The Croatian and Bosnian SS insurrection of Villefranche de Rouergue

Not many people remember the ordeal of these Croatians and Bosnians who fought the Germans on French soil.

On September 17th 1943 , 32 Bosnian and Croatian SS members , revolted against the Germans. These particular members had been enrolled by force and hated the Nazis. Their officers had been treating them like dirt to the point hat even the French poulation felt sorry for these soldiers . Then they rounded up their officers , court martialled all seven of them and executed them. The town was actually Nazi free for one day until the Germans surrounded the place and started a massive manhunt. They caught almost all of the 32 inital mutineers and executed them in the sewers, then they hunted all other Bosnians and Croatians in the street and killed them one by one until 146 were murdered (numbers are debatable and could be much mower) . A few were hidden by the French , for example one man who stayed with a lady for five days and got food and civilian clothes. The problem was that nobody understood each other, but Jelinek and Matutinović managed to reached the Maquis and fough the Germans in SS uniform. jelinik was decorated by the legion of Honneur after the war. Some of the victims were called Ferid Džanić , Eduard Matutinović, Nikola Vukelić, Božo Jelinek. Džanić & Vukelić

825 judged "unreliable" were sent to Germany to work for the OT. 265 refused and were deported to Neuengamme.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villefranche-de-Rouergue

During World War II, while occupied by Nazi Germany, Villefranche received a large 13th Waffen SS Handschar (1st Croatian) division. Led by Ferid Džanić, Eduard Matutinović, Božo Jelinek and Nikola Vukelić, one battalion staged a rebellion against the Nazis on 17 September 1943, (Villefranche-de-Rouergue uprising) but were soon suppressed and mostly executed on site. The few that escaped inspired the French resistance in Aveyron that had not been formed until then. After the war, an avenue in Villefranche was named Avenue des Croates (Avenue of the Croats) in honor of the uprising.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Waffen_Mountain_Division_of_the_SS_Handschar_(1st_Croatian)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOFp1UwepUE

http://www.ajpn.org/commune-Villefranche-de-Rouergue-12300.html

 

Very interesting part of WWII that I knew nothing about. Thanks for sharing it!

 

You are welcome . There was quite a contraversy about the monument. The Yougolavian government wanted to turn the name"Croatian" into" Yougolslavian", which the Croatians and the French refused. while there was a majority of Bosnians, there were quite a few Croatians too and changing the truth in the name of political correctness wasn't the best idea. The Initial monument with the red star was removed , but then new monument was so ugly that all prototypes have so far bene rejected. As a result , the fallen are victims of this story and still cannot rest in peace .



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Waffen_Mountain_Division_of_the_SS_Handschar_(1st_Croatian)#/media/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1973-116-11,_Waffen-SS,_13._Gebirgs-Div._%22Handschar%22.jpg

 

I , too, had not heard of this, most interesting. The make up of the SS is rather remarkable. Thanks for posrting this.

Gaines