The Rape of Serbia: The British Role in Tito's Grab for Power 1943-1944 [Hardcover]

Michael Lees (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There were two major resistance movements in Yugoslavia during the war: Tito's Communist Partisans and Draza Mihailovic's Loyalist Chetniks. The author served as British liaison officer with the latter in 1943 and 1944. His memoir describes how Tito deceived Winston Churchill into believing Mihailovic was collaborating with the Germans, which resulted in the abrupt transfer of Allied aid from the Chetniks to the Partisans. The tragic upshot was that Tito then used Allied munitions against the Chetniks after the German retreat, launching an extermination campaign against thousands of rivals and potential enemies. The British prime minister, realizing too late his error in embracing Tito at the expense of Mihailovic, tried to intervene on the latter's behalf but was unable to prevent a Titoist court from convicting him of treason. Mihailovic was executed in 1946. Lees relates this grim story with unrestrained bitterness. His book is a powerful indictment of British wartime policy in the Balkans and an elegy for Yugoslav victims of Tito.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Lees combines his personal experience as British liaison officer with research in official declassified records to provide a revisionist account of the civil war in Yugoslavia at the end of World War II. The result is a fascinating investigation that effectively demolishes the reputation of Marshal Tito and blames his rise to power on the overt support of the Western allies. Lees indicts the British Secret Service for turning the tide toward Tito and against the non-Communist resistance leader General Draza Mihailovic, who was executed by Tito in 1946. Lees's involvement in some of these events adds an element of high drama to this study, and this unsettling work will cast serious doubt on all previous histories of this period, such as Walter Roberts's Tito, Mihailovic, and the Allies ( LJ 2/1/73). Recommended for most academic and larger public libraries.
- Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt; 1st edition (August 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151959102
• ISBN-13: 978-0151959105
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > History > Europe > Serbia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serbian Chetnik heroes, February 6, 1998

By 

Nick ([e-mail]) (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rape of Serbia: The British Role in Tito's Grab for Power 1943-1944 (Hardcover)

Michael Lees had a unique prespective on the wars which raged in former Yugoslavia in WWII. As a British SOE officer assigned to work with the Serbian Chetnik guerillas, he witnessed first hand their military efforts at disrupting German supply lines and in attacking large German units. He builds a convincing case, now proven by official British historians, that the British were duped by Communist moles in SOE to switch their support to Tito and his Communist Partisans - bitter foes of the Chetniks. Lees attacks what he calls the "received wisdom" which for years stated that Chetniks eventually "collaborated". In fact, Lees meticulous research of formerly classified British and American documents concludes the exact opposite. A tremendous contribution to a poorly understood theatre of World War II.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book which does not reek of propaganda, August 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rape of Serbia: The British Role in Tito's Grab for Power 1943-1944 (Hardcover)

A rare book which actually looks at all sides of a balkan conflict....one of the rare 90's books of yugoslavia which does not plainly chastize serbs... or the chetniks...a must read for anyone interseted or curious in this particular theatre of the second world war... an eye opener... a true gem

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Eye Opener, June 2, 2006

By 

Z. Filipovic - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rape of Serbia: The British Role in Tito's Grab for Power 1943-1944 (Hardcover)

Serbia is not the only country made or distroyed by an assistance of foreigners. What makes this book so exceptional is that it has been written out of first-hand field soldier experience combined by careful historical examination of World War II records by the same author. It is a perfect example of how a handful of Stalin's agents managed to hand over to communists a country whose people were anything but communists. It is convincingly written, supported by clear facts. I pay the greatest of respect to Mr.Michael Lees upon his integrity, courage and the resulting, soothing thruth coming out of this very insightful book. Mr.Lees was not a saloon historian who is making his own compilation book ( like most of books about Serbia available at this moment of time), The Rape of Serbia represents a Mr.Lees marvelous creation. When one can learn how easily it was cheated then, one is better prepared to recognise it happening right now.