Battle Of Čelopek
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The Battle of Čelopek (, sr-Cyrl, Борба на Челопеку) was fought at the Čelopek plateau, near Kozjak, between 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 ...
and Ottoman officers accompanied by Ottoman Albanian
bashi-bozuk A bashi-bazouk ( , , , roughly "leaderless" or "disorderly") was an irregular soldier of the Ottoman army, raised in times of war. The army primarily enlisted Albanians and sometimes Circassians as bashi-bazouks, but recruits came from all et ...
s, on 16 April 1905.


Background

After the fights in Tabanovce,
Savatije Milošević Savatije Milošević ( sr-cyr, Саватије Милошевић; 1876 – 1905), known as Vojvoda Savatije, was a Serbian hajduk and Chetnik commander. Life Early life Savatije Miličević Milošević (Саватије Миличевић Ми ...
,
Lazar Kujundžić Lazar Kujundžić-Klempa ( sr-cyr, Лазар Кујунџић: 1880 – May 25, 1905) was a Serbian Chetnik Organization, Serbian Chetnik commander (vojvoda) who was active in Old Serbia and Macedonia. Biography He was born in Orahovac, Koso ...
and Aksentije Bacetović-Baceta left their offices as organizers of the action, wanting to feel the Chetnik lifestyle "from within" as voivodes. Baceta was to replace the then Chief of Upper Staff,
Ilija Jovanović Ilija may refer to: * Ilija, Iran, a village in Ardabil Province, Iran * Ilija, Slovakia, a village and municipality in the Banská Štiavnica District, in the Banská Bystrica Region * Ilija (given name), South Slavic given name People with the su ...
. Baceta and Savatije Milošević, by mid-April, had moved 107 fighters across the border.


Fight

At dawn on
Holy Saturday Holy Saturday (), also known as Great and Holy Saturday, Low Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, the Saturday of Light, Good Saturday, or Black Saturday, among other names, is t ...
(), the two large bands ( Cheta) -- Belgrade and Kragujevac -- arrived at the village of
Dubočica Leskovac ( sr-Cyrl, Лесковац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Jablanica District in Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a p ...
. There, they were awaited by the bands of Ilija Jovanović, Lazar Kujundžić, Čiča-
Pavle Mladenović Pavle Mladenović-Jačinski ( sr-cyr, Павле Младеновић; d. June 16, 1905), known as Čiča Pavle (Чича Павле; "Uncle Pavle") and Pavle Jačinski, was a Serbian Chetnik Organization, Serbian Chetnik commander active in Mace ...
and Ljubomir Jezdić. The Kragujevac Band was led by captain (''kapetan'')
Borko Paštrović Borko Paštrović (Борко Паштровић; April 12, 1875—December 18, 1912) was a Serbian Chetnik commander and later a major of artillery in the Serbian Army during the First Balkan War. Life Paštrović was born in Kragujevac, Prin ...
and had the sub-lieutenants (''potporučnici''):
Vojin Popović Vojin Popović, known as Vojvoda Vuk (; 9 December 1881 – 29 November 1916) was a Serbian ''voivode'' (military commander), who fought for the Macedonian Serb Chetniks (i.e. Komitadji, komiti) in the Struggle for Macedonia, and then the Serbia ...
-Vuk,
Dušan Jezdić Dušan Jezdić or Dushan Yezdich (Belgrade, Serbia, 22 December 1881 – Ionian Sea, near the island of Vido, Greece, 1917) was a Serbian Chetnik voivode who participated in the struggle for Old Serbia and Macedonia (1903–1912), the Balkan Wars a ...
,
Pera Todorović Pera may refer to: Places * Pera (Beyoğlu), a district in Istanbul formerly called Pera, now called Beyoğlu ** Galata, a neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, often referred to as Pera in the past * Pêra (Caparica), a Portuguese locality in the district o ...
and
Dušan Putniković Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Душан) is a Slavic given name primarily used in the former Yugoslavia and the former Czechoslovakia. The name is derived from the Slavic noun ''duša'' "soul". Occurrence In Serbia, it was the 29th most popular name for ...
. The Belgrade Band was led by Baceta, and included Vojvoda Savatije, the officers (''oficiri'')
Janićije Mićić Janićije Mićić (Rožanstvo, Serbia, 13 August 1874 – Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 17 April 1949) was a highly decorated Serbian career soldier, a participant of the Balkan Wars and the Great War. He was a bearer of two Order of Karađorđe's Sta ...
,
Bogdan Jugović Hajnc Bogdan Jugović Hajnc (1882 in Valjevo – 30 May 1905 in Petraljica, near Kumanovo) was a commissioned officer in the Serbian Army and a Chetnik commander known as Vojvoda Bogdan. Bogdan Jugović Hajnc was a son of a Polish medical officer who e ...
,
Vojislav Tankosić Vojislav Tankosić ( sr-cyr, Војислав Танкосић, 20 September 1880 – 2 November 1915) was a Serbian military officer, ''vojvoda'' of the Serbian Chetnik Organization, major of the Serbian Army, and member of the Black Hand (Serbi ...
, Branivoj Jovanović; and the non-commissioned officers (''podoficiri'') Jović,
Radul Kosovac Radul or Radule () is a Slavic given name, derived from the word ''rad'', meaning "work, care ". It is the base of the Serbian surnames of Radulović, Radulić, Raduljica, and the Russian and Bulgarian Radulov. Several toponyms are derived fr ...
,
Novica Leovac Novica is an e-commerce website that enables artisans to sell their handcrafted goods to customers worldwide. Partnered with the National Geographic Society, Novica shows handcrafted works of art, ranging from handmade jewelry to handmade appar ...
, Radoš Vasiljević, Trajko and Radivoje Ilić. They were also accompanied by the bands of
Stevan Nedić Stevan Nedić ( sr-cyr, Стеван Недић; 1875–1923), nicknamed Ćela (Ћела), was a Serbian Chetnik commander in Old Serbia and Macedonia. Life Nedić was born in 1875, in the village of Strugovo near Bitola, in the Ottoman Empire ...
and
Doksim Mihailović Doksim Mihailović (; 20 February 1883 – 24 October 1912) was a Macedonian Serb ''voivode'' (military commander), originally a teacher, who joined the Serbian Chetnik Organization to fight in Ottoman Macedonia, and then the Balkan Wars (in the a ...
, which had been returned to western
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 ...
after vacationing in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. On , at the heights of Čelopek, around 120 chetniks under the command of voivodes Doksim, Čiča-Pavle, Baceta, Kujundžić, Borko Paštrović, Skopljanče, Vojislav Tankosić and
Jovan Dovezenski Jovan Stanojković ( sr-cyr, Јован Станојковић, 8 April 1873 – 2 May 1935), known by his ''nom de guerre'', the demonym ''Dovezenski'' (Довезенски), was a Serbian Chetnik commander (''vojvoda''), and participant in the ...
fought a uniformed
Ottoman army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...
who were accompanied by Albanians from the surrounding villages. During the battle, Čiča-Pavle took the Čelopek heights and thus prevented the encirclement of the bands by the Albanian bashi-bozuks; overtaking the three peaks gave the chetniks a strategical advantage. After their victory in the battle, they inflicted heavy losses on the Turks and Albanians (over 200 dead and wounded), while only having two dead (Petar Todorović and Radul Kosovac) according to Serbian sources, while British Vice-Consul
Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger Wilfred Gilbert Thesiger DSO (25 March 1871 – 31 January 1920) was a British officer and diplomat, who was British Minister in Ethiopia from 1909 to 1919. Background and early life Thesiger was born into a well-connected family of politicia ...
claimed in a letter dated that fighting near
Kumanovo Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...
'the earlier day' had taken 4 Serbian officers' lives, and 8 captured.


Aftermath

The victory enraged the Ottomans, who began a
manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...
for the rebels. The rebels were forced to retreat across the border, and were dispersed. Čiča-Pavle and Bacetović were surrounded by the Ottoman army near the village of
Beljakovce Beljakovce () is a village in the municipality of Kumanovo, North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albani ...
(today's
Kumanovo Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...
) on 16 June, and everyone in their bands was killed. On 21 January 1906, another fight took place in the same place, where
Vasilije Trbić Vasilije Trbić ( sr-Cyrl, Василије Трбић; 1881 – 1962) was a Serbian Chetnik commander in Macedonia who became a politician in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, first representing the People's Radical Party (NRS) in ...
nearly lost his whole band (22 men) to the Ottomans.


References


Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Celopek, Battle of Battles of the Ottoman–Serbian Wars Military history of North Macedonia 1905 in the Ottoman Empire 1905 in Serbia Conflicts in 1905 Chetniks of the Macedonian Struggle April 1905 in Europe Events during the Macedonian Struggle