William Bailey

Stanley William Bailey was a British military officer in World War I and World War II who reached the rank of Colonel, most notable for being the head and then political advisor of the British Special Operations Executive Liaison Mission to Chetniks of Draža Mihailović in period 25 December 1942 — 29 January 1944. British policy toward Mihailović was shaped by reports of Bailey who was one of the most responsible for wrecking the position of Mihailović and Chetniks with British and consequently Allied side.

The Chetniks followed requests of Allied command sent before the offensive against Rommel in Africa and organized a campaign against Axis communications through German occupied Serbia and further to Thessaloniki and Libya. Bailey reinforced British missions with Chetniks with well trained military sappers to help Chetniks to be more effective in sabotaging German lines of communications. The campaign of Mihailović's Chetniks against Axis communications was probably instrumental in the victory of the Allies against Rommel in Africa. The British command praised Mihailović for this successes while Hitler blamed Chetniks in Serbia for his defeats in Africa and at the beginning of 1943 issued an order for complete annihilation of all Chetnik forces.

When the crisis of Allied forces in Africa had passed the Chetniks assumed a policy of tactical inactivity which was criticized by the British command. In order to convince Mihailović that the British could "make him or break him" Bailey proposed a new firm position of the British side toward Mihailović and his Chetniks. Bailey offered Pavle Đurišić the position of Chetnik leader and to replace Mihailović, which Đurišić refused. Mihailović launched a campaign against Axis positions in Eastern Bosnia in October 1943 inflicting hundreds of casualties on Axis forces and liberating Višegrad, Rogatica and many other places, and the British media attributed all those Chetnik victories against Axis to rival Communist forces. Bailey prevented Chetniks from disarming the Italian Venezia division after the capitulation of Italy and organized capture of their arms by communists who used it to push Chetniks out of the valley of river Lim. Bailey left Chetnik HQ on 29 January 1944 after first refusing an American proposal to leave at least one member of their missions at Mihailović HQ.

Bailey completed Emmanuel School in Wandsworth. Before the World War II Bailey lived in Kingdom of Yugoslavia for some time when he was engineer in Trepča Mines and fluently spoke Serbian language. During the World War I Bailey was a member of British SOE team in Athens, Greece when the king of Greece was removed and pro-Allied Venizelist government installed.

When he returned from a mission in Canada, Bailey was parachuted into Mihailović's HQ on 25 December 1942. The chief of Bailey's staff in Chetnik HQ was Major Kenneth Greenlees.

Head of Allied mission at Chetnik HQ

Apart from this mission headed by Bailey, there were nine other British missions to Chetnik HQ starting from April 1943. During 1943 a number of British military missions were sent to various Chetnik corps in Serbia. Bailey reported that Mihailović had overwhelming support of people in Serbia while strength of Communists there was negligible. Mihailović gave code name Miloš to Bailey, as association to Kosovo where Bailey lived for longer period during his service in Yugoslavia, or to Serb hero of Battle of Kosovo Miloš Obilić.

Crisis in Africa

The British General Harold Alexander sent personal telegram to Draža Mihailović before the offensive against Rommel in Africa, requesting him to organize a large-scale campaign against Axis lines of communication in order to obstruct transport of German war material through Serbia to Thessaloniki and further to Libya. In May 1942 Mihailović demanded heavy explosives from the British command to be used for destruction of the German supply lines running through Serbia and Aegean to North Africa German troops. To support Western Desert campaign Chetniks organized a campaign against communications of Axis through German occupied Serbia. This campaign was witnessed by Hudson. On 1 December 1942 Mihalovic received a greeting from the Chief of the British Imperial General Staff Alan Brooke who expressed his felicitations for the wonderful undertaking of the Yugoslav Army. After his arrival to Chetnik HQ, Bailey decided to reinforce British missions to Chetniks with well trained military sappers who could help Chetniks to be more effective in sabotaging German lines of communications. The campaign of Mihailović's Chetniks against Axis communications was probably instrumental in victory of Allies against Rommel in Africa, so British Near East Command jointly sent a telegram to Mihailovic on 16 August 1943 stating:"With admiration we are following your directed operations which are of inestimable value to our allied cause." Hitler blamed Chetniks in Serbia for his defeat in Africa and issued an order for complete annihilation of all Chetnik forces also sent to Mussolini in a letter on 16 February 1943.

We have no other choice, but to annihilate all Chetniks and against the bandits use the most brutal means.

— 

Bailey confirmed earlier Hudson's reports about agreements of Montenegrin Chetniks and Italians emphasizing that he found "no evidence of direct collaboration between Mihailović himself and the Germans and Italians."

While he was in Lipovo, Bailey went to Kolašin three times, once in February when he visited Pavle Đurišić and inspected Chetnik units before their departure to Neretva. Bailey offered to Đurišićs to replace Mihailović as Chetnik leader, but Đurišić refused and informed Mihailović about this offer personally.

British convince Mihailović they could "make him or break him"

When the crisis of Allies in Africa had passed the Chetniks reverted to policy of tactical inactivity toward Axis, which was criticized by the British. In his report sent to SEO HQ in Cairo Bailey emphasized:"...the time has come to treat Mihailović firmly. He must be made to realize that we could make him or break him."

United Kingdom supported Communist forces in Yugoslavia with substantial supplies while BBC repeatedly gave credit to communists for anti-Axis actions of Chetniks, especially during September and October 1943. This enraged Chetniks to the extent that before Charles Armstrong was dispatched to Chetnik headquarter, Colonel Bailey advised him that Chetniks were angry and that Mihailović "won't hear of British anymore". When Armstrong arrived to Chetnik HQ at the end of September 1943 he became the head of British mission and Bailey assumed position of his political advisor. Bailey organized handing over arms of Italian Venezia division of 8,000 Italian soldiers to communists instead to Chetniks. The final consequence with final consequence was that Chetniks were forced to leave this valley of river Lim.

The head of American mission Walter R. Mansfield proposed to retain one member of British and American army in Chetnik HQ after Armstrong and Mansfield left it, but Bailey refused this proposal. Bailey left Yugoslavia for Bari on 29 January 1944.

The historian Wheeler emphasize that Bailey did not have enough qualifications, education and political background to do his job properly in Mihailovićs HQ. Bailey was instrumental for wrecking the position of Mihailović with British side. It was Bailey who informed the British command about the outburst of drunk Mihailović at some baptismal ceremony when he stated that he has intention to fight Axis only after he first deal with his main enemies Partisans, Croats, Muslims and Ustaše.