The article presents a case study of the crime committed in the village of Skela on August 15, 1941. The introductory section examines the historical development of the settlement, together with its geographical, economic, and transportation characteristics, in order to establish its position within occupied Serbia. It further analyzes the organizational structure of the occupation apparatus and the activities of the German police unit responsible for the crime. The central part is devoted to the reconstruction of the partisan ambush and the subsequent repressive measures, accompanied by a systematization of data on the victims. The research is based on the analysis of archival sources of both German and Serbian origin, as well as relevant historiographical literature. During July and the first half of August 1941, the village of Skela was the scene of sporadic acts of sabotage and the disarming of gendarmerie posts. A decisive event occurred on August 14th 1941, when partisan units carried out an ambush in which one German police lieutenant and three sergeants were killed, and their vehicle set on fire. On the following day, the 64th Reserve Police Battalion, to which the slain policemen belonged, conducted a largescale reprisal. Fourteen villagers of Skela and forty-two detainees from the Banjica camp were executed. In addition, a significant part of the village was set ablaze, destroying residential and economic structures, agricultural tools, and supplies of food. These measures inflicted severe damage on Skela, disrupted its socio-economic development, and condemned the inhabitants to a protracted and difficult process of rebuilding their households under wartime conditions.
Radosav Tucović (Wed,) studied this question.