Emanuel Bilić
Emanuel Bilić | |
|---|---|
 Bilić in 2002 | |
| Nickname(s) | Papa Bear |
| Born | 28 May 1945 Iani, Syara |
| Died | 7 July 2018 (aged 73) Kolnov, Syara |
| Allegiance |  Republic of Syara (1973-1983)  Syara (1987-2016) |
| Service/ | Army of the Syaran Republic Syaran National Army |
| Years of service | 1973-2016 |
| Rank | Colonel General |
| Unit | XX Corps 8th Army |
| Battles/wars | Refusal War Zemplen War |
| Awards | see below |
Emanuel Bilić (May 28,1945 - July 7, 2018) was a Syaran General best known for his command of 8th Army during the Zemplen War.
An ethnic Scitarian, Bilić was born in Iani to a middle class family. His parents managed to secure Bilić a college education which he used to comission as an officer in the Army of the Syaran Republic. Bilić served between 1973-1983 before he defected to the Wardens during the Refusal War. After the war he was comissioned into the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces as a Colonel, before being promoted to Brigadier General in 1996. He was promoted to Major General shortly after the Imerti Conflict, and then promoted to Lt. General upon the outbreak of the Zemplen War and given command of XX Corps, under Army Group Gamma. Under his command XX Corps helped capture Pannonhalma during Operation Aspis. Bilić was promoted to Colonel General and given command of 8th Army in January of 2009 after Colonel General Petar Tomulevski was killed by Ruvelkan special forces, a role that Bilić would retain until the end of the war. 8th Army spent most of the duration of the conflict locked in battle with Ruvelkan defenders among the point where the Matra and Karilla Mountains meet. With the final Ruvelkan offensive of the war, 8th Army was forced to pull back with the rest of the Syaran army and retreated to Kesagi, where it remained until the war ended. Bilić remained in the Syaran National Army after the war, retiring in 2016 in light of recurring health problems. He passed away on June 7, 2018.
Bilić earned a mixed repuatation during his service in the Syaran army, with his relatively slow ascent through the ranks relative to his comrades seen as some as a lack of ambition. Noted for his slow, monotone method of speaking, Bilić was disliked by many of his peers in operational terms for his emphasis on slow moving offensives and caution in all areas. Although many Syaran generals considered him second rate he was well liked by his soldiers whom he frequently visited on the front lines; they affectionately referred to him as "Papa Bear". Upon his death in 2018 he was given a state funeral that was attended by more than 20,000 of his formers subordinates.