Predrag Raković (Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: Предраг Раковић; 10 June 1912 – 15 December 1944) was a Yugoslav military officer who joined the Chetnik forces of Draža Mihailović after the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941 during World War II.

He became commander of the Chetnik 2nd Ravna Gora Corps and collaborated with the German-installed puppet government in the German-occupied territory of Serbia and later directly with the Germans against the rival communist-led Yugoslav Partisans.

Following graduation from gymnasium, he successfully applied to become a cadet at the lower school of the Royal Yugoslav Army's Quartermaster Academy, commencing on 1 October 1933.

[1] His duties included supervising the heating, lighting and meeting of the supply needs of the Osijek garrison, and he also managed army funds allocated for that purpose.

[6] When the invasion began, two battalions of the 42nd Infantry Regiment were marching towards their defensive positions, while the rest of the unit was still mobilising in Bjelovar and was unable to move due to lack of draught animals.

[7] The Croatian nationalist Ustaše sabotaged the Yugoslav radio network and conducted fifth column activities, and this hampered the mobilisation and deployment of the 42nd Infantry Regiment and the rest of the division.

[9][10] The following day, the two understrength and wavering battalions of the 42nd Infantry Regiment arrived at Pčelić, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southwest of Virovitica, where the Germans had crossed the Drava river.

The main activities of the Chetniks from mid-May to August were identifying what manpower might be available to the movement, recruiting those willing to commit immediately, and drawing up lists of those who might be mobilised in future, as well as collecting arms, ammunition and supplies and establishing caches.

Mihailović and his inner circle also planned a resistance strategy, which centred around building up strength but postponing armed operations against the occupiers until the Allies landed and pushed them out of the country.

By mid-September, some Chetnik detachments were conducting independent or combined operations with the Partisans against the Germans and the Serbian collaborationist forces of Milan Nedić's Government of National Salvation.

[19] In an indication that Raković retained the trust of Mihailović, in September his responsibilities were expanded to the Chetnik forces in the nearby village of Ljubić.

[21] The Partisans successfully repelled the Chetnik assault and counter-attacked; at the end of two weeks of fierce fighting they surrounded Mihailović's headquarters at Ravna Gora but were reluctant to continue due to Tito's perception that the Soviet Union would disapprove.

[23] Mihailović had been in contact with Nedić's puppet government since late August, and in mid-November he had encouraged Chetnik detachments to cooperate with the quisling forces against the Partisans.

[24] In night of 30-31 November 1941 Raković with his 200 men met with 5th Serbian Volunteer Detachment of Marisav Petrović in village of Gornje Gorevnice.

They then competed with the Serbian Volunteer Detachments – the paramilitary arm of Dimitrije Ljotić's pre-war fascist Yugoslav National Movement Zbor, that was part of the puppet regime's forces – in assisting with the capture of remaining Partisans.

Despite being officially "illegal", Raković maintained contacts with the Germans, and agreed to continue fighting against the remaining Partisans and not obstruct the requisition of food in the district, in return for arms, ammunition and other supplies.

[30] Chetnik forces participated on the Axis side during the largest counterinsurgency operation in occupied Yugoslavia – Case White – between January and March 1943 in the Independent State of Croatia.

In mid-April Mihailović ordered the mobilisation and transport of Raković's corps over the 200 km (120 mi) from Čačak to Bijelo Polje to bolster the Chetnik defences.

By the time they arrived on 7 May, along with the Rasina Corps of Dragutin Keserović, the Partisans had made further advances, and intelligence had been received about German intentions to enter Montenegro and disarm the Chetniks.