in the Serbo-Turkish wars of 1876 and 1878 with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

JG of the

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

and in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885 as a full lieutenant - a company commander in the 5th infantry regiment of Drinska division. He subsequently studied in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. In 1891, he joined the Serbian General Staff and from 1898 to 1904, he taught at the Military Academy in Belgrade. Sometime after the assassination of King Aleksandar Obrenović (see

May Overthrow The May Coup () was a coup d'état in the Kingdom of Serbia which resulted in the assassination of Alexander I of Serbia, King Alexander I and his Queen consort, consort, Draga Mašin, Queen Draga, inside the Stari dvor, Stari Dvor in Belgrade ...

), he was forced to retire, supposedly through the influence of the " Black Hand" as he was considered too close to the Obrenović dynasty, but was reactivated on the personal insistence of the Chief of Staff of the High command of the Serbian Army, General Radomir Putnik who made him his aide.

Military career

In the

Balkan wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

, Mišić was the assistant chief of staff of the Supreme Command of vojvode Radomir Putnik, his right-hand man. After the Battle of Kumanovo of 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 ...

, he was promoted to General. During the critical moments of the Bulgarian surprise offensive at the Battle of Bregalnica of 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 ...

, Mišić persuaded Putnik to order the army to repel the attack on the first line, thus contributing greatly to the Serbian victory in the battle. During the

July Crisis The July Crisis was a series of interrelated diplomatic and military escalations among the Great power, major powers of Europe in mid-1914, Causes of World War I, which led to the outbreak of World War I. It began on 28 June 1914 when the Serbs ...

of 1914 Mišić effectively deputised for the ailing Putnik (then recuperating at a spa in Hungary). Defending against the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia, Mišić (who had emerged from retirement to do so) was placed in command of the Serbian First Army; in December 1914, he won a decisive victory at the Battle of Kolubara that resulted in the humiliating expulsion of Austro-Hungarian forces from Serbia. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

in recognition of his efforts. Although Mišić participated in the great retreat of the Serbian Army through the winter

mountains of Albania Albania is mostly mountainous, with the first alpine regions forming towards the end of the Jurassic, Jurassic period. During the Cenozoic, Cenozoic era, the malformation of the ''Albanides'' accelerated, causing the subterranean landscape to tak ...

during the winter of 1915–16, harried by the second combined German and Austro-Hungarian invasion force (ultimately joined by

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

), he remained in favour of halting and making a final stand against Serbia's combined enemies. He was over-ridden however by both King Peter and the other Army commanders at a meeting in

Peć Peja or Peć, ), is the fifth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova (region), Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the ...

, and was followed by the withdrawal of the Serbian army through Montenegro and Albania. Having suffered badly from exposure during the epic retreat, Mišić recovered. At the Thessaloniki front in 1916, Mišić commanded the First Army, which stopped and forced the withdrawal of the Bulgarian army at the Battle of Gornicevo. Towards the end of the war in June 1918 Mišić was appointed Chief of the Supreme Command and commanded the Serbian army during the breakthrough of the Salonika front in September 1918. He was a lecturer at the Military Academy in Belgrade, and the end of his military career was greeted in 1918 with appointment as the Chief of General Staff of Army of The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

Death and legacy

Mišić died in a Belgrade hospital of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

in 1921. During his hospitalization in France prior to his death Mišić began writing his memoirs, titled ''Moje uspomene'' ("My memories" in English). He managed to cover his entire life up to the start of the

but died before he could cover it and the First World War. He is included in The 100 most prominent Serbs.

Decorations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Misic, Zivojin 1855 births 1921 deaths People from Mionica People from the Principality of Serbia Serbian soldiers People of the Serbo-Bulgarian War Serbian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Serbian military personnel of World War I Field marshals Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Royal Serbian Army soldiers Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery