European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

I just know that I was locked up for an eternity, at least it seemed that way.

I don’t know whether it was afternoon or the next day, but two soldiers came in and asked me if I’m German or not.

No, I’m not, I’m Yugoslavian.

They knew nothing of any Yugoslavians.

They tied me up with some wire and shoved me to some headquarters.

There was a huge table in a very large room, and the officers were sitting over there.

I don’t know what kind of officers they were. They asked me all sorts of things.

Perhaps I’d been thinking about it in the hen coop, I was asked for my surname.

I said Ivan Ivanovic Srcnikov.

That was almost my death, although I didn’t know it.

And then one of the officers, he says to me in Russian what’s your surname?!

I responded Ivan Ivanovic Srcnikov. He said I’m not Yugoslavian, but rather a Vlach.

The Vlachs were Russian soldiers who had gone over to the enemy side, or who had been taken prisoner.

They had gone over and joined the German army.

Then that officer said sitchas mi vidjot, meaning we’ll see now, if you really are Yugoslavian.

I wondered how he could figure that out over a thousand kilometers away.

They shoved me off again, untied me and locked me back in the hen coop. I was there perhaps a day or perhaps only hours.

Hours were an eternity.

The same two soldiers came again and tied me up and covered my eyes.

I thought: goodbye Slovenia, Yugoslavia, I’m going to be shot.