European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

It was a time without work and bread.

That helped the national socialists to come into power.

And many let themselves be led by the propaganda

and even believed that everything would be okay again.

That the people would live well – under Adolf Hitler.

But when the first Slovenians were locked up, we already knew my father was right.

The people lost their belief in Adolf Hitler

and the resistance formed against fascism and Hitlerism.

The first deserters from the ‘Wehrmacht’ had already escaped to Yugoslavia in 1939.

After the occupation of Yugoslavia they were arrested or had gone into hiding under a false name;

as my colleague Karl Potoschki did.

He was working under false name at a hotel in Bosnia.

On the 20th October 1939, he was shot together with 20.000 ‘chosen ones’ and finished off.

Those coming back after the occupation of Yugoslavia were mostly locked up,

respectively were the cadres of the liberation front of the Slovenes of Carinthia.

Some joined the partisans straight away; others later on, but the beginning had been made.

From day to day the resistance grew stronger.

Today, when you realise how courageous the people were –

then again it involved the ‘head’ and the people didn’t have a clue.

The plain people were the ones that helped the rebellion.