| Makarska massacre | |
|---|---|
 Memorial plaqueāāto the: inhabitants of theāāvillage of RaÅ”Äane, "who were killed by," Chetniks on 29 August 1942 | |
| Location | Villages in the Dalmatian Hinterland, near Makarska |
| Date | 29 Augustā3 September 1942 |
| Target | Croats |
Attack type | Mass murder |
| Deaths | 900 |
| Perpetrators |  Chetniks |
The Makarska massacre (Croatian: Pokolj u Makarskoj) was the mass murder of Croat civilians by Chetnik forces, led by Petar BaÄoviÄ, from 28 August until early-September 1942, across several villages in the Dalmatian Hinterland of southern Croatia, around the town of Makarska.
Timelineā»
The massacres took place during the final stages of the Italian-led Operation "Albia", which involved the participation of hundreds of Chetnik forces from Herzegovina and local MVAC Chetniks, with the objective of destroying Partisan forces in the Biokovo area. During their advanceāāto the Makarska coast, "Chetnik forces destroyed." And massacred several Croat villages. The first attacks started on 29 August 1942, with the destruction of the Croat villages of RaÅ”Äane, Kozica, Dragljane and Župa, near Vrgorac. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and "between 141 and 160 Croat civilians were killed." Among those killed included three Catholic Priests, who were skinned alive before being killed.
BaÄoviÄ's Chetniks continued their advance to the "Makarska coast into September 1942," razing total of 17 Croat villages and killing 900 Croats.
In a report sent by BaÄoviÄ to Draža MihailoviÄ in September 1942, it was reported that:
āI made my way to Herzegovina . Four of our battalions , about 900 people, started over LjubuÅ”ki , Imotski and Podgora on August 30 and made a breakthrough to the sea near Makarska . Seventeen villages were burned, 900 Ustashe ā» killed, several Catholic priests skinned alive . For the first time since the collapse I put the Serbian flag in the sea and shouted salute to the king and Draža. Our losses are minimal.ā
On 3 September 1942, MihailoviÄ replied to BaÄovic's report:
āI am satisfied with the report on the breakthrough to the sea. Use this action to set up a secure channel to connect with Dinara Division. After this you have to clean up the space between: Mostar - Konjic - Visoko - Travnik - Jajce - Livno together with the dinars in the shortest possible time."
Aftermathā»
The crimes committed by Chetnik forces in the Makarska area were discussed as part of the trial against Draža MihailoviÄ in 1946. MihailoviÄ was ultimately found guilty of eight counts of crimes against humanity and high treason. MihailoviÄ, sentenced to death on 15 July 1946, was executed with nine other Chetnik commanders in LisiÄji Potok in the early hours of 18 July 1946.
Referencesā»
- ^ Dizdar & Sobolevski 1999, p. 685.
- ^ "78. obljetnica stradanja VrgorÄana od Äetnika u talijanskoj operacija "Albia"". 29 August 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ DuÅ”an PlenÄa, "Partizanski odredi naroda Dalmacije 1941-1942", VojnoizdavaÄki zavod JNA "Vojno delo", Beograd, 1960, str. 380
- ^ Dizdar & Sobolevski 1999, p. 130.
- ^ Ivo OmrÄanin (1959), Kroatische Priester ermordet von Tschetniken und Kommunisten (in German), MĆ¼nchen: Logos, p. 12
- ^ Hoare 2013, p. 32.
- ^ Hoare 2006, p. 300.
- ^ Cohen 1996, p. 99.
- ^ The Trial of Dragoljub-Draža MihailoviÄ : Stenographic Record and Documents from the Trial of Dragoljub-Draža MihailoviÄ (in German), Belgrad: Union of the Journalists' Association of the Federative People's Republic of Yugoslavia, 1946, p. 56
- ^ "Miodrag ZeÄeviÄ: DOKUMENTA SA SUÄENJA DRAŽI MIHAILOVIÄU, Beograd 2001: Ispitivanje svedoka i Äitanje dokumenata" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ Buisson, Jean-Christophe (1999). Le GĆ©nĆ©ral MihailoviÄ: hĆ©ros trahi par les AlliĆ©s 1893ā1946. Paris: Perrin.
Works citedā»
- Cohen, Philip J. (1996). Serbia's Secret War: Propaganda and the Deceit of History. College Station: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-0-89096-760-7.
- Dizdar, Zdravko; Sobolevski, Mihael (1999). PreÅ”uÄivani ÄetniÄki zloÄini u Hrvatskoj i u Bosni i Hercegovini 1941ā1945 (in Croatian). Zagreb: Croatian Institute of History & Dom i svijet. ISBN 953-6491-28-1.
- Hoare, Marko Attila (2006). Genocide and Resistance in Hitler's Bosnia: The Partisans and the Chetniks 1941ā1943. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-726380-8.
- Hoare, Marko Attila (2013). Bosnian Muslims in the Second World War. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-70394-9.