European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

Bleiburg is a known town and Carinthia was a Nazi stronghold,

but the population outside was of different opinion.

There were only few and they did not report us to the police –

kept quiet and did not keep in touch with us.

But only about 10 % weren’t with us.

First contact with partisans

We had already heard in 1942 that partisans were staying in our area.

But the first contact was at Easter 1943

when the first partisans came and knocked at the door:

“Mother, open!

The partisans are here; the army of the Slovenian people.

We will destroy fascism and you will be free once more.”

Afterwards we had regular contact. We sang a song I will never forget.

There was a woman who had a harmonica.

We were friends straight away.

Afterwards we had to help them every day.

Into the forest, delivering food. In the evenings they came again.

That was the way the resistance was organised and kept getting stronger.

Anschluss, persecution, propaganda for resistance

The father, Wasilij, was still young.