19.10.2016.
Monograph River Flotilla 1915-2015 presented
As part of the celebration of 100 years since the beginning of the Great War, in the Central Military Club, another edition of Odbrana Media Centre was presented. The presentation was attended by many members of our river forces, the Military Academy and the School of National Defence, as well as friends of the written word, which, on behalf of the publisher, were welcomed by the director of Odbrana Media Centre, Colonel Stevica Karapandzin.The book River flotilla 1915-2015 by Rear Admiral, retired, Bosko Antic, and Commander (Navy) Dragan Spasojevic, at more than 250 pages richly illustrated with photographs, testifies to the continuous struggle and duration of the army branch about which, according to the editor of the publication Mirjana Sandic, yet little is known.
- From 6th August 1915, when the first Serbian river boat Yadar was launched until today, a century passed, the century of persistent and continuous efforts of Serbian river forces to preserve freedom of not only the rivers, but also the entire homeland, along with their companions on the land. But the history of Serbian shippers is longer than a century. It goes back to a distant past that was marked by the Serbian Šajkaši (river flottila troops guarding the Danube and Sava), touches the Serbian uprisings, the Balkan Wars and both World Wars. In all these conflicts, members of the Serbian river units gave an immeasurable contribution to the struggle for freedom. The monograph is a monument erected to them, all members of the River Flotilla, river units that today, as part of the Army, carry out their important tasks, particularly within the third mission of the Serbian Armed Forces, Mirjana Sandic said, among other things.
Speakers about the value of almost encyclopaedic monograph on the Serbian river flotilla were the reviewers of the book Captain (Navy) retired, Zoran Karlicic, and Vladimir Barovic, PhD, who pointed out that almost everything that is known about this part of the Serbian Armed Forces is assembled on the pages of this important work.- A lot about the river flotilla is not known, Captain Karlicic said, citing numerous facts about the existence and duration of the river units during the "first hundred years."
Plenty of data on river vessels, tools and equipment of the river units, courage of "sailors" on the rivers and the life on board, make this book an unusual valuable source for a study of the river shipping industry, Dr Barovic, said, and then the authors of the book talked about the book and the experience gained during its creation.
Stressing that for the members of the River Flotilla, as well as for all the sailors in the world, one of the most important things is tradition, they tried for a part of it to break away from oblivion and to preserve it for the young generations.
