Ante Vrban (15 January 1908 – 31 August 1948) was a Croatian major of the

Ustaše Militia The Ustaše Militia () was the military branch of the Ustaše, established by the Fascism, fascist and Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia, genocidal regime of Ante Pavelić in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), an Axis pow ...

and later the

Croatian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia () are the national military forces of Croatia. The Croatian military consists of three service branches: the Croatian Army, the Croatian Navy and the Croatian Air Force. The OSRH is headed by the ...

of the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He served as deputy commander of the

Stara Gradiška concentration camp Stara Gradiška was a concentration and extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II. The camp was specially constructed for women and children of Serb, Jewish and Romani ethnicity. Victims also included commu ...

and was responsible for various atrocities committed there during the war. After the collapse of the Independent State of Croatia, he fled and sought refuge in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. In the summer of 1945, he returned to

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

with the intention of starting an

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

uprising. He was arrested by Yugoslav authorities and charged with

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s. Vrban was found guilty on all counts and hanged in August 1948.

Biography

Vrban was born on 15 January 1908 in Pejakuša, near

Gospić Gospić () is a town in Lika, Croatia. It is the seat of the Lika-Senj County. Geography Gospić is located in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika. It is the administrative center of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located n ...

. Before

, he worked as a trading assistant. After the formation of the

, he joined the Ustasha Militia. In the summer of 1941, he took part in the killings of

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

Lika Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by t ...

, as well as in the killings of

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

in the

Jadovno concentration camp The Jadovno concentration camp was a concentration and extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II. Commanded by a member of the Ustaše Militia Juraj Rukavina, it was the first of twenty-six concentration cam ...

. He arrived at the Stara Gradiška camp on 13 November 1941, and brought with him a group of captured

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. For some time he was the deputy commander of the camp which was commanded by Mile Orešković. At the post-war trial, he admitted to poisoning 63 sick children with

Zyklon B Zyklon B (; translated Cyclone B) was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide invented in Germany in the early 1920s. It consists of hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid), as well as a cautionary eye irritant and one of several adsorbents such ...

. He took part in the

Battle of Lijevče Field A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

. After the collapse of the Independent State of Croatia, he withdrew to

, but in 1946 he returned briefly to

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

to establish contact with the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

. The following year, the

UDBA The State Security Service, also known by its original name as the Directorate for State Security, was the secret police organization of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Communist Yugoslavia. It was at all times best known by the acrony ...

captured him on Mount Papuk, together with

Ljubo Miloš Ljubomir "Ljubo" Miloš (25 February 1919 – 20 August 1948) was a Croatian public official who was a member of the Ustaše of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II. He served as commandant of the Jasenovac concentrat ...

. At the trial before the Supreme Court of the People's Republic of Croatia with Ustashas caught in

Operation Gvardijan Operation Gvardijan was a covert action of the Yugoslav Directorate for State Security (UDBA) from 1947 and 1948. It prevented an attempt by Ustasha emigrants to carry out terrorist and diversionary actions in Yugoslavia and unite anti-communis ...

, Vrban was sentenced to

death by hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerous countries and regions. ...

In popular culture

In the 1983 four-part

TV Zagreb HRT 1 (HTV 1, ''"Prvi program"'') is a Croatian television channel, operated by public broadcaster Hrvatska Radiotelevizija (HRT).Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. - Annual Report, 2007'. Kuching: Acquisdata Pty Ltd. Accessed July 28, 2024. � ...

mini-series ''Zamke'' (''Traps''), Vrban is portrayed by

Zdenko Jelčić Zdenko Jelčić (born 8 August 1946) is a Croatian actor. He has appeared in more than fifty films since 1972. Selected filmography References External links * 1946 births Living people People from Čapljina Croatian male film ac ...

. In the 2021 historical drama ''

Dara of Jasenovac ''Dara of Jasenovac'' () is a 2021 Serbian historical drama film directed by Predrag Antonijević. Based on the testimonies of survivors, it deals with war crimes and atrocities that took place at Jasenovac concentration camp, which was a part of ...

'' directed by

Predrag Antonijević Predrag "Gaga" Antonijević ( sr-Cyrl, Предраг Гага Антонијевић; born 7 February 1959) is a Serbian film director and screenwriter. In 2021, he was awarded the Order of Karađorđe's Star. Filmography ;TV works Refer ...

, Vrban is portrayed by Igor Đorđević.Full Cast & Crew of Dara of Jasenovac
/ref>

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vrban, Ante 1908 births 1948 deaths Critics of Freemasonry Anti-Serbian sentiment Croatian anti-communists Croatian mass murderers Croatian people convicted of crimes against humanity Croatian people convicted of war crimes Executed Croatian collaborators with Fascist Italy Executed Croatian collaborators with Nazi Germany Executed mass murderers Executed Nazi concentration camp commandants Fugitives wanted on crimes against humanity charges Fugitives wanted on war crimes charges Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia perpetrators Holocaust perpetrators in Yugoslavia People executed by Yugoslavia by hanging People from Gospić Romani genocide perpetrators Ustaše concentration camp personnel Ustaša Militia personnel Yugoslav anti-communists