Supreme Command (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)

Supreme Command
black and white portrait of a dark-haired man wearing dress uniform
Armijski đeneral Dušan Simović was the Yugoslav Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command during the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia
Active–24 August 1944
CountryKingdom of Yugoslavia Kingdom of Yugoslavia
EngagementsInvasion of Yugoslavia
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Milan Nedić
Dušan Simović
Danilo Kalafatović
Draža Mihailović

The Supreme Command or High Command (Serbo-Croatian: Vrhovna komanda) was the highest headquarters of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during wartime. According to regulations, upon activation the general staff became the staff of the Supreme Command and the Chief of the General Staff became Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command (Načelnik štaba Vrhovne komande). While the king was at all times commander-in-chief of the armed forces, during wartime the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command was the de facto supreme commander.[1][2]

The 5th Army and the 6th Army were directly subordinate to the Supreme Command and were not attached to one of the four army groups.[3] Four heavy artillery batteries and twelve reserve divisions—Sumadijska, Ibarska, Dunavska, Sremska, Drinska, Cerska, Bosanska, Vrbaska, Unska, Lička, Hercegovačka and Dinarska—were also attached to the Supreme Command.[2][4]

  1. ^ Djilas 1991, p. 223 n. 94.
  2. ^ a b Terzić 1982.
  3. ^ Tomasevich 1975, pp. 67–73.
  4. ^ Krzak 2006, p. 566.