Karl Novak

{{Short description|Slovenian chetnik leader}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = |name = Karl Novak |honorific_suffix = |image = Karel Novak.jpg |image_upright = |alt = |caption = Karl Novak in the 1930s |native_name = |native_name_lang = |birth_name = |other_name = Ludwig<ref>{{harv|Крањц|2006|p=183}}: "LUDVIG - major Karl Novak, četniški poveljnik Slovenije (Ludwig, drugo ime v rojstnem listu) ."</ref> |nickname = |birth_date = October 19, 1905 |birth_place = Pula, Austrian Littoral, Austria-Hungary (now Croatia) |death_date = 1975 |death_place = Athens, Greece |burial_place = |burial_label = |burial_coordinates =  |allegiance = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}} <small>(1930s–1945)</small> |branch = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Chetniks.svg}} Chetniks |branch_label = Service |service_years = 1930s–1945 |service_years_label = |rank = * Major (until December 25, 1943) * Lieutenant colonel (since December 25, 1943) |rank_label = |service_number = |unit = Blue Guard |commands = |battles = * Battle of Grčarice |battles_label = |awards = |memorials = |spouse =  |children = |relations = |other_work = |signature = |signature_size = |signature_alt = |website =  |module = }}

'''Karl Novak''' (October 19, 1905 – 1975) was a Yugoslav Slovene military officer best known as commander of the Slovene Chetniks in the Italian-annexed Province of Ljubljana (part of modern-day Slovenia) during World War II.

== Early life == Novak was born in Pula in 1905.<ref>{{harv|Крањц|2006|p=21}}</ref> After he graduated from high school in Maribor, he attended the military academy.<ref>{{harv|Крањц|2006|p=21}}</ref>

Before World War II, Novak was a major in the Yugoslav Royal Army.<ref>{{cite book|title=Vojno-istoriski glasnik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0N9QAQAAIAAJ|year=1983|page=191|quote=Karel Novak, major of the prewar Yugoslav Army, }}</ref>

== World War II == After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April, 1941 Novak went to headquarters of Draža Mihailović at Ravna Gora together with Jaka Avšič.<ref>{{harv|Latas|Dželebdžić|1979|p=68}}</ref> Novak was instructed by Mihailović to infiltrate the headquarters of the communist forces in Slovenia, but this attempt failed because the Slovenian communists were warned by the communist headquarters from Užice.<ref>{{harv|Marković|1988|p=57}}</ref>

In February 1943, Novak, Draža Mihailović's chief representative in the province, having tried for many months to get the Slovene Alliance to place some of their forces under his command, formed his own militia, known as the Blue Guard (also known as the "Slovene Chetniks").<ref>{{harv|Minić|1993|p=82}}: "У Словенији радио је на организовању четника Карло Новак, кога је у Словенију са овлашћењИма упутио Дража Михаиловић. "</ref> All major resistance factions in Slovenia had their representatives in Novak's headquarters, including Slovenian Legion, National Legion and Sokol Legion.<ref>{{cite book|title=Vojno-istoriski glasnik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L5oxAQAAIAAJ|year=1962|page=4}}</ref> Novak was the only Chetnik commander who exercised complete political and military control over units under his nominal command.<ref>{{harv|Karchmar|1973|p=529}}: "Only Novak in Slovenia had full military and political control over his nominal command,..."</ref> However, this unit never grew larger than 400 troops, and because Novak had no political base in Slovenia, it was never a significant military or political force. After the war, Novak claimed that the Royal Yugoslav Army in Slovenia had armed encounters with Italian troops and gathered intelligence on the Italians for Mihailović, but according to the historian Jozo Tomasevich the first claim is groundless as the Italians allocated an operational zone to Novak's principal unit and indirectly provided it with supplies, and its size and restrictions on its movement precluded the gathering of much useful intelligence.{{sfn|Tomasevich|2001|pp=109–111}}

Near Novo Mesto, in August 1943 Novak established the Ljubljana Chetnik Detachment.<ref>{{harv|Kristen|2006|p=266}}</ref> Major Novak was in Ljubljana during the Battle of Grčarice and commanded his units through radio connection. After the defeat of his units in this battle, Major Novak went to Rome to avoid German attempts to arrest him in Ljubljana.<ref>{{harv|Mlakar|2003|p=135}}: "Majorja Novaka so v Ljubljani Nemci hoteli aretirati, a se je izmaknil z odhodom v Rim, toda tudi od tam je po svojih zvezah ... 1943"</ref> On December 25, 1943, Mihailović promoted Novak to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In January 1944 Novak and Dobrosav Jevđević, head of Mihailović's intelligence service in Italy,<ref>{{harv|Šubelj|1999|p=24}}: "Jevdjevič je bil namreč vodja obveščevalne službe Draže Mihailoviča v Italiji."</ref> established a Chetnik military unit in the Slovenian Littoral and established its first detachment in the Gorizia Hills.<ref>{{harv|Nose|2008|p=25}}: "Januarja 1944 sta začela Dobrosav Jevdjevič in Karel Novak, 'ki ga je general Mihailovič za božič 1943 povišal v čin podpolkovnika' ... "</ref> Novak was some kind of envoy for Mihailović with the Allies in Italy and had the intention of using this new Chetnik unit as the nucleus for new Chetnik action in Slovenia, and so he requested that Mihailovic's headquarters obtain financial support from the Yugoslav embassy in Switzerland.<ref>{{harv|Kristen|2006|p=136}}:"Karel Novak, po katastrofi v Grčaricah neke vrste Mihailovića 'delegat' za stike z zahodnimi zavezniki v Italiji, je prav ta odred v januarju 1944 nameraval uporabiti za »jedro nove akcije v Sloveniji« in je zaradi tega štab Draže Mihailovića naj pri vladi doseže izplačilo določene vsote denarja preko Švice in tamkajšnjega jugoslovanskega poslaništva"</ref>

Novak died in Athens in 1975.<ref>{{harv|Крањц|2006|p=21}}</ref>

== References ==

== Sources ==

{{refbegin|20em}} * {{cite book|last=Minić|first=Miloš|title=Oslobodilački ili građanski rat u Jugoslaviji 1941-1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7vlmAAAAMAAJ|year=1993|publisher=Agencija "Mir"|isbn=9788682295013}} * {{cite book|last=Karchmar|first=Lucien|title=Draz̆a Mihailović and the Rise of the C̆etnik Movement, 1941-1942|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LrNEAQAAIAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Department of History, Stanford University.}} * {{cite book|last=Крањц|first=Маријан Ф|title=Plava garda: zaupno poročilo četniškega vojvode in generalštabnega polkovnika Karla I. Novaka, poveljnika slovenskih četnikov|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WLzJaO9UCrcC|year=2006|publisher=Pro-Andy|isbn=978-961-91794-3-7}} * {{cite book|last1=Latas|first1=Branko|last2=Dželebdžić|first2=Milovan|title=Četnički pokret Draže Mihailovića 1941-1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PB08AAAAMAAJ|year=1979|publisher=Beogradski izdavačko-grafički zavod}} * {{cite book|last=Kristen|first=Samo|title=Meje in misije: dileme slovensko-hrvaške razmejitve v Istri v vojaškem, političnem, diplomatskem in obveščevalnem metežu II. svetovne vojne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FhgWAQAAMAAJ|year=2006|publisher=Društvo 2000|isbn=978-961-6533-19-5}} * {{cite book|last=Marković|first=Života|title=Tito i Užička republika|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QxOgAAAAMAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Vesti|isbn=9788673190136}} * {{cite book|last=Mlakar|first=Boris|title=Slovensko domobranstvo, 1943-1945: ustanovitev, organizacija, idejno ozadje|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ym-fAAAAMAAJ|year=2003|publisher=Slovenska matica|isbn=978-961-213-114-2}} * {{cite book|last=Nose|first=Aleš|title=Domobranci zdravo - Bog daj: protikomunistične enote na Slovenskem 1942-1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0u8VAQAAMAAJ|year=2008|publisher=Modrijan|isbn=978-961-241-223-4}} * {{cite book |last=Šubelj |first=Ljuba Dornik |title=Oddelek za zaščito naroda za Slovenijo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IgOfAAAAMAAJ |year=1999 |publisher=Arhiv Republike Slovenije |isbn=978-961-6137-35-5}} * {{cite book | last = Tomasevich | first = Jozo | year = 2001 | title = War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: Occupation and Collaboration | publisher = Stanford University Press | location = Stanford | isbn = 978-0-8047-3615-2 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fqUSGevFe5MC }} {{refend}}

== Further reading == * {{cite book|last=Крањц|first=Маријан Ф|title=Plava garda: zaupno poročilo četniškega vojvode in generalštabnega polkovnika Karla I. Novaka, poveljnika slovenskih četnikov|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WLzJaO9UCrcC|year=2006|publisher=Pro-Andy|isbn=978-961-91794-3-7 |ref=none}} * KOROŠEC, I., MIHAILOVIĆ, D., & NOVAK, K. I. (2007). V spomin: [Drža Mihailović in Karel Novak]. Vestnik Zveze Slovencev V Inozemstvu. 28–32. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20170124135936/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/OSS%20-%20SSU%20-%20CIG%20EARLY%20CIA%20DOCUMENTS%20%20%20VOL.%203_0018.pdf CIA archive document about activity of Karl Novak 1941-1945].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Karl}} Category:1905 births Category:1975 deaths Category:Military personnel from Pula Category:People from the Margraviate of Istria Category:Slovenian Chetnik personnel of World War II Category:Slovenian anti-communists Category:Slovenian collaborators with Fascist Italy