76 World War Two and the Partisan Struggle
time, was already wearing a Soviet pilotka, a hat with an enameled five-pointed
star with the hammer and sickle at its center.^139
It was about this time that a new figure, Arso Jovanović, appeared on the
scene as one of Tito’s closest collaborators. He was a former lieutenant of the
Royal Army, a Montenegrin who, thanks to his military experience, quickly
became a member of the Supreme Staff and later chief of staff. According to
Djilas, Arso’s advice and suggestions more than once prevented Tito from
making rash decisions.^140 However, Kardelj noted that he was “a typical officer
of the old General Staff, unable to understand that the Partisan struggle was
not a head-on battle.”^141 For instance, on his orders a group of Montenegrin
Partisans attacked the town of Pljevlja in the Sandžak region on 1 December
1941, which was defended by a strong Italian garrison. In spite of their bravery,
the Montenegrins, who had tried to take Pljevlja by storm, suffered a disastrous
defeat, with 203 casualties and 269 wounded. The General Staff of Montenegro
consequently decided that Jovanović should be dismissed, but when one of his
comrades, Peko Dapčević, came to the Supreme Staff with this news, Kardelj
said to him: “By God, do not mention this to Tito, since he has already named
him chief of staff.” According to General Velimir Terzić, also a former army
officer and one of the best Partisan commanders, this was a mistake. Eventually
Tito realized it, although he stubbornly kept Jovanović at his side throughout
most of the national liberation struggle.^142
The Soviet press dedicated a great deal of attention to the uprising of the
Yugoslav peoples: between the end of July 1941 and the end of the year, they
published twenty-five articles on the events in Yugoslavia, generically referring
to the rebels as “Partisans,” including the Chetniks under this term, as if there
were no distinction. This made Tito suspect that Kopinič had not transmitted
all his telegrams to the Comintern.^143 The clashes that took place in Montene-
gro and Serbia during the summer of 1941 also drew the attention of London,
where King Petar II and his government had arrived on 21 July. British official
circles welcomed this handful of exiles, realizing very soon, however, that
despite their shared misfortunes, a visceral hatred existed between the Serbs
and Croats, which was further exacerbated by news regarding the Ustaša mas-
sacres. When more information about the Chetnik movement arrived, the
Serbs became cocky, especially because the British did not hide their admira-
tion for “small, brave Serbia,” an impression left over from the First World War.
It was a scenario that the British had hoped for since the beginning of the
conflict: a guerrilla war would be organized and guided by their agents in the
territories occupied by the Axis forces. With this in mind, immediately after
France’s capitulation in July 1940, a new agency was created on Churchill’s
initiative. It was called Special Operations Executive (SOE), and had the task