{"id":43928,"date":"2025-05-25T20:13:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T18:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/unfounded-claims-by-ante-prkacin-about-the-general-staff-of-the-kingdom-of-yugoslavia"},"modified":"2025-06-15T20:18:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T18:18:10","slug":"unfounded-claims-by-ante-prkacin-about-the-general-staff-of-the-kingdom-of-yugoslavia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/unfounded-claims-by-ante-prkacin-about-the-general-staff-of-the-kingdom-of-yugoslavia","title":{"rendered":"Unfounded Claims by Ante Prka\u010din about the General Staff of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an episode of the talk show Face to Face hosted by Senad Had\u017eifejzovi\u0107<\/strong> on Sarajevo\u2019s Face TV, aired on May 17, a debate was held between Bosniak journalist Midhat Ajanovi\u0107<\/strong> and Croatian politician and HOS general Ante Prka\u010din<\/strong>. Although the formal topic of the debate concerned World War II and the anti-fascist movement in Yugoslavia, both participants expanded the discussion, often speaking about earlier (the first Yugoslavia) and later (the second Yugoslavia) periods, as well as the nature and ideologies of their regimes. <\/p>\n

On that occasion, Ante Prka\u010din, to support his claim that the understanding of the relationship between the Usta\u0161a and Partisan movements can only be grasped by knowing the state of pre-war Yugoslavia, stated:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that Yugoslavia, the first Yugoslavia, there were 165 generals \u2014 one or two Croats, no Muslims, and all the rest Serbs, with Serbian majorization at every place and every moment.\u201d (available here<\/a>, from 9:31 to 9:43, also here<\/a>, archived here<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The reference to the state of military affairs as a means of demonstrating Serbian superiority or of highlighting the Serbianization efforts of the Yugoslav authorities\u2014both in the earlier and the later iterations\u2014constitutes a relatively common rhetorical strategy. In this particular instance, the approach adopted by Prka\u010din follows a similar pattern, with the distinction that his swift presentation of statistical data conveys a sense of greater speaker confidence, as well as an impression of enhanced data credibility. Yet, consulting the most comprehensive scholarly work on the high-ranking officers of the first Yugoslav army, the book Generals and Admirals of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1918\u20131941<\/em> by retired university professor Mile S. Bjelajac<\/strong>[1<\/a>] leads to the conclusion that Prka\u010din\u2019s figures are almost entirely unfounded. <\/p>\n

First of all, Prka\u010din\u2019s flawed approach is evident in the fact that he failed to specify the exact year or time period to which the total number of generals he cited refers. If we consider that he is referring to the entire history of the first Yugoslavia, which Bjelajac\u2019s book covers, the figure of 165 generals cannot be accurate. This is because Bjelajac, in his work, provides an overview of the biographies of no fewer than 502 generals and admirals, based on relevant archival sources<\/a>[1] that confirm their status. Therefore, the final number of generals could only be higher than the one cited by Bjelajac, not lower. <\/p>\n

The claim that all generals except one or two Croats were Serbs thus becomes less plausible and is, according to available data, incorrect. The claim that all generals except one or two Croats were Serbs thus becomes less plausible and is, according to available data, incorrect. Based on both scholarly[1<\/a>] and archival sources, a total of 40 Croats held general or admiral ranks during the first Yugoslavia, including: Svetozar Andri\u0107<\/strong>, Artur Catineli<\/strong>, Emil Domainko<\/strong>, Dragutin Hanel<\/strong>, Ante Ho\u010devar<\/strong>, \u0110uro<\/strong> Isser<\/strong>, Paulus<\/strong> Juri\u0161i\u0107<\/strong> Sturm<\/strong>, Vuko<\/strong> Lepeti\u0107<\/strong>, Franjo<\/strong> Ker\u010deli\u0107<\/strong>, Ignjat<\/strong> Kirhner<\/strong>, Karlo<\/strong> Klai\u0107<\/strong>, Vilim<\/strong> Klobu\u010dar<\/strong>, Dragan Korais<\/strong>, Dragutin Kuzmi\u0107<\/strong>, Mijo Luki\u0107<\/strong>, Julije Luterotti<\/strong>, Julio Male\u0161evi\u0107<\/strong>, Sebastijan Mantel<\/strong>, Vlatko Marija\u0161evi\u0107<\/strong>, August Mari\u0107<\/strong>, Miroslav Martin\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, Lavoslav Mili\u0107<\/strong>, Konstantin<\/strong> Mu\u0161icki<\/strong>, Maksimilijan Njegovan<\/strong>, Fridrih Opa\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, Matija Parac<\/strong>, Armin Pavi\u0107<\/strong>, Ante<\/strong> Pliveli\u0107<\/strong>, Ljubomir Pokorni<\/strong>, Marijan Poli\u0107<\/strong>, Dragutin Prica<\/strong>, Ivan Prpi\u0107<\/strong>, Rikard Salher<\/strong>, Nikola Stankovi\u0107<\/strong>, Vjekoslav \u0160u\u0161teri\u0107<\/strong>, Tomo Tijani\u0107<\/strong>, Emil Uzelac<\/strong>, Viktor Vikerhauser<\/strong>, Vid Von\u010dina<\/strong> and Janko Vukovi\u0107 Podkapelski<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Although there were indeed no Muslims among the generals and admirals, members of other ethnic groups also held these ranks, including 14 Slovenes ( Bogumir Armi\u010d<\/strong>, Ferdinand Jane\u017e<\/strong>, Adolf Kilar<\/strong>, Rudolf Kobal<\/strong>, Metod Koh<\/strong>, Otmar Langerholc<\/strong>, Anton Lokar<\/strong>, Mihael Lukanc<\/strong>, Rudolf Maistner<\/strong>, Fran Poga\u010dar<\/strong>, Mirko Rajh<\/strong>, Metod Raku\u0161a<\/strong>, Lav Rupnik<\/strong>, Vladimir Vauhnik<\/strong>), 2 Italians ( (Linus Dekaneva<\/strong> i Quintiliano Nobile de Tartaglia<\/strong>), 1 Czech (Vaclav Jelinek<\/strong>), 1 Bulgarian (Mihailo Bodi)<\/strong>, and 1 Frenchman (Louis Felix Marie Francois Franchet D’Espery<\/strong>). The absence of Muslim generals does not necessarily indicate poor treatment within the army, considering, for example, that separate kitchens were set up from the beginning to respect their religious dietary practices, and that holidays such as Kurban Bayram and Ramadan Bayram[1] were officially celebrated, alongside Christmas and Easter. [4]<\/a><\/p>\n

The overall percentage of non-Serb generals and admirals in the army of the first Yugoslav state thus totaled 59 individuals or 11.75% \u2014 a pronounced minority but far higher than Prka\u010din\u2019s claim. This numerical dominance in favor of Serbs, however, does not indicate \u201cSerbian majorization at every place and every moment\u201d but rather reflects the state\u2019s centralization. Of the remaining 443 Serbian generals and admirals, only ten came from the so-called Pre\u010dani Serbs (from today\u2019s Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Vojvodina), and eleven from Montenegro (then also counted as Serbs). In fact, 84.06% of the high-ranking officers came from so-called \u201cinner Serbia,\u201d showing that favoritism likely existed based on geographic, not ethnic proximity to official Belgrade \u2014 a dynamic also affecting many Serbs outside this circle.
Additionally, the composition of lower army ranks was quite different, as the newly formed army was not organized along ethnic lines but reflected the inherited situation after World War I: 3,500 officers from the Kingdom of Serbia, 2,590 from the Austro-Hungarian army, 496 from Montenegro, twelve from the Russian Imperial Army, and three from Esad Pasha\u2019s Albanian units[5<\/a>]. Moreover, underdevelopment and low education levels in certain regions also contributed to underrepresentation, so areas like Macedonia, Kosovo, and the Montenegrin interior, then considered unquestionably Serbian, supplied as few officers as the majority-Muslim interior of Bosnia and Herzegovina. [6]<\/a><\/p>\n

Thus, any unequal treatment within the army of the first Yugoslav state should be understood as a result of deeper political and hierarchical divisions within the state, rather than simply ethnic divisions. Analyzing the structure, command hierarchy, and rights access within the military can indeed reflect the political tensions of the interwar period, but addressing these inequalities requires focusing on a much broader picture than just ethnic composition \u2014 including military and political history, as well as the economic realities of various regions, not just the \u201ctribes\u201d of the first Yugoslavia. <\/p>\n

Based on all the above, Ante Prka\u010din\u2019s claim that almost all generals of the first Yugoslavia were Serbs, with only one or two Croats, proves to be unfounded and inaccurate according to relevant historical sources.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[1]<\/a> (Belgrade\u2019s INIS, 2004; all biographies available in an updated digital version at https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/35982338\/Spisak_admirala_i_generala_VKJ_od_A_do_%C5%BD <\/a>(accessed May 23, 2025)<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Record group number: 14 Title of the record group: MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF THE KINGDOM OF YUGOSLAVIA<\/a> Date range of the records: 1918\u20131941<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> \u010culinovi\u0107, Ferdo. Yugoslavia Between the Two Wars (Zagreb: Historical Institute of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts, 1961 <\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Hasi\u0107, Nedim. \u201cEid in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.\u201d Stav.ba<\/em>. https:\/\/stav.ba\/vijest\/bajram-u-kraljevini-jugoslaviji\/16602<\/a> (accessed May 23, 2025). <\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Kulund\u017ei\u0107, Zvonimir. Politics and Corruption in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia<\/em> (Zagreb: Stvarnost, 1968), pp. 97\u2013101.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Ibid. 96.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Funded by the European Union \u2013 NextGenerationEU.<\/em><\/p>\n

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission, nor the positions of the Agency for Electronic Media. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission, nor the Agency for Electronic Media can be held responsible for them. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ante Prka\u010din claimed that out of 165 generals in the first Yugoslavia, \u201cone or two were Croats, none were Muslims, and all the rest were Serbs.\u201d However, historical records indicate that there were over 500 generals, including at least 40 Croats and many members of other ethnic groups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":43929,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[392],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check-en","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Prkacin.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Prkacin.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Leon \u0106evani\u0107","author_link":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/author\/leon"},"rbea_author_info":{"display_name":"Leon \u0106evani\u0107","author_link":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/author\/leon"},"rbea_excerpt_info":"Ante Prka\u010din claimed that out of 165 generals in the first Yugoslavia, \u201cone or two were Croats, none were Muslims, and all the rest were Serbs.\u201d However, historical records indicate that there were over 500 generals, including at least 40 Croats and many members of other ethnic groups.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43928"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43930,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43928\/revisions\/43930"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}