World War II persecution and genocide of Serbs

Serbs were heavily persecuted during World War II. Following the invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1941, the Kingdom was divided into several occupation zones. A rump Serbia remained, following the country's dismemberment. The territory was divided among the occupiers as follows:
 * Third Reich - Slovenia was included in the Reich and Banat, while occupied and separated from Serbia.
 * Hungary occupied the Bačka, Baranja, Međimurje, and Prekmurje.
 * Bulgaria occupied the south (including the territory of today's Republic of Macedonia).
 * Italy occupied Montenegro and included much of today's southern Serbia, including the province of Kosovo, into Albania, which it had previously occupied.
 * The small rump of Serbia itself was under German military occupation.

In addition, a Nazi puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia, was set up on the territory today covered by Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was lead by Ante Pavelić, the leader of the Ustashe. On all of these occupied territories, Serbs were heavily persecuted. Estimates vary between 500,000 and 1.2 million killed. Of that number Ustaše has killed between 330,000 and 390,000 ethnic Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.