Meeting in Divci

The meeting in Divci was a meeting between colonel Dragoljub Mihailović, the leader of the Chetnik detachments, and representatives of the German Wehrmacht led by colonel Rudolf Kogard on the cessation of hostilities and the joint fight against Yugoslav Partisans. The meeting was held in the village of Divci near Valjevo on November 11, 1941.[1]

Through negotiations with the Germans, Mihailović tried to achieve several goals: to make a truce with the Germans and thus ensure his own survival and the survival of his movement, to provide German secret support in the fight against partisans and thus get rid of the rival in the fight for power and to stop the German offensive and thus spare people of German reprisals.

12 days before the meeting, Mihailović's forces broke off cooperation with partisans and launched a general attack on the Republic of Užice. During the negotiations in Divci, in the nearby village of Slovac, about 350 captured partisans captured by the Chetniks were handed over to the Germans. Mihailović hoped to get weapons, or at least ammunition, from the Germans for that fight. At the same time, he tried to reconcile all this with his newly acquired status as an ally of the recognized leader of the resistance in Yugoslavia.[1]

In order to preserve his popularity among the people and maintain allied recognition, he asked the Germans to keep the eventual agreement secret. The Germans categorically rejected his proposals and demanded the unconditional surrender of the Chetniks. Since Mihailović did not do that, they soon launched an action against his staff.[1]

From then on, Mihailović waged a ruthless war against the partisans, while avoiding conflicts with the Germans.