Dimitrije Konjović
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dimitrije Konjović,[1] a pilot, naval officer and a renowned Serbian industrialist. He was born in 1888 in Stanisici near Sombor, in the family of teacher Pavle Konjović. His older brother was a famous Serbian composer Petar Konjović and his cousin was a prominent painter Milan Konjović.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Having completed elementary and secondary education, he attended the prestigious military academy in Pula.
[edit] World War I
During the First World War he was a marine officer in the Austro-Hungarian navy. Serbian and French people are forever grateful to him for his valiant and heroic acts. Thanks to him, in the winter of 1916 the Gospel of Miroslav, one of the major Serbian cultural heritage artifacts was preserved. Instead of bombing Serbian troops loading the ships in the Adriatic port of San Giovanni de Medua as ordered, he turned his plane and dropped the bombs in the sea. It turned out that the ships were carrying a special cargo with the Gospel of Miroslav, accompanied by the future Serbian patriarch Gavrilo, which was thus saved.
The same year, Konjović entered the history books as the first pilot who destroyed a submarine from the air, a French submarine in the Adriatic. When he saw that there were survivors after he dropped the bombs, he came down in his hydro-plane and saved them. For this heroic act, the French Government awarded him on 14 February 1968 a special recognition for heroism, humanity and compassion in sea battles. Even today at the official site of the French Navy there is a picture depicting Konjović saving the sailors.
As captain of the frigate in 1918 he greeted the victorious units of the Army of the Kingdom of Serbia, handed them over the frigate and all assets of the Austro-Hungarian army in Kumbor, Boka Kotorska. Soon after joining the service of the Army of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, he joined the navy in Novi Sad and remained in active service until 1923.
[edit] “Ikarus”
Having completed the service in the Army of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, he embarked upon a new enterprise – the creation of “Ikarus” – the first Yugoslav and Balkan airplane factory. He was the company director and one of the major share-holders for almost 20 years.
[edit] World War II
As soon as German occupation forces came to Serbia, Dimitrije Konjović was arrested and thrown in the camp in Banjica. A Wehrmacht officer, his former colleague from the college in Pula, who toured the camp saw Dimitrije and asked him what he was doing there. Konjović replied: “Your people arrested me.” As a token of friendship, he was released and spent the war years on an estate near Belgrade.
[edit] After war and late years
After the country was liberated, he started to rebuild the factory. He was a director, although the new government authorities intervened to appoint a new manager. Along with other shareholders, he was forced to sell his shares. He was later charged with alleged “business cooperation with the occupier”, whereby his personal assets were confiscated as well as his shares in “Ikarus”. In 1947 he moved to Beska with his family and became a farmer. He returned to Belgrade in 1961 after he retired, and died there in 1982. He was married twice and had four children.
Dimitrije Konjović will be remembered as a visionary, a great patriot, humanist and a company director who personally test-flew every plane manufactured in his factory.
