Special Sub-Topic: The Ustasa : The Forgotten Villains Click Here To Play: The Ustasa : The Forgotten Villains

The word "Ustashi", the root of Ustasa, literally means what?

Insurrection. The Ustasa felt insurrection was the only means in which to "cleanse" or purge their nation of all who did not share in the Catholic faith.

What ethnic group formed the base of the Ustasa?

Croats. The Croats were out to get anyone who did not share their religious beliefs. In their sphere of influence were Jews and Muslims, which made up the major religions along with Orthodox Christianity.

Dr. Ante Pavelic was the head of the puppet Ustasa government. What title did he fancy being called?

Croatian Fueher. In April, 1941, the Ustasa took over as head of the Croatian government. Pavelic, a power hungry racist, had a powerful speaking style not unlike Hitler's. He modeled his government on Germany's, and depended on the German and Italian regimes for backing. He had been involved for years in dirty dealings inside the Yugoslav government, including attempts on the life of the King of Yugoslavia. He died in the 1950s, having never paid for his crimes or even acknowledged them.

The Ustasa took great pleasure in killing Jews, Muslims and Roma(gypsies). However, they seemed to take the most pleasure in extermination of this one group of peoples, with whom they had lived side by side with for hundreds of years. What ethnic group was the target of their main hatred?

Serbs. Years of racial unrest bubbled to the surface when the Ustasa took power. With the full support, and backing, of the Axis powers, they indulged their warped thoughts of racial purity. This resulted in slaughter on a par with that practised by Germany. In fact, many Germans stated that they were shocked by the cruelty and brutality of the Ustasa.

Very few pictures of Ustasa troops were taken, due to their secretive nature.

f. The Ustasa loved to be photographed while committing their crimes. Numerous photos exist of them just prior to executing people by various brutal methods. Amoung these were sawing heads off with large wood saws, and burning alive women and children. They also enjoyed taking photos of the victims just after execution. Women in particular were dealt with most savagely. They were often raped by numerous men, then subjected to unthinkable tortures including mutilation of sex organs. They then would photograph the women.

Special squads roamed the countryside looking for victims. They were very brutal, and became known as Skull Crushers, for their method of killing. What simple tool did they use?

Hammer. They would simply bash the head of the victim in with the hammer. No words to describe this, except utterly horrible.

Like the Germans, the Ustashi set up killing centers. Which was the largest?

Jasenovac. Jasenovac was only one of their killing centers. It is estimated that 300,000 people died there. Jasenovac was actually a part of a large complex of camps, including a women's camp called Starla Gradiska. It was headed by Maks Luburic, who took great pride in the numbers of people killed. It is located on the Sava River, 63 miles from Zagreb.

The Vatican excommunicated members of the Ustasa because of their savage crimes.

f. Priests often blessed groups going out to "hunt", because they were "doing God's work". The Vatican refused to excommunicate them, and there appears to be evidence that they were given funding by the Vatican. To this day, the "Holy See" refuses to discuss the matter.

What was the previous occupation of the most brutal of guards at Jasenovac, Miroslav Filipovac Majstorovic?

Catholic priest. Majstorovic was known for killing prisoners, often with his bare hands. He felt that by killing "non-believers" he was "doing God's work". In 1943, an German officer based at Treblika visited the camp, and given a tour by Majstorovic. After witnessing him killing a prisoner right on the spot, to impress the guests, the German stated that "I wanted to vomit after watching... Their methods are so primitive, and show a barbarity that even I could not muster."

Today, what is the official stand by the Croatian government on the atrocities that happened by their hand during the war?

Denial. Today, the Croats refuse to acknowledge that they did anything wrong. In fact, survivors of the killing centers wanted to erect a memorial at Jasenovac, but were refused permission. The camp itself has been torn down, and any usable material has been used to build homes and businesses in the area. They will not take action against anyone involved, so few have paid for some of the worst cases of cruelty known to mankind.