During World War 2, the conflict gripped the whole of Europe.
Large swathes of the continent were placed under Nazi occupation, and within these areas there was
a significant degree of resistance that emerged. Yugoslavia was a country that was invaded by
the Axis forces on the 6th April 1941, and it faced heavy attacks before 11 days later it was
surrendered over to the Germans. Following this around 300,000 Yugoslav officers and soldiers were
taken prisoner, however within the country forms of resistance against the Germans did emerge.
Today we look at one man who faced his horrific execution with a smile, smiling in the face of
the enemy seconds before his life would come to an end. Join us today as we look at, ‘The brutal
execution of Ljubo Cupic,’ and remember to support our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
Cedomir Ljubo Cupic was born in 1913 in Argentina, and he was part of a large
family. His parents were from a small village called Zagarac, and his family were Montenegrin.
Ljubo’s father found refuge in America where he resented the Montenegrin King,
and he worked on the construction of railways. His father was well thought of,
and whilst shortly staying in America Ljubo was educated. However at some point the family
decided to return to Yugoslavia to help the country allegedly. In the 1930s they first
moved to Kosovo and bought some land. Life was relatively comfortable here for the Cupic’s,
however at some point Ljubo Cupic returned to Montenegro.
At the time, in Montenegro around 60% of all men were illiterate, and around 90% of the female
population could also not read. It was during this time that communism was sweeping the country,
and the communist party promised different projects for the future
and most in the country became obsessed with the promises the party were making.
Many of these promises however were never carried out, such as the creation of the Adriatic railway
which sought to introduce new jobs, trade and travel to the country.
Now during the 1930s, Ljubo Cupic moved to Niksic, the second largest city in the country. Whilst
here he finished high school and then went on to study law at the University of Belgrade.
It’s clear he had a bright future ahead of him. In 1940, he joined the League of Communists of
Yugoslavia, and at this point in time, the Second World War was raging across Europe.
Poland had already been invaded by Hitler’s blitzkrieging army, and it was very clear that
he would not stop to expand his empire in different directions. In April 1940,
German invaded Denmark and Norway, and later the following month rampaged into France,
whilst also focussing attacks on Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxumbourg.
At this time in the Second World War, things were looking very bad for the allies,
and for those living in different countries close to Germany, it looked rather dangerous
and likely that they would be invaded. Cupic having joined the communist party of Yugoslavia
accepted the leftist popular ideas that were prominent in the Balkans. Now as mentioned, Axis
forces comprising of German, Italian and Hungarian forces invaded Yugoslavia on the 6th April 1941.
The Luftwaffe laid siege to Belgrade dropping bombs on the city and other major cities across
the country and within 11 days the country fell into the hands of the Germans. The army could not
compete and cope with the strength of the German army, and the Axis forces split Yugoslavia up.
The independent state of Croatia was established and ruled as a Nazi satellite state, overseen by
a brutal facist militia known as the Ustase, and Germans occupied Bosnia and Herzegovinia
as well as parts of Serbia and Slovenia. Other areas were controlled by the other axis forces,
and things were brutal in these placed. The Ustase for example murdered around half a million people
in horrific fashion, and forced around a quarter of a million people
out of the region, also forcing 200,000 people to convert to Catholicism under the threat of death.
From the beginning of the conflict in the Balkan states, two resistance groups
emerged within Yugoslavia, the partisans and the Chetniks. The Partisans eventually
became the largest resistance army during the conflict, but they were all for acts of violence
and retribution against the German occupiers, with no regards of the consequences. This often
brought them into conflict with the Chetniks, who favoured royalism and often tried to avoid out
right attacks on Germans for the fear of reprisals against the Yugoslavian people. Now Ljubo Cupic
returned to Niksic as the country had been taken over by the Axis, and he helped to prepare the
uprisings that would occur. He was part of a partisan division, the ‘Duro Dakovic,’ which
had been formed by Communists who had managed to escape the city as it was placed under occupation.
Ljubo Cupic rose to the position as a commissioner within the Partisans, and he helped to organise
different guerrilla attacks and units to disrupt the German war effort. During the Second World
War, the city of Niksic was first occupied by Italians, and the occupation was resented by the
Partisans who immediately took up arms. Initially the first partisan advances were repressed
violently in bloody battles, and with bloody reprisals and Niksic as a city became a place
where public executions occurred, to try to deter others from rising up against the occupation.
During one battle near to the city in April 1942, whilst commanding units Ljubo Cupic was captured
and arrested by the Chetniks. The other resistance group the Chetniks had been collaborating with
the Italian occupiers, and as he was a high ranking member of the Partisans, he was seen
as a high level target. Cupic was then taken into prison where he was horrifically tortured,
and was then placed on trial. This was a shame trial organised and preceded over by the Chetniks,
and after this he was sentenced to death to be executed by a firing squad. Admittedly his
involvement in the Second World War was rather limited but he was seen as an important figure
in the local partisan movement. It was said, ‘when Ljubo was sentenced, death by shooting,
a handful of the Chetnik’s applauded in one box,’ Ljubo then turned to the court
and scornfully said to them, ‘it simply came to our notice then, a dozen approve
and hundreds are silent, and he went to his shooting like a wedding, upright and proud.’
Shortly after his trial, Ljubo Cupic was taken into the centre of Niksic for his execution.
Shortly before this, he was spotted bound in handcuffs smiling to the camera as he spent
his last few minutes on earth. Under Petrove Glavice just outside of the city, he was taken.
He was followed by thousands who were there to witness the death of this partisan commissioner,
and he was flanked by guards each side. It was the Chetnik’s who were tasked with performing his
execution, and as he arrived at his place of execution 5 shooters had been arranged to
carry out his killing. He was stood on a mound of earth raised above the crowd, and whilst here he
addressed the crowd, cheered his friends and his final words were ‘long live the glorious communist
party., the days of liberation will come.’ At this point, the firing squad then fired into Ljubo
Cupic, killing him instantly, before a Chetnik General then went up to his corpse, and fired one
final bullet from his revolver into him. It was said, ‘the saddest thing was when they laid him
in an already prepared tomb, there was an eerie silence only the sound of weapons was heard.’
Today Ljubo Cupic is seen as an important symbol of anti-facsism across Europe.
He was posthumously awarded the People’s Hero award by Tito in 1953.
The Partisans later in the war would succeed in driving the Axis forces out of their lands,
and it was through the resistance of people like Cupic that this was able to occur.
For the city of Niksic, Cupic is an important individual who generations had admired.
A proud statue of him smiling, based on the image taken shortly before his death is in a
prominent place in the city, and it’s said that everyone who lives in the city knows his story.
Ljubo Cupic was a man who’s life ended prematurely based on the fact he was captured by Chetniks who
were working with the enemy. As a prominent Partisan his death was seen by the Chetnik’s
as a major coup, however he is remembered as the man who went to his execution with a smile on his
face. Today people in Niksic walk past his statue, and say that his smile is the smile of freedom.
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