| Vladimir Šipčić | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Владo or Vlado |
| Born | 1924 Mala Crna Gora, Žabljak, Montenegro, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
| Died | 1957 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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Born in Mala Crna Gora ( the little Black mountain), Žabljak, Montenegro, 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.
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 and he engaged in heavy combat with the Independent State of Croatia forces.
By the middle of 1943, the partisan movement had survived an intense period of Axis pressure and Britain has switch support for them. At the Tehran Conference in November 1943, a decision was made by the all Allies to cease their support of the Chetniks which are not fighting Germans and in 1944 Yugoslav royal government has called all Croats, Slovenes, and Serbs to join the Partisans. Soon afterward Serbian Quisling Milan Nedić, transferred all fascist Serbian troops to Mihajlović.
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, Božo Bjelica and Srpko Medenica.
After the war, they went into hiding in Bosnian mountains, but they had to spend winters in woods, the communist secret police (Udba) was non stop searching them.
Sipčić was executed when he tried to escape from Yugoslavia to Greece on July 29, 1957 by agents of UDBA (Secret service). Šipčić's friend Bjelica was captured and executed in 1951, and Medenica in 1952. He was considered as a public enemy number one by the communists, sentenced to death in 1955 and executed two years later near the town of Bijelo Polje. He was executed together with his girlfriend and then buried in an unmarked grave .
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 Prijepolje.
Almost sixty years later, Šipčić became an icon for the Serbian people in the region of Durmitor, Piva and Drina, and was always considered as a hero by many Serbian families, especially in Bosnia and Montenegro.
