The Republic of Užice was a short-lived liberated territory established by the Partisans and the first liberated territory in World War II Europe , organised as a military mini-state that existed in the autumn of 1941 in the west of occupied Serbia . By late 1944 , the Belgrade Offensive swung in favour of the partisans in the civil war ; the partisans subsequently gained control of Yugoslavia . Following the Belgrade Offensive , the Syrmian Front was the last major military action of World War II in Serbia . A study by Vladimir Žerjavić estimates total war related deaths in Yugoslavia at 1,027,000 , including 273,000 in Serbia . The Ustaše regime systematically murdered approximately 300,000 to 500,000 Serbs . Many historians and authors describe the Ustaše regime 's mass killings of Serbs as meeting the definition of genocide , including Raphael Lemkin who is known for coining the word '' genocide '' and initiating the Genocide Convention
murdered approximately 300,000 to 500,000 Serbs
Persecution of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia
Serbia