Ristić, Dragiša Nikola, 1909-

Major, Yugoslav air force; aide to General Dus̆an T. Simović during World War II.

From the description of Dragiša Nikola Ristić papers, 1941-1980. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122450082

Biographical Note

• 1909 January 9: Born, Veliko Bonjice, Serbia
• 1928: Graduated, Belgrade Military Academy, rank of second lieutenant, assigned to Yugoslavian air force
• 1932: Promoted to first lieutenant, Yugoslavian air force
• 1935: Instructor, non-commissioned officers school
• 1936: Promoted to second captain, squadron commander
• 1936 - 1938 : 1940 - 1941 : Aide-de-camp to General Dušan Simović, commander of Yugoslavian air force
• 1939: Promoted to first captain
• 1941 January 23: Accompanied General Dušan Simović to a meeting in Belgrade with Colonel William J. Donovan, Franklin D. Roosevelt's representative in Europe
• 1941 March 23: Yugoslav Prime Minister Cvetković signed the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany
• 1941 March 27: Took part in the coup led by General Dušan Simović to overthrow the government of Prince Paul and Cvetković. The 17-year-old Peter II was appointed king, and Simović became the new prime minister
• 1941 April 6: Germans bombarded Belgrade, began invasion of Yugoslavia
• 1941 April 14: Received assignment to escort King Peter II out of Yugoslavia to safety, and flew him to Athens. Two days later, Simović, Ristić, and the King flew to Alexandria
• 1941 April - 1941 June : In Jerusalem, where Yugoslavian government-in-exile was based until it moved to London
• 1942 March: Transferred to the Yugoslav military mission in Canada and the United States, and was based variously at Ottawa, Washington, Nashville, and Windsor, Ontario. While in Windsor, enrolled at Wayne State University in Detroit
• 1943 - 1945 : Transferred to Yugoslavian forces based in Cairo, and while there, enrolled in the American University
• 1945 May 26: Honorable discharge from the Yugoslavian armed forces, rank of major
• 1946 - 1948 : Returned to the United States, employed by U.S. Steel Products Company, Los Angeles, and enrolled at University of California, Los Angeles
• 1950: Graduated, bachelor's degree in political science, University of California, Los Angeles
• 1951: Employed as instructor of Serbo-Croatian language at the U.S. Army Language School, Presidio of Monterey, California
• 1953: Graduated, master's degree in political science, University of California, Los Angeles
• 1955: Studied at the Faculté de Droit, University of Paris, while researching book on the Yugoslavian revolution of 1941
• 1966: Published Yugoslavia's Revolution of 1941 (Pennsylvania State University Press)
• 1972 - 1973 : Studied in doctoral program for political science, Western Colorado University
• 2004: Died, Monterey, California

From the guide to the Dragisa N. Ristic Papers, 1941-1980, (Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace)