SLEEPING WITH PENGOVSKY

Liberation of Ljubljana – possibly near the University building (source)

Today is VE Day… The day that Second World War officially ended throughout Europe. On May 9th 1945 Germany surrendered to the Soviet Union, heeding to the demand first stated by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in Casablanca in 1943 that Axis Powers will be fought by the Allies until the former will surrender unconditionally.

SLOVENIA

“Machen sie mir dieses Land wieder Deutsch!” – Hitler in Maribor(source via Michael M.)

While the question of unconditional surrender was a much debated issue in the West, it was never an issue in Slovenia and Yugoslavia as a whole. In this part of the world it wasn’t about winning the war, it was about surviving. And the only way to insure survival was total victory. I’ve already quoted Hitler who in Maribor (“Marburg am Drau”, as it was known then) ordered his people to “make this lang German again”, but that is only part of the story.

Slovenia is – appart from Russia – the only country or territory in Europe that was liberated entirely by its own military. The Partisan Units of Slovenia, which stemmed from the Liberation Front. Not only did the Partisans liberate Slovenia as it existed from 1918, but they captured and laid claim to what is known as “Slovene national territory” – territories where Slovene minorities live. This included entire Primorska region including Trieste and Veneziana (Beneška) region in Italy and southern parts of Austrian Kärtnen (Koroška) and Steyermark (Štajerska) regions.

Top military commanders of Slovene Partisan Army. The legendary Franc Rozman – Stane in the centre

These were the outer limitis of Slovene Partisan reach, and – in hindsight – thinking that fledling Communist Yugoslavia (altough on the winning side of the war) would keep its conquests bordered on outer limits of science fiction. But the fact remains that Slovenia expanded heavily as a result of winning the war (after WWI Slovene-Italian border was at Postojna) and has since included what are now known as Primorska region – almost a quarter of today’s Slovene terrirory.

LJUBLJANA

In an ironic (or iconic) twist of history the city of Ljubljana was liberated early in the morning of May 9th, 1945. Make no mistake, this had little to do with guns falling silent all across Europe. It was a result of relentless pressure of Slovene Partisan Army to take the city, and after fighting a decisive battle at Orle hills just outside Ljubljana and taking out artiliery battery on Castle hill, elements of 7th Corps and 29th Division marched into Ljubljana exactly on Wednesday, May 9th at 5 AM – the precise time this post was posted.

The border check-point between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in Šentvid just outside Ljubljana (source)

Ljubljana was occupied on April 11th 1941, shortly after German forces attacked Yugoslavia on April 6th 1941. An agreement between Germany, Italy and Hungary specified that the latter occupy Prekmurje, Germany everything East of line Ljubljana-Jesenice, wheras Italy got everything else, including the city of Ljubljana.

A bunker and barbed wire in Šiška, Ljubljana (source)

The city itself almos immediately became the centre of a resistance movement which soon became much more than just a pain in the ass. So much so, in fact, that Italians decided to errect a barbed wire fence all around the city – it streched for 35 kilometres and was built in mere two days by means of forced labour (a man who was forced to take part in building it noted, that it is very easy to build something like that in just two days when one works at a gun-point).

RADIO KRIČAČ
[audio:radio_kricac.mp3]
The “jingle” of Radio Kričač (courtesy of El Presidente™)

The above jingle starts with a ticking clock, which symbolises that “our time is at hand”. It is then followed by an announcer’s voice saying “Slovenes! Listen, Slovenes! This is the Liberation Front! This is the Liberation Front”. Then it is followed by first stanza of then Slovene anthem “Forward, the Flag of Glory” and again the announcer’s voice saying “This is the Liberation Front! This is the Liberation Front! We are broadcasting on a short wave transimtter…”

One of the means of supporting the resistance was Radio Kričač (perhaps best translated as Radio Shoutbox), which was an illegal radio station of the Liberation Front. It started broadcasting on November 17th 1941 from a secret location in Ljubljana and has done so until April 5th 1942, when Italian forces, unable to find the ever changing location of Kričač’s portable transmitter, confiscated every single radio receiver in Ljubljana, thus forcing Kričač to termiate operations until April 1944, when the official Radio of Liberation Front was set up.

Until May 9th, the only allowed radio station in Ljubljana was Italian/German Occupation Radio, which was by the end of the war full of members of resistance, who until liberation used their positions to forward any information that might be useful to Partisans, but on May 9th the radio announced “This is Radio Free Ljubljana!”

FREEDOM

Fighting in Slovenia did not stop on May 9th… Hostilities continued until May 14th, as the German troops from the Balkans, their Slovene and Croatian colaborators and a number of civilians (mostly anti-communist) were desperately trying to evacuate Slovenia and enter a British contolled zone of Austria, just north of Slovene-Austrian border. The last battle of the World War II was fought in Slovenia at Poljana in Koroška region.

A partisan is tortured to death by SS-troops near Idrija in June 1944 (source)

Looking back it seems more than a miracle that this nation survived the occupation, the torture, the in-fightings. Slovenes were meant to be extinct and a number of Slovenes collaborated with occupators who had evisaged such future for the small nation. Had World War II not finished the way it did, Slovenia would probably not exist today. But Slovenes have proven one thing in 1945 (and again in 1991). Don’t fuck with us!

Our fathers and grandfathers fought this world war, so we don’t have to fight another one…

…although I somehow don’t think that will be the case….

One of his more stateworthy photos

Just like most great people and an odd search engine, The Old Man had a fake birthday and a real one. The latter was never publicly celebrated, but Josip Broz Tito was born in May 7th 1892 and not on May 25th. This mistake facilitated the failed Nazi raid on the village of Drvar on 25 May 1944.

I will post on this at greater lenght on the 25th.

In related news: On May 8th 1945 the unconditional surrender of Germany to Western Allies came to effect. A day later Germany unconditionally surrendered to Soviet Union as well. Now you know what to expect for tommorrow’s post 😉

In not so related news: Magnifico has just released his latest single “The Land of Champions”, decrying the breakup of Yugoslavia. As the single is in English and available free of charge, I strongly recommend a download!, or you can listen to it here

[audio:http://www.magnifico.info/news/1.mp3]

Tito knew how to enjoy life – among other things…

On this day, twenty-seven years ago, at 15.10 Josip Broz – Tito died in Ljubljana Clinical Centre at the age of 88.

[audio:tito-osmrtnica2.mp3]
The announcement of his death on Radio Belgrade

at first you hear a commentary of a football match between Hajduk and Crvena zvezda, then a male voice interrupts, saying “and now for some music from our studio”, upon which we hear the first bars of The Internationale played at a very slow tempo. A female voice than says.

Radio Belgrade, first, second and third programmes and Radio Belgrade 202. United Serbian radio stations and Radio Titograd

Male voice:
Central Committee of League of Communists of Yugoslavia and Presidency of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have issued a statement at 18.00 hours. The statement reads: To the working class, to the working people and citizens, to the nations of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Comrade Tito has died.

And this is how his funeral looked like:

A clip from film “Underground” by Emir Kusturica

Despite Tito’s controversial role (or precisely because of it) his death was mourned all over the world. It also meant a start of the true dissolution of Yugoslavia – and some people are liable to see his death in Ljubljana as a sign of things that were to follow and start precisely in Slovenia.

In any event, it was an end of an era…. And a start of a new, much more turbulent one…

More Tito memorabilia here…

P.S.: Friday Foxies have been pushed back to Saturday this week… Sorry…There’s just so much history crammped in a week…

To keep in line with the Liberation day/May day spirit… Les Canadiens came up with the idea of visiting Partisan Hospital Franja. And so we did…

Hospital Franja is located in the canyon of Pasica stream…

… and is a part of European heritage

Partisan hospital Franja was in operation from 23 December 1943 until 5 May 1945. It got its name after chief surgeon dr. Franja Bojc Bidovec and is located in the canyon of Pasica stream, near Cerkno in Notranjska region.

The hospital itself had a couple of other (outer) units and took care of some 1000 wounded, but the core unit, which we visited yesterday, treated 522 wounded Partisan and Allied soldiers in a year and a half of its operation. It consisted of 13 huts and had an independent source of electricity and thus elied on the outside world just for food and medical supplies. The hospital treated mostly wounded from the field of operations of IX. Corps (this included areas west of Ljubljana all the way to Trieste and even Venezia region in Italy). The canyon as such was attacked twice by Nazi army, but was never taken and the hospital was never located by the Germans, in part thanks to its remote location and in part thanks to its intricate net of bunkers and minefields. The only was to reach it was upstream of Pasica, which I can tell you would be difficult even today. But back in 1944 they had to carry the wounded on stretchers, upstream, possibly during the night and in battle gear, under the constant threat of fire and/or betrayal. One of the security measures was also blindfolding the wounded on their way to and from Hospital Franja.

In terms of total was casualties treating 522 wounded is not much, but it was one of at least two such “field” facilities which were created by the Partisan Army immediately after Italy surrendered in 1943 and the only one to remain intact to this day. The other one was Partisan hospital Pavla, near Idrija, but was demolished shortly after the war.

Partisan hospital Franja was both an effort to treat the wounded and an effort to boost morale, letting the troops now that there is a place that will take care of them if they take a bullet. Of course it wasn’t a top-notch medical facility, but it was probably the best field medical facility in the area Partisans had. It recently became a part of European Heritage.

Oh, and here is a great VR tour of the hospital! Unfortunately only in Slovene

Stand up, all victims of oppression, For the tyrants fear your might! Don’t cling so hard to your possessions, For you have nothing if you have no rights! Let racist ignorance be ended, For respect makes the empires fall! Freedom is merely privilege extended, Unless enjoyed by one and all. So come brothers and sisters, For the struggle carries on. The Internationale, Unites the world in song. So comrades, come rally, For this is the time and place! The international ideal, Unites the human race.

Vstanite v suženjstvo zakleti, ki jarem vas teži gorja. Zdaj pravda stara v borbi sveti vas kliče za prostost sveta. Ta svet krivičnosti razbijmo, do tal naj boj ga naš podre; nato svoj novi svet zgradimo, bili smo nič, bodimo vse! Že se ljudstvo je zbralo, v zadnjo borbo že hiti, da z internacionalo prostost si pribori. Že se ljudstvo je zbralo, v zadnjo borbo že hiti, da z internacionalo prostost si pribori.

The sign of OF, usually painted grafitti-style on the walls in occupied Ljubljana
[audio:hejtovarisi.mp3]
Hej Tovariši – another partisan song

Sorry for the late post, everyone… It took longer than expected

Liberation Front (full name: Liberation Front of Slovene Nation – Osvobodilna fronta slovenskega naroda, short: OF) was a heterogenus association of people and groups of various backgrounds with its main aim to organize armed rebellion against German and Italian occupator.

BAKCGROUND

The borders of pre-WWII Yugoslavia were created in 1915 in London, where Western powers granted Italy expansion into Austo-Hungarian empire as a reward for switching sides in WWI. The fact that most of today’s Slovenia territory was a part of the defeated empire did not help, either. And last, but certainly not least, the fact that Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia) was run by a bunch of reactionaries and proto-fascists did have a lot to do with the fact that Liberation Front (OF) was a succesful endeavour.

In today’s politically-correct history the last sentence would read: “The fact that pre-war politicians in power failed to recognize the gravity of the situation leading up to WWII and were ofter immersed in internal bickering rather than tending to an increasingly obvious question of Slovene nationhood, in large part percipetated the fact that creation of the OF found fertile ground to thrive on”

OF consisted of both the established and forbidden pre-war political options and movements. The fact that Communist party was banned in pre-war Yugoslavia meant that it (the Party) had an underground network of operatives already in place and functioning when the war started, making the communists the only force (albeit a tiny one) which could even contemplate offering some sort of resistance. The fact that some (but not all) established political (mainly christian socialist) and cultural groups joined forces with the communists provided credibility for the latter, as people in general frowned upon the communists at the time

THE DATE

It is generally accepted that OF was officially created on april 27 1941 (three weeks after Germany invaded Yugoslavia). It is also generally accepted that the actual meeting of the group took place a day earlier in the villa of Slovene author and moral authority Josip Vidmar in Rožna dolina in Ljubljana. The house still stands today.

THE NAME, THE MISSION

Initially, OF was named “Anti-imperialist Front”, which echoed the fact that communists were much more organised both “in the field” and withint the Front than any other group. It is generally accepted that Slovene communists at the time looked up to Moscov and Stalin for leadership if not direct orders. But German invasion of Soviet Union was a month away and Stalin was doing everything possible to avoid a war.

And so Slovene communists (and with them the entire OF) were trapped between a rock and a hard place. Their ideologocal brothers in Moscow were trying to placate the same force that was already occupying Slovenia, dividing it between Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and collaborationist Hungary. To the best of my knowledge they decided to fight only against Italian occupator at the time and there were a number of reasons to do so.

Firstly, the above dilemma: Stalin had dealings with Hitler but not Mussolini. Secondly: Italians opted for a slightly softer approach than Germans, trying to establish a cultural superiority over the subjugated nation in addition to occupying it. This meant that some sort of movement of civilian population was allowed which also allowed for operation of the underground network and which made Italians a much easier target. And thirdly (perhaps most importantly): OF was created in Ljubljana, which was under Italian occupation. The border between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ran along the nothern outskisrts of Ljubljana, a part which today is known as Zgornja (Upper) Šiška.

But as of June 22 1941, when Germany invaded Soviet Union, all such misgivings faded away, making it possible for Anti-imperialist Front to rename itself to Liberation Front and having only one mission, encompassed in these seven points:

1. Relentless armed actions must be executed against the occupators.
2. These actions provide grounds for liberation and unification of all Slovenes.
3. As it recongizes the natural association of Yugoslav nations, the OF does not recognize the carving of Yugoslavia and will use all its powers to ensure unity of its nations. With this in mind it also seeks to unite all Slavic nations under the leadership of the great Russian nation, based every nation’s right to self-declaration.
4. With actions of liberation and activation of Slovene masses, the OF will redefine Slovene national character. Slovene people who fight for their national and human rights represent a new form of active Slovene-hood.
5. All groups, active in the OF, commit themselves to remain loyal to one another.
6. After liberation is achieved, the OF as a whole will take power in entire Slovene territory.
7. After liberation is achieved, OF will institute a system of popular democracy. All questions beyond the scope of national liberation will be resolved by a method of popular democracy.

BECOMING A PART OF THE ALLIED FORCE

After Roosevelt and Churchill signed the Atlantic Declaration and later formed the basis of the United Nations (in accord with Stalin), the OF added two more items to its declaration

8. In accordance with solemn statements by Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, Slovene nation will take it upon itself to decide on its internal and external reltions. The OF will enforce and defend this elementary right of Slovene nation by any means necesary.
9. Slovene army in Slovene territory stems from Slovene national-liberation (NOB) partisan units and National defense. All patriotic Slovenes are urged to join these formations.

THE CONTROVERSY

As you can see, there is much of “Brave New World” riff-raff in there. In today’s “Cinycal New World” one word comes to mind. Bullshit. But few of us know what it is like to be occupied. Few of us know what it is like to be a member of a nation which was to be destroyed. I know I don’t. I can only imagine what went through these people’s minds when they heard of Hitler coming to Maribor and saying “Machen sie mir dieses Land wieder Deutsch!”

When you’re faced with an out-out option you don’t exactly dwell on details. When you’re faced with eradication you probably shoot first and ask questions later. Which provides fertile grounds for dire military and political actions when none are necesary. Better yet, it provides fertile grounds for eliminating any and all opposition – which is what the communists attempted (and in a large part managed) to do.

Many of you know of post-war mass murders of collaborationists and people who just happened not to share the belief in the Brave New World. It is a sad chapter in Slovene history. But it only proves that no war is good and/or clean.

THE RESULT

Today it is easy for us to judge actions of 66 years ago. Today we’re full of “what if” scenarios. What if the pre-war administration hadn’t gone to see the invading German force asking it to occupy entire Slovenia (it actually happened and the Germans refused). What if the Communist party hadn’t forced other groups within the OF to recognize its superiority (which it did in 1943), what if…. what if…

To tell you the truth – I don’t give a shit… The fact remains that OF provided for creation of Slovene Partisan Forces which liberated Slovenia completely on their own and returned Primorska region (remember London 1915 from the begining of this post?) to Slovenia, for the first time…well… ever. The only time Slovenes of that region were a part of a single state was under Austro-Humgarian empire, which wasn’t much to start with anyway.
Overall, the OF is and should remain a generally positive phenomenon in Slovene history, for it provided – despite its many failures – a wiff of independent Slovenia, which was to become 45 years later, with much less bloodshed than anyone thought possible.

And yes – the OF showed to the world there are times when size doesn’t matter.

FINALLY

As I said – there are things we can’t even begin to contemplate. But every sentence, no matter how long, requires a full stop. And this is something President Drnovšek tried to do at Teharje in 2005, when he gave a speech commemoration the victims of post-war murders.

I’d like you to read that speech. It was probably the speech of his lifetime, and hopefully a starting point for Slovenes of all sides to come to terms with our common history

But in the end, there is one irefutable fact. During the war, the OF was on the winning side of the history and on the right side of history. To put it in two words: We won!

Smrt fašizmu, svobodo narodu!

Cover of a CD with Slovene Partisan songs

[audio:nasa vojska.mp3]
Listen to “Naša Vojska” (Our Army)

As we are about to start a week-long celebration of resistance against the occupator (April 27), followed by May Day (May 1) and finally by Liberation Day (May 9), I thought I’d post some fact on the issue:

We’ll skip May Day and start with

April 27 – Day of the Resistance against the ocupator

This date was previously known as Day of the Liberation Front, but the drive to rewrite history after the dissolution of socialism scraped this little piece of history as well and the holiday way renamed to what it is now. On this date we remember the formation of Liberation Front (of Slovene Nation), at first a rather heterogenus group which in 1941 realised that active resitance is the only possible answer to German and Italian occupation. A post dealing specifically with this issue will be posted soon 😀

May 9 – Liberation day

Historical wit would have it that Ljubljana was liberated on the very day in 1945 when Nazi Germany (what was left of it) surrendered unconditionally to Allied Powers. Slovene Partisan Forces (elements of 29th division and 7th Corps) were advancing on the city for several days and have entered it only after taking out an artilliery lair on Castle hill.

Saddly, May 9 is not a national holiday (much less a work-free day). I fail to see why we do not celebrate the victorious end of a struggle that was meant to erradicate Slovenes. Shouldn’t we be proud of that? And if that’s not good enough for us, we might at least celebrate – peace. I mean, this country is full of observances of every fucking gun going off in every war that was fought in this area, but we are unable to pay tribute to guns falling silent. And this is not my idea… It occured to my late grandfather, who was taken to contentration camp during the war. He saw the horrors and didn’t want them repeated ever again.

Music

But to end on a lighter note: You’ve probably already listened to the above audio file. It is (in my humble opinon) one of the most beautiful, upbeat Partisan songs, which were used to boost morale among the people and the Partisans themselves. And although these songs emerged late into the war, when Slovene Partisans were a force to be reckoned with, they remain faithful testaments of the spirit and brotherhood of people who fought for a free and better future.