The Massacre Of Villages Under Kamešnica (Croatian: Pokolj u potkamešničkim selima) was the mass murder of Croat inhabitants from several villages in the Dalmatian Hinterland, between the Kamešnica and Mosor mountains, committed by the German 7th SS Division "Prinz Eugen" from the 26-30 March 1944, during World War II.[2]
| Massacre of villages under Kamešnica | |
|---|---|
| Part of World War II in Yugoslavia | |
| Location | Several villages between Kamešnica and Mosor, near Trilj |
| Date | 26 - 30 March 1944 |
| Deaths | at least 1,525[1] |
| Perpetrators |  Nazi Germany: 7th SS Division, 369th Infantry Division,  Chetniks: Dinara Division |
Incident
It happened during the counter-insurgency operations German forces and their Ustasha allies (namely the 369th Infantry Division, under German command) launched against Partisans in the areas of the Mosor mountain. While Partisans forces managed to retreat, German forces pursued them into the Kamešnica valley, where they conducted a punitive expedition against the civilian population, suspected of harbouring Partisans. The operation began on March 26, 1944. The worst hit were areas near Trilj, namely the villages of Podi, Ruda, Otok, Voštane, Krivodol, Donji Dolac, Ljut and Rože. Villagers, mostly women, children and elderly, were shot or forced into houses, which were then set alight. Donji Dolac was the first village to be assaulted, 272 inhabitants were burned alive, including 103 children.[3][better source needed] The village of Voštane sustained the largest death toll, where between 300 and 400 civilians were killed.[4][5][better source needed]
It is estimated that at least 1,525 civilians were killed during the massacres.[2] Other sources, based on reports given by Croatian, Partisan and Wehrmacht reports at the time, estimate that between 1,800 and 3,000 people may have been killed.[4]
According to General Edmund Glaise von Horstenau, SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Arthur Phleps, commander of V SS Mountain Corps, acknowledged that “Chetniks wearing SS uniforms” (presumably of Dinara Division under the command of Momčilo Đujić) also took part in the massacre.[6]