ARTICLES – General Danilo Kalafatovic Archive in Toronto by Djuradj Vujcic, Canadian writer and translator.
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Urban Book Circle® (UBC)
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General Danilo Kalafatovic Archive in Toronto
Ten hand-written journals (totalling over 530 pages) of General Danilo Kalafatovic who was Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army in 1941 are being sold by a private collector in Toronto. They’re being sold by the M. Benjamin Katz Fine Books and Rare Manuscripts website for $11,255.99.
This is a rare opportunity to have a look at diaries from someone who took part in the Salonica Front fighting for the Kingdom of Serbia which was on the Allied side in the First World War. Although a select few professionals have known about this sale since at least 2015, it became common knowledge in 2017. This is an excellent opportunity for the Government of Serbia to provide funds so that the Archive of Serbia or the National Museum of Serbia can have this piece of history in its collection.
In the journals, Danilo Kalafatovic writes about the embarkation of Serbian troops in allied ships in Vlora in 1916, about the situation in the military ranks on the Salonica Front in 1918, and about negotiations with Italy in 1920 on the establishment of the Free State of Fiume among other historical events.
The military biography of Kalafatovic is impressive. In the First World War, he was the Chief of Staff of the Morava Division, President of the Committee for Embarking Troops in Vlora in 1916 and he became Chief of the Intelligence Department of the Supreme Command in 1917. After the war he took part for a time in some of the most delicate military missions in Europe. In 1929, when it was expected for him to be promoted from Assistant Chief of the General Staff to Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army, he retired (at his request) and became the director of Radio Belgrade until 1936.
He was reactivated just before the beginning of the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia and was appointed background commander. On April 15, 1941, Prime Minister Dusan Simovic (who held the rank of Army General) appointed him Chief of the General Staff and Supreme Commander of the Royal Yugoslav Army, with the authority to begin talks on a truce. The Axis powers refused and demanded that Yugoslavia sign an unconditional capitulation. Kalafatovic appointed former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aleksandar Cincar-Markovic and Divisional General Radivoje Jankovic for that duty. Immediately afterwards, Kalafatovic was captured and was interned in Germany, first in the Warburg camp and then in Nuremberg. He died in the Bavarian town of Mosburg an der Isar, in Allied-occupied Germany, in 1946. The exact date and circumstances of his death remain unknown.
Kalafatovic’s son Ratko, who was also an officer of the Royal Yugoslav Army, once said that this archive was in the attic of their family house in Belgrade. When Ratko passed away, a company bought the house and the destiny of the archive and how it got to Toronto after that is a mystery. Nevertheless, this is an opportunity to help contribute in righting an historical wrong. The archive can be purchased by writing to the benbuysbooks@hotmail.com email address.
Let us hope that this appeal reaches the right people so that we can proudly say that we nurture and don’t forget our history.
This is a rare opportunity to have a look at diaries from someone who took part in the Salonica Front fighting for the Kingdom of Serbia which was on the Allied side in the First World War. Although a select few professionals have known about this sale since at least 2015, it became common knowledge in 2017. This is an excellent opportunity for the Government of Serbia to provide funds so that the Archive of Serbia or the National Museum of Serbia can have this piece of history in its collection.
In the journals, Danilo Kalafatovic writes about the embarkation of Serbian troops in allied ships in Vlora in 1916, about the situation in the military ranks on the Salonica Front in 1918, and about negotiations with Italy in 1920 on the establishment of the Free State of Fiume among other historical events.
The military biography of Kalafatovic is impressive. In the First World War, he was the Chief of Staff of the Morava Division, President of the Committee for Embarking Troops in Vlora in 1916 and he became Chief of the Intelligence Department of the Supreme Command in 1917. After the war he took part for a time in some of the most delicate military missions in Europe. In 1929, when it was expected for him to be promoted from Assistant Chief of the General Staff to Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army, he retired (at his request) and became the director of Radio Belgrade until 1936.
He was reactivated just before the beginning of the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia and was appointed background commander. On April 15, 1941, Prime Minister Dusan Simovic (who held the rank of Army General) appointed him Chief of the General Staff and Supreme Commander of the Royal Yugoslav Army, with the authority to begin talks on a truce. The Axis powers refused and demanded that Yugoslavia sign an unconditional capitulation. Kalafatovic appointed former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aleksandar Cincar-Markovic and Divisional General Radivoje Jankovic for that duty. Immediately afterwards, Kalafatovic was captured and was interned in Germany, first in the Warburg camp and then in Nuremberg. He died in the Bavarian town of Mosburg an der Isar, in Allied-occupied Germany, in 1946. The exact date and circumstances of his death remain unknown.
Kalafatovic’s son Ratko, who was also an officer of the Royal Yugoslav Army, once said that this archive was in the attic of their family house in Belgrade. When Ratko passed away, a company bought the house and the destiny of the archive and how it got to Toronto after that is a mystery. Nevertheless, this is an opportunity to help contribute in righting an historical wrong. The archive can be purchased by writing to the benbuysbooks@hotmail.com email address.
Let us hope that this appeal reaches the right people so that we can proudly say that we nurture and don’t forget our history.
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General Danilo Kalafatovic Archive in Toronto
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Last updated on July 13, 2021.
Published by Urban Book Circle on September 2, 2020 Urban Book Circle® (UBC) |
· Edited by Djuradj “George” Vujcic, Danijela Kovacevic Mikic and Prvoslav “Pearse” Vujcic ·
· Design & Artwork by Prvoslav “Pearse” Vujcic and Djuradj “George” Vujcic ·
· Illustrated by Jefimija “Mia” Vujcic ·
All rights reserved. Copyright © Urban Book Circle®
· Design & Artwork by Prvoslav “Pearse” Vujcic and Djuradj “George” Vujcic ·
· Illustrated by Jefimija “Mia” Vujcic ·
All rights reserved. Copyright © Urban Book Circle®
