Bajo Stanišić

Bajo Stanišić
Native name	Бајо Станишић
Born	Vinići, Principality of Montenegro
Died	Ostrog Monastery, Italian governorate of Montenegro
Allegiance	Montenegro (1907–18)  Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–41) Yugoslav Communists (1941) Chetniks (1941–43)  Italy (1942–43)
Years of service	1907–43
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	World War II in Yugoslavia: June uprising in eastern Herzegovina (1941) Uprising in Montenegro Case White

Bajo Stanišić (1890–1943) was a Montenegrin Serb officer of the Royal Yugoslav Army who was one of the leaders of the World War II Uprising in Montenegro against the Italian occupation forces. After the suppression of the uprising, he became one of the commanders of the Chetnik units in Montenegro.^[1]

Uprising in Montenegro

Stanišić was a member of the Supreme Command of the insurgent forces during the Uprising in Montenegro.^[2]

Anti-communist struggle and collaboration with the Italians

On 11 February 1942, after the uprising had been suppressed, Stanišić conducted a coup near Danilovgrad. On that occasion, two companies from the "Bijeli Pavle" detachment joined him.^[3] Later that month, he established the National Army of Montenegro and Herzegovina (Serbian: Народна војска Црне Горе и Херцеговина) comprising six battalions, most of which were Chetniks, and appointed himself as their commander.^[4][5][6] On 17 February and 6 March 1942, Stanišić concluded collaboration agreements with the Italian military governor, Alessandro Pirzio Biroli.^[7]

Stanišić commanded the Zeta Chetnik Detachment,^[8] and according to his agreement with the Italians, his detachment was responsible for the territories of Nikšić, Danilovgrad and Podgorica.^[9] Stanišić wanted to negotiate with Partisans but Ivan Milutinović, a commander of the Partisan forces in Montenegro, did not reply to Stanišić's offer.^[10] Shortly before his death, Stanišić proposed that Draža Mihailović soften his position toward the separatist "Greens" in Montenegro.^[11]

Death

In mid October 1943, General Đukanović and Stanišić with 25 of their soldiers were located at their headquarters in the Ostrog Monastery. They were besieged by stronger Partisan units who demanded that they surrender, otherwise the Partisans threatened to destroy the monastery and kill them all. To protect the monastery and their lives, General Đukanović and 22 soldiers surrendered, but Stanišić and three of his relatives decided not to surrender. Stanišić was shot dead by the Partisans, while Stanišić's relatives committed suicide.

General Đukanović and his soldiers who surrendered to the Partisans were executed on the same day.^[12] They were buried in two mass graves. In 1948, the communists built pit toilets above the graves of Đukanović and his Chetniks for the use of workers who built a railway from Nikšić to Podgorica.

Stanišić was buried in Ostrog, below the Upper Monastery. On 20 October 1945, the Yugoslav authorities excavated his bones and threw them into sinkholes around the monastery. The monks collected his bones and secretly buried them in a grave below the Upper Monastery.^[13]

Legacy

The killing of Bajo Stanišić and Blažo Đukanović is commemorated in a song the Victory below Ostrog (Serbian: Побједа под Острогом).^[14]

Notes

1. Pajović 1987, p. 110.
2. Tomasevich 1975, p. 210.
3. Pajović 1987, p. 34.
4. Pajović, Radoje; Željeznov, Dušan; Božović, Branislav (1987). Pavle Đurišić, Lovro Hacin, Juraj Špiler. Centar za informacije i publicitet. p. 110. ISBN 978-86-7125-006-1. U veljači 1942. izveo puč u Pavkovićkom partizanskom bataljonu, proglasio se za komandanta Narodne vojske Crne Gore i Hercegovine.
5. Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45. Osprey Publishing. 1995. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-85532-473-2. In February 1942, Colonel Bajo Stanisic formed a Nationalist National Army of Montenegro and Herzegovina in six battalions with some Nationalist Chetnik battalions.
6. Redžić, Vučeta (2002). Građanski rat u Crnoj Gori: Dešavanja od sredine 1942. godine do sredine 1945. godine. Stupovi. p. 206.
7. Tomasevich 2001, p. 142.
8. Bojović, Jovan R.; Titogradu, Istorijski institut SR Crne Gore u (1985). Prelomni događaji narodnooslobodilaćkog rata u Crnoj Gori 1943. godine: zbornik radova sa naućnog skupa održanog 19. i 20. XII 1983. Istorijski institut SRCG. p. 360.
9. Pajović 1987, p. 40.
10. Marković, Lazo (1970). Ivan Milutinović Milutin. Grafički zavod,. p. 235.
11. Stanišić, Mihailo (2000). Projekti "Velika Srbija". Službeni list SRJ. p. 128.
12. Tomasevich 1975, pp. 348–349.
13. Velibor, Džomić. "Ljudi koji su branili Ostrog". Serbian Orthodox Church.
14. Mrkaić, Blagota; Vuković, Novo (1990). Usmeno stvaralaštvo u djelima Mihaila Lalića: susreti, dodiri i prožimanja. Univerzitetska riječ. p. 181.

References

• Milazzo, Matteo J. (1975). The Chetnik Movement & the Yugoslav Resistance. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-1589-8.
• Pajović, Radoje (1987). Pavle Đurišić (in Serbo-Croatian). Zagreb, Yugoslavia: Centar za informacije i publicitet. ISBN 978-86-7125-006-1.
• Tomasevich, Jozo (1975). The Chetniks. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-0857-9.
• Tomasevich, Jozo (2001). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: Occupation and Collaboration. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-3615-2.