Branko Bogunović

Branko "Brane" Bogunović (Serbian Cyrillic: Бранко Бране Богуновић; 24 November 1911 – 1945) was one of the commanders of Serb rebels during the Drvar uprising who later became military officer of the Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland.

Branko Bogunović
Native name	Бранко Богуновић
Nickname(s)	Brane
Born	24 November 1911 Drvar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria-Hungary
Died	1945 (aged 33–34) Šibenik, Yugoslavia
Allegiance	Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Service	Serb rebels Chetniks
Rank	voivode (since 1942)
Commands held	Unit of Serb rebels during the Drvar uprising Dinara Chetnik Division, Chetnik Corp "Gavrilo Princip" Dinara Chetnik Division, Chetnik Brigade "Gavrilo Princip"
Battles/wars	Drvar uprising
Awards	Order of the Star of Karađorđe

On 27 July 1941, Bogunović commanded the Serb rebels who captured Bosansko Grahovo from Ustaše. He joined Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland (Chetniks) and became the commander of the "Gavrilo Princip" Chetnik Regiment, a part of Dinara Chetnik Division. After about a year the regiment under his control became a brigade. In 1942 Bogunović was awarded by Slobodan Jovanović, president of the Yugoslav Government in Exile with Karađorđe's Star, while commander of the Dinara Chetnik Division, Ilija Trifunović Birčanin promoted Bogunović to rank of voivode.

With main intention to save Serbs from their most bloodthirsty enemy – the Ustaše, Bogunović and other local Chetnik commanders had temporarily to accept rule of Italians and Germans. This strategy did not suite revolutionary aims of communist forces who sentenced Bogunović to death. In December 1944 Bogunović was captured by the communists and died in prison in 1945.

Early life

Before the World War II, Bogunović was a forester.[1]

During the World War II

Bogunović was one of the commanders of the rebel units during the Drvar uprising. Bogunović commanded the rebels who captured Bosansko Grahovo from Ustaše on 27 July 1941.[2] He belonged to rebel leaders who joined Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland (Chetniks) after the Italians took over the control of the territory captured in the rebellion.[3] The Chetnik leaders, including Bogunović, wished to save Serbs from their most bloodthirsty enemy - Ustaše, even if they had temporarily to accept rule of Italians and Germans.[4] When in September 1941 Italians peacefully took over control over the territory captured by the rebels during the Drvar uprising, Bogunović became commander of the Chetnik Regiment "Gavrilo Princip" from Bosansko Grahovo.[5]

In January 1942 Bogunović was awarded by Slobodan Jovanović, president of the Yugoslav Government in Exile with Karađorđe's Star.[6] In 1942 the Chetnik Regiment "Gavrilo Princip" became part of the Dinara Chetnik Division.[7] The regiment had two battalions with total number of 800 men armed with 4 heavy machine guns, 8 light machine guns and 70 bullets for gun of each soldier.[8] Also in 1942 Mane Rokvić and Bogunović were promoted to the rank of voivode by the commander of Dinara Chetnik Division, Ilija Trifunović Birčanin.[9] The leaders of the Dinara Division agreed on basic principles of their further struggle, presented in a document composed between 8 and 12 March 1942 and titled "Elaborat of Dinara Division" (Serbian: Елаборат Динарске дивизије).[10] The main objective of their struggle stipulated in elaborate signed by Momčilo Đujić, Pavle Popović, Pavle Omčikus, Branko Bogunović and Mane Rokvić, was establishing of the Serb nation-state.[11] At the beginning of 1943 the regiment under his command became the Chetnik Brigade "Gavrilo Princip".[12]

The command of Drvar Partisan Brigade sentenced Bogunović to death.[13] According to post-war source published in the communist controlled Yugoslavia, Bogunović was arrested after the communist forces captured Knin in December 1944 and imprisoned in Split prison where he committed a suicide.[14] The pro-Chetnik source authored by Miloslav Samardžić claim that Bogunović was thrown through the window.[15]

References

1. (Redžić 1998, p. 245):"Pukom » Gavrilo Princip « komandovao je Brane Bogunović ( po zanimanju lugar ) sa sjedištem u Bosanskom Grahovu ."
2. (Vučković & Krstić 2001, p. 82):"Устаници у западној Босни, под вођством Мане Роквића, заузели су Дрвар, а Брана Богуновић је са својима заузео Босанско Грахово. "
3. (Redžić 1998, p. 158):"Brane Bogunovic was also one of the leaders of the guerilla units of the Drvar district in the uprising"
4. (Dizdar 2002, p. 155):"Mane Rokvić, Dobroslav Jevđević i Brana Bogunović; ... Vođe srpskih četnika... žele da zasad srpski narod spase bar od najkrvavijeg protivnika, ustaša, makar privremeno primio vlast Nemaca i Italijana"
5. (Dizdar 2002, p. 155):"Od rujna 1941., kada Talijani ponovno preuzimaju vlast na tom području , B . Bogunović postaje zapovjednik tamošnjeg četničkog puka."
6. (Dedijer 1946, p. 387):"Rokvić i Bogunović, s Karađorđevim zvezdama kojim ih je odli1ovao Slobodan Jovanović..."
7. (Dizdar & Sobolevski 1999, p. 207):"Isti je od listopada 1941. g. osnivač i zapovjednik četničkog puka "Gavrilo Princip", koji 1942. ulazi u sastav Dinarske četničke divizije. Te godine proglašen je za četničkog vojvodu."
8. Zbornik dokumenata i podataka o narodnooslobodilačkom ratu jugoslovenskih naroda. Vojnoistorijski institut. 1981. p. 421. Četnički puk »Gavrila Principa« od 2 bataljona, sa ukupno 800 boraca, 4 mitraljeza, 8 puškomitraljeza i sa oko 70 metaka na pušku.... Komandant puka je vojvoda Brana Bogunović (po zanimanju lugar), sa sedištem u Bosanskom Grahovu.
9. (Redžić 2005, p. 158)
10. (Николић 2009, p. 84)
11. (Николић 2009, p. 84):" „Елаборат" су потписали Момчило 'Бууий, Павле ПоповиН, Павле Омчикус, Бранко БогуновиН и Мане Роквип."
12. (Dizdar & Sobolevski 1999, p. 207):"Osnivanjem Grmečko-klekovačkog četničkog korpusa početkom 1943. njegov puk prerasta u četničku brigadu "Gavrilo Princip""
13. (Gizdić 1957, p. 466):"Pročitali smo vaše pismo o Draži Mihailoviću , poznato nam je da su vođe njihove ( Brković , Bogunović ) ' osuđeni na smrt od komande Drvarske brigade , dopalo nam je ruku jedno pismo štabova njihovih dvaju pukova ( » Gavrila Principa « i » P . Mrkonjića « )"
14. (Kvesić 1979, p. 109)
15. Miloslav, Samardžić. "Војвода Момчило Ђујић". Pogledi (in Serbian). Pogledi. Retrieved 25 April 2020. војводе Бране Богуновића, недалеко од извора реке Крке. Богуновић је остао одсечен 3. децембра 1944. при пробоју у Пађенима. Комунисти су га нешто касније заробили и одвели у Шибеник. Бачен је кроз прозор затвора, док су они тврдили да је извршио самоубиство

Sources

• Dizdar, Zdravko (2002). Četnički zločini u Bosni i Hercegovini, 1941.-1945. Hrvatski institut za povijest. ISBN 978-953-6491-86-5.
• Redžić, Enver (1998). Bosna i Hercegovina u Drugom svjetskom ratu. OKO. ISBN 978-9958-43-030-5.
• Vučković, Zvonimir; Krstić, Uglješa (2001). Ravnogorska istorijska čitanka: povest nacionalnog pokreta otpora u II svetskom ratu kroz dela učesnika i svedoka : jubilarno izdanje povodom šezdesetgodišnjice, 1941-2001. Bajat.
• Gizdić, Drago (1957). Dalmacija 1941: prilozi historiji Narodnooslobodilačke borbe. Izdavačko poduzeće "27. srpanj,".
• Kvesić, Sibe (1979). Dalmacija u narodnooslobodilačkoj borbi. Institut za historiju radničkog pokreta Dalmacije.
• Redžić, Enver (2005). Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Second World War. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-7146-5625-0.
• Dizdar, Zdravko; Sobolevski, Mihael (1999). Prešućivani četnički zločini u Hrvatskoj i u Bosni i Hercegovini 1941.-1945. Hrvatski institut za povijest. ISBN 978-953-6491-28-5.
• Dedijer, Vladimir (1946). Dnevnik: Svedočanstva iz oslobodilačkog rata. (Od 28 Novembra 1942 do 10 Novembra 1943). Drzavni izd. zavod Jugoslavije.
• Николић, Коста (2009). Италиjанска воjска и четници у другом светском рату у Jугославиjи, 1941-1943. Институт за савремену историjу. ISBN 978-86-7403-130-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)