Maks Luburić
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Vjekoslav "Maks" Luburić (1911 - 1969), was a member of the Croatian World War II regime the Ustaše, best known as the commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp.
In the beginning of the Second World War, Luburić was the commanding general for the area of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) around the Drina river, which is why he is sometimes referred to as General Drinjanin (General of the Drina).
Vjekoslav Luburić, as the commander-in-chef of all the Croatian camps, announced the great "efficiency" of this slaughterhouse at a ceremony on October 9th, 1942... During the banquet which followed, he reported with pride: "We have slaughtered here at Jasenovac more people than the Ottoman Empire was able to do during its occupation of Europe."
It is estimated that between 69,000 to 80,000 people met their death [at Jasenovac] during WWII. For a more detailed discussion, see Jasenovac concentration camp article.
Among the executed were two junior ministers, Mladen Lorković and Ante Vokić. They were planning a coup against Pavelić in 1944 when their machinations were discovered. Both were arrested and sent to the camp at Lepoglava, where they were murdered in an act of spite on Maks Luburić's orders in May of 1945.
Near the end of the war, after the NDH was defeated, Luburić led the so-called Crusaders (Križari) paramilitary for a brief time but was unsuccessful.
In May 1945, Luburić, together with Ante Pavelić, led the defeated army of the NDH to the Austrian border to surrender to Great Britain.
After the end of World War II, he surfaced in the West and participated in various activities of the Croatian emigrant organizations, in Spain, Sweden, Germany, Canada and elsewhere. He founded an organization called the "Croatian National Resistance" (Hrvatski narodni odpor, HNO).
Luburić was killed by an agent of UDBA, the Yugoslav secret service, Ilija Stanić on 20 April 1969, after Stanić infiltrated Luburić's organisation. Ilija Stanić was Luburić's godson, and the son of Luburić's comrade-in-arms Vinko Stanić.[1]
He was affectionately given the name Maks by lifetime friend Jure Francetić while at the Ustaša training camp 'Janka Pusta'.
