Operation Alfa ( it, Operazione Alfa; sh, Operacija Alfa, Операција Алфа) was an offensive carried out in early October 1942 by
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
,
Croatian and
Chetnik forces against the
communist-led
Partisans in the
Prozor region (today in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
), then a part of the Croatian puppet state, 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. It was established in p ...
(NDH). The operation was militarily inconclusive, and in the aftermath, Chetnik forces conducted mass killings of civilians in the area.
The operation was arranged between ''Generale designato d'armata'' (acting
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
)
Mario Roatta
Mario Roatta (2 February 1887 – 7 January 1968) was an Italian general. After serving in World War I he rose to command the Corpo Truppe Volontarie which assisted Francisco Franco's force during the Spanish Civil War. He was the Deputy Chief o ...
, commander of the
Italian Second Army, and Chetnik commander (''
vojvoda'')
Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin
Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin ( sr-cyr, Илија Трифуновић-Бирчанин; 1877 – 3 February 1943) was a Serbian Chetnik military commander (''vojvoda'', војвода). He took part in the Balkan Wars and World War I and af ...
with approval of Chetnik leader
Draža Mihailović. It was carried out in coordination with the
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
and included elements of the
Croatian Home Guard and the
Croatian Air Force
The Croatian Air Force ( hr, Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo or HRZ) is a branch of the Croatian Armed Forces whose primary task is to ensure the sovereignty of the airspace of the Republic of Croatia and to provide aviation support to other branc ...
. Faced with heavy weaponry and seriously outnumbered, the Partisans retreated and withdrew from Prozor without significant fighting. Chetniks under the command of
Dobroslav Jevđević
Dobroslav Jevđević ( sr-Cyrl, Доброслав Јевђевић, ; 28 December 1895 – October 1962) was a Bosnian Serb politician and self-appointed Chetnik commander (, војвода) in the Herzegovina region of the Axis-occupied Ki ...
and
Petar Baćović
Petar Baćović ( sh-Cyrl, Петар Баћовић; 1898 – April 1945) was a Bosnian Serb Chetnik commander ( sh-Latn, vojvoda, sh-Cyrl, војвода) within occupied Yugoslavia during World War II. From the summer of 1941 until April ...
then massacred between 543 and 2,500 Croats and Muslims, and destroyed numerous villages in the area. Following protests from both the Italians and the Croatian authorities, the Chetniks were
discharged
Discharge may refer to
Expel or let go
* Discharge, the act of firing a gun
* Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer
* Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...
or relocated. Italian and NDH forces followed up Operation Alfa with
Operation Beta, which was focused on capturing
Livno
Livno ( sr-cyrl, Ливно, ) is a city and the administrative center of Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bistrica in the southeastern edge of the Livno Fiel ...
and surrounding localities. Baćović was killed by NDH forces near the end of the war, while Jevđević escaped to Italy and avoided prosecution by the new Yugoslav government. Mihailović was captured by the communist authorities following the war, tried and found guilty for the Chetnik actions at Prozor (among other charges), and was sentenced to death and executed.
Background
On 6 April 1941, the
Axis power
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were Na ...
s
invaded the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
, resulting in the capitulation of the
Royal Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav Army ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslovenska vojska, JV, Југословенска војска, ЈВ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Army, was the land warfare military service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (originally Kingdom of Serbs, ...
on 17 April. Yugoslavia was broken up, and one of the fragments was the puppet state, 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. It was established in p ...
( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH), which consisted of modern-day
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
and
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
. The NDH was divided by a German–Italian demarcation line, known as the "Vienna Line", with the Germans occupying the northern and northeastern parts of the NDH, and the Italians the southern and southwestern parts. The NDH immediately implemented genocidal policies against the
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 ...
,
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and
Romani population within its borders. Initial
armed resistance
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
consisted of two loosely cooperating factions, the
communist-led
Partisans, and the
Chetniks who were mostly led by Serb-
chauvinist officers of the defeated
Royal Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav Army ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslovenska vojska, JV, Југословенска војска, ЈВ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Army, was the land warfare military service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (originally Kingdom of Serbs, ...
. However, the Chetniks, in their pursuit of an ethnically pure
Greater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia ( sr, Велика Србија, Velika Srbija) describes the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology of the creation of a Serb state which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to S ...
, soon adopted a policy of collaboration and cooperated "extensively and systematically" with Italian forces. In July and August 1942, under the protection provided by the Italians, the Chetniks thoroughly
ethnically cleansed eastern
Herzegovina of its
Croats
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, ...
and
Muslims
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 ...
.
In September 1942, the Chetniks, knowing that they could not defeat the Partisans alone, attempted to persuade the Italians into carrying out a significant operation within their occupation zone. On 10 and 21 September, Chetnik ''
vojvoda''
Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin
Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin ( sr-cyr, Илија Трифуновић-Бирчанин; 1877 – 3 February 1943) was a Serbian Chetnik military commander (''vojvoda'', војвода). He took part in the Balkan Wars and World War I and af ...
met with ''Generale designato d'armata'' (acting
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
)
Mario Roatta
Mario Roatta (2 February 1887 – 7 January 1968) was an Italian general. After serving in World War I he rose to command the Corpo Truppe Volontarie which assisted Francisco Franco's force during the Spanish Civil War. He was the Deputy Chief o ...
, commander of the
Italian Second Army. He informed Roatta that he was not under the command of
Draža Mihailović, but that he had seen Mihailović in
Avtovac
Avtovac ( sr-cyrl, Автовац) is a small village in the municipality of Gacko, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often k ...
on 21 July and that he had his approval in collaborating with the Italians. Trifunović-Birčanin urged Roatta to take action "as soon as possible" in a major operation against the Partisans in the
Prozor–
Livno
Livno ( sr-cyrl, Ливно, ) is a city and the administrative center of Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bistrica in the southeastern edge of the Livno Fiel ...
area. In return Trifunović-Birčanin offered support in the form of 7,500 Chetniks, on the condition that they be provided the necessary arms and supplies. Roatta provided "some arms and promises of action" in response to Trifunović-Birčanin's demands. Mihailović later congratulated Trifunović-Birčanin on his conduct and "high comprehension of the
erbiannational line" in these arrangements.
Timeline
Prelude
In early October, the operation was launched by the Italians targeting Partisans located northwest of the middle part of the
Neretva River. Elements of the
18th Infantry Division ''Messina'', commanded by ''maggior generale'' (
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
)
Guglielmo Spicacci took part, consisting of the 29th Battalion of the 4th
Bersaglieri
The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, whi ...
Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the 94th Regiment. Between 3,000 and 5,500 Chetniks took part in the operation under the command of
Dobroslav Jevđević
Dobroslav Jevđević ( sr-Cyrl, Доброслав Јевђевић, ; 28 December 1895 – October 1962) was a Bosnian Serb politician and self-appointed Chetnik commander (, војвода) in the Herzegovina region of the Axis-occupied Ki ...
and
Petar Baćović
Petar Baćović ( sh-Cyrl, Петар Баћовић; 1898 – April 1945) was a Bosnian Serb Chetnik commander ( sh-Latn, vojvoda, sh-Cyrl, војвода) within occupied Yugoslavia during World War II. From the summer of 1941 until April ...
. Partisan sources reported 4,000 soldiers of the Italian 6th Army Corps and 5,000 Chetniks of the
Trebinje
Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the r ...
,
Nevesinje
Nevesinje ( sr-cyrl, Невесиње) is a town and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,162 inhabitants, while the municipality has 12,961 inhabitants.
Geograp ...
, and
Romanija Corps as being involved. NDH units involved included the 7th Infantry Regiment, under the command of Colonel Sulejman beg Filipović, and the 15th Infantry Regiment, under the command of Colonel Josip Kopačin, as well as the
Croatian Air Force
The Croatian Air Force ( hr, Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo or HRZ) is a branch of the Croatian Armed Forces whose primary task is to ensure the sovereignty of the airspace of the Republic of Croatia and to provide aviation support to other branc ...
.
The operation was coordinated with Germans and NDH armed forces located near northern Partisan territory in the direction of
Banja Luka
Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...
. The Chetniks arrived by trains from
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
and
Metković
Metković () is a town in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the river Neretva and on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Demographics
The total population of the city municipal ...
and by Italian trucks from Nevesinje. On 2–3 October they arrived in
Mostar
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg
, image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...
and left on 3 October. The same day, they killed one villager and committed mass looting in the village of
Raška Gora, north of Mostar. In the village of
Gorani, southwest of Mostar, three villagers were killed and, as elsewhere, they carried out looting and burning. The next day they were in
Drežnica where Jevđević gave a speech that "the chief enemy of Serbs are the Partisans, then the Ustaše. They need to be ruthlessly destroyed and the other left alone". Subsequently, the Chetniks killed between 62 and 142 people, looted, and burned buildings in the town. In total, some 200 Croats and Muslims were killed in the Mostar area, just prior to the massacres in Prozor.
Operation
On 4–5 October the Chetniks crossed the Neretva River in
Konjic
Konjic ( sr-Cyrl, Коњиц) is a city and municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Herzegovina, around southwest of Saraje ...
and headed, as did the Italians, towards Prozor,
Šćit,
Gornji Vakuf,
Donji Vakuf
Donji Vakuf ( sr-cyrl, Доњи Вакуф, ) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It was founded by Malkoçoğlu İbrahim Bey in 1572 and wa ...
, and on to
Bugojno
Bugojno ( sr-cyrl, Бугојно) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on river Vrbas, to the northwest from Sarajevo. Ac ...
,
Komar, and
Travnik
Travnik is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative center of Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, west of Sarajevo. As of 2 ...
where the headquarters of the
5th Montenegrin and the
10th Herzegovinian Partisan brigades were situated. The offensive was launched from three directions with light and heavy artillery and a large number of tanks and trucks converging. Three battalions of the 10th Herzegovinian Brigade, commanded by
Vlado Šegrt
Vlado Šegrt (18 December 1907 – 1 August 1991) was a Yugoslav participant in the National Liberation Struggle and a socio-political worker in the Socialist Republics of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Yugoslavia. He was a reserve Major General and n ...
, intended to assemble near Prozor, but withdrew and escaped on 6 October before the arrival of the Italian–Chetnik forces. The Partisan battalions estimated that 1,200–1,500 soldiers of the Italian army and about 3,000–3,500 Chetniks were approaching, while they had a little over 300 men, a ratio of approximately 1:15.
On 7–8 October the Italians heavily bombed Prozor with artillery and airplanes and entered the town on 8 October. On the same day, Mihailović informed his commanders in Herzegovina that "now is the definite time to wipe out the communists" and to be as tactical as possible with the Muslims and Croats. The nature of these tactics required the Muslims to "only be organized under the command of our
hetnikmilitary leaders and in our struggle against the Ustaše and the communists with complete loyalty to the Serb population to repair the shameful role they've played since the capitulation of Yugoslavia up to today". He also called for the Muslims to "take part in the liquidation of those Muslims who still today work against the Serb people". As for the Croats: "what will become of the borders of the Croatian unit and what rights the Croats will have in the new state of the future will depend solely on them". He explained that "if they continue to be inactive, there will be no force that will be able to protect them from the retribution of the Serb people, so let them guide themselves in accordance with that" and announced that after the "liquidation of communists, they will be able to liquidate the Ustaša".
On 14–15 October, the Chetniks, acting on their own, massacred over five hundred Croats and Muslims and burnt numerous villages in the process of the operation on the suspicion that they "harbored and aided the Partisans". According to the historian
Jozo Tomasevich
Josip "Jozo" Tomasevich (March 16, 1908 – October 15, 1994; hr, Josip Jozo Tomašević) was an American economist and military historian. He was professor emeritus at San Francisco State University.
Education and career
Tomašević was born ...
, incomplete data shows 543 civilians were massacred. At least 656 victims are known by name while another source says about 848 people, mainly "children, women, and the elderly", were killed. Historian
Ivo Goldstein
Ivo Goldstein (; born 16 March 1958) is a historian, author and ambassador from Croatia. Goldstein is a recipient of the Order of Danica Hrvatska (2007) and the City of Zagreb Award (2005).
Biography Education
Ivo Goldstein graduated from ...
estimates 1,500 were massacred in total and attributes the discrepancy "due to the fact that the estimates refer to different territories". The historians
Antun Miletić and
Vladimir Dedijer
Vladimir Dedijer ( sr-Cyrl, Владимир Дедијер; 4 February 1914 – 30 November 1990) was a Yugoslav partisan fighter during World War II who became known as a politician, human rights activist, and historian. In the early postwar ye ...
place the figure killed at 2,500.
![Jevdjevic and Italians](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Jevdjevic_and_Italians.jpg)
In the following days, around 2,000 Chetniks were in the district of Prozor. According to Partisan sources, they moved southeast to the Neretva River and Mostar at the request of Italian officers. Partisan sources claim that this was done because Chetnik and Italian atrocities caused great resentment in the local population, especially the Croatian Home Guard, which felt obliged to intervene militarily in such instances. Chetnik commanders argued that this move was initiated by the Germans to prevent the Chetniks from heading west towards Mount
Dinara
Dinara is a long mountain range in the Dinaric Alps, located on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It has four major mountains or peaks, from north-west to south-east:
* Ilica or Ujilica (1654 m)
* Sinjal or Dinara (1831 m), ...
.
After the killings, the Muslim Chetnik leader
Ismet Popovac arrived in the town to console the local population and to advise the Chetniks there against committing further atrocities. He also attempted to convince local Muslims to join the Chetnik ranks but was unsuccessful due to the extent of Chetnik atrocities against the Muslim population.
On 23 October, Baćović reported to Mihailović that "in the operation of Prozor we slaughtered more than 2,000 Croats and Muslims. Our soldiers returned enthusiastic."
''Borba'', a Partisan newspaper, also reported that about 2,000 were "killed by the Chetniks in Croatian and Muslim villages of Prozor, Konjic, and Vakuf". The report also mentions that "the districts of Prozor and Konjic have hundreds of slaughtered and murdered women and children as well as burnt houses".
Aftermath
Roatta objected to the mass slaughters and said Italian support would come to a halt if they did not cease. He requested that "commander Trifunović be apprised that if the Chetnik violence against the Croatian and Muslim population is not immediately stopped, we will stop supplying food and daily wages to those formations whose members are perpetrators of the violence. If this criminal situation continues, more severe measures will be undertaken". The massacre upset the NDH government which compelled the Italians to force the Chetniks to withdraw. Some forces were discharged while some were relocated to join
Momčilo Đujić
Momčilo Đujić ( sh-Cyrl, Момчилo Ђујић, ; 27 February 1907 – 11 September 1999) was a Serbian Orthodox priest and Chetnik . He led a significant proportion of the Chetniks within the northern Dalmatia and western Bosnia r ...
's forces in northern
Dalmatia.
Operation Beta later followed in the same month in which the Italians and NDH forces captured Livno and surrounding localities.
After the war an indictment was issued against Jevđević in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
. It charged that under his command in "the first half of October 1942 in and around Prozor they
talians and Chetniksbutchered and killed 1,716 persons of both sexes, Croatian and Muslim nations, and plundered and burnt about 500 households". A month after the massacre, Jevđević and Baćović wrote a self-critical report on Prozor to Mihailović in order to distance themselves from responsibility. Jevđević fled to Italy at the end of the war where Allied military authorities arrested and detained him at a camp. They ignored Yugoslavia's request for extradition and set him free. He avoided trial and died in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1962. Baćović was killed by the Ustaše in 1945 and also did not come to trial.
Mihailović was indicted and in 1946 the Supreme Court of Yugoslavia judged him guilty of leading a movement "which committed numerous war crimes against people" that, among other things, in "October 1942, under the leadership of Petar Baćović together with the Italians, killed in the vicinity of Prozor about 2,500 Muslims and Croats, among whom were women, children, and the elderly, and burnt a large number of villages". He was sentenced to death and executed.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Operation Alfa
Alfa
Alfa
Alfa
Alfa
1942 in Yugoslavia
Chetnik war crimes in World War II
Mass murder in 1942
Massacres in the Independent State of Croatia
Yugoslavia in World War II
Alfa
Alfa
1942 in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina in World War II
October 1942 events
Massacres of Bosniaks
Massacres of Croats