Prebilovci: The Untold Story of a WWII Massacre

The Prebilovci Massacre: A World War II Atrocity Recounted The small village of Prebilovci, located in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, became the site of a horrific massacre during World War II. In August 1941, the Ustaše, a Croatian fascist organization, perpetrated a brutal crime against the Serbian Orthodox population. The event involved the systematic execution of hundreds of women and children, highlighting the extreme violence of the conflict. Jozo Jerković, a Croat who later faced prosecution for his role, offered chilling testimony. He described how groups of women and children were rounded up and thrown alive into natural pits. "They were captured like animals," he stated, recounting the Ustaše's cruelty. The sheer scale of the killings, with approximately 650 women and children from Prebilovci alone, underscores the tragedy's magnitude. The video also shows that after the war, the pits were sealed under the communist regime. In 1990, they were reopened, and a memorial service was held by Serbian priests, led by Patriarch Pavle, over the remains of the victims. About 4,000 victims were exhumed from the pits and reburied in the crypt of the Church of the Synaxis of Serbian Saints and Martyrs of Prebilovci. This act of remembrance provides a poignant conclusion to the story, symbolizing the ongoing struggle for justice and reconciliation.