Radomir Putnik

Biography

Radomir Putnik was born on January 24, 1847, in Kragujevac, Serbia, and became the most capable military mind in the Balkans during the wars of 1912–1913. He served as Serbia's Chief of the General Staff and directed the military planning and execution that produced Serbia's stunning victories at Kumanovo, Monastir, and in the Second Balkan War at Bregalnica. Putnik's career had been marked by careful, systematic professionalism unusual in the Balkan military environment. He undertook extensive study of modern European armies, reformed Serbian military doctrine, and built a staff system capable of coordinating large-scale operations. By 1912 the Serbian army he had shaped was far superior to its Ottoman adversaries in organization, logistics, and tactical flexibility. The story of Putnik's journey to his post at the outbreak of war has become legendary. In August 1912, as Balkan tensions escalated, Putnik was at the spa at Bad Gleichenberg in Austro-Hungarian territory, undergoing treatment for his chronic health problems. When war was declared, the Austro-Hungarian authorities arrested him as an enemy officer. Emperor Franz Joseph personally intervened and ordered Putnik released and provided with a special train to return to Serbia — a gesture of military chivalry that, given subsequent events, Austria-Hungary might have thought twice about. Putnik arrived home and immediately assumed command. In the First Balkan War, Putnik coordinated the advance of multiple Serbian armies, managing the logistics of supplying forces operating in difficult Macedonian terrain while maintaining operational tempo that prevented Ottoman forces from recovering. In the Second Balkan War, he directed the decisive counteroffensive at Bregalnica that shattered the Bulgarian forces. Putnik's health deteriorated severely during the wars, and by 1915 he was partially blind and had to be carried on a litter. He died in Nice, France, in 1917.

Key Battles