Active 1908–1918 Notable
commanders Ademaga Mešić | Country Austria-Hungary | |
 | ||
Type auxiliary volunteer militia Size 11,000–20,000 men and 1,600 veterans | ||
The Schutzkorps ("Protection Corps") was an auxiliary volunteer militia established by Austro-Hungarian authorities in the newly annexed province of Bosnia and Herzegovina to track down Bosnian Serb opposition (members of the Chetniks and the Komiti). It was predominantly recruited among the Bosniak population and was known for its part in the persecution of Serbs. They particularly targeted Serb populated areas of eastern Bosnia.
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The role of Schutzkorps is a point of debate. Persecution of Serbs conducted by the Austro-Hungarian authorities was the first incidence of active "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some Muslim leaders emphasized that it would be wrong to blame the whole Muslim population of Bosnia and Herzegovina for misdeeds of Schutzkorps, because some Muslims provided help to their Serb neighbors, while some Serbs hid from persecution by applying into Schutzkorps.
Annexation crisis of 1908–09
The Annexation crisis of 1908–09 erupted on 6 October 1908, when Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many people of Bosnia and Herzegovina were dissatisfied with the events, particularly Serbs who remained in feudal obligations to their Muslim landlords. To prevent their uprising, Austria-Hungary undertook repressive measures against Serb population, conducted by Schutzkorps. Schutzkorps were organized in eleven battalions of volunteers.
In Herzegovina, Schutzkorps avoided taking overly harsh measures against Serb populations near the border of Montenegro to avoid provoking its reaction. Since Gacko and Nevesinje are not near the border, its Serb population was subjected to terror from the Schutzkorps. At the end of October 1908, Serbs of Gacko reported to the government in Sarajevo about the Schutzkorps' terror, but no action was taken to investigate their reports.
Balkan Wars
After the outbreak of the First Balkan War in 1912, anti-Serb sentiment increased in the Austro-Hungarian administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Oskar Potiorek, governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, closed many Serb societies and significantly contributed to the anti-Serb mood before the outbreak of World War I. The Government's plans to mobilize Croats and Muslims into Schutzkorps units in case of the war against Serbia were revealed in December 1912 in Banja Luka and caused protests among its Serb population. The idea to revive volunteer units was not implemented.
World War I
Schutzkorps were again established by Potiorek in the prelude of the First World War in 1914, based on the instructions from Austria. The main support for establishment of Schutzkorps came from leaders of the Pure Party of Rights from Zagreb. Initially Schutzkorps consisted of around 11,000 men and 1,600 veterans but their number during the war grew to 20,000. Significant proportion of about 5,000 Schutzkorps were positioned in scarcely populated Herzegovina because Austria-Hungary was concerned that rebellious people of Herzegovina would organize pro-Serb uprising. One of the commanders of Schutzkorps who organized its units in Tešanj region was Ademaga Mešić, who became Ustashe Nazi collaborationist during World War II.
Imprisonment of around 5,500 (700 to 2,200 of them died in prison) and execution of 460 citizens of Serb ethnicity in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of the World War I heavily relied on Schutzkorps. Around 5,200 Serb families were forcibly expelled from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Schutzkorps shouted anti-Serb slogans and songs, such as "There is no three-fingered cross", while committing their crimes.
Legacy
This was the first persecution of substantial number of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina because of their ethnicity. Suljaga Salihagić, a Bosnian Muslim, emphasized that not all Muslims were responsible for the activities of Schutzkorps because many provided help to their Serb fellow citizens. Some Muslim leaders denied that Schutzkorps were strictly Muslim and Croat units because many Serbs hid in these units, some even commanded by men of Serb ethnicity.
In 1929, a priest from Trebinje published a book, documenting the acts of persecution, murders, and destruction of houses committed by the Schutzkorps in Trebinje and several other villages of the region.