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Bukovica massacre
Part of World War II in Yugoslavia
Date 4-7 February 1943 Location Bukovica, Pljevlja, Italian governorate of Montenegro (modern day Montenegro) Result After short battle with Muslim militia, Bukovica fell under Chetnik control
Belligerents
Sandžak Muslim militia	Chetniks
Commanders and leaders
Latif Močević Alija Hadžimusić  †	Draža Mihajlović Pavle Đurišić
Units involved
Bukovica detachment Foča detachment	Mileševa Corps Drina Corps Durmitor Brigade
Strength
2,500	3,550
Casualties and losses
more than 576 civilians

The Bukovica massacre was massacre of Muslim population of Bukovica, Pljevlja, Italian governorate of Montenegro (modern day Montenegro) commited by Chetniks on 4-7 February 1943. The massacre occured during early 1943 cleansing campaign of Chetniks conducted against the order of supreme Chetnik command, aimed to establish Chetnik control over territories held by Sandžak Muslim militia to prevent further terror of Ustaše and Muslim militia against Serbs. After short battle with Muslim militia, Chetniks captured Bukovica and massacred more than 500 civilians.

Background

Geography and demography

Bukovica is wide rural area in Pljevlja municipality in Montenegro. During the Second World War it had a status of municipality. It is part of Sandžak region with substantial Muslim population. It has a long border with eastern Bosnian municipalities Čajniče and Foča. Bukovica has 104 square kilometres (40 sq mi) and around 37 hamlets with 1 to 10 houses. At the beginning of the Second World War the population of Bukovica was predominantly Muslim with substantial Serb population.

Ustaše Muslim militia in Sandžak

At the end of April and beginning of May 1941 Croatian Ustaše forces captured Sandžak. Political representatives of Muslim population requested that territory of Sandžak should be annexed by the Independent State of Croatia and expressed their loyalty to its government. Sandžak Muslim militia was established in all regions of Sandžak, including Pljevlja. After withdrawal of Ustaše from Sandžak in September 1943 the region came under control of Italian forces as part of Italian governorate of Montenegro. In April 1942 Italians established a battalion of Moslem militia in Metaljka, near Čajniče, composed of about 500 Muslims from villages near Pljevlja and Čajniče. A little later a command post of Moslem militia was established in Bukovica, near Pljevlja. It was commanded by Latif Moćević who was the president of Bukovica municipality and whose units attacked and killed local Serbs since the end of May 1942.

In December 1942 around 3,000 Muslims attacked Serbian village Buđevo and several surrounding villages near Sjenica, burned Serb houses and killed Serb civilians. According to Chetnik sources, Muslims were preparing to expel Serbs who lived on the territory at the right bank of Lim, Pljevlja, Čajniče and Foča.

Order of Draža Mihajlović

With explanation that Ustaše and Muslim militia forces continued to attack and kill Serb civilians, rob Serb populated villages and rape women and girls such as in December 1942, on 3 January 1943 Draža Mihajlović issued an order for "cleansing of Ustaše-Muslim organizations" from Čajniče region stating that total number of their armed forces was 2,500. Mihajlović issued his order to:

1. Mileševa Corps, commanded by Vojislav Lukačević and Railić Radoman,
2. Drina Corps, commanded by Bajo Nikič
3. Durmitor brigade, commanded by Nikola Bojović

Đurišić's January raids of revenge

On 5 January 1943 Montenegrin Chetniks commanded by Pavle Đurišić attacked 33 villages predominantly populated with Muslims in the region of Lower Bihor. They pursued raids of revenge against Sandžak Muslims, many being innocent villagers, with original motive to settle account with Moslem militias.

On 10 January 1943, Đurišić reported that Chetniks under his command had burned down 33 Muslim villages, killed 400 Muslim fighters, and had also killed about 1,000 Muslim women and children in the region of Bjelo Polje.

According to some sources, Italians wanted to reward Chetniks because they agreed to participate in the operation (Case White) against Communists and allowed Chetnik attacks on Muslim population in Sandžak and Montenegro. Chetnik forces began with preparation for this attack on 1 February 1943.

At the end of January 1943 Muslims from Kalinovik in eastern Herzegovina advised Muslims from Bukovica not to allow communists to misuse them against Serbs, like Ustaše already misused them in 1942. This advise was not followed and some Muslims from this region continued to terrorize Serbs from Bukovica and neighboring places.

After short battle with Muslim militia, Bukovica fell under Chetnik control.

Casualties

The "Prilog u krvi" Pljevlja 1941-45.godine" published by the SUBNOR in 1969 presents an incomplete list of 576 victims of Chetnik attack on Bukovica municipality. Most of victims (443) being children under age of 18 because men escaped believing that civilian population of villages would not be in danger. Many civilians were tortured before killing. A number of women and girls were raped. According to also incomplete list, Chetniks burned 1,171 houses and 468 other buildings. On 1 March 1943 Latif Močević sent a report to 1st Alpine Division Taurinense and informed them about this massacre stating that number of victims in Bukovica was about 500 civilians.

The Chetniks killed Pavle Đurković, a notable person from Bukovica, because he was opposed to massacre of Muslims.

On 16 February Ustaše reported to their Ministry of External Affairs that Latif Močević, a commander of detachment of Muslim militia from Bukovica, and some other members of militia were captured by Italians in Čajniče. According to this report Alija Hadžimusić, a commander of Foča detachment of Muslim militia, was killed in the battle near Čajniče. Ustaše reported that Muslim militia is surrounded near Čajniče, without enough ammunition and on the edge of annihilation.

Aftermath

On 28 February 1943, there was a conference in Prijepolje attended also by Italian Lieutenant General Luigi Mentasti who was commander of all Italian forces in Montenegro. Mentasti explained that Italian forces are not responsible for the massacre in Bukovica. He explained it with the centuries-long conflict between Orthodox and Muslims and with 1 million Serbs murdered mostly by Muslims on the territory of Independent State of Croatia which included Bosnia and Hercegovina. He also accused population of Bukovica for providing haven to a communist agent, which was denied by the mufti Šećerkadić from Pljevlja. Mentasti explained that Italian forces can not guarantee security to Muslims of Pljevlja and recommended them to follow example of Muslims from Berane and Bijelo Polje who signed agreement with Pavle Đurišić and Chetnik General Đukanović.

During the war, Communists established a commission for investigation of war crimes of occupying forces and their collaborationists. After the war this commission investigated the massacre committed by Chetniks in villages of Pljevlja municipality and emphasized that it was committed by Chetniks commanded by Draža Mihajlović and his subordinated officers with approval of the commander of 1st Alpine Division Taurinense. This commission composed a list of 95 Muslims and 59 Orthodox Christian war criminals in Pljevlja during the war. Seventeen former Chetniks were accused of committing a massacre in Bukovica.

References

1. Knežević, Danilo (1969). Prilog u krvi: Pljevlja 1941–1945. Opštinski odbor SUBNOR-a. p. 113.
2. "Bukovica" (in Serbian). Fond za Humanitarno pravo. 2003. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
3. Srbije, Institut za istoriju radničkog pokreta (1972). NOR i revolucija u Srbiji, 1941–1945: naučni skup posvećen 30-godišnjici ustanka, održan na Zlatiboru 25–26 septembra 1971. Institut za istoriju radničkog pokreta Srbije. p. 465.
4. Knežević, Danilo (1969). Prilog u krvi: Pljevlja 1941–1945. Opštinski odbor SUBNOR-a.
5. (Vasović 2009, p. 36)
6. Redžić, Vučeta (2002). Građanski rat u Crnoj Gori: Dešavanja od sredine 1942. godine do sredine 1945. godine. Stupovi. p. 60.
7. (Pajović 1977, p. 57) harv error: no target: CITEREFPajović1977 (help)
8. "Zapovest". Retrieved 3 June 2014.
9. Božović, Branislav; Vavić, Milorad (1991). Surova vremena na Kosovu i Metohiji: kvislinzi i kolaboracija u drugom svetskom ratu. Institut za savremenu istoriju. p. 246. Четници Павла Ђуришића су, 5. јануара 1943. године, напали 33 села у Доњем Бихору, настањеном Муслиманима.
10. Redžić, Vučeta (2002). Građanski rat u Crnoj Gori: Dešavanja od sredine 1942. godine do sredine 1945. godine. Stupovi. p. 60.
11. Sedlar, Jean W. (1 September 2007). The Axis empire in southeast Europe, 1939–1945. Booklocker.com. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-60145-297-9.
12. Lampe, John R. (28 March 2000). Yugoslavia as History: Twice There Was a Country. Cambridge University Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-521-77401-7.
13. Knežević, Danilo (1969). Prilog u krvi: Pljevlja 1941–1945. Opštinski odbor SUBNOR-a. p. 113.
14. (F. Petrović 2009, p. 415)
15. "H. Šarkinović, Bošnjaci od Načertanija do Memoranduma, Podgorica 1997
16. Knežević, Danilo (1969). Prilog u krvi: Pljevlja 1941–1945. Opštinski odbor SUBNOR-a. p. 114.
17. (Čekić 1996, p. 254)
18. Knežević, Danilo (1969). Prilog u krvi: Pljevlja 1941–1945. Opštinski odbor SUBNOR-a. pp. 113, 114.
19. (Čekić 1996, p. 253)
20. (Čekić 1996, p. 256)
21. (Čekić 1996, p. 463)
22. (F. Petrović 2009, p. 436)

Sources

• Čekić, Smail (1996). Genocid nad Bošnjacima u Drugom svjetskom ratu: dokumenti. Udruženje Muslimana za antigenocidne aktivnosti. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Vasović, Milorad S. (2009). Istorija Pljevlja. Opština Pljevlja. ISBN 978-9940-512-03-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• F. Petrović, Milić (2009). "Nacionalni Pokreti u Pljevaljskom Kraju 1941-1945". Istorija Pljevalja. Opština Pljevalja. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

• 1943 in Montenegro
• Mass murder in 1943
• History of the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina