The Kulen Vakuf massacre was committed during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
by
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
-led
Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
and groups of non-communist
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
rebels (including
Chetniks
The Chetniks ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Четници, Četnici, ; sl, Četniki), formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationa ...
), killing 1,000 to 3,000
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian Fascism, fascist and ultranationalism, ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaš ...
prisoners as well as
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, and a smaller number of
Croat
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
(around 100 killed), civilians in early September 1941 in
Kulen Vakuf
Kulen Vakuf (Serbian Cyrillic: Кулен Вакуф) is a village in the Municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, municipality of Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Kulen Vakuf was the birthplace of Bosnian Ottoman nobleman Mehmed-beg Kulenović.
...
, part of the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...
(present-day
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Republika Srpska. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists ...
). The local Ustaše had previously massacred Serbs in Kulen Vakuf and surrounding villages.
Background
Ethnic
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
were
targeted by the genocidal policies of the Ustaše-led
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...
, a
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its o ...
of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
which was established after the Axis
invasion of Yugoslavia
The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...
. The massacre of Serbs by the local Ustaše, such as those in July and early August 1941 in villages around Kulen Vakuf, led to reprisals. The retaliation was brief and quickly repressed, unlike Ustaše war crimes (which were organized at the top of the Croatian government in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, which systematically and persistently pushed the local Ustaše to commit massacres. The description of the events as conflicts between local Chetniks and Ustaše, motivated by ethnic intolerance, has been called an oversimplification.
Ustaše massacre of Serbs
The Kulen Vakuf massacre was retaliation for earlier, equally-massive Ustaše massacres of local Serbs. There are more than 280 locations where Serbs in Bosnia were tortured and killed during the summer of 1941.
Serbs were massacred in the villages of Oraško Brdo, Prkosi, Veliki Stenjani, Renovac, Kalati, Bušević, Kestenovac, Bosanski Srbci and Malo Seoce, all near Kulen Vakuf. During an early massacre near Kulen Vakuf, the Ustaše killed 862 Serbs in one day and 950 Serbs were killed in the village;
Miroslav Matijević, a Croat who owned a local restaurant, organized and participated in the massacre of Serbs on a hill near the church in Kulen Vakuf. The Ustaše set fire to an Orthodox church in the village after they had killed many Serbs in it. Vukosav Kulenvakufski, the Serb priest of a church in the village, was murdered by the Ustaše in June 1941 after they killed his family (including his two daughters-in-law and two grandsons) in front of him.
In early August 1941, all Serb civilians from the village of
Kalati
Kalati ( sr-cyrl, Калати) is a village in the municipality of Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Demographics
According to the 2013 census, its population was one, down from 52 in 1991.
See also
* Kulen Vakuf massacre
The Kulen Vakuf ma ...
were massacred or imprisoned in Kulen Vakuf, leaving the village depopulated until Kulen Vakuf and its imprisoned civilians were liberated on 6 September 1941. By 30 August 1941, the Ustaše had killed nearly 200 Serb women and children in Kalati. The Kulen Vakuf massacre also involved the liquidation of the Muslim community. Some Muslim victims were Ustaše members who had massacred Serbs; others were killed because they were thought to be ethnically linked to the Ustaše.
Earlier retaliatory massacres
The Kulen Vakuf massacre was preceded by one in
Krnjeuša, when rebels killed up to 240 Croat civilians on 9 August 1941. When rebels decided to attack the Ustaše stronghold of
Boričevac
Boričevac is a village in Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
...
, they knew that the village was predominantly inhabited by Croats. Rebel commanders were relieved that Boričevac's Croat civilians escaped rebels, furious at the massacre of the Serbian population of Lika, by fleeing to Kulen Vakuf; A rebel leader warned them by letter about the expected attack. After they captured Boričevac, the rebels discovered two mass graves of Serbian civilians nearby; some rebels recognized family members among the dead. Although they were ordered not to raze the village, the rebels set fire to its houses. Serb rebels later massacred 179 Croat civilians, primarily the aged, infirm, women and children in Boričevac.
Capture
The rebel forces were under the command of headquarters in
Drvar
Drvar (, ) is a town and municipality located in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 2013 census registered the municipality as having a population of 7,036. It is situated in western Bos ...
.
Communist forces consisted of the Freedom ( sh, Sloboda, Слобода) Battalion, commanded by Stevan Pilipović-Maćuka and Đoko Jovanić; one detachment of communist forces from Lika was commanded by Stojan Matić, and Gojko Polovina was their political leader. Other communist detachments were commanded by Nikola Karanović and Pero Đilas, who later joined the
Chetniks
The Chetniks ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Четници, Četnici, ; sl, Četniki), formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationa ...
against the partisans. The communist forces were headquartered in Doljanski Bubanj. The rebel forces included non-communists who were known as Chetniks. Their commanders included Mane Rokvić, who later joined the Chetniks and became a well-known military officer.
![Djoka Jovanić](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Djoka_Jovani%C4%87.jpg)
The Croatian garrison in Kulen Vakuf, commanded by Vladimir Veber, consisted of one battalion of Ustaše and
Home Guard
Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense.
The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...
forces and Muslim members of local militias from the villages of Ćukovo, Orašac and Klis. Veber, notorious in the region for his massacres of Serbs between June and September 1941, was trapped in Kulen Vakuf after he tried to reach
Srb from
Bihać
Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina ...
to fight the rebels in the
Srb and
Drvar uprising
The Drvar uprising ( sr, Устанак у Дрвару) was the World War II uprising of the Serb population of Bosnian Krajina (modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina). Italy supported it, both politically and in arms, in its struggle against the fas ...
s, was ambushed in Boričevac and lost 20 of his men. Since the Ustaše had substantial forces in
Bosanski Petrovac
Bosanski Petrovac ( sr-cyrl, Босански Петровац) is a town and municipality located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the municipality has a ...
, the rebels cut it off from Kulen Vakuf and attacked the villages of
Ćukovi
Ćukovi (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћукови) is a village in the municipality of Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Demographics
According to the 2013 census, its population was 221.
See also
* Kulen Vakuf massacre
The Kulen Vakuf massacre was c ...
and Orašac. The Ustaše eventually retreated to Kulen Vakuf.
The decision to attack Kulen Vakuf was made by communist leaders including
Marko Orešković
Marko Orešković (3 April 1895 – 20 October 1941) was a Croatian and Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Partisans (Yugoslavia), Partisan commander. He was also known by his nickname ''Krntija''.
He was born in Široka Kula, Gospić municipality, which w ...
, Gojko Polovina and Stevan Pilipović, who estimated that the rebel forces encircling the village were strong enough to capture it. According to the communist plan to capture the village, the Freedom Battalion would attack from the villages of Vrtoče and Prkosi and the detachment from Lika would cross the
Una River.
When Veber realized that Kulen Vakuf was surrounded by superior rebel forces, he decided to break through the rebel lines along the road to Prkos and
Bihać
Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina ...
with refugees from Croat villages shielding his forces. Veber intended to retreat, regardless of civilian casualties.
The Ustaše attacked the Freedom Battalion late on the night of 5 September 1941. When Veber ordered the evacuation of civilians from the town, the Croatian civilians left in an organized manner. The Muslims were reluctant to leave, expecting the surrender of its garrison although Muslim traders insisted on evacuation. During the night, the Ustaše tried to break through rebel lines and met strong resistance when they reached the village of Prkosi.
The captured civilians were brought back to Kulen Vakuf, with the intention of transporting them to Bihać against the orders of Stojan Matić. Matić was informed about the Ustaše attack on Drenovača (toward Lapac), handed over the imprisoned civilians to town guards, and headed toward Lapac with his forces.
Massacre
The first massacres were committed when drunken rebels targeted imprisoned Ustaše. When rebels entering Kulen Vakuf later organized the exhumation of mass graves in the village, they discovered that the Ustaše had killed 1,000 Serbs several days earlier (in addition to the 1,000 killed earlier that year in surrounding villages). This enraged the rebels, who blamed the local Croat and Muslim populations, and killed 1,000 to 3,000 (including women and children), Some communist officers did what they could to protect imprisoned civilians, but only managed to save a small number. according to contemporary Croatian sources.
The communist forces issued a report on 9 September 1941 emphasizing that the order received on 7 September had been carried out and Kulen Vakuf liberated; the communist detachment from Lika transported prisoners to
Martin Brod
Martin Brod (Serbian Cyrillic: Мартин Брод) is a village in the municipality of Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is mostly known for its proximity to Una National Park, which is Bosnia and Herzegovina's largest national park.
Demogra ...
. The Lika detachment, commanded by Pero Đilas, brutally molested imprisoned adults during transport.
Aftermath and legacy
Kulen Vakuf was set ablaze by refugees and drunken rebels.
Although Veber avoided capture by escaping from the rebel encirclement, he and his forces were killed by the communist Čapajev Battalion on 3 October 1941.
When they learned about what happened during and after the capture of Kulen Vakuf, the Communist leadership requested a detailed report about the massacre (including a list of participating detachments).
The massacre was a pretext for a planned internal struggle against Gojko Polovina, who (with Stojan Matić) ordered the attack on the village. According to Polovina, the main cause of the internal conflict was the intention of
Vladimir Bakarić
Vladimir Bakarić (; 8 March 1912 – 16 January 1983) was a Yugoslav and Croatian communist revolutionary and a politician.
Bakarić helped to organise the partisan resistance in the Independent State of Croatia during World War II. From 1948 ...
to put partisan detachments from Lika (Croatia's largest and most competent rebel units) under the command of the
Communist Party of Croatia
League of Communists of Croatia ( sh, Savez komunista Hrvatske or SKH) was the Croatian branch of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (SKJ). It came into power in 1945. Until 1952, it was known as Communist Party of Croatia (''Komunistička ...
; Polovina had refused to do so since the uprising began. To avoid implications that the partisans were war criminals, communist authorities were silent about the Kulen Vakuf massacre because some of its commanders survived the war and advanced in the communist hierarchy; General Đoko Jovanić received the
Order of the People's Hero
The Order of the People's Hero or the Order of the National Hero ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Orden narodnog heroja, Oрден народног хероја; sl, Red narodnega heroja, mk, Oрден на народен херој, Orden na ...
. Vukosav of Kulen Vakuf was
canonized
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...
by the
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches.
The majori ...
on 28 May 2003.
References
Sources
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Further reading
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Ivo Goldstein, "Ustaški zločin, partizanski ustanak, četnička osveta, ili: što se doista zbilo u Srbu 27. srpnja 1941."
External links
O pokolju u Kulen Vakufu 1941. godine: A što kada partizani počine genocid?Tarik Kulenović, ''About massacre in Kulen Vakuf in 1941. What about Partisan committed genocide?'' 10 March 2015, AKOS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kulen Vakuf, Massacre
September 1941 events
Massacres in 1941
Yugoslav Partisan war crimes in World War II
Chetnik war crimes in World War II
Religious persecution by communists
Anti-Muslim violence in Europe
1941 in Croatia
1941 in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mass murder in 1941
Massacre, Kulen Vakuf
Massacres of Muslims
Massacres of Bosniaks
Massacres of Croats