European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

By the time I got home in December 1942, I was recruited into the German army, forcibly mobilized.

I was an 18 year old youth at the time and had no idea what the army was or what a weapon was.

I came to the German army at Brno in the Czech Republic; it was called Brünn in German.

I was in the army December 1942, and January and February.

We had what they call in German Ausbildung, which was a drill using German weapons.

We were given an assignment of which I knew nothing about: to fight against the Russian soldiers.

We were sent in February 1943, Germany was suffering

from hard times due to the Soviet troops conquering German troops in Stalingrad,

up in Leningrad, and we were sent to the eastern front.

Introduction, family, youth

Well, I come from a tradesman’s family.

My father was a tradesman, a woodworker.

My mother was a cook.

My mother came from Styria and my father from Carniola. They both met in Ljubljana.

I was born 19 April 1924 in Recica near Savinja.

Then we moved. As far as our residence is concerned, we moved from

Sentjanz, Radmirje, Menges, Luc and we ended up here in Kropa.

On 10 July 1942, I was mobilized to the German Arbeitsdienst, the German labor service.

I was mobilized into this service, which was a sort of  paramilitary type.

I was in the Arbeitsdienst for six months.