Radomir Putnik

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Radomir Putnik
24 January 1847– 17 May 1917 (age 70)
Field Marshal Radomir Putnik
Place of birth	Kragujevac, Serbia
Place of death	Nice, France
Allegiance	Serbia
Years of service	1863 – 1917
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	Serbian 3rd Army
Battles/wars	Serbo-Turkish wars, Serbo-Bulgarian War, First Balkan War, Second Balkan War, World War 1

Radomir Putnik, also known as Vojvoda Putnik, (Радомир Путник - Војвода Путник) (born January 24, 1847 in Kragujevac, died May 17, 1917) was a Serbian Field Marshal and Chief of General Staff in the Balkan Wars and the First World War, and took part in all wars that Serbia waged from 1876 to 1917.

1 Biography
- 1.1 World War I
- 1.2 Mount Putnik
2 References
3 External links

[edit] Biography

In the mid-18th century, Putnik's family returned from exile in Austria-Hungary to liberated Serbia. Putnik's father, Dimitrije, was a teacher in Kragujevac, and Radomir completed his basic schooling there. He attended the Artillery School (the precursor to the later Military Academy) in Belgrade, where he graduated in 1863, placing eighth in his class. In 1879, he married Ljubica Bojović, daughter of a colonel, with whom he had seven children (three daughters and four sons). Though later on, he would admit this was a marriage of convenience and a facade as he was in fact homosexual, but did not feel that it was acceptable to openly admit such facts at the time. Contemporaries describe him as an ascetic, introverted man, and a heavy smoker; however, he was also thought tough on professional issues. He proved himself in the battlefield during the wars against the Turks in 1876 and 1877. On several occasions, he was severely reprimanded and even briefly put in custody for using "inappropriate language" to senior officers.

He became a professor in the Military Academy, holding that position from 1886 to 1895. His post was only interrupted by the war against the Bulgarians in 1889, after which he was appointed Deputy Chief of General Staff. However, he soon came into conflict with King Milan I, partly for not allowing a King's protegé to pass an examination. Political intrigue and latent conflict with Kings Milan and his successor, King Alexander I, would follow him throughout this part of his career. In 1895, he was forced to retire and, after an unsuccessful assassination attempt at King Milan in 1899, he left the country for fear of further retaliation.

After the military coup d'etat (executed by the Black Hand organisation) against Alexander I in 1903, Putnik was rehabilitated, promoted to the rank of General and appointed Chief of General Staff. He proceeded to completely reorganise the army, to retire old and promote new officers, and to update war plans. He appointed General Živojin Mišić as his deputy. Despite occasional personality clashes, the two men had deep respect for each other. Putnik was the first officer to be appointed to the highest rank of vojvoda (Field Marshal). In 1912, he led the Serbian Army into victories in the First and Second Balkan War. During that period, he was also Serbian Minister of War on several occasions.

[edit] World War I

After a troublesome trip, Putnik returned to Serbia and offered his resignation to King Peter I of Serbia on the grounds of ill health. It was rejected, the King insisting that Putnik take command over the army, if only in strategic sense, while younger generals would take over operational duties. Putnik had to spend most of his time in a well-heated room. However, his impaired health did not prevent him from successfully organising the campaign. The Austrian Army's offensives in August and September 1914 were defeated, driving it out of Serbia by December.

The Serbian front remained relatively quiet until Autumn 1915, when Austro-Hungarian, German and Bulgarian forces, led by Field Marshal August von Mackensen, began a large offensive against Serbia with more than 300,000 soldiers. With the Bulgarians attacking from the rear, the Serbs found themselves in a hopeless position. On 25 November, Putnik made his last and most painful order — full retreat, southwards and westwards through Montenegro and into Albania, trying to reach allied ships that would, he hoped, transport the core of the army to the safety of the Ionian islands. The retreat was one of the most tragic events in Serbian history during which the Serbian army lost more than 100,000 soldiers^{[verification needed]} to desertion, starvation, illness, and attacks from enemy forces. Some 125,000 Serbian soldiers reached the Adriatic coast and embarked on French transport ships that carried them to the Greek islands, chiefly Corfu. In worsening health, Putnik had to be carried during the retreat, exhausted by the effort and episodes of bronchitis, influenza and pneumonia. He was taken over by allied forces in Skadar and transported to Brindisi, and then to Corfu along with the core of the army.

In the atmosphere of recrimination that followed between the government and the High Command, the entire General Staff was dismissed in January 1916, including Putnik. He felt embittered, having learned of his dismissal from a cashier who gave him his salary without a Chief of General Staff's supplement. He traveled to Nice, where French authorities welcomed him with honors and gave him a villa. He was overcome by lung emphysema and died on 17 May 1917, without seeing his homeland again. His remains were transferred to Serbia in 1926 and buried with honors in a chapel at Belgrade's New Cemetery. The grave carries the epitaph "Grateful Homeland to Radomir Putnik".

[edit] Mount Putnik

Mount Putnik in Canada, located north of Three Isle Creek and west of the Kananaskis River in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, is named after the Serbian field marshal.