Srebrenica in WWII - A Numerical Analysis of Real Human Losses Cover Image

Сребреница у Другом светском рату - нумеричка анализа стварних људских губитака
Srebrenica in WWII - A Numerical Analysis of Real Human Losses

Author(s): Dragan Cvetković
Subject(s): History
Published by: Institut za noviju istoriju Srbije
Keywords: Srebrenica (municipality and town); Independent State of Croatia; East Bosnia; Bosnia-Herzegovina; population; suffering; Serbs; Muslims; civilians; military formations; social and economic make-up

Summary/Abstract: According to the partly revised census „War Victims 1941-1945“ from 1964, it has so far been established that 1.432 persons from the municipality of Srebrenica had lost their lives. By far the largest number perished in 1942 when 52.72% of all victims from this municipality lost their lives. The ethnic make-up shows that the largest number of them were Serbs – 70.60% of victims (1.110). They were followed by Muslims with 27.93% (400), whereas members of other and unknown ethnic groups make up 1.47% (21). The ratio between Serbs and Muslims, and this holds true also for the overall population of the municipality, was 2.53:1. From the very center of the municipality, the town of Srebrenica, 180 people were killed according to the census, which makes up 12.57% of victims from this municipality and which is much more than their share in the overall population of the municipality (8.32%). The town suffered greatest losses during the | rst three years of the war (87.22%). They were the greatest in 1943 when 39.44% of all town victims fell. The vast majority of the victims were Serbs with 63.33%, followed by Muslims with 32.78%, whereas members of other and unknown nationalities make up 3.98% of the victims. The ratio of Serbian and Muslim victims from the town is 1.93:1. Broken down to categories of losses compared with the total losses in the municipality it is clear that civilians make up 88.48% of all victims (1.267), whereas members of armed units make up 11.52% and members of the Royal Yugoslav Army (1.40%) and Partisans 10.12%. Civilians make up 93.25% of Muslim victims (373), 86.94% of Serbian ones (879) and 71.43% of other and unknown ethnic groups (15). On the other hand, Partisans make up 28.57% of victims of other and unknown nationalities (6), 12.07% of Serbian victims (122), whereas they make up only 4.25% of Muslim victims (17). The largest contingent among the soldiers of the Royal Yugoslav Army are Muslims with 2.25% (10), Serbs 0.99% (10) whereas there are no registered categories among members of other and unknown ethnic groups. Serbs suffered most from the military, police and para-military units of the Independent State of Croatia who were responsible for 93.43% of victims of this ethnic group. They suffered much less from German armed units, 5.71%, whereas their suffering from the Chetniks 0.57% and from other armed formations 0.29% is negligible. Largest part of Muslims fell victims to the Chetniks 60.81%, than to German military units 27.03%, whereas 12.16% were killed by the military, police and para-military units of the Independent State of Croatia. The victims from Srebrenica make up 2.27% of the population and 2.06% of the victims from Eastern Bosnia, whereas they make up 0.79% of the total population of Bosnia- Herzegovina and 0.68% of the victims from that territory.

  • Issue Year: 2009
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 63-93
  • Page Count: 31
  • Language: Serbian