Vojislav Tankosić Vojislav Tankosić (, 20 September 1880 – 2 November 1915) was a Serbian military officer, vojvoda of the Serbian Chetnik Organization, major of the Serbian Army, and member of the Black Hand, who participated in the May Coup and was accused of involvement in the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Overview Tankosić was born in Ruklada, in the Tamnava region near Valjevo. His family came from Bosnian Krajina. He finished Gymnasium and the prestigious Military Academy. He showed high national consciousness, and gained the trust of Milorad Gođevac and the other Chetnik leaders. Tankosić was sent as a secret agent, undercover, into Ottoman Macedonia to study the terrain and people for future action. As Dragutin Dimitrijević Apis' trustee, he executed Queen Draga's two brothers, in 1903, in the May Coup, which saw the murder (and overthrowing) of King Alexander Obrenović. He participated in the Battle of Čelopek (April 1905) under Savatije Milošević. Young Bosnia received arms from him for their actions. Sources say that he shot apples from the heads of his Chetnik fighters. Once, when they crossed the Sava bridge, he ordered all to jump off, and they did. Tankosić was described as rude and bold. He was arrested by the Serbian government when Gavrilo Princip killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand (28 June 1914), but was forgiven when Austria attacked Serbia; the Chetniks of Voja Tankosić and Jovan Babunski prevented Belgrade from falling into Austrian hands on the first night of the war. He then fought at the Drina (September 6–October 4, 1914). His unit retreated last, covering the Austrians and Germans, and he was fatally wounded near Veliki Popović. He lived for two days, then died in Trstenik on November 2, 1915. When the Austrians occupied the town, they excavated his body from the grave to make sure he was indeed dead. A photograph of his body was featured on the front pages of Croatian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Austrian newspapers. He was re-buried in Trstenik, and his mother and friends had his body transferred to Belgrade for an honorable burial on the New Cemetery in 1923. May Coup In a period of great national fervour among the Serb youth organizations, Tankosić tried to gain the trust of General Jovan Atanacković, who had begun to gather volunteers for insurgency in Old Serbia and Macedonia. As a sub-lieutenant, he participated in the conspiracy against King Alexander Obrenović, and the May Coup (1903). He had previously helped the leaders of the March demonstrations (1903) to flee with boats to Zemun. He led the execution of Queen Draga's brothers, Nikola and Nikodije. Guerilla fighting As a member of the Serbian Chetnik Organization, Tankosić went to Skopje, Bitola and Thessaloniki in the winter of 1903–04, where he organized Chetnik action in Macedonia. Tankosić was one of the most important Chetnik voivodes, and was an excellent shot. He participated in the victory on Čelopek near Kumanovo on April 16, 1905, part of the četa (unit) of vojvoda Savatije Milošević. There was a pause in action due to the Serbian-Bulgarian customs union's conclusion on July 6, 1905; thus, Tankosić was brought back to Serbia, where he was awarded the Order of the Star of Karađorđe. From the second half of 1905 to October 1907, he attended and graduated from the Military Academy in Belgrade. In 1907–08 he was the Chief of Staff of Eastern Povardarje, which meant that he commanded all units active from the Serbian border to the Vardar. He led the attack on Bulgarian bands in the village of Stracin in 1908, which nearly caused a Serbian-Bulgarian war. He returned to Belgrade