Fact check: The Independent State of Croatia made soap out of humans.

1. Summary of the results

1. Summary of the results

The claim about the Independent State of Croatia producing soap from human bodies is unsubstantiated by historical evidence. While the Ustaše regime committed well-documented atrocities during World War II, including mass killings and torture at places like Jasenovac concentration camp, the specific claim about human soap production appears to be part of wider wartime folklore rather than historical fact.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement omits crucial context about similar claims during WWII:

• Similar rumors about human soap production circulated widely during WWII, particularly about Nazi concentration camps
• Major Holocaust research institutions like Yad Vashem have investigated and largely debunked industrial-scale human soap production claims
• The Ustaše regime did commit documented atrocities against Serbs, Jews, and Roma people, with death toll estimates ranging from 200,000-500,000 people
• Actual soap production during this period primarily used animal fats like tallow due to wartime shortages

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement appears to conflate wartime propaganda with historical fact. Such claims served specific purposes:

• They were used as psychological warfare tools to spread fear and intimidation
• These stories often originated from misunderstandings about soap labeling (like RIF soap)
• Holocaust scholars like Deborah Lipstadt have actively worked to separate such folklore from documented historical atrocities
• Focusing on unsubstantiated claims can potentially detract from the very real and documented crimes committed by the Ustaše regime