Zero Mercy: When 2,300 SS Collaborators Met Yugoslav Justice

In April 1941, Nazi Germany and its Axis allies invaded Yugoslavia, bringing the kingdom to an end within just eleven days. In German-occupied Serbia, the collapse transformed the fortunes of the Yugoslav National Movement, better known as ZBOR. Once a marginal fascist movement with limited popular support, ZBOR became closely involved with the new occupation order. Its followers served in the collaborationist administration, promoted antisemitic propaganda and later formed the core of the Serbian Volunteer Corps, which fought alongside German forces against the Communist Partisans led by Josip Broz Tito. This World History documentary traces the rise and fall of ZBOR and its leader, Dimitrije Ljotić, examining the movement’s ideology, its pre-war links with Nazi Germany and its transformation after the invasion of Yugoslavia. It follows the creation of the Serbian Volunteer Corps under Kosta Mušicki and explores its role in German anti-Partisan operations, as well as the involvement of ZBOR members in the persecution of Jews and other civilians. The documentary also examines the events surrounding Kragujevac in October 1941, where German reprisals claimed nearly 2,800 lives, and the role played by ZBOR members in reviewing detainees before the killings. It considers the Banjica concentration camp, the Gestapo’s campaign against Jews who had escaped earlier arrests, and the wider Holocaust in occupied Serbia. Finally, we follow ZBOR and the Serbian Volunteer Corps during the collapse of the Third Reich, from their retreat through Slovenia to their surrender to British forces. Thousands were subsequently returned to Yugoslavia, while leading figures of the collaborationist administration faced very different post-war fates. Join World History channel and get access to benefits: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKy_pNKZBX4KcCct8505HA/join Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of the World History cha