Wikipedia:WikiProject Serbia/Assessment/Pavle Đurišić

Nomination
G'day all, You will be pleased to note that Pavle Đurišić was recently assessed as A-Class by WikiProject:Military History. In accordance with our WikiProject arrangements, I propose that this article be promoted to A-Class in this WikiProject too. I have made this proposal on the talkpage and request the support of two uninvolved editors, in accordance with the general A-class assessment criteria. Regards, Peacemaker67 (talk) 11:19, 20 July 2012 (UTC)

1) Lede improvement, 2) parents 3) Đurišić's role in uprising 4) fate of his followers 5) memorial image
Regards, Peacemaker67 (talk) 11:58, 15 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Lede speaks only about his life during WWII. That does not correspond with Manual of Style/Lead section. A sentence or two about his pre-WWII life should be added to the lede. Like, what was his education, occupation and military rank during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
 * There is an information about his uncle. What about his father and mother. There are many information on internet that his father was also military officer who participated in both Balkan wars and in First World War.
 * Lede starts with 1942. What did Đurišić do in 1941?
 * The section about WWII eludes Đurišić's role in joint struggle of communists and nationalists against Italian occupation. "Pavle Đurišić, a hero of the July uprisings in Montenegro"
 * "Most of those who successfully crossed into Austria were returned to Slovenia, where, alongside other collaborationist forces, they met their downfall in May 1945." What happened to them? This needs to be clarified.
 * "In the Battle of Lijevče Field, north of Banja Luka, the combined Chetnik force was defeated by a strong NDH force which included German-supplied tanks." This also needs to be clarified. Why would Germans supplied tanks to NDH forces to fight against Đurišić if they all were collaborating together?
 * There is a picture which could be beneficial to commemoration section. --Antidiskriminator (talk) 08:09, 15 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks Antidiskriminator. A few points.
 * As far as the lead is concerned, WP:LEAD says, 'The lead should be able to stand alone as a concise overview. It should define the topic, establish context, explain why the topic is notable, and summarize the most important points—including any prominent controversies. The emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly reflect its importance to the topic, according to reliable, published sources, and the notability of the article's subject is usually established in the first few sentences.'. I don't consider that his early life is one of the 'most important points', and that is why I did not include any information about his early life there (I assume PRODUCER would concur). It is of low importance to the topic and is barely mentioned at all in WP:RS, he is not notable for it etc.
 * I would appreciate it if you could point PRODUCER (if it's not in English) or I to a WP:RS other the one PRODUCER found and added that could expand on his early life section. There is a some info out there, but I was unable to locate anything that could be considered reliable. This is now at FA stage, and we are being very picky about using only completely defensible sources. Even some ones we have used have been questioned by GA and MILHIST assessors, and we have had to clarify.
 * I'm not sure precisely what he did in 1941, although the sources used in the article imply he was involved in the Montenegrin revolt, there are no details of what he did. We haven't used Kurapovna, as there is only the one phrase in her book regarding his activities in 1941 and no sources to corroborate that description. There are also some indications of bias in her book, and I wanted to make sure every source was completely defensible. Nonetheless, if we could locate a source that corroborated her description of him as a 'hero of the July 1941 uprisings in Montenegro', then I would want to include it in the lead. I will go back and look through all my sources to check there is nothing more than what is already in the article, but if you know of a reliable source, please bring it to our attention.
 * I am not aware of a source that details exactly what happened to the remainder of his Chetniks in 1945. I would expand on it if I had a source for it, so feel free to point me at one if you know of one. I'm obviously limited to English sources, but PRODUCER obviously has wider language skills.
 * I'm not sure what you mean with the issue of the German-supplied tanks. It is widely sourced that the Germans supplied much of the equipment used by the NDH forces, particularly the Ustase units such as the one involved in this battle. They were supplied, no doubt, at various stages during the war (and were mainly early model Panzers or captured Polish/French tanks, so it is no great surprise that they used them against anyone they were fighting. The suggestion in the source is not that the Germans supplied tanks to those NDH forces just before the battle specifically so that they could attack Djurisic's forces (that really would be strange given they had only just awarded him the Iron Cross). The suggestion is that they were equipped by the Germans (from the beginning of the NDH in fact), and used those tanks against Djurisic's forces on that occasion. If it is unclear, I would be happy to re-word it, let me know?
 * I can see that the memorial mentions Djurisic, but it is not suggesting that he personally was killed near there is it? I doubt a memorial inscription would meet WP:RS as far as showing that Djurisic's remaining troops were killed there, but I could take it to the reliable sources noticeboard for an opinion if you think it is worth it.
 * Djurisic was professional (educated) military officer who spent 14 years of service in the army of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. That fact is one of "the most important points" of his life.
 * I will see if I can find some RS which could be used to support some information about his father or mother.
 * I don't know if he was a hero of the uprising or not. But if "the sources used in the article imply he was involved in the Montenegrin revolt" then such important assertion should be presented to the readers of this article, both in the lede and appropriate section.
 * "I am not aware of a source that details exactly what happened to the remainder of his Chetniks in 1945." - Then this important issue needs to be investigated further. Many people believe that they were not treated with consideration and respect by partisans. Maybe the image I proposed for addition to this article can give some clue.
 * I still don't understand why NDH forces attacked him. Both NDH forces and Djurisic's forces were Nazi collaborators and fought against partisans. Why would NDH forces attack their colleagues? The article says because they wanted to punish Djurisic's forces because of the "mass terror committed by Đurišić on the Muslim population in Sandžak and southeastern Bosnia". The quoted source do not support this assertion (at least page num 447 used in reference and available online). Why would NDH forces want to punish Djurisic and his forces for mass terror? In Sandžak? Let me remind you that NDH forces were Nazi collaborators who organized mass terrors themselves. They were all loosing a war. Their joint communist enemy was getting closer. Why would they killed their colleagues? Because of justice? I think that motives of NDH forces should be clarified. Otherwise readers could be mislead to believe that NDH forces were fighting for justice and against forces connected with terror during WWII.
 * The image presents a memorial erected at Jama pod Krenom. Memorial inscription is not the source. It is just inscription. The inscription says (my probably bad translation): "In this pits which are mass graves of united national forces of Slovenians, Serbs and Croats are buried most of the members of 2nd, 3rd and 4th Serbian volunteer regiments, over 3,000 shiny young people of unbreakable chivalrous spirit and fighting morale together with 2,000 gigantic heroes, montenegrin Chetniks of voivode Pavle Đurišić, who were delivered to Tito's partisans by treacherous British from Carinthia in May 1945 and murdered on this killing fields...." I don't think that it is necessary to present source for the existence of such memorial. There are many memorials, busts and pictures all over the world. They present people very often much bigger and more beautiful than they were. I don't see a logic to ask for RS to present image of memorial. --Antidiskriminator (talk) 13:30, 15 August 2012 (UTC)
 * so, you don't see the need to provide a WP:RS for the idea that Djurisic's troops ended up there? We can just use the image with no WP:RS? Peacemaker67 (talk) 12:35, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I also spent 27 years of my life as a professional educated military officer in my country's Army, but no-one is writing an article on me, because I'm not notable like Djurisic because a. I wasn't awarded a high bravery decoration by my supposed enemies for helping them out, and b. I didn't command a unit that slaughtered 10,000 people. Djurisic is notable for the reasons he is notable. It's simple enough. Peacemaker67 (talk) 12:46, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Let me remind you that even Aclass articles should be "comprehensive", "well-researched" and "neutral". This article is not completely comprehensive, well researched and neutral because "it neglects major facts or details" like why NDH forces attacked him or what happened to Đurišićs četniks in 1945. Without those details this article fails to place the subject of this article in appropriate context.
 * Re image: There is no need to provide RS for existence of the memorial. There is a memorial there.
 * The topic of this article is Đurišić. This article is his biography. According to WP:LEDE "The lead should be able to stand alone as a concise overview." Now, the lede is focused only at 4 years of his life. That is far from being summary of the topic of this article which is the biography of Djurisic. The topic of this article is not "Pavle Djurisic during WWII". Yes, he is notable because of those four years. That is exactly why his biography should be summarized in the lede. Now lede does not even inform the readers about his occupation of professional military officer. Readers could be mislead to believe that he was some kind of bandit.--Antidiskriminator (talk) 07:53, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Ah, I see your point now. I agree to some extent, particularly about the context issue. I will expand those aspects if I can locate a reference. I have added the reference to him being a professional officer of the Royal Yugoslav Army. I don't see how we don't need a reference for Djurisic's men being killed where that memorial says they were killed, and don't intend to include the image unless I can find a reference that says that was where they were killed. Otherwise it is 'some people put up a memorial that says Djurisic's men were killed here' and that's WP:OR as far as I am concerned. Peacemaker67 (talk) 08:46, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I don't see the problem with image. Especially because the fate of Đurišić's men needs to be further researched anyway. If further research confirms that they were murdered in Jama pod Krenom, then there is no problem with image. If the result of further research shows that they were not murdered or they were murdered somewhere else, then it is also fine, because it will be clearly emphasized in the article that i.e. "although their families and Yugoslav people believe they were murdered, they were treated by communists with respect and consideration they deserve and lived happily ever after with false identities at one Adriatic ireland" or "there is a memorial erected at Jama pod Krenom although they were murdered at ...". Anyway, image of the memorial is only an idea to improve the article. There are more important issues that should be at main focus. --Antidiskriminator (talk) 09:09, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Problem solved. I dug through Tomasevich, found some info about their fate, have made some changes, added the image. Useful suggestions, definitely improved the article. Thanks. Peacemaker67 (talk) 10:20, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I hope that there are some sources about Pavle's parents.--Antidiskriminator (talk) 13:42, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Not that I can find in my library or via Google Books in English. Peacemaker67 (talk) 00:11, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

Missing context of the relation between Djurisic and partisans
I was sure that you mistakenly overview some important data in the sources you used. Now you presented the info, but not the context. Without appropriate context it is still impossible to understand the events. Why NDH forces and partisans murdered Djurisic and his men? --Antidiskriminator (talk) 10:37, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
 * We do not communicate well with each other, do we? I am sure you mean that I 'overlooked' some important information. Well, I certainly admit I did. When I was researching this article I focused on Djurisic, and didn't look at what happened to his troops after he died. Obviously such things don't necessarily appear on the same pages as his name is mentioned. I agree the context is important. Most of the men killed by NDH forces appear to have been killed in combat in the battle or immediately afterwards. Some killed by the Partisans were also killed in battle. In respect of the killings in Slovenia, do you mean 'why did the Partisans kill them?' Tomasevich says (inter alia) that it was an understandable act of mass terror and brutal political surgery similar to those carried out by the Chetniks and others earlier in the war, that it was carried out partly by way of revenge for the mass terror carried out by the Chetniks and others against the Partisans and pro-Partisan segments of the population, and partly to stop the Chetniks and others from continuing an armed struggle against the communists, perhaps with Western assistance. Is that what you are getting at? Peacemaker67 (talk) 12:42, 18 August 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, I meant 'overlooked'.
 * I am afraid that it is not the only thing you overlooked. The most important thing is overlooked. The context of the relation between Djurisic and partisans. There is a half of the sentence which mentions some atrocities committed by partisans in Kolasin. Such important information is presented in half of the sentence. Without any context. Why? Does it mean that Djurisic actually saved local population of Kolasin and surrounding region not to be killed by the partisans? Is that the reason why they want to erect his memorial there, or is it just because he "spent some of his youth at Berane but had also established his wartime headquarters there" Is it connected with "pasja groblja"?--Antidiskriminator (talk) 22:27, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
 * English please. Peacemaker67 (talk) 23:43, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
 * The dog cemetery. In period end 1941 - beginning 1942 partisans committed terrible atrocities in Montenegro. The dog cemetery is a name of the killing field near Kolasin where partisans massacred hundreds of people in January 1942, a day before Christmas. They crucified a dog above massacred bodies. Hence the name which is later used to refer to other killing fields in Montenegro. I hope you did not overlook such important events because they are very important for presenting the full context of Đurišić's activities during WWII.
 * Will you please answer my questions now? --Antidiskriminator (talk) 00:33, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
 * So the dog cemetery in Kolasin is the most important thing in this article that I have overlooked? There is no reference to a crucified dog in Pavlowitch, he says that 300 inhabitants of Kolasin were killed by the Partisans over a 47 day period. I have included the information from Pavlowitch, but if you are aware of a WP:RS that mentions the dog, feel free to share. Also, my understanding from PRODUCER's edits was that the sources say the monument was to be built in Berane, not Kolašin. I personally am unaware of any WP:RS that says that people wanted to build a memorial in Kolašin or any link between the memorial and the 'dog cemetery', but feel free to interrogate PRODUCER. My understanding is that Berane is some 50+km from Kolašin. Again, if you know of a WP:RS, or have read Prijović (which I can't read) and it in fact clearly says that the memorial plan was linked to the 'dog cemetery', feel free to share. I will also point out that it is pretty hard for me to 'overlook' something I can't read. Peacemaker67 (talk) 03:05, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
 * There was no need for your sarcastic remarks about dog cemetery being the most important thing in this article and your "feel free to interrogate PRODUCER" comment.
 * Context: I clearly explained why the atrocities committed by partisans are very important information for understanding the most important thing: "The context of the relation between Djurisic and partisans."
 * Memorial: When I wrote that Djurisic protected the population from partisans I referred to "Kolasin and surrounding region". Berane is in surrounding region, i.e. 27 miles away from Kolašin. Are you sure that people from Berane wanted to build memorial complex dedicated to Đurišić just because he accidentally "spent some of his youth at Berane but had also established his wartime headquarters there"? Maybe population of that region has positive feelings about him? --Antidiskriminator (talk) 12:00, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Look, the way you express yourself is consistently borderline insulting and accusatory, you need to work on your English composition so that you don't come across so aggressively. My responses are tame in comparison, as any admin whose first language is English will attest to. As far as WP is concerned, unless you have a WP:RS for your suggestion that 'maybe the population of that region has positive feelings about him?', it's WP:OR. I have no reason to suspect that PRODUCER has misrepresented the source and there is nothing available through Google Books (in English) to support it. Peacemaker67 (talk) 12:53, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

Voivode
There are many sources which refer to Đurišić as Voivode. The article does not mention that title. Why? --Antidiskriminator (talk) 00:17, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * What sources? You'll need to bring some that say what is means in English in his context. My understanding is that just means 'warlord' in this context. He is referred to as a 'Lieutenant Colonel' and as a 'military commander', which is more neutral than 'warlord'. My understanding is that the medieval meaning of 'prince' or 'duke' isn't relevant in the context of WW2. Peacemaker67 (talk) 00:31, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I'm happy to put it in after 'military commander' but what is the correct latin spelling? Voivode, Vojvoda, or what? Peacemaker67 (talk) 00:38, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Done, I used the wiktionary spellings. Peacemaker67 (talk) 01:00, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I am not sure it this issue is completely addressed. Voivode is not synonym for 'military commander' in case of Chetnik Voivode. Not every Chetnik 'military commander' was voivode. That is honorary title awarded to Chetnik military commanders during war by other Chetnik voivode only. In case of Đurišić, there are claims that he, like some other Chetnik commanders, was awarded with the title of voivode by Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin. --Antidiskriminator (talk) 10:37, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * With respect, Antidiskriminator, there are a lot of 'claims' but not many sources. Produce one, and we can talk. But while we wait, could you tell me what 'Voivode' is synonymous with then, and what your source is for it? Peacemaker67 (talk) 10:55, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * The only sources I can find which say what it means are Tomasevich 2001 p. 255 'chief', Cohen p. 207 'Chetnik commander', Vuchinich/Tomasevich 1969 'Chetnik leader', and Macek 2009 p. 102 'Chetnik troop commander'. It's addressed as far as I am concerned. Peacemaker67 (talk) 11:48, 26 August 2012 (UTC)

Berane
There are claims that Đurišić's forces commanded by him captured Berane from Italians on 17—18 July 1941, during July uprising in Montenegro. If that is correct it is very important information which should be added to the article. The current version of the article could mislead readers to believe that communsts captured Berane while Djurisic was subordinated to them.--Antidiskriminator (talk) 10:19, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * source? Peacemaker67 (talk) 10:35, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I am reviewer of this article and I am trying to check if it is comprehensive enough according to Featured article criteria. If sources you used to write this article do not mention this information please say so. In that case I will try to check if there are some RS for the above mentioned assertion. If not, it is probably incorrect.--Antidiskriminator (talk) 15:54, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I have never seen that assertion in any text I own or have read, and have searched Google Books for a reference but have been unable to locate one. Peacemaker67 (talk) 03:12, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Spomenik Pavlu Đurišiću trebalo je podići kada su podizani drugi spomenici iz Drugog svetskog rata na ovim prostorima, jer je i Pavle Đurišić bio oslobodilac Berana. Posle sloma ustanka razišao se sa komunistima i januara 1942. formirao svoj štab. - Historian Goran Kiković in his interview to Glas Javnosti
 * Небројем, колико њиховом одлучношћу да умру илипобиједе, Ђуришић приморава италијанскукоманду на предају. Тако је 18. јула Беране опетбило у нашим рукама, а зелени Лим текао крвависпод древног Будима. - Goran Komar, Vojvoda Pavle Đurišić
 * "Павле ЂуришиЋ дигао Је Ва- соЈевиЋе 15/16 Јула и опколио Беране" - Zalosna stvarnost: 1941; u spomen 25-o godišnjice trećeg srpskog ustanka, Boz̆idar Sokolović, Vlado Trebjes̀anin - 1966
 * "Већ 16 јула устаници су заузели Беране које је опседао капе- тан Павле Ђуришић. У андријевачком срезу устанак је почео 17 јула. Убрзо је дошла ... свој штаб. 5) Почетком октобра 1941, кренули су из Црае Горе за Равну" - Treći srpski ustanak, 1941, Томови 1-2, Sergije M. Živanović
 * --Antidiskriminator (talk) 06:51, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

A song
There is a very popular Chetnik song "Đurišiću mlad majore" [Djurisic, young major] written during the war and dedicated to Djurisic. Maybe it would be a good idea to add this information to the article?--Antidiskriminator (talk) 15:54, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
 * again, have never heard of it, and have not been able to locate a WP:RS in English for it. Peacemaker67 (talk) 03:14, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Ђуришићу млад мајоре - There are many sources that could be used as reference for song about Durisic. This song is very popular and interpreted by numerous performers.--Antidiskriminator (talk) 20:10, 1 September 2012 (UTC)
 * firstly, now this assessment page is redundant, I would appreciate it if discussion occurred on the article talk page in front of all interested editors, so I am taking this page off my watchlist. Second, I don't read the lingo. Get a sr-5 translation from a disinterested WP en editor, or ask PRODUCER to look at it. I can't help you with this. Peacemaker67 (talk) 23:31, 1 September 2012 (UTC)