General Paul Bader - Reprisal order in Kraljevo (1941), "special brutality needed to break Serbian resistance"

General Paul Bader - Reprisal order in Kraljevo

Paul Bader (1883-1971) - German general, commander of Serbia (1941).

15 October 1941 - partisans attack a German column near Kraljevo (10 Germans killed, 26 wounded).

The same day - General Bader sends a telegram to General Böhme (his superior):

"Special brutality is needed to break Serbian resistance. I recommend a reprisal against civilians in Kraljevo. Apply the '100 for 1 rule'."

- General Paul Bader, telegram 15 October 1941

16 October 1941 - General Böhme approves. Bader sends units to Kraljevo - the massacre begins (2,000-5,000 Serbs shot over 5 days).

Bader = directly responsible for the massacre in Kraljevo.

🪖 Who was Paul Bader?

Paul Bader (born 1883, Baden, Germany):

• Career: Officer in the German army (WW1, WW2)
• 1941: Commander of German troops in Serbia (May-September 1941)
• Position: Plenipotentiary Commanding General in Serbia (military governor)
• Superior: General Franz Böhme (commander of all German troops in Southeastern Europe)

Bader's role in Serbia:

• Maintaining order in occupied Serbia
• Suppressing the partisan movement (Serbian resistance)
• Applied brutal methods: reprisals against civilians, the "100 for 1 rule", shooting of hostages

📜 Bader's order - "special brutality"

15 October 1941, afternoon - General Bader receives a report: partisans attacked a German column near Kraljevo (10 Germans killed, 26 wounded).

Bader decides: "The Serbs must be shown that every attack on Germans will cost hundreds of Serbian lives."

Telegram to General Böhme:

"Situation in Kraljevo: Partisans attacked our column. 10 killed, 26 wounded. I recommend special brutality to break Serbian resistance. Shoot 100 Serbs for every German killed. In total: 2,300 Serbs are to be shot in Kraljevo."

- General Paul Bader, telegram 15 October 1941

General Böhme approves (the same day, in the evening).

16 October, morning - Bader sends units to Kraljevo. The massacre begins.

🔥 The Kraljevo massacre - Bader's responsibility

16-20 October 1941 - German units (under Bader's command) shoot 2,000-5,000 Serbs in Kraljevo.

Method:

• The Germans seal off the town (no one can leave)
• They arrest ALL men (houses, streets, factories, churches)
• They shoot them in groups (50-100 at a time) - over 5 days (16-20 October)
• The bodies are left where they fall (residents bury them afterwards)

Bader personally oversaw the first few days of the shootings (he was in Kraljevo on 16-17 October).

Testimony (Miloš Radovanović, survivor):

"I saw a German general (probably Bader) - he was standing near the execution site. He watched them shoot us. He showed no emotion. He just watched. As if it were normal. As if we were animals, not people."

- Miloš Radovanović, survivor

📋 Bader and Kragujevac - took part in a SECOND massacre

21 October 1941 (3 weeks after Kraljevo) - the Germans carry out the massacre in Kragujevac (2,778-7,000 Serbs shot).

Bader's role:

• Bader's PROPOSAL for the Kragujevac massacre (19 October) - the same method as Kraljevo
• General Böhme approved it
• Bader coordinated the shootings (but was not personally in Kragujevac)

Telegram Bader → Böhme (19 October 1941):

"The method from Kraljevo has proved effective. I recommend the same method in Kragujevac. Shoot 100 Serbs for every German killed."

- General Paul Bader, telegram 19 October 1941

Conclusion: Bader = responsible for the TWO largest massacres in Serbia (Kraljevo and Kragujevac).

⚖️ Nuremberg Trial - Bader charged, but released quickly

1945 (end of WW2) - General Bader arrested by the Allies.

1947 - Bader charged at the Nuremberg Trial (category: "war criminals - massacres of civilians").

Charges:

• Ordering the massacre in Kraljevo (2,000-5,000 Serbs shot)
• Taking part in the Kragujevac massacre (2,778-7,000 Serbs)
• Applying the "100 for 1 rule" (violation of international law)
• Reprisals against civilians (prohibited by the Hague Convention)

1947 - Bader convicted:

• Sentence: 20 years in prison
• Reason: War crimes in Serbia

But:

• 1951 (only 4 years after the trial) - Bader RELEASED
• Reason: The Cold War - the USA needed West Germany as an ally against the USSR
• The USA pardoned many German officers (including Bader)

Bader served only 6 years (1945-1951) - for 2,000-7,000+ Serbs he killed.

1951-1971 - Bader lives in Germany (a free man):

• Receives a pension (a retired German officer)
• Never repented
• Never expressed regret for Kraljevo or Kragujevac

1971 - Bader dies (aged 88, natural death).

Conclusion: Impunity - Bader was never fully held accountable for his crimes.

🇷🇸 The Serbian perspective - double standards of justice

Contrast: How did the West treat German officers (WW2) vs. Serbian officers (1990s)?

The Serbian perspective:

• Paul Bader (German) - killed 2,000-7,000+ Serbs → served 6 years, then free
• Ratko Mladić (Serb) - killed ~8,000 Muslims → life
• Double standard: When Serbs are the victims - the West punishes leniently. When Serbs are the perpetrators - the West punishes severely.

📌 Bader's defense at the trial - "I was following orders"

1947 (Nuremberg Trial) - Bader's defense:

"I was only following orders. General Böhme ordered the '100 for 1 rule'. I was merely carrying out orders. I did not make the decisions."

- General Paul Bader, defense at the trial in 1947

The prosecutors reject this:

• "I was following orders" is NOT a defense (a principle established at the Nuremberg Trial)
• An officer is responsible for his own actions - even if he is following orders
• Bader had a choice: he could have refused the order (some German officers did refuse)

The prosecutors also emphasized:

• Bader did not merely follow orders - he HIMSELF PROPOSED the massacre in Kraljevo
• His telegram: "Special brutality is needed" - those are HIS words, not Böhme's
• Bader PERSONALLY oversaw the shootings in Kraljevo (16-17 October)

Conclusion: Bader = directly responsible, not merely "following orders".

🇷🇸 Serbian remembrance - we will never forget Bader

For the Serbian people, Paul Bader = a symbol of German terror in WW2:

• Ordered the massacre in Kraljevo (2,000-5,000 Serbs)
• Took part in the Kragujevac massacre (2,778-7,000 Serbs)
• Telegram: "Special brutality needed" - his words documented
• Never fully held accountable - served only 6 years, then free
• Died in Germany in 1971 - receiving a pension, never repented
• Impunity - proof of the West's double standards

"General Paul Bader - commander of German troops in Serbia (1941). Ordered the massacre in Kraljevo (16-20 October 1941): telegram 'Special brutality is needed to break Serbian resistance.' 2,000-5,000 Serbs shot. Also took part in the Kragujevac massacre (21 October). Nuremberg Trial: charged, sentenced to 20 years. But: released in 1951 (served only 6 years). The Cold War - the USA pardoned German officers. Bader lives in Germany (1951-1971) - receiving a pension, never repented. Died in 1971 (natural death). Never fully held accountable. Impunity. Double standards: Germans → Serbs (lenient sentence), Serbs → Muslims (life). WE WILL NEVER FORGET BADER."