Talk:Predrag Raković

Source
Давидовић, Горан (2003). "Чачани на опсади Краљева октобра 1941". In Драган Драшковић (ed.). Kraljevo oktobra 1941. - zbornik radova. Радомир Ристић. Народни Музеј Краљево, Историјски Архив Краљево. [Davidovic, Goran (2003). "Čačani on the siege of Kraljevo in October 1941". In Dragan Drašković (ed.). Kraljevo, October 1941 - collection of papers. Radomir Ristic. Kraljevo National Museum, Kraljevo Historical Archive.] seems very provincial for an article on a controversial figure like Raković, and if I am reading it right, seems like a collection of memories of people from Čačak rather than a serious historical study. Thoughts? Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 01:44, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

Death date
In heading and infobox date of Raković's death is mentioned as December 15 1944, however in chapter 'Further collaboration and death' neither date nor circumstances of death. This lead me on a little quest to find more about Raković's death. First choice - other language Wikis: - Serbo-Croatian Wiki claims that in early hours of 15th of December Partisans blocked village Miokovci where Raković was located, where he commmitted suicide to avoid being captured. Source they cite is insert of book "Kontrarevolucionarni pokret Draže Mihailovića" by Nikola Milovanović, however source doesn't exactly tell that. It mentions that Raković committed suicide in roughly similar period that Chetnik spy group led by Petar Milićević "Lorenc" contacted Dražа Mihailović, which is mentioned as late December, as well as that OZNA found codes that Raković used to communicate with Mihailović few days later, which gave OZNA an opportunity to message him, first massage being sent on January 6 1945, where they informed him about Raković's demise using Raković's deputy Trifun Ćosić, who they had under arrest, to not give away who they

- Serbian Wiki claims that Partisans blocked Miokovci on December 15 too, but mentions that he sent last message to Mihailović on Saint Nicholas Day(19th December in Serbian calendar), meaning that he died on 19th at latest, as well as claiming his body was at market in Čačak. However this is either unsourced, or badly sources from Tomasevich's book on Chetnik movement on page 1983, however I don't have access to that book to confirm. Only direct citation from that page is about murder of colonel Simić, which is covered in English Wiki too, but on page 183(aldo that could be due to using versions of book in different languages).

There aren't many information on Raković online, as he is one of the lesser known Chetnik. Apart few FB posts, only source I found is generally unreliable pro-Chetnik magazine Pogledi(link: https://www.pogledi.rs/major-predrag-rakovic.html). There they claim that Raković committed suicide in anticipation of St Nicholas(before December 19) after Partisans sourounded Miokovci, again without a concrete date.

Could someone shred some light on Raković's death, especially its date? Preferably also imform what Tomasevich's book says about Raković's death if anything? Kaubojdzordz (talk) 20:30, 17 January 2024 (UTC)
 * On page 439 of Tomasevich 1975 it says "Late in December [1944], the Yugoslav militia entrapped in a village in western Serbia Captain Predrag Raković, one of the leading Chetnik commanders, who had remained in Serbia after the Chetnik withdrawal to Sandjak and eastern Bosnia, with a few of his men. By means of a trick, his men were induced to surrender, but Raković committed suicide." So, late December in western Serbia. No village is named, and no exact date given. Any reliable source that provides more detail on date or place (as long as that is consistent with Tomasevich) might be ok. Tomasevich goes on to say that the militia found the codes for communicating with DM on Raković's body, and then used the captured radio operators and the former Chetnik Trifun Ćosić to communicate with him from early January 1945 onwards. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 00:38, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
 * One possibility of a more exact source is a serialised article in Politika written by Banović and Stepanović and published on 5, 16, 21 and 22 August 1962. Tomasevich uses a footnote to this source when he completes the story of the death of Raković and the initial communications with DM. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 00:43, 18 January 2024 (UTC)