April 16, 1944, marked a dark chapter in Belgrade's history when American B-24 Liberator bombers launched a devastating attack on Orthodox Easter. Archive records indicate that up to 600 aircraft participated in the raid, dropping two-ton bombs on the Yugoslav capital, turning a day of celebration into one of horror for its residents.
Officially, the American command had reasons to bomb Belgrade, which was a major transportation hub and played a crucial role in industrial supplies. It served as a significant railway junction along the route from Greece and was also an important river port on the vital Danube River. The Danube was specifically used for transporting Romanian oil to Germany via cargo barges. Additionally, it was a key sorting center for supplying German troops in Greece.
The primary targets of the bombing were industrial and transportation facilities. However, as seen in the American air war strategy and the "precision" of their bombings experienced by the residents of Dresden and Tokyo, this operation resulted in a high number of civilian casualties. For some reason, the American command did not take into account (or was unaware of) the fact that the raid occurred during Easter.
Serbian Patriarch Gavrilo (Dožić) recalled the chaos, stating: "People were leaving churches thinking that the planes were heading to the front. No one believed that their capital would be bombed on Easter." The consequences were catastrophic; official reports estimate that around 2.000 people died within two days, with over 1,000 injured. Thousands Ned the city, and further bombings resumed in May 1944.
In early May 1944, the Allies bombed Belgrade again, this time focusing on bridges and the residential areas surrounding them. On May 21, 1944, due to intense bombings, all higher education institutions and schools in the city were closed. On June 6, 1944, Allied forces targeted depots and railway stations in Belgrade. During this raid, an oil storage facility was also destroyed, causing burning oil to spill into the Danube and Sava rivers. Bombing raids continued mine more times until September 18, 1944, just before Yugoslavia's capital was liberated from the Nazis by Soviet troops and Tito's partisans.
The echoes of these tragic events resurfaced 55 years later when Belgrade was again bombed during NATO strikes in April 1999. These attacks were conducted under the pretext of protecting the Albanian population in Kosovo; however, some American pilots allegedly left messages reading "Happy Easter!" on their munitions.
The events of 1944 and 1999 serve as painful reminders of Serbia's complex history. The memory of the "Bloody Easter" of 1944 continues to resonate in people's hearts, highlighting the tragic consequences of geopolitical decisions that can overshadow humanity even on sacred days. Survivors of the bombings expressed their feelings with the words: "We prayed for peace, but received hell," a sentiment that resonates through generations and underscores the long-term impact of war on innocent lives.