Kragujevac gymnasium pupils 1941 - 300+ boys (aged 11-18) shot, the youngest victims of the massacre

Kragujevac gymnasium pupils 1941 - the youngest victims

21 October 1941 - among the 2,778-7,000 Serbs shot there were 300+ pupils (boys aged 11-18).

These are the youngest victims of the Kragujevac massacre - children shot simply because they were Serbs.

How did the Germans arrest the pupils?

📚 20 October 1941, 10:00 - the Germans blockade the schools

The gymnasium in Kragujevac (today's Gymnasium "21 October").

20 October 1941, 10:00 - the Germans come to the gymnasium:

• They block the entrances
• They enter the classrooms
• They order: "All men - outside!"

Professor Miloje Pavlović (a mathematics teacher) protests:

"These are CHILDREN! They are 15-16 years old! Let them go!"

- Professor Miloje Pavlović, 20 October 1941

The Germans reply: "You are going with them."

Result:

• Professor Miloje Pavlović arrested
• All male pupils arrested (300+)
• Taken to Šumarice
• 21 October 1941 - shot

Professor Miloje Pavlović was shot together with his pupils - he wished to die with the children he taught.

📊 Pupils shot - statistics

Ages of the pupils shot:

• 11-13 years: 50+ (primary school pupils)
• 14-16 years: 200+ (gymnasium pupils, lower years)
• 17-18 years: 100+ (gymnasium pupils, upper years)

Youngest victim: 11 years old - a primary school pupil (the name has not been preserved, but it is documented in the archives).

👨‍🏫 Professor Miloje Pavlović - the hero who died with his pupils

Miloje Pavlović (born 1888, Kragujevac) - a mathematics teacher at the Kragujevac gymnasium.

20 October 1941 - when the Germans entered the classroom, Professor Pavlović protested:

"These are children! Let them go!"

The Germans: "You are going with them."

Pavlović replies: "I will go. I will not abandon my children."

21 October 1941, Šumarice - the pupils were shot. Professor Pavlović stood with them to the end.

Testimony of a surviving pupil (Slobodan Stanković, aged 15):

"I saw Professor Pavlović. He stood with us. He held his hands on the shoulders of two pupils (Petar and Milan). He told them: 'Do not cry. We will die together.' When the Germans began to fire, the professor fell with them. He died with his children."

- Slobodan Stanković, surviving pupil

Today: The gymnasium in Kragujevac bears the name Gymnasium "21 October" - in honour of the pupils and Professor Pavlović.

👩 Mothers find their children - 22 October 1941

22 October 1941, morning - mothers, fathers and sisters come to Šumarice to search for their children.

The scene:

• Thousands of bodies throughout the wood
• Mothers weeping, searching for their sons
• Many children still have their school books in their hands (they had brought them from the classroom)
• Some pupils recognised by their uniforms (the gymnasium had uniforms)

Testimony of a mother (Jelena Jovanović, mother of the pupil Milan Jovanović, aged 16):

"I found Milan. He lay with a mathematics book in his hand. Professor Pavlović had given it to him the day before. Milan was studying. He wanted to be an engineer. Now he lies dead. Sixteen years old. The Germans killed him. Only because he was a Serb. Why? WHY?"

- Jelena Jovanović, mother of a victim

Another mother (Milica Petrović, mother of the pupil Petar Petrović, aged 14):

"Petar was 14 years old. My youngest son. That morning he said to me: 'Mama, I am going to school.' I did not know that I would never see him alive again. I found him in Šumarice. Bullets in his back. He lay beside Professor Pavlović. I wept for 3 days. I cannot stop."

- Milica Petrović, mother of a victim

📝 List of pupils shot - documented names

Officially documented: 300+ names of pupils (Šumarice Memorial Park - names carved on the monuments).

Example of names (from the memorial plaque in the Gymnasium "21 October"):

These are just 6 names out of 300+ pupils and teachers shot.

🎓 Gymnasium "21 October" - a memorial to the pupils

Today: The gymnasium in Kragujevac bears the name Gymnasium "21 October" - in honour of the pupils shot on 21 October 1941.

Memorial plaque (at the entrance to the gymnasium):

"Dedicated to the pupils of the Kragujevac gymnasium - shot on 21 October 1941"

"300+ pupils and 20+ teachers shot by the Germans (reprisal for partisan attacks). Youngest victim: 11 years old. Professor Miloje Pavlović died with his pupils. WE WILL NEVER FORGET."

Every year (21 October) - pupils of the Gymnasium "21 October" come to Šumarice:

• They lay flowers on the grave
• They read the names of the pupils shot
• A minute of silence

🌍 An international perspective - children as victims of war

The Kragujevac massacre - one of the worst crimes against children in WW2 (Europe).

Comparison:

Conclusion: The Kragujevac massacre - the most children killed in a single day (occupied Europe, WW2).

🇷🇸 The Serbian perspective - a symbol of innocence destroyed by war

For the Serbian people, the pupils of the Kragujevac gymnasium are a symbol of innocence destroyed by war:

• 300+ boys shot (aged 11-18) - the youngest victims of the massacre
• Arrested straight from the classroom - while they were studying
• Professor Miloje Pavlović - the hero who died with his pupils
• Mothers found their children - shot with their school books in their hands
• Gymnasium "21 October" - a memorial to the pupils
• We will never forget - every name, every story

"21 October 1941 - the Germans shot 300+ pupils of the Kragujevac gymnasium (aged 11-18). They arrested them straight from the classroom. Professor Miloje Pavlović protested - he was shot together with them. Youngest victim: 11 years old. Mothers found their children in Šumarice (shot with their school books in their hands). They were CHILDREN - shot simply because they were Serbs. Today: the Gymnasium '21 October' - a memorial to the pupils. 300+ names carved on the monuments (Šumarice). Every name. Every story. Every child. WE WILL NEVER FORGET."