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Kragujevac ‘41: The 65th Anniversary of the Kragujevac Massacre

October 19, 2006 – 11:24 am

A German officer points to a Serbian civilian that survived the first volley that is to be finished off.

The Kragujevac massacre of October 20-21, 1941 was one of the most horrific Nazi war crimes during World War II. Serbian civilians from Kragujevac were executed by the German occupation army even though no attacks were made in the city. German General Franz Boehme wanted to fill the quota of one hundred Serbian civilians executed for every German soldier killed, fifty Serbian civilians executed for every German soldier wounded. Because not enough hostages could be found, however, Serbian students from the Kragujevac high school along with their teachers were rounded up and executed. The massacre occurred during the Serbian insurgency or guerrilla resistance movemnet that began in the summer of 1941. The Serbian insurgency was the first major resistance to the German Nazi New Order in Europe. In this regard, it was unprecedented and unique. The German military occupation forces responded with unprecedented “reprisals” and indiscriminate mass executions of civilians.

German General Franz Boehme was sent to German-occupied Serbia to quell the uprising and guerrilla insurgency. Boehme, who was Austrian and a veteran of the Austrian Army, advocated a brutal policy against the Serbian resistance, which he saw as retribution and retaliation for Austia’s defeat in World World I which he blamed on Serbia. In his “Order to the German Army in Serbia”, from the Donau Zeitung (The Danube Times) newspaper, Boehme announced:

“As a result of the Serbian rebellion, hundreds of German soldiers have been killed. Our losses will be enormous unless we crush the rebellion without mercy.

“Your task always is to be in total control of every village in this country in which German blood was shed also in 1914.

The heavy hand of our retribution must be felt by the entire population of Serbia. Those who show them pity, thereby deny pity to their own. Any such person will be court-martialed, whoever he may be.”

German occupation troops lead Serbian civilians from Kragujevac, including Serbian high school students from the No. V/3 class, to execution site.

On September 28, 1941, Serbian Chetnik guerrillas captured the 6th Company of the 920th Landesschuetzen or Security Battalion of the German Army which had occupied Gorni Milanovac in central Serbia. The supreme German military commander in Serbia, General Franz Boehme, sent German occupation troops to the region to carry out reprisals. One of the units that Boehme sent in the “punitive expedition” was the 1st Battalion of the 724th Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment, commanded by Major Paul Koenig. The 3rd Battalion of the 749th Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment had been ambushed and attacked by Serbian Chetnik guerrillas as it advanced from Gorni Milanovac to Kragujevac. The Serbian guerrilla forces killed 10 German Wehrmacht troops and wounded 26. Major Paul Koenig, whose forces were deployed at the time in the city of Kragujevac, ordered that a “comprehensive reprisal” against Serbian civilians in Kragujevac be undertaken.

In retaliation, on October 19, German military forces burned down several villages in the Groznice area. Wehrmacht occupation troops executed 422 Serbian civilians. On the next day, October 20, German reprisal operations continued in Kragujevac as German troops rounded up 2,300 men and boys for execution. The Serbian civilians were held overnight in the city public plaza and the barracks building and shot outside of the city on October 21. The executions were by troops of the 1st Battalion of the 724th Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment.

Austrian-born General Franz Boehme was sent to German-occupied Serbia to put down the Serbian guerrilla insurgency.

All Serbian males between the ages of 16 and 60 were taken to district military headquarters for identification, then to huts overlooking the town. Civil servants were rounded up from city offices and 300 students over 16 were taken from the high school along with 18 teachers.

The executions were carried out to fill the quota. A telegram between the Plenipotentiary of the German Foreign Ministry and the military commander in Serbia explained the reason why civilians from Kragujevac were chosen for execution:

â€œThe executions in Kragujevac occurred although there had been no attacks on members of the Wehrmacht in this city, for the reason that not enough hostages could be found elsewhere.

An announcement from the local German command office in Kragujevac on October 21, 1941, was as follows:

“For every dead German soldier, 100 residents have been executed, and for every wounded German soldier, 50 residents have been executed, and before all others, Communists, bandits, and their assistants were targeted, all totaling 2,300.”

On October 29, Felix Benzler, sent this report to his ministry, noting that 2,300 Serbian civilians had been executed in Kragujevac:

“In the past week there have been executions of a large number of Serbs … in Kragujevac, as reprisals for the killing of members of the Wehrmacht in the proportion of 100 Serbs for one German. … in Kragujvac 2,300.

German troops take identification from Serbian civilians before execution outside of Kragujevac.

The total number of Serbian civilians executed in Kragujevac and the surrounding area is estimated at 5,000-7,000.

German Wehrmacht General Franz Boehme was prosecuted for war crimes at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials after the war for his role in the Kragujevac massacre.

Messages Before Dying

Before they were executed, the Serbian civilian hostages were allowed to write notes and letters to their families and relatives from the barracks building where they were held.

Ljubisa Jovanovic, a student at the Kragujevac high school, wrote a note to his parents:

“Dear mom and dad for the last time Love Ljubisa”

Pavle Ivanovic, also a student at the high school, wrote a note for his father:

“Dad, Miso and I are in the old barracks. Bring us lunch, my jumper too and a blanket. Bring us some jam Pavle Dad go to the schoolmaster if that matters dad send us something to eat. Mom uncle Peter is also here. Send him 3 packs of tobacco and some t. paper Pavle”

Stevan Vuletic, a worker, wrote:

“Children revenge your father Stevan”

Borivoje Ivanovic, a worker, wrote a note for his wife:

“take care of the children my last words Bora Promise never(r) leav(e) the children”

Gligorije Djordjevic wrote:

“My children don’(t) forget your father … Gligorije them gonna kill me innocent so help me God… Dear Mother take care of my little orphans”

Miloje Prokic, a worker, wrote:

“Mileva take care of my Mile my best Miloje Goodbye I’m dying and dunno nothing about Velja Bogdan and Selimi(r) Farewell for good”

Viktor Krizbaher, a fireman in the city, wrote:

“take care of the children it grieves me I’m so cold and hungry bumped against something and it hurts now I’ll come back but dunno when just take care of the children Viktor we are in the old barracks”

Dragoljub Mladenovic, a carpenter, wrote a note for his wife:

“Darling please take Care of the children don’t leave them never and Goodbye”

Svetislav Miljkovic wrote:

“My dear sweet Children Mile and Andra and Militza and Miso and My Dear home your father sends you hi(s) las(t) words so long I’m going to die God bless you all your father Tile”

Radisav Simic, a laborer, wrote:

“Good-bye Mitza I die today. Good-bye my dearest my last thought was you Be happy my son even without me. Good-bye —Radisav”

Lazar Pantelic, a teacher and an associate director at the Kragujevac high school, wrote a note for his wife and children:

“My dearest my beloved, Mira, kiss the children for me Children, listen to mother and take care of yourselves Goodbye for ever Love your dad Laza Oct. 21, 1941.”