Duke Bojović on Guard of Homeland and Oblivion
Nova Varoš – Fate played strangely with Duke Petar Bojović (1858–1945), a participant in six liberation wars of Serbia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. In old age, during World War II, he experienced being a prisoner of the enemy against whom he had fought so eagerly and bravely. And when he saw him off at the age of 87, the liberators came to scorn and humiliate him. The strategist of battles that brought glory to Serbian arms and freedom to the fatherland was sent to his eternal home on a sleigh, without epaulets and people. The state and historians quickly forgot him, and most quickly in his homeland.
TL;DR
- Duke Petar Bojović (1858–1945) was a Serbian military leader who participated in six liberation wars.
- Despite his military achievements, he faced hardship and humiliation, especially after World War II.
- A new book, 'Na straži zavičaja' by Dragoljub Gagričić, aims to correct the historical neglect of Bojović.
- Bojović's early life was marked by poverty and a flight from Ottoman rule to Serbia.
- He had a distinguished military career, rising through the ranks and commanding armies in major conflicts, including the Balkan Wars and World War I.
- During World War II, he refused to serve the occupier and was placed under house arrest by the Germans.
- He died in 1945 and was buried without military honors, on a sleigh, due to the new partisan regime.
- The book emphasizes the importance of remembering national heroes and correcting historical injustices.