26.10.2016
Foreign military representatives visit booth of Odbrana Media Centre
As in previous years, the environment of the book fair was a good opportunity for the visit of foreign military attaches and their introduction to the results of the publishing activities of Odbrana Media Centre. Colonel Stevica Karapandzin, Director of the Media Centre, welcomed the present defence attaches."Odbrana Media Centre, as a specialized institution for the publishing and taking care of the artistic collection of the Central Military Club, presents itself, this year as well, at the International Book Fair with many interesting issues, both for the defence system, and for the broader audience", Karapandzin said. "Publishing activities of the Media Centre, just as it was during the last three years, focused its work on marking of the First World War, so the numerous publications in this year's production are thematically related to that period. In this regard, I would specifically point out edition "Four Field Marshals" about our not only the most important commanders from the Great War, but perhaps the biggest ones in the entire Serbian military history. By this issue, in a way, we are correcting a historical injustice against one of them – Field Marshal Petar Bojovic, who lived the longest, and whose departure in 1945 was not properly marked."
On this occasion, Colonel Karapandzin announced the promotion of books about the Serbian-Greek relations, the military clergy, royal air force, General Jovan Dragasevic, founder of the military publishing activities in Serbia. "There is also the book about the river flotilla of Serbia, which celebrated last year a century of its existence. It is interesting that the Serbian river flotilla derives its tradition from the river flotilla of the Austro-Hungarian Empire because the Serbs served in the Austrian flotilla as early as in the 18th century. Also, the foundation of our flotilla itself dates back in time of the First World War, when Serbia gained the first ships, but also the major attacks of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on Belgrade and Serbia coming across the rivers. This is especially true for the offensive in 1915 under the command of Field Marshal Augustus von Mackensen. "
In the context of the brief presentation of the book by Dusan Babac on the Serbs, commanders in the Russian army, the Director of the Media Centre suggested the possibility that the next year, this publishing house prepares also the publication on the Serbs, prominent officers in the US Armed Forces, because more than 20 American Serbs, members of the US military, were holders of the highest American military decorations such as medal of honour. Colonel Karapandzin briefly presented the books on the Yugoslav – Soviet military cooperation during the detente between the two countries after the death of Stalin, as well as books on knowledge of ordnance and military medical service.Explaining that the book is of special importance for the soldiers, Karapandzin commented on several decades of controversy regarding the survival of the book: "This fair shows that the printed book will survive, and this is especially important for us, the soldiers", he said. "Nobody wants peace more than the soldiers. It is in fact where the importance of the military publishing lays – the book helps soldiers to find peace first in themselves, because thus they will better spread it to others. "
Norwegian Defence Attaché, Tore Andersson, says for Odbrana that everything he saw at the fair, especially in the exhibition area of Odbrana, is very impressive: "Very interesting, indeed, a huge number of very interesting books, both at the fair as a whole and at the booth of Odbrana. I simply feel sorry I do not speak Serbian language well enough, because I would love to dive into all these books. "His American counterpart, Colonel Douglas M. Faherty, is impressed by the size of the fair as a whole, but also by what Odbrana showed. "We, in our military, do not have anything like this, speaking about the military publishing", Faherty said.Odbrana today, in the afternoon, continues its presentation to the guests of the fair by promotion of the publication "Four Field Marshals" and the book on Serbian-Greek relations during the Balkan wars and the First World War.
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