FIELD MARSHAL ZIVOJIN MISIC

The most famous Serbian Field Marshal and military commander, Field Marshal Živojin Mišić, participated in all the wars Serbia fought from 1876 to 1918. He was born on July 6, 1855, in Struganik, near Valjevo, as the thirteenth child in the family of Andjelija and Radovan Mišić. His schoolmates nicknamed him Žuća (Sunny), a name that stuck with him even later when he became a Field Marshal. Though short and seemingly frail, Mišić possessed great inner toughness, which he showed only when necessary.

Mišić completed six grades of Gymnasium and went on to attend the Artillery School in Belgrade. He took part in the Serbian-Turkish Wars (1876-1877 and 1877-1878) and the Serbian-Bulgarian War (1885). Mišić served as an assistant to the Chief of the General Staff and, for a time, taught Strategy at the Higher School of the Military Academy. In 1904, he was forced into retirement due to suspicions that he opposed the conspiratorial officers involved in the 1903 coup. He was, however, reactivated in 1909 and appointed as assistant to General Radomir Putnik.

For his distinguished service during the First Balkan War, particularly at the Battle of Kumanovo, Mišić was promoted to the rank of general. In September 1913, he was retired once again, but he was recalled just before the outbreak of World War I. During the war, Mišić played a crucial role in the Serbian army’s victory at the Battle of Cer. After taking command of the First Army, he personally restored the morale and strength of the Serbian troops, especially during their defense at Suvobor Ridge. His strategic decisions, which were supported by the Supreme Command, and the First Army’s energetic actions under his leadership led to the expulsion of Austro-Hungarian forces from Serbia. For his contributions, particularly during the Battle of Kolubara, Mišić was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in 1914.

Due to health issues, Mišić spent part of 1915-1916 in France receiving medical treatment. Upon returning to Corfu, where the Serbian army had regrouped, he regained his physical and mental strength. He played a key role in the preparations for the breakthrough of the Salonica front. After being appointed head of the Serbian Supreme Command in 1918, he worked closely with allied commands and led the Serbian army’s offensive on the Thessaloniki Campaign.

After the war, Mišić was appointed Chief of the General Staff. He was also recognized as a prominent military writer, authoring the study “Strategy” and contributing to the founding and editing of military journals.

Mišić was married to Louise Krickner, a German woman, and they had six children: three sons and three daughters. Severely ill in 1919-1920, Mišić traveled to Nice for treatment. Realizing that his condition was terminal, he requested to return to his homeland to die. He passed away in a sanatorium in Vračar on January 20, 1921. On a cold January day, hundreds of people accompanied the remains of Field Marshal Živojin Mišić to the New Cemetery in Belgrade, with Crown Prince Alexander I Karađorđević in attendance. The Republic of France sent a solid gold wreath inscribed “France” in honor of Field Marshal Mišić.

A year later, a monument to Živojin Mišić was erected at the New Cemetery in plot 28, with the inscription “Mourning Serbia”. The monument was created by the sculptor Đorđe Jovanović.