Štip massacre

Štip massacre
Part of World War I
Exhumed remains of those killed in the massacre.
Location	Ljuboten, Štip region, Kingdom of Serbia
Date	26 October 1915
Target	Serbian soldiers
Attack type	Summary executions
Deaths	118–120
Perpetrators	11th Macedonian Division Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization

The Štip massacre was the mass murder of Serbian soldiers by paramilitary forces of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) in the village of Ljuboten, Štip on 15 October 1915, during World War I. Sick and wounded Serbian soldiers, recuperating at the Štip town hospital, were detained by Macedonian IMRO militants before being taken into the vicinity of Ljuboten and killed. An estimated 118–120 Serbian soldiers were executed in the massacre.

Massacre

On 15 October 1915, two Bulgarian armies attacked, overrunning Serbian units, penetrating into the valley of the South Morava river near Vranje up to 22 October 1915. The Bulgarian forces conquered Kumanovo, Štip, and Skopje, and prevented the withdrawal of the Serbian army to the Greek border and Salonika.^[1] Štip was conquered by the 3rd Brigade of the Bulgarian Army 11th Macedonian Infantry Division, organized by former IMRO members,^[2][3] commanded by Aleksandar Protogerov and the IMRO band of Todor Aleksandrov.^[4] Štip and the surrounding area were looted by Bulgarian soldiers who refused to obey orders of requisition.^[5] On 26 October, Protogerov ordered the execution of 118–120 wounded and sick Serbian soldiers who at the time were recuperating at the Štip town hospital. Elements of IMRO commanded by Ivan Barlyo and the 11th Bulgarian Division then transported to the outskirts of the Ljuboten village, where they were summarily executed. Similar massacres of Serbian prisoners of war and civilians continued until the end of the war.^[6][4]

Aftermath

The Paris Peace Conference separated war crimes into 32 specific classes, forming the basis for the future persecution of war criminals identified in previous national and inter–allied commissions. However the question was subsequently forsaken and the responsibility for the trials fell upon the national courts of the Central Powers. A post war Inter–Allied War Commission investigated allegations leveled against Bulgaria, concluding that Bulgarian occupational authorities in Serbia and Greece had breached every single article of the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. The Bulgarian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference said that crimes were grossly exaggerated, and that the text prepared by the Inter-Allied War Commission was full of falsifications^{[7][non-primary source needed]} , those accusations were immediately answered by both the Serbian and the Greek governments in two memorandums entitled: Les mensonges Bulgares (The Bulgarian lies) and Une reponse à La vérité sur les accusations contre la Bulgarie. (An answer to the truth about the accusations against Bulgaria) which were in their turn submitted to the Paris Peace Conference.^[8] The validity of the Štip massacre was confirmed, its victims were exhumed and the perpetrators were identified. The kingdom of Serbia presented a list of 500 Bulgarians it suspected of war crimes, based on the commission's findings. Bulgaria's official response to the enquiry stated that 3 people were arrested and 2 executed for their involvement in various violations of the rules of war. This was later proved to be false, none of the accused were ever convicted of their crimes. In 1925, by order of Ivan Mihailov, Ivan Barlyo was executed for stubbornness and bad morals.^[9][10]

Gallery

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  Remains exhumed in Ljuboten
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  Remains exhumed in Ljuboten
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  Remains exhumed in Ljuboten
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  Remains exhumed in Ljuboten
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  Remains exhumed in Ljuboten

See also

• Surdulica massacre

Notes

References

• v
• t
• e

Bulgaria during World War I

Prelude	South-western front Serbian campaign, Macedonian front	Romanian front • Outcome • Others	Important persons
Balkan Wars 1912–1913 First Balkan War 1913 Treaty of London Second Balkan War Treaty of Bucharest Treaty of Constantinople Neutrality 1914 Ottoman–Bulgarian alliance 1915 Negotiations of Bulgaria with the Central Powers and the Entente Bulgarian–German treaty Secret Bulgarian–German agreement Military convention between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria Bulgarian–Ottoman convention Mobilization	Commanders  Bulgaria Nikola Zhekov • Kliment Boyadzhiev • Dimitar Geshov • Georgi Todorov • Ivan Lukov • Stefan Nerezov • Vladimir Vazov Entente:  Serbia: Radomir Putnik • Živojin Mišić • Stepa Stepanović • Petar Bojović • Pavle Jurišić Šturm;  France: Maurice Sarrail • Adolphe Guillaumat • Louis Franchet d'Espèrey;  United Kingdom: Bryan Mahon • George Milne;  Kingdom of Greece: Panagiotis Danglis Field Armies + Eleventh Army First Army Second Army Fourth Army Battles 1915 Morava Offensive • Ovče Pole Offensive • Kosovo offensive (1915) • Battle of Krivolak 1916 First battle of Doiran • Battle of Florina (Lerin) • Struma operation • Monastir offensive 1917 Second battle of Doiran • 2nd Crna Bend • Second battle of Monastir 1918 Battle of Skra-di-Legen • Battle of Dobro Pole • Third battle of Doiran	Commanders  Bulgaria Nikola Zhekov • Panteley Kiselov • Stefan Toshev • Todor Kantardzhiev • Ivan Kolev Entente:  Romania: Constantin Prezan • Alexandru Averescu;  Russia: Andrei Zayonchkovski • Vladimir Sakharov Field Armies Third Army Battles 1916 Battle of Turtucaia • Battle of Bazargic • First Cobadin • Flămânda Offensive • Second Cobadin • Battle of Bucharest Outcome 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk • Armistice of Focșani • Treaty of Bucharest • Protocol of Berlin Outcome Armistice of Salonica Vladaya revolt Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Others Bulgarian administration in Kosovo Anti-military propaganda	Ferdinand Vasil Radoslavov Aleksandar Malinov Aleksandar Stamboliyski Aleksandar Protogerov August von Mackensen Boris Drangov Vladimir Vazov Georgi Todorov (general) Ivan Kolev Kliment Boyadzhiev Dimitar Geshov Ivan Lukov Konstantin Zhostov Krastyu Zlatarev Nikola Zhekov Panteley Kiselov Stefan Toshev Stefan Nerezov Todor Kantardzhiev

41°40′N 22°14′E / 41.667°N 22.233°E / 41.667; 22.233