Vladimir Šipčić

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Vladimir Šipčić
1924–1957
Nickname Владo or Vlado
Place of birth Selo Mala, Crna Gora, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Place of death near Priljepolje, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia
Allegiance Allies of World War II
Service/branch Army
Years of service 1941-1957
Rank Commandant
Commands held Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland
Battles/wars Drina offensive - Pljevlja Foca Visegrad Durmitor

Vladimir "Vlado" Šipčić (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимиp "Владo" Шипчић ; also known as Шилe ) (May 12, 1924 - July 29, 1957) was a Serbian commandant now primarily remembered as the last remaining Yugoslav Chetnik from World War II. After the war, he was captured by the Communist security forces and shot.

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[edit] Early life

Born in Selo Mala, Crna Gora, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Sipčić went into the Serbian Army at the beginning of 1941. He was at this time a young soldier, only 17 years old. In 1943, he was the youngest officer of the Chetnik unit operating in Montenegro and Bosnia.

[edit] World War II

Following the Yugoslav defeat by Germany in April 1941, a small group of officers and soldiers led by Mihailović refused to surrender, and retreated in hope of finding Yugoslav army units still fighting in the mountains. He joigned in 1941 the Unit of the commandant Obrd Cicmil, who get orders from the General Mihailović who was based at Ravna Gora, Serbia on May 8, at this time, the Chetnik movement was highly decentralized, and in that way was more like a collective of many small regional guerrillas.

Vladimir Sipčić was a really strong man, 195 cm high, with an athletic look. The soldiers respected this giant of a man who in turn followed General Mihailović. Kosta Milovanović Pećanac, a First World War uprising leader and former Chetnik himself, who opted for cooperation with the Germans against Tito's Communists.

In 1943, "Vlado" was 19 years old, and was in several battles in the Bosnian Region. He fought against the partisans, he engaged in heavy combat with the Ustaše (13th Waffen-Gebirgs-Division des SS "Handschar" (kroat. Nr.1)) and the Bulgarian/German divisions.

By the middle of 1943, the partisan movement had survived an intense period of Axis pressure. At the Tehran Conference in November 1943, a decision was made by the Allies to cease their support of the Chetniks, and switch support to Tito's Partisans.

Towards the end of the war, Šipčić went into hiding in East Bosnia and Montenegro with his men, between them were his two best friends, Bozo Bjelica and Srpsko Medenica.

After the war, they went into hiding in Bosnian's mountains, but they had to spend winters in woods, the communist secret police (Udba) was non stop searching them.

[edit] Death

Sipčić was executed when he tried to escape from Yugoslavia to Greece on July 29, 1957 by agents of UDBA (Secret service). Šipčić' friend Bozo Bjelica was captured and executed in 1951, and Medenica in 1952. He was considered public enemy number one, sentenced to death in 1955 and executed two years later near the town of Bijelo Polje. The Presidium of the National Assembly rejected his appeal for clemency on July 16. He was executed together with his girlfriend and and then buried in an unmarked grave .

[edit] Controversies over "death"

After his death, some people said that they saw or spoke with the Commandant Šipčić, and nobody, even the Police, can affirm that it was really Šipčić who was executed near Priljepolje.

Almost sixty years later, Šipčić became an icon for the Serbian people in the region of Durmitor, Piva and Drina, and was always considered a hero by many Serbian families, especially in Bosnia and Montenegro.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Šipčić, Radoje. ""Poslednji Kraljev vojnik u Otadzbini Vladimir Vlado Šipčić ." Beograd: Integra, 2004.
  • Mitra Lopusina. The kings soldiers against a wall, 1952-1953. London H&R editions, 1983.
  • Laurence, Graig. Bosnian war : The story of a young Chetnik : Šipčić Vlado. New York: Bender-Hills, 1952.

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