Petar Gracanin
Encyclopedia
Petar Gračanin (June 22, 1923 in Jagodina
, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes – June 27, 2004 in Belgrade
, Serbia and Montenegro
) - Serbian military commander.
In July 1941 he joined the Yugoslav Partisans. After the formation of the 2nd Proletarian Brigade, in March 1942, at first he was a member and later the commander of a battalion. He was promoted to his first military rank in 1943. In April 1944 he was wounded and transferred to Italy
. In 1945, he became Chief of Staff in OZNA
for Morava administrative center. A year later in 1946 he became commander of a tank brigade, Chief of Staff, deputy commander of an armored division and Chief of Staff of School center armored-mechanic units.
He graduated at the military аcademy.
As Federal Secretary of the People's Defense, he was chief of the section, and chief of staff of the section for personal authority. In the 7th Army he was chief of staff and deputy commander. He was also chief of staff of the Command-headquarters academy (1974–1978), and later he was assigned as commander of the 1st Army. He was chosen as a member of the CP SKJ
in 1978 and 1982.
He was promoted to the rank of Major General
in 1970, Lieutenant General
in 1974, and Colonel General
in 1978.
He was chief of the General Staff of Yugoslav People's Army from 5 May 1982 to 1 September 1985.
His active military service ended on 31 December 1985. After that he was in high state positions such as:
President of Presidency of SR Serbia (1987–1989)
Federal Secretary of the Interior (1989–1991)
During the Ten-Day War
Gračanin was situated in a JNA air base near Ljubljana
. After the JNA forces were ordrered by the Generalstaff to withdraw from Slovenia, Gračanin flew back to Belgrade. Slobodan Milosević
promoted him to the rank of reserve General of the Army
of the FRY
in 1999.
Jagodina
Jagodina is a city and municipality located in central Serbia, 136 km south of Belgrade, on the banks of Belica River. Its name stems from the word for strawberry in Serbian. It is the administrative centre of the Pomoravlje District of Serbia...
, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes – June 27, 2004 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
) - Serbian military commander.
In July 1941 he joined the Yugoslav Partisans. After the formation of the 2nd Proletarian Brigade, in March 1942, at first he was a member and later the commander of a battalion. He was promoted to his first military rank in 1943. In April 1944 he was wounded and transferred to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1945, he became Chief of Staff in OZNA
OZNA
The Department for the Protection of the People was a security agency of the FPR Yugoslavia.-Founding:...
for Morava administrative center. A year later in 1946 he became commander of a tank brigade, Chief of Staff, deputy commander of an armored division and Chief of Staff of School center armored-mechanic units.
He graduated at the military аcademy.
As Federal Secretary of the People's Defense, he was chief of the section, and chief of staff of the section for personal authority. In the 7th Army he was chief of staff and deputy commander. He was also chief of staff of the Command-headquarters academy (1974–1978), and later he was assigned as commander of the 1st Army. He was chosen as a member of the CP SKJ
League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia , before 1952 the Communist Party of Yugoslavia League of Communists of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Savez komunista Jugoslavije/Савез комуниста Југославије, Slovene: Zveza komunistov Jugoslavije, Macedonian: Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na...
in 1978 and 1982.
He was promoted to the rank of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in 1970, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in 1974, and Colonel General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
in 1978.
He was chief of the General Staff of Yugoslav People's Army from 5 May 1982 to 1 September 1985.
His active military service ended on 31 December 1985. After that he was in high state positions such as:
President of Presidency of SR Serbia (1987–1989)
Federal Secretary of the Interior (1989–1991)
During the Ten-Day War
Ten-Day War
The Ten-Day War or the Slovenian Independence War was a military conflict between the Slovenian Territorial Defence and the Yugoslav People's Army in 1991 following Slovenia's declaration of independence.-Background:...
Gračanin was situated in a JNA air base near Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. After the JNA forces were ordrered by the Generalstaff to withdraw from Slovenia, Gračanin flew back to Belgrade. Slobodan Milosević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
promoted him to the rank of reserve General of the Army
General of the Army
General of the Army is a military rank used in some countries to denote a senior military leader, usually a General in command of a nation's Army. It may also be the title given to a General who commands an Army in the field....
of the FRY
Fry
-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan** Stir frying, frying food in a wok and stirring it while it cooks* Full breakfast, a traditional cooked meal, also called a fry-up or Ulster fry...
in 1999.