THE FIRST ARMY LIBERATED BELGRADE IN 1918

BIJELJINA, OCTOBER 31 /SRNA/ - The Serbian First Army, under the command of Duke Petar Bojović, liberated Belgrade on November 1, 1918, covering 500 kilometers in just 45 days in a rapid advance following the breakthrough of the Salonika Front.

In just a month and a half after the breakthrough of the Salonika Front, which took place on the night of September 14-15, the Serbian Army liberated the whole of what was then Serbia and advanced as far as 600 kilometers into occupied territory.

This was an unprecedented feat in the history of military strategy up to that point.

Fearing heavy casualties, Allied Army Commander Marshal Louis Franchet d'Espèrey sent a famous order instructing the Serbian First Army to halt its pursuit of the enemy or at least wait for elements of the Serbian Second Army, warning that Bojović was embarking on an adventure that would jeopardize the operation.

Serbia paid a heavy price for its great victory in the First World War, suffering genocide and losing between 1.1 million and 1.3 million people, nearly one-third of its total population and as much as 60 percent of its male population.

At the end of the Second World War, communist ideology came to Serbia and sought to erase parts of Serbian history, under which heroes were no longer considered heroes and victories were no longer regarded as victories.

On January 20, 1945, Duke Petar Bojović was beaten by a group of Partisans who had come to forcibly evict him from his home on Trnska Street in Belgrade.

According to one account, the shameful incident unfolded as follows:

"'Liberators' break into the home of Duke Petar Bojović at 25 Trnska Street. They like the house very much and would gladly move in. Upon entering, they notice the field marshal's uniform draped over a chair and his cap on the table. The mere fact that Bojović was a 'royal field marshal' is enough for the 'liberators' to resort to force."

"First, they kick his field marshal's cap, and then, after hurling insults at him, they attack the frail field marshal, who is nearing the end of his ninth decade of life. The field marshal's son, Dobrosav, jumps in to protect his father, but is overpowered by brutal blows and will soon be sent to the Sremska Mitrovica prison."

The field marshal soon died from the injuries sustained in the beating, and his body was transported by horse-drawn cart to the New Cemetery.

In an attempt to prevent people from paying tribute to one of the heroes of Serbian history, the communists announced on Radio Belgrade that anyone attempting to attend Duke Bojović's funeral would be arrested and prosecuted.