The Danube as a grave – the hole in the ice, Novi Sad 1942, bodies of Serbs and Jews thrown into the Danube (many never found)

The Danube as a grave – the hole in the ice

21–23 January 1942 – the Hungarians execute 1,246–4,000 Serbs and Jews in Novi Sad.

They do not bury the bodies – they throw them into the Danube.

Method: The Danube is frozen (temperature –15°C). The Hungarians break a hole in the ice (about 5 metres in diameter). They throw the bodies through the hole – the bodies vanish beneath the ice, carried away by the current.

Result: 1,000–2,000 bodies thrown into the Danube. Many were never found. The Danube became a grave.

❄️ January 1942 – the Danube frozen

January 1942 – one of the coldest winters in the history of Vojvodina:

• Temperature: –15°C to –20°C (at night down to –25°C)
• The Danube frozen: Ice 40–60 cm thick (strong enough for people to walk on it)
• Traffic across the Danube halted (boats could not pass)

21 January, morning – the Hungarians break a hole in the ice:

• Location: The bank of the Danube in Novi Sad (near the "Štrand" hotel)
• Method: The Hungarians use axes and saws – breaking through the ice (50 cm thick)
• The hole: About 5 metres in diameter, depth to the water about 50 cm (the ice)
• The water beneath the ice: Flowing (the current carries away everything that falls into the hole)

Why a hole?

• The Hungarians wanted to hide the evidence (bodies underwater – they would not be found)
• The current carries the bodies towards Romania/Bulgaria (away from Novi Sad)
• The ice closes over afterwards (the hole freezes again) – nothing can be seen

🔫 The executions and the disposal of bodies – how did it work?

21 January, 17:00–23:00 – the process:

1. Bringing them to the bank:

• The Hungarians bring the arrested Serbs and Jews to the bank of the Danube
• In groups of 10–20 people
• They line them up (near the hole in the ice)

2. Execution:

• The Hungarians shoot the people (machine guns, rifles)
• The bodies fall onto the ice (near the hole)

3. Throwing into the hole:

• The Hungarians push the bodies into the hole (with their feet, they shove them)
• The body falls through the hole – into the water
• The current carries the body away beneath the ice
• The body vanishes – never to be seen

Duration: 6 hours (17:00–23:00, 21 January) – the Hungarians threw 300–500 bodies into the Danube.

The following 2 days (22–23 January) – another 700–1,500 bodies thrown in.

In total: 1,000–2,000 bodies thrown into the Danube over 3 days.

🌊 Spring 1942 – bodies surface

March–April 1942 – the temperature rises. The ice on the Danube melts.

April 1942 – bodies begin to surface:

• Locations: Novi Sad (the bank), further down the Danube (Futog, Beočin, Sremski Karlovci)
• Some bodies carried as far as Romania/Bulgaria (100+ km away)

How many bodies were found?

• April–May 1942: 50–100 bodies found (surfaced)
• Summer 1942: Another 20–30 bodies
• TOTAL: ~70–130 bodies found

But: 1,000–2,000 bodies thrown in → only 70–130 found.

Conclusion: Most of the bodies were never found (900–1,900 bodies vanished forever).

🎣 A fisherman's testimony – "For months afterwards, we kept finding bodies"

Petar Jovanović (fisherman, Novi Sad):

"I was a fisherman on the Danube for 30 years. April 1942 – the ice was melting. One morning I went to the Danube to fish. I saw a BODY – floating on the surface. A man, 30–40 years old. Bullet holes in the back. I called the police (but the police were Hungarian – they didn't come). I called people from the village. They came – they pulled out the body. It was not the only one. The following week – I found another 5 bodies. Then another 3. Then another 7. For months afterwards – I kept finding bodies. In all, I found about 20 bodies (April–August 1942). Many fishermen were finding bodies. The Danube became a grave. Every time I went to fish – I was afraid I would find another body."

– Petar Jovanović, fisherman

👨‍👩‍👦 Families search for their own – many never found them

24 January 1942 – the raid is over. The families of the Serbs and Jews begin searching for their own (fathers, sons, husbands, brothers).

The problem: The bodies were thrown into the Danube – where to search?

April–May 1942 – the families come to the bank of the Danube every day:

• They wait for the bodies to surface
• When someone finds a body – they call the families to come
• The families try to identify the body (clothing, personal belongings)
• Many bodies were unrecognisable (months in the water)

A mother's testimony (Milica Petrović, Novi Sad):

"My son (Jovan, 22 years old) was arrested on 21 January. The Hungarians took him away. He never came back. April 1942 – I heard that bodies were surfacing. Every day I came to the Danube – searching for my son. I saw about 15 bodies (people pulled out of the Danube). Every time – I hoped it was Jovan (so that at least I could bury him). But I never found him. For months I came. Spring, summer, autumn – nothing. Jovan vanished forever. The Danube took him. I will never bury him. I will never see him. That is the worst thing – not knowing where your child is."

– Milica Petrović, mother of a victim

Statistics:

• 1,000–2,000 bodies thrown into the Danube (21–23 January 1942)
• 70–130 bodies found (April–August 1942)
• 900–1,900 bodies never found
• Result: 900–1,900 families never found their own (never buried)

🕊️ The Danube as a grave – a symbol

For the people of Novi Sad, the Danube = a grave:

• 1,000–2,000 Serbs and Jews thrown into the Danube (January 1942)
• Most were never found (900–1,900 bodies vanished forever)
• The families never buried their own – never mourned at a grave
• The Danube became a symbol – every time the people of Novi Sad look at the Danube, they remember 1942.

Today (2024) – the "Štrand" Memorial Park (Novi Sad):

• On the spot where the hole in the ice once was
• A monument to the victims
• Inscription: "To the Danube – the grave of our own. We will never forget."

🇷🇸 The Serbian perspective – the Danube took our own

For the Serbian people, the Danube in Novi Sad = a grave without graves:

• 1,000–2,000 Serbs and Jews thrown into the Danube (21–23 January 1942)
• A hole in the ice – the Hungarians broke a hole, threw the bodies in (to hide the evidence)
• Most were never found – the current carried the bodies towards Romania/Bulgaria
• Spring 1942: Only 70–130 bodies surfaced (out of 1,000–2,000)
• 900–1,900 families never found their own – never buried them
• A fisherman's testimony: "For months afterwards, I kept finding bodies"
• The Danube became a symbol – a grave without graves
• We will never forget

"21–23 January 1942 – the Hungarians throw the bodies of executed Serbs and Jews into the Danube (Novi Sad). The Danube frozen (–15°C). A hole in the ice 5 metres in diameter. 1,000–2,000 bodies thrown into the Danube. The current carries the bodies away. Spring 1942: the ice melts – only 70–130 bodies surfaced. Most (900–1,900) vanished forever. Families searched for months – many never found their own. Fisherman Petar Jovanović: 'For months I kept finding bodies.' Mother Milica Petrović: 'I never found my son Jovan. The Danube took him.' 900–1,900 families never buried their own. The Danube became a grave without graves. The 'Štrand' Memorial Park: 'To the Danube – the grave of our own.' WE WILL NEVER FORGET."