European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

My later husband was a deserter, as well.

He was on holiday and was at home in July 1944.

Instead of going back, he said good bye and went to Klagenfurt.

There he didn’t board the train, but went to a neighbour’s, that night,

where another one already was (from the Wehrmacht as well).

They made a bunker for them and that was where they stayed until January 1945.

He was in the resistance, too.

Discrimination of Slovenes after war

You always hat to stick up for yourself and you were never accepted.

At the inn you were laughed at or reviled as a betrayer of your home country.

My father was playing music at the neighbour’s, when somebody took his trombone and broke it.

Then he said: “Go home to Laibach or wherever you belong.”

Things like that happened quite often.

Or once, when we were at the inn, some youngsters came and shouted:

“Bugger off!” and “Betrayers, what are you doing here?”

Although my husband was recognised as a partisan.

Over at Maddau, when the resettled families had their annual meeting in the public cinema,

it was decided to have a silent protest march up to the cathedral.

Although the bishop did not allow that, we still went up there.

At the police station, the police were already waiting with the fire brigade.