Other koncentration/extermination-camps in Yugoslavia.

[Sve Za Poglavnika]

Jure, you asked for other concentration camps in Yugolsavia apart from Jasenovac, however i have information only from concentration camps in the NDH, hopefully it helps:

Brozica - est. Aug 1941, closed Apr. 1945.
Ciglana - est. Aug 1941, closed Apr. 1945.
Danica
Dakovo (around 3,000) - transit site for Croat Jews whom Croat authorities turn over to the Germans for deportation to Auschwitz, est. Sep. 1941- Mar 1942, closed Oct 1942.
Gospic
Jadovno (around 35,000) - est. spring 1941, closed Oct. 1942
Jasenovac I-IV (around 500,000) Aug. 1941, Ustase establish the Jasenovac camps Krapje, Brozica, Ciglana, Kozara and Stara Gradiska, closed May 1945 when Yugoslav partisans overrun Jasenovac.
Stara Gradiska (Jasenovac V) - est. Aug. 1941, winter of 1942-43 was converted into a concentration camp for women, closed Apr. 1945.
Jadovno - est. spring 1941, closed Oct. 1942.
Jastrebarsko (1018) - children's concentration camp
Kerestinac
Koprivnica - est. spring 1941, closed Oct. 1942.
Krapje - est. Aug 1941, closed Nov. 1941.
Kruscica - est. spring 1941, closed Oct. 1942
Lepoglava (around 1,000)
Loborgrad - transit site for Croat Jews whom Croat authorities turn over to the Germans for deportation to Auschwitz, est. Sep. 1941- Mar 1942, closed Oct. 1942.
Pag Island (around 8,500) - est. spring 1941, closed Oct. 1942.
Tenje - transit site for Croat Jews whom Croat authorities turn over to the Germans for deportation to Auschwitz, est. Sep. 1941- Mar 1942, closed Oct. 1942.

[David Thompson]

Sve Za Poglavnika -- On behalf of the readers and myself, thank you for the helpful and detailed information in your post.

[Allen Milcic]

Hello all:

Here is a copy of my posting relating to Jasenovac, which I think is appropriate for this thread:

The fact that the Ustaska Obrana was part of the UNS (so-called III Bureau) was merely a technicality - no one, not even Poglavnik Ante Pavelic, had very much control over "Maks" Luburic, who over the course of the NDH was very much a law unto himself. He used his 15,000-man strong Logorska Obrana as a private army, dealing out justice and fighting for the 'cause', and for his own personal gain, as he saw it fit; embarassing with his often ruthless and bloody actions even Ustasa leaders that had little or no conscience worth mentioning. This was possible due to a number of reasons, not least of which was the fact that the NDH was a new state, still being organized (often by men that had no experience whatsoever in politics, economy, law etc), that there was an ongoing civil war which threw the already shabby communications and control by the government into further dissarray, and the fact that, for all his egregious behaviour, Luburic was still very much needed by Pavelic as his "strong man" who kept others in the Ustasa movement in line.

Luburic visited the concentation camp Sachsenhausen in September of 1941, and was impressed with the dual nature of the camp - part business, part killing machine. He took it upon himself to build a camp based on this model in the NDH, and to that extent in December 1941 ordered the official joining of the two small internment camps founded by "Dido" Kvaternik, located at Krapja and Brocica (re-naming them Jasenovac I and Jasenovac II), as well as the construction of the new, main camp near the town of Jasenovac - naming it Jasenovac III. To this, he added the old leather plant in the town of Jasenovac itself (Jasenovac IV), as well as the prison in Stara Gradiska (Jasenovac V). He also ordered the construction of a separate execution area at Gradina (which is located on today's Bosnian side of the Sava River). Some approvals for his actions were obtained directly from Pavelic, others were simply carried out without much care for chain of command. Luburic placed his cousin and loyal subordinate Ljubo Milos in charge of the entire Jasenovac complex.

The Jasenovac complex, with its numerous locations, became a cash-cow for Luburic, who organized the manufacture, by virtual slave labour, of leather goods (including soldiers boots and belts, sold to the Croatian armed forces and Ustasa militias), bricks and chains, as well as a sawmill. With his profits, he "greased the wheels" of the NDH bureaucracy when possible, or simply sent out squads of his "Luburicevci" camp guards to scare or even eliminate (as "Communist sympathizers") any troublesome individuals that may have dared interfere with his enterprise.

It is the actions of men such as Luburic, and the weakness of the so-called leader Pavelic, that honourable men in the NDH such as initially Marshal Slavko Kvaternik, and later Minister Mladen Lorkovic and Krilnik Ante Vokic (the Vokic-Lorkovic coup) rebelled against. Even some hard-core Ustasa such as "Dido" Kvaternik were disgusted!

Allen/

[Benoit Douville]

Sve Za Poglavnika,

Do you have more info about the camp "Jastrebarsko". I read in your post that it was only a camp for childrens? I think it is pretty disgusting and I hope that the ones in charge of this camp were severly punish.

Regards

[Orok]

Sve Za Poglavnika,

Do you have more info about the camp "Jastrebarsko". I read in your post that it was only a camp for childrens? I think it is pretty disgusting and I hope that the ones in charge of this camp were severly punish.

Regards

As a father of a 4-year-old kid, I think this is not merely pretty disgusting, but very very disgusting. And not only the men put in charge of it, but also those who masterminded it should be hanged!

Best Regards!

[Locke]

Here's a link to a list of Camps in Yugoslavia:
http://www.vojska.net/ww2/camps/death/default.asp

I was searching for more informations on Jasterbarsko children's camp and I didn't find any new info, but I found some photos from Jasenovac, which were dreadful, especially the ones with children.
Here's a link to Archive of Republic Srpska
http://www.arhivrs.org/jasenovac.asp

Regards,
Polona

[Allen Milcic]

Good day to everyone:

The children's camp at Jastrebarsko (founded June 12, 1942), run by Ured IV-Ustaska Obrana (4th Bureau - Ustasa Defense) of the UNS (Ustaska Nadzorna Sluzba - Ustasa Security Service), was a so-called 'Sabirni Logor' (Collection Camp), where children of NDH state enemies and enemy orphans of Axis campaigns (such as the Battle of Kozara Mountain) were housed. This was not a 'death camp', i.e. there was no organized or planned murder of the inmates, though food, housing and health standards were low. According to the HDA (Hrvatski Drzavni Arhiv - the Croatian State Archives), a total of 3,336 children were housed in the camp during its existence; the mortality rate was low and due to disease (mostly Typhoid) and malnutrition.

I trust no one will conclude that I am attempting to defend the existence of concentration camps in general or children's camps in particular - I find the very idea grotesque and unimaginable. I just want to point out, in the interest of historical accuracy and research, that the children in Jastrebarsko Camp were not being murdered by the Ustase.

Allen/

[David Thompson]

A pointless nationalistic post from from Lucius Felix Silla was removed, just as similar posts from DrG, Jure, K.Kocjancic and Nina van M. were removed earlier in the thread.

[Benoit Douville]

Orok,

I am also a father of 8 month year old girl and I totally agree with you about what you said.

Allen Milcic,

I appreciate the info. I am also wondering if it was the only children's camp including the ones run by the Germans during World War II?

Best Regards

[Allen Milcic]

Other Concentration Camps in the NDH:

- The first concentration camp on the territory of the NDH was the 'Danica' Internment Camp in Koprivnica, founded on April 28, 1941 (18 days after the NDH itself was founded) in the buildings of an old factory. Camp supervisors were Martin Nemec and Nikola Herman. The camp was discontinued in the Fall of 1942 (interestingly, the buildings were then taken over as the base for the Croatian Airborne Company). According to research by Vladimir Zerjavic, approximately 3,000 prisoners passed through 'Danica', while Dedijer claims 5,000.
- The Camp in the Medieval castle of Kerestinec was founded in May 19, 1941, with the first prisoners arriving 3 days later. This camp is notorious as the site where well-known Croatian anti-fascists Božidar Adžija, Ognjen Prica, Otokar Keršovani, Ivan Korski and Zvonimir Richtmann were executed. It is also famous for the escape by 89 prisoners (mostly anti-fascist and Communist Croats) on July 14, 1941. Unfortunately, only 14 escapees managed to evade capture and join the Partizans - the remaining men were either killed or caught and executed.
- The Slana Camp System on the island of Pag was divided into a male and female area, and a majority of prisoners were Croatian Jews and Serbs. Dedijer claims 16,000 victims in this camp, while Bulajic claims 18,000.
- The Tenje Camp near Osijek was founded in June of 1942, and was de-commissioned in October of 1942. In its short existence it served as a transit camp for German transports of Jews to Auschwitz.
- The Gospic Camp (with a separate execution area known as the Jadovno Camp) was formed on June 18, 1941. The Camp commander was Stjepan Rubinic. Dedijer, Zerjavic and Bulajic seem to agree that approximately 35,000 people were killed (mostly at Jadovno) before the camp closed in late August of 1941. The Jadovno Camp, 1,250 square metres in size, surrounded by barbed wire and containing absolutely no buildings, existed for one simple purpose - it was a death camp. Most of the victims of Jadovno were Jews from Zagreb, Serbs from Lika, and Croatians that the Ustasa regime considered 'state enemies'. The victims were mostly machine-gunned and thrown into deep natural pits and caves that surround the area.
- The Kruscica Camp near Vitez (in today's Bosnia-Herzegovina) was, ironically, founded during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as an internment camp for Croatian nationalists (especially Ustase). During the NDH, the camp was used for short-term internment between August and September of 1941, and held approximately 4,000 prisoners, mostly Jews from Sarajevo according to Ivo Goldstein's research. Dedijer claims 3,000 prisoners.
- The Camp at Loborgrad was not run by the Ustase, but by the German minority in the NDH which had special status in the state. The commander of the camp was Božidar Gregl, whose father was Volksdeutsch and mother was Jewish (!). The camp was used for transit to German Concentration Camps (mostly Auschwitz), and according to Ivo Goldstein some 1,700 Jews passed through it, mostly women and children. Žerjavić claims 1,300 prisoners. The camp was discontinued in August, 1942.
- The Djakovo Camp served as an internment/transit camp for prisoners on their way to one of the 5 infamous Jasenovac Complex camps. Most of the prisoners were Jews from Slavonia, women and children mostly. The Ustasa camp existed from September 1941 - June 1942, and housed some 2,000 prisoners according to Zerjavic. Goldstein claims 3,800 prisoners. In an ironic twist, the camp was used post-war by Tito's government as an internment camp for members of the German minority in Croatia.
- The Jastrebarsko Camp was founded on on August 19, 1941, and according to Dedijer housed 1,300 prisoners. The camp served as a temporary internment facility through most of the war.
- The Lepoglava Camp was initially founded during Austria-Hungary to intern political radicals. During the Kingdom of Yugoslavia it served as an internment facility for both Croatian nationalists and Communists. Dedijer claims 1,300 victims of the camp during Ustasa rule, mostly anti-fascist Croats. Zerjavic's research shows approximately 1,000 victims. Perhaps the most famous victims of the camp were Krilnik Ante Vokic and Minister Mladen Lorkovic - ringleaders of the failed coup against Pavelic. The commanders of the camp were Ljubo Miloš (who later commanded Jasenovac), Mirko Matijević and Nikola Gadžić.

Allen/

Credit to Milan Skrbic (University of Zagreb) who compiled some of the information provided.

[Allen Milcic]

Allen Milcic,

I appreciate the info. I am also wondering if it was the only children's camp including the ones run by the Germans during World War II?

Best Regards

Hi Benoit:

My area of research is the NDH and the Croatian participation in WW2; I really have no idea if any other states chose to have separate camps for children in their custody.

Regarding the Jastrebarsko children's camp - it is my understanding that the Ustase believed that they could 're-educate' some children of 'state enemies', so they gathered them at Jastrebarsko in order to select potential candidates. The chosen ones were sent to an Ustasa school in Sisak where they received political indoctrination and some military training.

As for the monsters that thought-out and put into practice the vile camp system in the NDH - some did receive their comeuppance (ex. Ljubo Milos, Ante Vrban), but the main evil-doers (Pavelic, Luburic, Artukovic, Sakic) escaped justice for many years. Of course, Pavelic and Luburic DID die at the hands of assassins, Artukovic DID die in prison, and Sakic IS in prison in Croatia today, but all of them were old men when justice came knocking.

Allen/

[David Thompson]

Allen -- Thanks again for a series of impartial and scholarly posts on an obscure subject.

[Kondrican]

hello,

here is a list of some more camps within not only the NDH but Yugoslavia. Also included is a camp ID, location of the camp and who ran the camp with a small description where possible. Just to let everyone know, my new username now is Kondrican and not Sve Za Poglavnika. Apologies to anyone who found 'Sve Za Poglavnika' offensive.


Camp ID Location Owner Description
? Backa Palanka, Hungarian, ?

Camp ID Location Owner Description
'Banjica', Belgrade, German, Started as center for holding hostages, it was only camp without survivors. Number of victims is from 23,637 identified to estimates of 30,000, 69,400 and 80,000.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Crveni krst, Nis, German, Large camp locate in Nis suburbs next to one of the largest railway marshaling yard. Two numbers of victims is mentioned 1910 and 2000.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
'Danica', Koprivnica, Ustase, First camp formed by Ustashe. First transports from April 29th, mostly Serbs, Jews and substantial number of Croats. Some 3000 (or 5000) people went through the camp, around 2500 where constantly in the camp. In June and July Serbs and Jews where sent to Jadovno, Croats where sent to Stara Gradiska and Jasenovac. Special order of Eugen Kvaternik, 8. VII. 1941 it was order that no more prisoners where sent to 'Danica'. Camp was closed in autumn 1941.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Dakovo, Dakovo, Ustase, Opened in December 1941, for Jewish women's and children, around 3000 where in the camp. Large number was executed. Closed in June 1942 with rest of inmates taken to Jasenovac.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
'Jadovno', Gospic, Ustase, Opened in June, first camp where mass executions of Serbs and Jews have been done. Dead bodies where thrown into deep ravines near by. Large number of communists have also been executed in 'Jadovno'. Allegedly number of murdered is around 35,000. Camp was closed in August 1941.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Jarak Sremska, Mitrovica, German? ?.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Jastrebarsko, Jastrebarsko, Ustase, Children camp - for children from Kozara and from Croatia. 1018 children died in the camp. On August 26th 1942, partisans freed 700 children.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Kampor, Rab island, Italian, Formed in early 1942, closed with capitulation of Italy in September 1943. Interned larger number of Jews, Croats and Slovenians. Through camp some 13,000 prisoners has passed. According to official Italian records 1267 persons has died, 1079 marked graves. According to Commission for determining crimes for Croatian littoral, number of killed is 4641.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
?, Kraljevica, ?, ?.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Kerestinac, near Zagreb, Ustase, First prisoners where brought May 22th. Escape attempt was done on the night July 13/14 but failed. 77 communist have lost there lives and only 14 managed to escape. Camp was closed after that.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
'Kruscica', Travnik, ?, During summer 1941. Camp was (mostly) for women's and children's mostly Jewish.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Lepoglava, Lepoglava, Ustase, ex-Yugoslav Kingdom prison. It was determined that around 1000 people died in it.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
'Loborgrad', Zlatar Bistrice, Ustase, From September 1941 to autumn 1942. Together with Serbian women's there was 1300 Jewish women's, sent from 'Kruscica', together with children. After the closing of the camp, they where sent to Auschwitz.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
?, Loznica, ?, 1,000

Camp ID Location Owner Description
?, Molat island, Italian.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Pag, Pag island, Ustase, Existed during summer months 1941. Prisoners where brought form Gospić transit camp. Mass executions where also carried in this camp. During closing of camp in August, around 3000 Serbs where sent to 'Jadovno', around 450 Jews where sent to Kruscica (woman's), Jadovno and Jasenovac (man's).

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Paracin, Serbia, ?, ?.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
? Petrovaradin ? ?

Camp ID Location Owner Description
'Tenja' Osijek Ustase Formed in June 1942. Used to gather all arrested Jews who where left in Osijek and Slavonija region, some 3000 persons. Group of 1000 was sent to Auschwitz on August 15th, second group August 18th to Jasenovac and last on August 22nd 1942 to Auschwitz over Lobograd.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
'Sajmiste' Zemun on the Danube, German 40,000
(Semlin) in front of Belgrade

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Sisak Sisak Ustase Formed at the beginning of August 1942, part of Serbian population from Kozara was brought there after the offensive. Mostly old men's, women's and children. Older prisoners where sent to Stara Gradiska and Jasenovac.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Svilara Pancevo German

Camp ID Location Owner Description
? Zlarin ? ?

Camp ID Location Owner Description
I, II, III, IV Jasenovac Ustase Main and biggest camp in NDH, started forming in summer 1941. It expands quickly Camp No.1, Camp No.2, in November Camp No.3 and Camp No.4. For these to camps in numerous publicans has been published that in them number of killed is from below 100,000 to above one million victims.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
V Stara Gradiska Ustase Former prison has turned to camp in 1941 connected to Jasenovac, in documentation it is mention as Camp. No.5


I also have pictures of various camps, however it is not appropriate to display these pictures what so ever because some fourm members may find it offensive. If anyone is interested please leave a private message, cheers.

[Kingdom of Montenegro]

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Dakovo, Dakovo, Ustase, Opened in December 1941, for Jewish women's and children, around 3000 where in the camp. Large number was executed. Closed in June 1942 with rest of inmates taken to Jasenovac.

Camp ID Location Owner Description
Jastrebarsko, Jastrebarsko, Ustase, Children camp - for children from Kozara and from Croatia. 1018 children died in the camp. On August 26th 1942, partisans freed 700 children.

This is really sick and sad ,and I hope that those who did such things burn in hell.

[Allen Milcic]

Greetings Kondrican:

I am curious as to the sources for your data on the camps in the NDH - much of your information does not correspond with my research (which is based mostly on Dedijer's and Zerjavic's work and the HDA). This is especially true of the Djakovo Camp and the Jastrebarsko Children's Camp (please compare my information and yours).

Best regards,
Allen/