Rasina Corps


The Rasina Corps was a corps of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland that operated in the region of Kruševac county of Axis occupied Kingdom of Yugoslavia under command of Dragutin Keserović.

History

On 11 May 1944 the Rasina Corps was merged with Toplica Corps to establish Rasina-Toplica Corps Group, an elite Chetnik unit that would receive the biggest burden of defence from Tito's communist forces and together with the Red Army liberated Kruševac from Axis occupation.
Rasina Corps evolved from Rasina Detachment. According to postwar Communist sources Rasina Corps had 3,000 soldiers. Its zone of activity was territory of former Kruševac county. It had five brigades:
Initially, the headquarters was in Kupci village between Kruševac and Brus, and later in Kriva Reka village on Kopaonik. The Rasina Corps had a military court and published journals including Freedom or Death and Youth.
A British mission was attached to HQ of the Rasina Corps. One of its members was Captain Robert Wade. Wade emphasized in his later testimonies that the Chetniks he contacted were convinced that the British would help them to win the war and had no indication that the British support to Chetniks would end. On 23 May 1943 another British mission joined Rasina Corps with airplane which, a mission headed by Major Neil Selby arrived to Rasina Corps after being parachuted to Kopaonik. When Selby arrived to HQ of Keserović, he took over the command of group of British officers led by Captain Wade who were already there. Selby arrived on Kopaonik together with Yugoslav officer Petar Fereštetski, while airplane which carried them also delivered 10 machine guns and 4,000 bullets to Chetniks.
On 24 December 1943 Mihailović ordered destruction of one railway bridge on Južna Morava river in the first half of January 1944 by Rasina and Deligrad Corps.

Rasina-Toplica Corps

Rasina-Toplica Corps Group commanded by Lt. Colonel Keserović took the biggest burden of defence from advancing Titos communist forces. This unit was established on 11 May 1944 by Chetnik Supreme Command. Together with Red Army, Rasina-Toplica Corps Group liberated Kruševac on 14 October 1944.