European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

The Germans were retreating and we went right on in.

Then we came down to Podcetrtek.

There were people standing along the road in Podcetrtek.

We passed by, I was riding my horse – because now I was already a commanding officer of the ‘rear support unit’ –

so I was riding my horse and someone calls out Ivo!

I felt a shudder of fear. Who could possibly know me here? I had never been to Podcetrtek or anywhere hereabouts.

And then a second time Ivo, Ivo, come here!

I looked around and recognized the girl. She was a former classmate of mine. She’s still alive today.

She came to me and invited me to come over to eat. I told her Thank you,

but if I come anywhere near there will be a crawling carpet all over the floor.

Why?

I explained to her that I was full of lice; we all were.

So then we came to Celje on the 12th of April. I wondered how I could get up to here.

Well, I was the commanding officer of the ‘rear support unit’. So I went to Mesic and said: Mesic, I’d like to go home.

I spoke in Serbocroatian; we didn’t speak Slovene.

He asked where I was from. I lied and said that maybe four, five or six kilometers away.

Already my heart began to race. We were permitted to take leave for only up to five kilometers.

So he looks at me and asks again how many kilometers?

I said five, maybe five and a half, not six, I struck that out quickly.

He asks how I will go. I say on foot.