This book is a much needed addition to the historical record concerning Serbia and World War II. Meticulously researched and documented, it is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand this part of history.
(Gregory A. Freeman, author of “The Forgotten 500“. Excerpt from the English edition.)
“The Serbs vs. the Wehrmacht” by Miloslav Samardžić takes a complete U-turn in relation to conventional, directed historiography characteristic of socialist government systems. The author’s approach sends a clear message that the era when it was possible to use facts selectively is over. By applying the classical quantification method, he offers irrefutable data on the number of killed, wounded, and captured German soldiers. The documents clearly demonstrate the continuity, tenacity, and ubiquity of the Resistance and reflect the superiority of the general strategy and tactics pursued by the units of the Yugoslav Army (Chetniks under the command of General Draža Mihailović) over those of Josip Broz Tito’s Partisans (Communists). In the earlier, directed historiography, the latter had been depicted as the champions of the anti-Nazi struggle. In fact, as it is documented and shown in this book for the first time, in the fall of 1943 the Partisans disrupted the most massive anti-Axis offensive in the Balkans prior to the arrival of the Red Army. That anti-Nazi operation was undertaken by the Chetniks, who were attacked by the Partisans from the rear.
(Col. Dragan Krsmanović, ret. Former Director of the Military Archive in Belgrade. Excerpt from the Serbian edition.)