Vojvoda Stepa na konju jaše | Serbian Patriotic Song | Lyrics

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Stepan "Stepa" Stepanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Степан Степа Степановић) was a Serbian military commander who fought in the Serbo-Turkish War, the Serbo-Bulgarian War, the First Balkan War, the Second Balkan War and World War I. Having joined the Serbian military in 1874, he fought against the forces of the Ottoman Empire in 1876. Over the following years, he climbed up the ranks of the Serbian Army and fought against Bulgarian forces in 1885. He eventually became the Serbian Minister of War in April 1908 and was responsible for instituting changes in the Serbian Army.

Stepanović commanded Serbian forces during the two Balkan Wars and led the Serbian Second Army during World War I.

At the beginning of World War I he acted as the representative of the absent chief of staff Radomir Putnik. He was responsible for mobilization and some war preparations. After Putnik's return he took command of the Second Army. In World War I, he led the Serbian army in a great victory in the Battle of Cer, where his Second Army completely defeated the Austrian Fifth Army, arriving to the scene after a forced march. This was the first allied victory of the war, and he was promoted to Field Marshal. His army achieved successes in the Battle of the Drina and Battle of Kolubara, in addition to the defense of Serbia in 1915.

In 1918 he was again in command of the Second Army which was a part of the large Allied offensive in Macedonia, they achieved a breakthrough on September 15th. The Second Army advanced to the Bulgarian border and from there, after the Bulgarian capitulation on 29th September 1918, turned west towards Bosnia and the Adriatic Sea.

He was an active officer until the end of 1919, when he retired from service as the commander in chief of the Serbian army. During his career he also served as minister of the army on two occasions.

He was decorated with the "Takovski krst sa ukrštenim mačevima" medal for bravery during the 1876-1878 wars against the Ottoman Empire. He was also awarded the Knight Grand Cross of The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. He died in the town of Čačak on 29 April 1929.