serbian april reserve army officer lawyer commander occupied yugoslavia world war summer april headed cabinet puppet belgrade july appointed leader commander eastern bosnia collaborated italians germans actions yugoslav partisans commanders carried numerous muslim catholic civilians sympathetic partisan movement april captured near elements croatia leaders apparently trap according sources taken area concentration camp killed early life born village province ottoman_empire occupied austria-hungary father commander prior world war major reserve studied law legal work governor immediately prior outbreak war world war summer headed cabinet german installed puppet german occupied territory military commander serbia leader direct control independent bands occupied yugoslavia corresponding leaders letter following agreement april left belgrade went join operating eastern bosnia axis puppet state croatia croatian sent permanent representative main bands montenegro offensive mid early june took joint italian montenegro offensive partisans included operations eastern led forces fighting partisans region border italian occupied montenegro german occupied serbia troops fought alongside led detachment led puppet government approval germans forces fought alongside italian 19th infantry division main formations involved joint offensive led face assault outnumbered partisan forces withdrew montenegro eastern southeastern bosnia undertook partisan long march western bosnia end submitted report troops significant amounts weapons equipment received italians italians summer order established significant parts italian occupation zone detachment leaders including principal political headquarters recognized italians early summer commander mario agreed delivery arms munitions supplies july acting military organizers informed vast majority equipped small arms italians combined group number italian zone stood march looking opportunities create national corridor connecting groups operating italian occupied areas montenegro western bosnia june advance aim creating national corridor offered send placed control transfer forces created opportunity strike major concentration partisan strength time western bosnia conference july held conference near attended group commanders purpose meeting establish operation leaders appointed commander eastern replacing captured executed partisans late february appointed commander western bosnia historian believes idea anti partisan offensive discussed conference potential response agreement concluded italy june agreement heralded major italian occupation forces large areas including areas bosnia south italian german line leaders believed reduce area operate italian consent second day conference travelled nearby conferred commanders agreed set goals strategy achieve creation destruction partisans removal catholics muslims non recognition collaboration germans temporary collaboration italians weapons munitions food addressed crowd announcing cells village eastern establishing greater serbia days appointment commander demanded replaced appointed commander previous commander arrested belgrade april allies opposed control favoured political strictly military organisation wanted continue alliance regime forged opposed control wanted remain independent freely kill muslims damaging standing people close association activities soon conference negotiating corps headquarters staff proposed offensive partisans western bosnia august advocating creating trying movement model defended interests peasants muslim landowners interwar period august continued effort eliminate external enemies purge ranks ordered subordinate commanders corps brigades submit lists individuals suggestions deal brigade commanders required send assassins kill person labelled letter croatian meaning murder hours receiving demanded killing exclusively use knife capture muslims august commanded drawn mainly acting orders attacked captured eastern town abandoned partisans june occupied forces hour battle units entered began muslim population town regardless gender age according initial reports total people killed including members women children later reports stated killed capture days seized reported traces massacre removed formally announced responsible looting killing shot days capture wrote occasion uniform compromised muslims perished suffered dead wounded field near eastern bosnia muslims burned number villages killed number partisan september completed tour units reported morale population excellent actions partisans drawing populace month killed coastal town reports plain forces conducting planned operations kill drive muslim catholic population reports stated attacks towns western skinned alive catholic priests killed men razed villages operation subsequent end august issued units ordering prepare large scale anti partisan operation alongside italian troops september aware unable defeat partisans tried persuade italians undertake large operation partisans western bosnia met september urged undertake operation soon possible clear partisans area offered aid condition provided necessary arms supplies successful obtaining arms promises action proposed operation faced opposition leader cautious italian high command nearly cancelled promised cooperate muslim anti partisan units went ahead involvement participated italian led operation involved thrust fought alongside italian 18th infantry division advanced line german forces drove north offensive openly announced plans destroy entire muslim villages smaller towns captured combined italian force command participated enthusiastically operation burning muslim villages killing civilians october muslims razed villages alleging aided partisans october reported operation slaughtered muslims soldiers returned enthusiastic according historian incomplete data shows civilians victims listed source states people killed mainly children women elderly mentions estimate victims attributes fact estimates refer different territories objected massive civilians threatened halt italian aid end requested violence croatian muslim population immediately stopped stop supplying food daily wages formations members perpetrators violence criminal situation continues severe measures undertaken massacre angered government italians order withdraw discharged altogether later sent northern aid forces operation beta later followed month italians forces captured surrounding month massacre wrote self critical report hoping distance actions troops october issued appeal partisans blamed establishment partisan movement jews earth blamed partisans destruction traditional society religion morals claiming women young promoting partisans led jews muslims month staff issued appeal claiming controlled serbia montenegro bosnia partisans found places bosnia urged defect return good serbs contribute creation free state bands committed atrocities muslims november operations northern late september early october held talks muslim leader agreed recruit muslims ranks muslim militia later fought partisans axis led case white offensive early distinguish december estimated percent muslim november december italians helped relocate northern relocated later january conferred title ailing late january forces northern committed massacre civilians town near split following death february chief staff vowed continue policy closely collaborating italians partisans february proclamation signed issued declared people bosnia serbia montenegro partisans areas declaration denounced partisans criminal band paid jews declaration called partisan rank file kill political join claimed hundreds comrades surrendering day realised betrayed communist jews february operating northern italian anti communist command july leader contacted establish willingness work jointly germans italians given new yugoslav government exile established london reported contact threatened exclude organization maintained contact partisans cairo london return yugoslavia mid february accompanied special operations executive colonel coast south evacuated royal_navy travelled cairo london represented king peter wedding march british government decided withdraw support allowed return yugoslavia british mission headed safely evacuated occupied territory detained british thoroughly searched local authorities suspected robbery occurred yugoslav cairo money jewelry letters carrying flown landed airfield northwest shortly landing coincided armstrong departure demanded armstrong held hostage belongings returned personnel airfield refused armstrong allowed depart incident later month helped organize independent group national resistance wanted contact british forces expected land southern adriatic coast september warned headquarters muslims joining partisans large numbers lacked food ammunition suggested request allied occupation yugoslavia risk losing war politically militarily assessed population partisans supported major abandoned urged restraint dealings germans italians warned seen openly october partisan troops took belgrade germans soon lost serbia center movement breakdown movement early longer loyal withdrawal death joined forces trek alongside detachments commanded large number refugees totaling force formed 8th consisting 1st 5th 8th 9th divisions earlier argued best course action wanted withdraw albania greece told prepare allied landing return king establishment national government time joined northeastern bosnia critical leadership argued strongly remaining troops remained decided independently arranged meet near western bosnia assist movement order safe conduct agreement elements details agreement known appears troops meant cross aligned retaining operational command apparently tried sent sick wounded river keeping fit troops south river began moving command westwards harassed troops partisans reached north combined force defeated strong force armed german supplied tanks following defeat sub units induced negotiate directly leaders forces movement appears trap attacked captured way meeting according exactly occurred capture clear subsequently killed serbian orthodox priests according sources april taken prison near gathered field alongside prisoners arranged followers select officers non intellectuals execution selected loaded boats taken seen reported killed concentration camp marsh vicinity website lists having killed camp forces reasons forces motivated mass terror committed muslim population southeastern bosnia opposed support union serbia montenegro ran counter
Petar Baćović