Ime i broj: Kragujevačka tragedija 1941

Abstract

Streljanje u Kragujevcu 21. oktobra 1941. godine predstavlja jedan od najvećih zločina Nemaca na tlu Srbije u toku Drugog svetskog rata, kako po broju žrtava, tako i po načinu izvršenja. Tokom rata i u posleratnom periodu ovaj zločin u Kragujevcu uzdigao se do simbola stradanja srpskog naroda. Ne mireći se sa okupacijom svoje zemlje, srpski narod je odgovorio diverzijama, sabotažama i ustankom. U septembru 1941. godine ustanak je izrastao u opštenarodni pokret. Zbog rasterećenja ratovanja na Istoku, Nemačka je preduzela odlučne mere kako bi ugušila ustanak. Taj zadatak poveren je generalu Francu Bemeu i on je od 22. septembra do početka decembra 1941. godine uspeo da za izvesno vreme uguši ustanak u Srbiji. Iza ove akcije je ostala spaljena Srbija i krvavi tragovi oko 26.000 ubijenih. Postupajući po Bemeovoj naredbi od 10. oktobra 1941. godine Nemci su u Srbiji izvršili više masovnih streljanja u znak odmazde. Povod za streljanje u Kragujevcu bili su nemački gubici u borbi sa zajedničkim četničkim i partizanskim snagama 16. oktobra 1941. godine, na putu Kragujevac Gornji Milanovac. U toj borbi Nemci su imali 10 mrtvih i 26 ranjenih vojnika. Prema odredbi iz naredbe generala Franca Bemea - za jednog ubijenog vojnika streljaće 100 ljudi, a za ranjenog 50 ljudi. Naredbu o streljanju u Kragujevcu doneo je komandant 749. puka, major Oto Deš, a rukovodilac akcijom streljanja bio je komandant 1. bataljona 724. puka, major Paul Kening. Na intervenciju Krajskomandanta Kragujevca, Ota fon Bišofshauzena, sa streljanjem se otpočelo po okolni selima 19. oktobra, jer su sela bila „leglo i baza bandita“. Kako je broj streljanih bio nedovoljan, odlučeno je da se streljanje nastavi u samom gradu. Dana 20. oktobra u Kragujevcu je uhapšeno više hiljada ljudi koji su zatvoreni u topovske šupe, na periferiji grada. Uveče su streljani zatvorenici iz mesnog zatvora i jevrejsko-komunistička grupa. Streljanje 21. oktobra počelo je u 7 sati ujutro i završilo se do 14 sati. Streljano je više hiljada ljudi, među kojima su bili i đaci kragujevačkih srednjih škola i dečaci od 11 do 15 godina. Podaci o broju streljanih su različiti i kreću se od 2300, prema nemačkim izvorima, pa sve do 12.000. U narodu preovlađuje verovanje da je streljano oko 7000 ljudi. To je broj koji je prihvaćen i u sadašnjoj zvaničnoj istoriografiji. U Spomen-muzeju „21. oktobar“, posle višegodišnjih istraživanja do sada svih dostupnih izvora i istraživanja na terenu, sakupljeni su podaci 2796 streljanih ljudi i podaci o 61 preživelom u ova tri dana.

The shooting in Kragujevac on October 21st 1941 represents one of the biggest German crimes on the territory of Serbia during the Second World War not only by the number of victims but also according to the way of carrying out. During the war and in the postwar period crime in Kragujevac ascended to a symbol of the suffering of the Serbian people. Not reconciling themselves to the occupation of their country the Serbia n people replied with diversions, sabotage and uprising. In September 1941 the uprising grew into a people’s movement. Because of unburdening its campaign in the East, Germany took resolute measures in order to crush the uprising. The task was imposed upon General Franz Bohme and he, from September 22nd up to the beginning of December, succeeded in crushing the uprising in Serbia, at least for a while. A blood trail of about 26.000 killed people and burned down Serbia was left behind. Obeying Bohme’s order from October 10th 1941 his soldiers carried out a lot of executions throughout Serbia as a sign of reprisal. The German casualties in combat with joint chetnik and partisan forces on the road between Kragujevac and Gornji Milanovac on October 16th 1941 were a pretext for the execution in Kragujevac. In that combat, the Germans had 10 killed and 26 wounded soldiers. According to a regulation from General Franz Bohme’s order they decided to execute 100 men for one killed and 50 for one wounded German soldier. The order was given by Major Otto Desch, commander of the 749th regiment, and Major Paul Konig, commander of the 1st battalion of the 724th regiment was in charge of the act of execution. Due to the intervention of Kreis/commandant of Kragujevac Otto von Bischofshausen executions began in surrounding villages on October 19th 1941, because villages were “breeding ground and base for bandits”. Since the number of executed was insufficient it was decided to continue with executions in Kragujevac. On October 20th several thousand men were arrested and imprisoned in gun storage sheds in the suburbs. Prisoners from the local jail and a Jewish-communist group were executed the same evening. The execution began at 7 o’clock in the morning and finished by 2 o’clock in the afternoon on October 21st 1941. Among several thousand executed men there were several hundred students of Kragujevac secondary schools and boys between the ages of 11 and 15. The data about the executed are different and range from 2.300, according to German sources, up to 12.000. Prevailing popular belief is that about 7.000 men were executed. That is the number which is also accepted in official historiography. The data for 2.797 executed and 61 survivors in those three days have been gathered in the Memorial Museum “21st October” after many years of research into all, till today, available sources and investigation in the field.