Oral history interview with Stoja Grujičić

Oral history interview with Šerif Biser

Oral History

Šerif Biser, born in 1925 in the town of Derventa in the former Yugoslavia, discusses the treatment of Jews under the Ustaše regime and the deportation of Jewish families from Sarajevo; a situation in which his mother protected the belongings of deported Jewish families until they could return; his involvement with the anti-fascist movement of the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia and subsequent arrest; his imprisonment in Beledija’s investigation prison; his transfer to Jasenovac, life in the Jasenovac camp, and his continued involvement in anti-fascist activities during his captivity; the revolt of prisoners; joining a partisan unit; postwar punishments of Ustaše officials; and the fate of fellow camp survivors.

Oral history interview with Zora Mulalić

Oral History

Zora Mulalić, born in 1932 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina, describes the arrest of her family and their deportation to Caprag; daily life in the camp; punishments at the camp; her transfer to Serbia and then Belgrade; the arrest of her father; liberation by the Russians; and the long term effect of the Holocaust on her family members.

Oral history interview with Hajrudin Mulalić

Oral History

Hajrudin Mulalić, born in 1924, describes his involvement in an illegal communist organization; his arrest in 1941 and time in prison in Marindvor in Sarajevo; the deportation of Jews from Yugoslavia; and his memories of seeing dead bodies.

Oral history interview with Erna Cipra

Oral History

Erna Cipra, born in 1933 in Mostar, Bosnia and Hercegovina, describes her experiences as a Jew taken from her hometown of Mostar to a camp on Rab Island in 1942; feeling shame at wearing a yellow Star of David badge, and her Croat teacher telling her not to be ashamed; poor conditions in the camp, and later hiding in the forest; protection provided by the partisans; and the aftermath of the war.

Oral history interview with Karlo Drago Miletić

Oral History

Drago Miletić, born in 1928 in Mostar in the former Yugoslavia, describes demonstrations against the war; propaganda against Serbs; the killing of Serbs by the Ustaše in 1941; stories heard from his mother about people being killed; further killings with the arrival of the Germans in 1943; and the violent actions of the Chetniks.

Oral history interview with Čestmir M. Dušek

Oral History

Čestmir M. Dušek, born in 1930 in Tuzla in the former Yugoslavia, discusses his family history and his experiences during World War II; the deportation of Jews; that Jews were forced to wear yellow badges and had to post signs on their stores that said “juden geschaft”; the destruction of a synagogue by students; propaganda, including instructions regarding behavior under the new government and posters with the names of people sentenced to death; and how the Germans and Ustaše took communists away from their homes.

Oral history interview with Jusuf Mujezinović

Oral History

Jusuf Mujezinović, born in 1929 in Tuzla in the former Yugoslavia, discusses his family history and his memories of the outbreak of World War II; loudspeakers giving orders to citizens; the treatment of Jews, including forced street cleaning, wearing yellow Star of David badges, and having signs on their shops; a night raid on the Jewish population by the Ustaše, resulting in the removal of the area's Jews in 1941; an Ustaše attempt to take the Serb population which failed due to the intervention of local leaders; how shootings occurred in prison rather than in public; and how his family was under suspicion because they were communists.

Oral history interview with Vojislav Markinović

Oral History

Vojislav Markinović describes how he survived a massacre at Jeginov Lug in 1942; stories he was told of the atrocities made by Legija in their village; other massacres committed by the Legija; being sent to the Chetniks, who were cooperating with the Germans at that time; travel with the Chetniks to his village; and the sight of many dead bodies on the road to his village.

Oral history interview with Sakib Čatić

Oral History

Sakib Čatić, born in 1926 in Tuzla in the former Yugoslavia, discusses his family history; propaganda of the Ustaše and Germans on loudspeakers around the city, including posters of the names of people who were sentenced to death; the treatment of the Jewish population, including the forced wearing of yellow badges; what he knew of Jasenovac; his involvement in a partisan brigade; memories of the violence of the Ustaše and Chetniks; specific incidents of people being killed; and meeting with director of the Yugoslavia secret police after the war.

Oral history interview with Hasib Džindo

Oral History

Hasib Džindo, born in 1926 in Tuzla, Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Hercegovina), discusses his family history; German propaganda distribution before the war; the teaching of German in schools during occupation instead of French; Germans' declarations when drunk that Germany would lose the war; how Germans looked for communists and their treatment of them; how Jews had to wear yellow Star of David badges and were taken away in the night; how mixed marriages were performed to help the Jews; and how he joined the Partisans and saw many dead bodies during his experience.

Oral history interview with Raiko Šutilović

Oral History

Raiko Šutilović, born in 1937 in Piskavica in the former Yugoslavia, describes the massacre of his village by the Crna Legija in 1942; the death of many of his family members; assisting his father in the burial of his family members; the arrest and murder of his father by the Ustaše; the beating of a SKOJ member; and moving from home to home and staying in orphanages for the remainder of the war.

Oral history interview with Dragomir Šutilavić

Oral History

Dragomir Šutilavić, born in 1934 in Piskavica in the former Yugoslavia, describes the massacre of his village which including member family members in 1942 by the Ustaše; finding his father after the massacre; the capture and murder of his father; the beating of a member of the communist youth; living in orphanages in Slovenia; and working in Ivanjsko after the war.

Oral history interview with Djudjić Dušanka

Oral History

Djudjić Dušanka, born in 1928 in Piskavica in the former Yugoslavia, describes the massacre of her family by the Ustaše in 1942; her wounding and being cared for by her partisan brother; and moving between hospitals.

Oral history interview with Slobodan Brković

Oral History

Slobodan Brković, born in 1934 in Motike in the former Yugoslavia, describes the massacre of his family by the Ustaše during which he was stabbed with a bayonet; his neighbors bringing him to the hospital where he received an operation; the Ustaše attempting to kill him in the hospital; reuniting with his father; and returning to Motike.

Oral history interview with Boro Brković

Oral History

Boro Brković, born in 1929 in Motika in the former Yugoslavia, describes the Ustaša making a list of the inhabitants of his home in 1941; the massacre of his family in 1942 by the Ustaša; a Croatian man assisting him and his brother; and living with his aunt for the remainder of the war.

Oral history interview with Zorka Skiba

Oral History

Zorka Skiba, born in 1937 in Kruhani in the former Yugoslavia, describes the Ustaša and German soldiers looting local stores; the treatment of Serbian and Jewish civilians by Ustaša and German soldiers; hiding during an attack by the Ustaša, which resulted in the burning of her home and murder of her mother; her struggles with her sister to survive, including hiding and foraging for food; mass graves; her deportation to Zagreb; her sister joining the partisans; the conditions of the shelter for orphans; her transfer to Jastrebarsko concentration camp for children; conditions in the camp, including the abuse by the guards and how children were buried alive to clear space in the camp; the actions of her sister's partisan unit; the actions of the Red Cross; her forced conversion to Catholicism; her adoption by one of the camp guards; living in Zagreb, including assisting a Jewish girl and enrolling in elementary school; returning to Sanski Most and reuniting with her family; and life events after the war, including her participation in an annual gathering of concentration camp survivors in Zagreb.

Oral history interview with Mara Protić

Oral History

Mara Protić, born in 1919 in Baraci in the former Yugoslavia, describes her husband joining the partisans; the massacre of her village by the Ustaša; the deaths of her child and family members; and receiving assistance from the partisans and an Italian doctor.

Oral history interview with Gojko Vukadinović

Oral History

Oral history interview with Ferid Swajić

Oral History

Oral history interview with Salih Ćopić

Oral History

Oral history interview with Ibrahim Beganović

Oral History

Oral history interview with Taib Ferizović

Oral History

Taib Ferizović, born in 1922 in Babunovici in the former Yugoslavia, describes his prewar profession as a farmer; the treatment of local townspeople by the Ustaša and German forces; the burying of Jewish victims by partisans; joining the partisans in 1943; the arrest and imprisonment of his partisan unit by German soldiers and the Ustaše; his imprisonment in different concentration camps, including Gracanica, Zagreb, Graz, and Dresden; his liberation from the concentration camp in Hamburg, Germany by American forces in 1945; and returning home in 1946.

Oral history interview with Himzo Ibrić

Oral History

Himzo Ibrić, born in 1924 in Falesici near Srebrenika in the former Yugoslavia, describes his involvement with the partisans; his time in the army; imprisonment and escape from Slavonski Brod, Croatia; the different people who saved his life throughout the war; treatment of civilians by partisans; training in Bjelovar, Croatia; being transported as a self-wounded soldier from Bjelovar to Drau Grad; walking to Pakrac camp; starvation; his return home; and his service in military after the war.

Oral history interview with Nezira Djedović

Oral History

Oral history interview with Olga Jovanović

Oral History

Oral history interview with Alija Bijavica

Oral History

Oral history interview with Mile Kondža

Oral History

Oral history interview with Radmilo Andrić

Oral History

Oral history interview with Ekrem Ibruli

Oral History

Oral history interview with Muhamed Kreso

Oral History

Oral history interview with Slobodan Djurić

Oral History

Slobodan Djurić, born in 1936 in Gornje Vodicevo near Bosanski Novi in the former Yugoslavia, describes life at the beginning of World War II; hiding in the woods to avoid bombings in Kozara; the capture of his family and imprisonment at Stara Gradiska; the transfer of his family to Jasenovac and the treatment of the prisoners there by the Ustaše; the transfer of his family to Jastrebarsko and his removal from the camp to live with a friend of his father; and his return to his village after liberation.

Oral history interview with Dobrila Kukolj

Oral History

Dobrila Kukolj, born in 1930 in Medjedja (Međeđa) near Bosanska Dubica in the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina), describes life after the start of World War II and the murders committed by the Ustaše in her town; the capture of her family and their deportation to the Cerovljani camp; her separation from most of her family except her sister; her imprisonment at Jasenovac and the deaths of the children there; her transfer to the village of Toranj, from which she was able to go back to Bosnia after three months; her return home to find her mother alive; and her escape to Kozara until liberation.

Oral history interview with Ljubica S. Lakanović

Oral History

Ljubica Stojakovic Lakanović, born in 1934 in Slabinja near Kozarska Dubica in the former Yugoslavia, describes her escape to Kozara at the beginning of World War II as a result of her father joining the partisans; the capture of her family and removal to Prijedor camp; the murders of large groups of civilians; her transfer to Jasenovac, including hiding in skirts of her grandmother so as to not be separated; her release by Ustaše friend of her father; her return to village; her escape to the partisans until liberation.

Oral history interview with Stevo Novković

Oral History

Stevo Novković, born in 1926 in Laktasi near Banja Luka in the former Yugoslavia, describes his escape to Kozara at the beginning of World War II and his work as a courier for the partisans in 1942; his capture by the Ustaša and removal to Gradiska camp; the treatment of the prisoners at the camp; his removal to Jablanac camp, then to Jasenovac; forced labor in Jasenovac; a machine used by Ustaša for killing people; release from Jasenovac in 1943, and continued work for the partisans.

Oral history interview with Mile Vukmirović

Oral History

Mile Vukmirović, born in 1935 in Babinac, near Dubica in the former Yugoslavia, describes his escape to Kozara and capture of his family by German forces; his imprisonment in Jasenovac; his transfer to Novska village, Croatia; forced labor on a farm in Paklenica village, Croatia; his transfer to Kostanica village (Koštanjica, Croatia); the escape of his mother to Bosnia; his transfer to Rosulje village where he remained until liberation; and his work for the Partisans in Rosulje village.

Oral history interview with Novak Vukelić

Oral History

Novak Vukelić, born in 1923 in Bistrica in the former Yugoslavia, discusses the working conditions he experienced as a coal miner in Rakovac during World War II; the propaganda against the Serbs; being mistreated by his Croat coworkers; being fired from his job; a massacre of Serbs committed by the Ustaša at the mine in which he worked; acts of terror in his village committed by the Ustaša; his torture by the Chetniks; joining the Chetniks and fighting with partisans; and events after the war regarding the Ustaša and the Chetniks.

Oral history interview with Dragomir Milaković

Oral History

Dragomir Milaković, born in 1927 in Ivanjska in the former Yugoslavia, discusses how the most important people from his village were killed by Ustaša; massacres at the villages Milosevici and Piskavica; the murder of members of his own village; his escape; his time with partisans in Kozara; his return to his village where he stayed until liberation; and the lack of punishment for those who killed his family and neighbors.

Oral history interview with Dušan Milaković

Oral History

Dušan Milaković, born in 1924 in Milakovici Ivanjska in the former Yugoslavia, describes the massacre of his village in 1942; joining the partisans; his capture by the Ustaša and imprisonment in Gradiska camp; treatment of prisoners in Gradiska camp; his removal by Germans and transfer to Zagreb; work in Austria first as a miner then as a train driver; his return to Zagreb in 1945, then Ivanjska after liberation; the destruction of his family home; and the lack of punishment for those who murdered his family.

Oral history interview with Danka Milaković

Oral History

Danka Milaković, born in 1934 in Ivanjska in the former Yugoslavia, describes the Ustaša taking four men from her village in 1941; surviving the massacre of her village in 1942 by the Ustaša; being assisted by an elderly woman; staying with her father in Verici village and Omarska; and returning with her grandfather to her hometown later in 1942 for the remainder of the war.

Oral history interview with Veljko Milaković

Oral History

Veljko Milaković, born in 1924 in Ivanjska in the former Yugoslavia, describes the murder of prominent townspeople by Ustaša forces in 1941; the massacre of the residents of his hometown in 1942 by the Ustaša, including his family; returning to bury many of the victims; staying in Kozara with the partisans; the Kozara offensive; his capture by German and Ustaša forces; his imprisonment in Gradiska; the other inmates and conditions there; his time in different concentration camps, including Vienna, Berlin, and Szczecin; liberation by Soviet forces; and returning to his village.

Oral history interview with Ljubica Vučić

Oral History

Ljubica Vučić, born in 1929 in Motike in the former Yugoslavia, describes the prewar relations between Serbs and Catholics in her village; restrictions placed upon the Serbian community during the war; surviving the massacre of her village by the Ustaša in 1942; the looting of her home; receiving assistance from a local Croatian family; a Ustaša celebration for the massacre of her village; and staying with her aunt in Saracice until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Draginja Grujčić

Oral History

Draginja Grujčić, born in 1934 in Milakovici in the former Yugoslavia, describes the murder of her father by the Ustaša; surviving the massacre of her village; relocating to Verici village; escaping to Kozara; being captured by Ustaša during the Kozara offensive; her imprisonment in Prijedor and the conditions there; an agreement between Ustaša and Chetnik forces that secured her release; and returning to her village for the remainder of the war.

Oral history interview with Jovanka Stojnić

Oral History

Jovanka Stojnić, born in 1933 in Turjak in the former Yugoslavia, describes the capture of her father by the Ustaše in 1941 and his death in Stara Gradiska; fleeing to Kozara because of the threat of the Ustaše; her capture in 1942 by the Ustaše during the Kozara offensive and transfer to Stara Gradiska concentration camp; conditions in Stara Gradiska; her family being settled in Dzigerovce village; her transfer to Mlaka and then Jastrebarsko concentration camps; conditions in Jastrebarsko and the Jewish and Romani child inmates; partisan members taking boys from the camp; and reminaing in the concentration camp until liberation.

Oral history interview with Dušan Babić

Oral History

Dušan Babić, born in 1932 in Veliko Palanciste in the former Yugoslavia, describes his father being sent to Germany as a prisoner of war because of his involvement in the Yugoslav Army; Ustaša forces burning his village; the Kozara offensive during which he escaped capture by Ustaša forces; a roundup of his village by German troops in 1942; his transfer to the Ustaša; the murder of his family and members of his village at Vujcice by the Ustaša; his escape from the massacre; finding his grandmother in Verici village; warning people in other villages of the massacre so that they could hide; going to Saljevac to bury corpses; and his father's return after the war.

Oral history interview with Miloš Knežević

Oral History

Miloš Knežević, born in 1936 in Jelovac in the former Yugoslavia, describes his father joining the partisans; hiding on Kozara; his capture by German and Ustaša forces in 1942; his transfer to Prijedor concentration camp; the conditions of the concentration camp; his family's release; returning home to find their home had been burned; the massacre of his family by the Ustaša; being buried alive under his murdered siblings; escaping and encountering partisan members who brought him to his uncle; remaining with his uncle for the remainder of the war; being threatened by a Ustaša member in 1945; and finding the remains of his family members after the war.

Oral history interview with Tomo Lučić

Oral History

Tomo Lučić, born in 1931 in Bistrica in the former Yugoslavia, describes restrictions placed upon the Serbian community during the war; a roundup of local Serbs by Ustaša forces; the imprisonment of his family in a school in Zavidovici; the Ustaša attempting to force his family to convert to Catholicism; his transfer to and imprisonment in Slavonska Pozega; the deportation of his family to Serbia; remaining in Mramorac village until the end of the war; and returing home after the war to find it had been destroyed.

Oral history interview with Jlija Jvanović

Oral History

Jlija Jvanović, born in 1928 in Gornji Podgradci in the former Yugoslavia, describes fleeing to Kozara because of fear of the Ustaša; his capture by Domobran forces and transfer to German and Ustase forces; his transfer to Stara Gradiska concentration camp and then Jablanac village; treatment of the prisoners by Ustaša forces; a Red Cross commission which took children from the village; his transfer to Jasenovac concentration camp; conditions in Jasenovac, including forced labor; participating in a prisoner uprising at Jasenovac in 1945; pretending to be Croatian to avoid being killed; and his liberation by partisan members.

Oral history interview with Gojko S. Lovrić

Oral History

Gojko Lovric, born May 29, 1934 in Klekovci near Kozarska Dubica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses Ustaša arriving to his village in 1942; hearing gunshots and seeing his father and uncle’s bodies by the river; walking to Cerovljani camp and seeing others forced into a church later set on fire; hearing Ustaša raping a girl at camp; his deportation to Jasenovac and witnessing a guard shooting a woman looking for water; witnessing the death of his brother; his relocation to Pakrac, Slavonja and eventually returning to Dubica to find his house destroyed; his escape to Gunjevci village for safety; surviving a fire and a gun shooting and escaping to Prijedor and working on a farm; living in an orphan house until the end of the war; and seeing unidentifiable bodies in the Una River after the war.

Oral history interview with Vlado Božić

Oral History

Vlado Bozic, born November 4, 1929 in Vransi village near Bijelina, Serbia, discusses the death of family members during WWII; the SS throwing grenades and shooting at a church; a tank firing towards him; his escape to Crniljevo and Gradac; hearing about his sister's sexual assault and later suicide; his return to his village to find the bodies of family members and cleaning the bodies for quick funerals; seeing the body of his priest in the river; hearing about a soldier recognizing and saving a woman’s life; and a perpetrator being found guilty and incarcerated for eight years after the war.

Oral history interview with Angelina Kazandžić

Oral History

Angelina Kazandzic, born in 1923 in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the patrons at her father’s bar; the Germans invading, bombing the airport, and killing pilots; the Jewish men praying early in the morning at synagogue; hearing gunshots at night; new laws imposed by Ustaša; Muslims stealing from Serb and Jewish shops; watching Ustaša forcing Serb priests to clean the streets and other manual labor; the imposed curfew on Jews and the wearing of yellow Star of David badges; seeing a line of people being deported to camps; witnessing executions such as one of a Muslim boy who took a German soldier’s rifle; seeing bodies in the street and the Ustaša shooting from the top of the hill; recognizing a classmate hanging from a tree in 1943; the Chetniks incarcerating her father at Popovo Selo; and delivering lunch to her father in prison and hearing crying as inmates are beaten.

Oral history interview with Ljubo Rakić

Oral History

Ljubo Rakic, born in 1933 in Zaladje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the invasion of the Ustaša in 1943 and the proceeding massacre and robbing; witnessing Ustaša shooting and killing his family in their house; his time hiding in the woods; his relocation to another village and going to the hospital to treat wounds; Ustaša and Muslims stealing his horses on the way back from the hospital; witnessing Ustaša taking Serbs from other villages to Srebrenica camp; his relocation to his uncle’s home in Gostil village until November 1943; and returning to Zaladje until liberation.

Oral history interview with Savo Grujičić

Oral History

Savo Grujcic, born in 1926 in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the Germans, Chetniks, and Ustaša entering the town in April 1941; his relocation to Vislovci village in 1943 and seeing bodies of neighbors in the field and by a river; the Ustaša taking him to a camp in Srebrenica with other Serbs; and his brother, a Domobran, mailing a letter that aided his release from the camp.

Oral history interview with Danilo Obradović

Oral History

Danilo Obradovic, born in Lipenovici, Bratunac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1926, discusses hearing the Ustaša shooting neighbors standing in a line; burying bodies at night with the help of Muslims from Susnjar; the ongoing symbiotic relationship with Muslims from Susnjar; relocating to a village near the Drina River and his father returning home to find dead family members; the death of his father; the relocation to Srebrenica camp and horrible living conditions; his release from camp, living with his aunt in Joseva and the friendly relationship with local Muslims; working as a cook; joining the partisans in November 1942 and fighting in conflicts; and returning to home village in 1946.

Oral history interview with Desimir Cvetinović

Oral History

Desimir Cvetinovic, born in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1928, discusses hiding in the woods when Muslims invaded his village; arriving in Zalazje after the massacre and seeing dead bodies; witnessing Romanies and Ustaša throwing bodies into holes in the ground; conducting quick funeral ceremonies and identifying the deceased individuals by name; the ongoing conflicts between partisans and Ustaša; Muslims stealing goods; having a confrontation with a Muslim in a coffee shop; his relocation to Srebrenica camp and the horrible living conditions; and returning to his village to find destruction and his family’s house burned down.

Oral history interview with Stevo Mostarac

Oral History

Stevo Mostarac, born in 1930 in Ustica, discusses the Croats physically abusing and robbing Serb soldiers; the Ustaša taking control of the village; witnessing a group being transported on a boat on Sava River to Jasenovac and a man drowning; the Ustaša physically abusing Jews and witnessing Jewish bodies thrown into the river; being relocated with 600 others to Jasenovac and the elderly remaining in the village to be killed; the horrible conditions and death of many people; multiple transports of people from Jasenovac to different locations; his relocation to Jasterbarsko camp where he saw starvation and death; traveling with partisans to Zubreg and relocating to Zagreb where he lived with his mother; his work in a fabric factory in Vienna, Austria under decent conditions; returning to Ustica at the end of the war; and finding teeth and human bodies by the Sava River after the war.

Oral history interview with Dragoljub Vukić

Oral History

Dragoljub Vukic, born in 1936 in Gornji Jelovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses his family’s escape to Kozara with food and animals; being captured by German forces; walking to Medjuvodje village and taking a boat to Croatia where Croatian women threw boiling water at them; witnessing dead bodies thrown into Sava River; the lack of food and children dying at Jasenovac camp; witnessing Ustaše killing prisoners with a “malj” hammer and watching men walking into brick oven furnace building; becoming healthier and eventually working on a cow farm; and reuniting with mother, brother, and sister.

Oral history interview with Milka Danilović

Oral History

Milka Danilović, born in 1926 in Draksenic in the former Yugoslavia, describes escaping to Kozara with the arrival of the Ustaše in 1941; her capture by Germans; imprisonment in a camp in Cerovljane, including widespread hunger; abuses by the Ustaše; her transfer to Ustica, then Jasenovac; her transfer to the village Korencani for labor; partisans taking her and her family back to their region of Bosnia; fleeing the Ustaše; a mass killing near her village; the destruction of the village church; burying the dead in Gradina; and the effects of the Holocaust on her family.

Oral history interview with Milenko Gubić

Oral History

Milenko Gubić, born in 1930 in Draksenic in the former Yugoslavia, describes the flight of his family to Kozara at the beginning of the war; the attacks by Ustaše; his capture and transfer to a concentration camp in Ustica, Italy; the abuses of the Ustaše; his transfer to Jasenovac and then a church in Medjugorje; his transfer to Sunju and then to Gradiska, horrible conditions on the transport; starvation; cannibalism; his transfer to Jastrebarsko; conditions in the camp; the deaths of large numbers of children; being taken by partisans to the hospital after the closing of Jastrebarsko; hiding in the hospital with partisans; and the effects of the Holocaust on his family.

Oral history interview with Dobrinka Gubić

Oral History

Dobrinka Gubić, born in 1929 in Donja Gradina in the former Yugoslavia, describes the escape of her family from her village with the arrival of the Ustaše; their flight to Kozara; her capture by the Ustaše and Germans and transfer to Cerovljani; her transfer to Ustica then Jasenovac; the treatment of prisoners by Ustaše at Jasenovac; her transfer to Slavonia Serb village after arrival of Germans; her flight to the Papuk area; her capture by Ustaše; her transfer to Novska; her transfer to Sisak camp; conditions in Sisak; her release to go home; violent actions by Ustaše in Dubica, including actions by Germans to stop violence; travel to Kozara to stay with partisans; burying bodies in Gradina; and effects of the Holocaust on her family.

Oral history interview with Ranko Toroman

Oral History

Ranko Toroman, born in 1934 in Donja Gradina in the former Yugoslavia, describes the flight of his family from the Ustaše to Kozara in 1942; his capture by Domobrans in 1942 and tranfer to Gradina; the sexual assault of his female family members by Domobrans; the sight of mass graves; mass murder; his removal to Sava coast; Germans preventing the Ustaše from committing violence; his removal to Dubica through Cuklinac and Draksinac; threats from non-Serb civilians; his transfer to Cerovljani; his transfer to Ustica; his transfer to Jasenovac; the actions of his mother to save his life; his removal to Lipik camp through Sisak and Banova Jaruga, including the horrible conditions on the transport; his removal through Pakrac, Spanovci village, and Branevici in 1942; traveling back to his village in 1943; his flight to forest during Ustaše attacks; the death of his sister in 1944; and the effects of the Holocaust on his family after the war.

Oral history interview with Tomo Klinco

Oral History

Tomo Klinco, born in 1928 in Draksenic in the former Yugoslavia, describes the arrival of the Ustaše in his village and subsequent violence in 1941; the flight of his family to Gunjevci, near Kozara in 1942; his capture by the Ustaše to Lipova Greda, then Dubica, then Cerovljane; his transfer to Ustica camp; the conditions at the camps; violence committed by the Ustaše; hunger in the camp; his transfer to Sirac, Slavonia through Pakrac, Croatia; his arrival in a Serb village; his transfer to Novska in 1942; his imprisonment in Dubica; his return home; his flight from the Ustaše in 1943; migrating in the area around his village to stay away from the Ustaše; the sight of the dead; the lack of punishment for the Ustaše after the war; and a song he wrote about the war.

Oral history interview with Milja Kaurin

Oral History

Milja Kaurin, born in 1928 in Murat in the former Yugoslavia, describes escaping to Kozara and the battle there; her capture by soldiers and relocation across Dubica on foot; her time in Jasenovac, including the methods of the murders committed by the Ustaše, hunger in the camp and how she was made blind; relocation to Donje Rajice village; her return home in 1942; and the deaths in her family at Jasenovac.

Oral history interview with Čedo Kaurin

Oral History

Čedo Kaurin, born in 1934 in Murati village in the former Yugoslavia, describes escaping to Kozara in 1941; his family’s capture by Ustaše and Germans; his journey to Jasenovac from Dubica; conditions at Jasenovac, including mass hunger and violence committed by the Ustaše; his release to the village of Donji Rajic; his journey to Jelovac in 1942 or 1943; his return home; and the effects of the Holocaust on his family.

Oral history interview with Mirko Cvijić

Oral History

Mirko Cvijić, born in 1932 in Medjedja in the former Yugoslavia, discusses the deportation of his family from their hometown at the base of Kozara mountain in 1942; his removal to Jelac Polje through Dubica, then Ustice; violence committed by the Ustaše; his imprisonment in Jasenovac; his removal to Sirac; deceptions used by the Ustaše to convince civilians to fight one another in 1942; his removal to Korencani village; his forced labor for a Hungarian family; his return to Bosnia aided by the partisans; traveling through Grabovac and Novska; attacks from the Ustaše, including one in 1944; an attack from the Cerkezi army in 1944; an incident in 1941 when people in Draksenic village were rounded up and killed in a church; the effects of the Holocaust on his family; and life after the war.

Oral history interview with Božo Strika

Oral History

Božo Strika, born in 1931 in Knezica in the former Yugoslavia, discusses the escape of his village to Kozara in 1942; his arrest by Ustaše and removal to Cerovljani then Jasenovac; the large number of people dying from starvation, disease, and murder by the Ustaše; his transfer to Peratovci; his transfer to camp Bjelovar in 1943 where he was separated from his mother; the deaths of children; the imprisonment of partisans; his assignation to the village Tuk in the fall of 1943; liberation in 1944; and reuniting with his mother.

Oral history interview with Vasilije Karan

Oral History

Vasilije Karan, born in 1934 in Medjuvodje near Kozarska Dubica in the former Yugoslavia, discusses villagers setting ambushes to defend themselves against the Ustaše; fleeing to Kozara in 1941; his arrest by the Ustaše in 1942 escape; his arrest by the Germans; being given to the Domobrans in Jelovac in 1942; instructions from the Domobrans to not discuss the partisans with the Germans; his placement in Dubica in October 1942 and then in the train station Cerovljani; his transfer to village Velika Barna; the sight of the dead; his return to his village with his aunt in 1943; the discovery that his mother was still alive; and the effects of the Holocaust on his family and village.

Oral history interview with Ilija Livopoljac

Oral History

Ilija Livopoljac, born in 1921 in Donji Vakuf in the former Yugoslavia, describes witnessing Ustaše rounding up and imprisoning Serbs; the release of the prisoners after three months; his own arrests and releases; his deportation to Bugojno in 1942, then Travnik, then Slavonski Brod, then Bjelovar camp, then Graz camp; being transferred to German custody; his transfer to Vienna, Austria with prisoners of other nationalities, including other Yugoslavian, Greek, Russian, Polish and Ukrainian; brutal treatment by German soldiers; his work in fabric; the treatment of Jewish prisoners, including their removal from the camp; and liberation in Austria in 1945.

Oral history interview with Marinko Lujić

Oral History

Marinko Lujić, born in 1931 in Mujdzici, near Sipovo in the former Yugoslavia, describes his family before the war; the arrest and murder of his father; an uprising by his village against the Ustaše, including the escape of his family to the mountains to stay with his grandfather; returning to his village with his mother to prevent Ustaša from burning the family home in 1941; his capture along with his mother by Ustaša, who brutally beat and stabbed them and left them for dead; being saved by his mother, then taken by his grandfather back into the mountains; his stay in a partisan hospital; fleeing in 1942 during the offensive; his stay in liberated territory for the remainder of war; Serbs joining the Chetniks; and the aftermath of war, including his paralysis and the trials of specific Ustaša members.

Oral history interview with Božana Radata

Oral History

Bozana Radata, born in 1929 in Donji Rujani, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the time when Croat neighbors took away her father and all other Serbs in May 1941; being thrown with her family into a pit in a Sajdina cave; their release after the arrival of Croats; the transport of survivors to a hospital in Livno; living with her aunt; the arrest and execution of her brother by Ustaše; and the trial and incarceration of Croats after the war.

Oral history interview with Mirjana Stojanović

Oral History

Mirjana Stojanovic, born in 1923 in Ljubija, near Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses Ustaše taking food and belongings; hearing the shooting of Serbs on a hill; joining the Partisans and working in a hospital; the arrest of the hospital staff and their trial in Sarajevo; being transferred to camp Sajmiste in Belgrade; being transferred to Auschwitz and receiving a number; working on repairing a camp road and seeing German soldiers separating weak from strong prisoners; widespread starvation, disease, and death; her time as a patient in the camp hospital; a Polish Jew who hid her during selection of prisoners to go to the crematorium; witnessing prisoners committing suicide on electric wires; her transfer to Ravensbrück in 1944; being found by Russian forces during an escape attempt; and her return to Bosnia in September 1945.

Oral history interview with Milutin Vujić

Oral History

Milutin Vujic, born in 1932 in Podgradci, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the demotion of Jewish sawmill workers; Ustaše imprisoning him in Stara Gradiska camp and then Mlaka village; witnessing the murder of his aunt by the Ustaše in Jablanac when she attempted to get water from Sava River; the death of four children during the transport to Jastrebarsko in a wagon; relocating to Gornja Reka; widespread diseases, famine, and death; living with a Croatian family in Koprivnica until the end of the war; and hearing a rumor about his father dying near Stara Gradiska.

Oral history interview with Slavko Djekanović

Oral History

Slavko Djekanovic, born in 1929 in Medjedja, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the arrival of Ustaše and hearing the firing of guns during a mass shooting; peaceful resistance by village men until the Kozara Offensive in June 1942; his time at Cerovljani camp and Ustica camp; the rape of women by the Ustaše; seeing bodies in Sava River; his mother covering his head with a scarf so he could remain with her instead of being transported to another camp; his relocation to Pozega and returning to Bosnia; hiding from Ustaše in Kozara forests; witnessing Ustaše setting bodies on fire; widespread massacre of families; the Ustaše firing guns at him while in the Kozara forest; joining partisans; seeing ground holes, ash and bones, and the smell of death in Gradina; and witnessing bodies floating in the Sava River.

Oral history interview with Stoja Mileusnić

Oral History

Stoja Mileusnic, born in 1925 in Maricici, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses taking refuge in the forest until Ustaše invade Kozara in June 1942; her arrest and transfer to Cerovljani camp and then to Ustica where she saw evidence of rape; the transport to Sirac, Tenj, and to Stara Gradiska camp where she saw a room full of skeletal children; the separation of mothers and children and beating of prisoners at camp Sisak; cleaning barracks in Magdeburg, Germany; witnessing Jews being physically abused; her friend who gave bread to a Jew and was later interrogated; arriving in Bosnia in October 1945; and returning home to see dead bodies in the Sava River.

Oral history interview with Milan Malešević

Oral History

Milan Malesevic, born in 1922 in Donja Gradina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses inhabitants of Gradina taking refuge in Medjedja; helping to organize defense against Ustaše; burying bodies from a massacre at a church in Draksenic; being interned at Cerovljani, Zemun, and Sajmiste camps; physical abuse at the camps; bodies being collected in trucks; the horrible living conditions at Stargard camp in Poland, forced labor in agriculture; a German guard who shot at him; witnessing a girl being raped by Russian soldiers in a German village; and returning to Bosnia to find bones and bodies close to Donja Gradina.

Oral history interview with Desanka Mihajlica

Oral History

Desanka Mihajlica, born in 1933 in Orahova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the Serb population taking refuge in Kozara when hearing about the massacre in Draksenic; her family being arrested by Ustaše and transport to Stara Gradiska, Jablanac village, and then to Mlaka village; the Ustaše separating children from families and taking them to Sisak camp where she witnessessed mortuary vehicles taking bodies away; living with a Croat family in Bobovac village; hiding in a prominent Muslim’s house in Orahova when Cherkes arrives; escaping to the hills and seeing dead bodies in Licka Kosa; and taking refuge in Jablanica, where she and her family stayed until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Milica Borjanović

Oral History

Milica Borjanovic, born in 1931 in Medjedja, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses how her father avoided arrest by offering brandy to Ustaše soldiers; taking refuge in Prosara after the Draksenic massacre; seeing two dead bodies of men in Orahova; witnessing Ustaše soldiers killing weaker prisoners at Stara Gradiska; witnessing three women killed and some men hanged in Slaboscina village; the rape of women by Ustaše and Cherkes; returning to Medjedja to see bodies in Sava River; and collecting and burying bones.

Oral history interview with Rajko Lončar

Oral History

Rajko Loncar, born in 1930 in Medjedja, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses seeing a truck of Ustaše soldiers shooting at a church and the soldiers setting fire to his father’s property; relocating to Prosara; being arrested and taken to Cerovaljani camp where the Ustaše separated adults from children and sent men to Ustica; his transfer from Ustica to Slavonia villages; his escape to Medjedja in May 1945; and seeing dead bodies in the Sava River.

Oral history interview with Milka Sumrak

Oral History

Milka Sumrak, born approximately in 1928, in Demirovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the murder of her entire family by Ustaše soldiers; being shot in the leg; her cousin taking her to the partisan’s hospital in Hamlet Rijeka; her family members’ bodies remaining on the ground for eight days prior to being buried; her arrest during the Kozara Offensive in June 1942; her transfer to Cerovljani and then to Ustica; her relocation to Patkovo; the Black Legion confiscating her goods; living with a friend in Celebici, Bosnia, where she stayed until the end of the war; returning back to Hamlet Mlinarci in Demirovac and seeing dead bodies in the Sava River; and seeing dead bodies near the Jasenovac concentration camp.

Oral history interview with Jela Pudja

Oral History

Jela Pudja, born in 1929 in Donja Gradina in the former Yugoslavia, describes her father desiring to leave his work at the brick plant in Jasenovac due to the Ustaše burning people in the brick plant; Ustaše forcing a group of Jews into Gradina in 1941; fleeing to Prosara in the winter of 1941; her arrest in 1942 by Ustaše and Germans and placement in Cerovljani, then Ustica; her transfer to villages close to Lipik; accommodation by a Croat’s landlord in Novska; traveling from Novska to Croat Marija; traveling to her family in Kosutarica in 1943; passing through Jasenovac and sights therein; her stay in hospital in Jasenovac in 1944; the sights and sounds in Kosutarica and Gradina; being hidden by a Croat when Ustaše began searching for Serbs; and the mass graves around Gradina in 1945.

Oral history interview with Jevdokija Mataruga

Oral History

Jevdokija Mataruga, born in 1923 in Krasnopol, Dnietroperovsk, Ukraine, describes her family hiding in holes in the ground when German forces first came to her village; the abuses of the occupying Germans; the removal of young women and girls to the city Opel in Germany in 1942; working in Opel until end of the war; good conditions in the camp; the presence of Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, and Yugoslavian women in the camp; the treatment of Jews in camp; liberation by Russians; and life events after the war.

Oral history interview with Jovanka Gajanić

Oral History

Jovanka Gajanić, born in 1922 in Sjeverovci near Kozarska Dubica in the former Yugoslavia, describes attacks by the Ustaše; fleeing to Kozara in 1942, then returning to her village after the offensive; the sight of the dead in the Sava River; her deportation to Cerovljani camp, then to Ustica, then to the Jasenovac train station; the treatment of prisoners by the Ustaše; her removal to Lipik; forced labor in Toranj village; her removal to Pucare village; her return to Bosnia; and the death of her child.

Oral history interview with Milan Pjević

Oral History

Milan Pjević, born in 1928 in Donja Gradina in the former Yugoslavia, describes Chetniks defending Gradina from Ustaše attacks in 1941; the forced labor of Jews and the construction of the Jasenovac camp in 1941; his escape to Bijakovac; his arrest and imprisonment by the Ustaše in 1942 at Cerovljani then Jasenovac; murders committed by the Ustaše; his relocation to Banova Jaruga; his forced servitude in Ustaše families in Brestaca; his transfer to Daruvar; his servitude in a Croat family in 1943; assistance from his Croatian landlady in 1944; his escape to Maribor; his imprisonment by the Partisans; his release from the Partisans as a result of his religion; and his return to Gradina in 1945.

Oral history interview with Smilja Vlajnić

Oral History

Smilja Vlajnić, born in 1930 in Milinarci/Medjedja near Kozarska Dubica in the former Yugoslavia, discusses seeing dead bodies in the Sava River coming from the direction of Jasenovac in 1941; fleeing to Kozara at the advice of the Partisans; her capture by Germans in 1942; her removal to Cerovljani camp; her removal to Ustica; her removal to Sirac, then to village Bijava near Daruvar; her return to Medjedja in 1943; her flight due to Ustaše attacks; her return to Medjedja in 1945; and the burial of the dead.

Oral history interview with Slobodan Barudžija

Oral History

Slobodan Barudžija, born in 1927 in Medjedja in the former Yugoslavia, describes the destruction of his village by the Ustaše in 1941; the dead bodies in the Sava River; the defense organized by his village against the Ustaše in 1942; his capture by German forces in 1942; his removal to Dubica then Cerovljani; his expulsion to Slavonska Pozega; his return to Bosnia; his flight from the Ustaše in 1943; the brutality of the Ustaše; hiding from Cherkess in 1944; liberation in 1945; and the aftermath of the war.

Oral history interview with Desanka Bižić

Oral History

Desanka Bižić, born in 1919 in Mlinarice, Medjedja in the former Yugoslavia, discusses Ustaše ordering Serbs to work on road construction in 1941; dead bodies in the Sava River; her escape to Prosara; her capture by Ustaše and removal to Cerovljani in 1941; the conditions en route and in Cerovljani; brutal treatment by the Ustaše; the railway station in Jasenovac; her transfer to village Bijela; her return to liberated territory in Bosnia in 1942; hiding from the Ustaše; her return to her village after liberation; and the effects of the Holocaust on her family.

Oral history interview with Milorad Dragičević

Oral History

Milorad Dragičević, born in 1921 in Orahovica close to Srebrenica in the former Yugoslavia, describes the burning of his house by a group of Muslims; joining an uprising to defend Serbs; joining the Chetniks; defending villages; the occupation of Srebrenica and Bratunac in 1941; the actions of Ustaše; the discovery of a mass grave; the occupation of Sokolac, Han Pijesak, Vlasenicu, and Visegrad; the poor condition of refugee camps; his medical treatment in Serbia in 1942 after being wounded by Ustaše; remaining in Serbia until end of war; his return to Srebrenica after war in 1945; and the punishment of Ustaše after the war.

Oral history interview with Nikola Milovanović

Oral History

Nikola Milovanović, born in 1928 in Postelje near Srebrenica in the former Yugoslavia, describes the abuses of the Ustaše in his village in 1942, including beatings and murders committed; escaping with his mother to Serbia for the remaining duration of the war; and the postwar identification of bodies.

Oral history interview with Drago Petrović

Oral History

Drago Petrovic, born in 1923 near Srebrenica, discusses the beginning of the war; escaping as Ustaše arrive in 1942; hiding in the forest and watching Ustaše set villages on fire; escaping to the Serbian side of Drina River and witnessing Ustaše killing children with bayonets; and staying in Serbia until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Stojan Batajić

Oral History

Oral history interview with Nurija Ždralović

Oral History

Oral history interview with Borislav Spasojević.

Oral History

Oral history interview with Maida Marković

Oral History

Oral history interview with Jug Milić

Oral History

Oral history interview with Zahid Mašić

Oral History

Oral history interview with Hatidža Ćosović

Oral History

Oral history interview with Djuro Stojanović

Oral History

Djuro Stojanovic, born May 1934, in Sanski Most, discusses the various ethnic groups living in Kljevci village; the death of his mother at the beginning of the war; the Croats joining Ustaše; seeing dead bodies in Kljevci; the Ustaše gathering Serbs on a field and collecting personal items from them; being forced to convert to Catholicism; the massacre at Vrhpolje; the death of family members in the field; his transient life traveling between villages; traveling with partisans and spreading stories about the violent actions of Ustaše; the exchange of captured German soldiers and Partisans; his life as an orphan in Bihac; and repercussions for Ustaše after the war.

Oral history interview with Almasa Djulepa

Oral History

Almasa Djulepa, born in 1930 in Bileca, Bosnia and Herzegovina, discusses the invasion of the Cetniks in August of 1941; her family’s forced relocation to a camp; the Italians relocating refugees to Mostar and then to Sarajevo; witnessing two German soldiers taking away a Jewish woman and her daughters in December 1941; the murder of her uncle; seeing a woman’s body on the ground with a living baby close by; her brother's collaboration with the Partisans, his arrest by the Ustaše and hanging in Marindvor in 1945; and burying her brother’s body at Bentbasa.

Oral history interview with Husein Ćoralić

Oral History

Husein Coralic, born in 1925 in Veliki Dubovik, discusses hiding in his grandmother’s house as Chetnicks invaded his village; witnessing the murder of villagers; dead bodies in front of his house; seeing Chetnicks stabbing a Muslim in front of the local mosque; and his forced relocation by the Ustaše to Krupa, Leipzig, and Neustadt for labor until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Mahmut Hasanagić

Oral History

Mahmut Hasanagic, born in 1927 in Veliki Dubovik near Bosanska Krupa, discusses hiding in the forest while Chetnicks attacked his Muslim village in July 1941; hearing shooting and seeing houses set on fire; witnessing the murder of nine Muslims killed whom he knew; collecting and burying bodies; witnessing looting and the burning of houses; his Serb friend who protected Muslims; the Chetnicks escaping the village after the arrival of the Ustaše; witnessing Ustaše in shops mocking and hitting Serbs; and his relocation to Arupusa, Bosanska Krupa, and Apeld where he lived until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Ramiz Selak

Oral History

Ramiz Selak, born in 1933 in Selci, discusses his father sharing stories of Ustaše killing Serbs and not Muslims in the summer of 1941; the robbing of personal belongings by Chetnicks; how Chetnicks killed a refugee who was hiding in the house of his grandmother; his near death at the hands of the Chetnicks; the burning of Bukovica village; grenades falling while escaping to Drina; his relocation to Brcko with his family; his father’s arrest and disappearance; partisans bringing a Croat to a city center where community members spat on him; and his return to Selci to find a his village destroyed.

Oral history interview with Aleksander Novak

Oral History

Aleksander Novak, born approximately in 1926 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, discusses lying about his age to be old enough to join the Partisans at the beginning of the war; his arrest by German forces in August 1944; his time in a prison in Celje; physical torture at the prison; his relocation to Slovenske Konjice camp at night; seeing 15 hanging prisoners hanging in trees and hearing their screams; his return to Celje prison; being assigned to the Volkssturm German militia; his escape to the Partisans after his friend Rudi Zumer cut the throat of a German guard; his partisan battalion attacking and killing around 200 Chetnicks after they killed five partisans in his battalion; being arrested by the Ustashas and Chetnicks, escaping a burning abandoned vehicle, and seeing two skulls of known partisan friends.

Oral history interview with Dragica Buljugija

Oral History

Dragica Bulugija, born in 1935 in Rogatica, discusses when, prior to the beginning of the war, neighboring Muslims came to her village and disarmed the Serbian peasants, telling them that they can safely stay in the village; her memory of seeing an army of soldiers heading from the forest to her village and saying, in Bosnian, that they were going to burn down the village; witnessing the massacre of her family and other villagers; finding the bodies of her mother and aunt in her house; finding her father who was heavily injured and covered in blood; her father’s last words that he was murdered by a Muslim neighbor; hearing that the man who murdered her father was working for the communist authorities after the war; her escape to the forest with other children; seeing murdered peasants along the road and meadows; returning to her village a few days after the massacre to find what she believes were members of the German Army robbing the village; and staying in orphanages until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Milan Vučićević

Oral History

Milan Vucicevic, born in 1930 in Pobrdjani, discusses his escape with other Serbs to the forest when Ustaše arrived in 1941; his escape with family members to Kozara where he stayed until the end of the offensive; witnessing Serb civilians who were in hiding being arrested by Ustaše; witnessing the murder of a woman’s infant during the round up; seeing, on the way back to his village, the mutilated bodies of men and women; being arrested by the Ustaše upon his return to his village; being taken with other civilians to Cerovljani and being placed in crowded cattle wagons without food and water; severe beatings by Ustaše; many deaths, including those of children, as a result of the time in the cattle wagons; how the Ustaše deceived Serbs in hiding by saying they were Partisans; a Muslim from Dubica who took him in after the wagons were opened and secretly housed him under the name Mustafa; his return to his village, joining the Partisans as a messenger; witnessing the hanging of a Ustaše soldier sentenced to death by Partisan court; and seeing skeletons which he thinks were his father and brothers in Siroka Luka Valley.

Oral history interview with Slobodanka Trivić

Oral History

Slobodanka Trivic, born in 1910 in Medjedja, Bosnia and Hercegovina, discusses the time when Serbian partisans found her hiding in the forest and provided her with shelter; seeing bodies of Serb civilians massacred in front of a church in Draksenic; burying the bodies including those of her siblings; burnt houses throughout the village; working on a farm and staying at a partisan camp; her arrest by Ustaše in Dubica; the transport of women and children to Jasenovac; witnessing a Ustaše soldier beating a Muslim woman and witnessing soldiers taking women, including her sisters, by the Sava River to sexual assault; witnessing people dying of starvation and Ustaše soldiers execute men by Sava River; her transfer by cattle wagon to Lipik, Slavonia; living with a Croat landlord who helped her reunite with family members and bought her a ticket to Bosnia where she lived until the end of the war; and seeing dead bodies at Jasenovac after the war.

Oral history interview with Drago Šormaz

Oral History

Drago Sormaz, born in 1931 in Gornji Jelovac, Bosnia and Hercegovina, discusses escaping to the forest when the Ustaše invaded his village in 1941; his return back to the village to find the body of a friend and people whose homes had been robbed and set on fire; his escape to Kozara; his arrest by German forces; his transfer to Cerovljani camp and then to Ustica camp where Ustaše soldiers raped young women in a cell; his transfer to the children’s camp at Jasenovac; witnessing a Ustaše soldier shooting a boy who asked for food; being smuggled out of Jasenovac by a Muslim he knew from Dubica; living with a Muslim chimney sweeper in Dubica; and his transfer to partisan territory where he lived until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Spasoja Aleksić

Oral History

Spasoja Aleksic, born in 1928 in Jelovac/Prijedor, discusses the arrival of the Ustaše and his escape to the hills on August 18, 1941; his return to the village to find widespread destruction; his escape to Kozara and then to Babic where he lived under Ustaše ruling; seeing slaughtered bodies of partisans; witnessing the Ustaše torturing an old man who was taken to the forest and shot; arriving to Jasenovac and wearing a napkin on his head to pass as a girl to avoid Ustaše selection; seeing a line of men and boys by the Sava River and hearing gunshots; witnessing starvation and poor conditions at the camp; his relocation to Borovac village in Slavonia; and returning with his family to Bosnia to reunite with his father.

Oral history interview with Milka Dakić

Oral History

Milka Dakic, born in 1927 in Cerovljani, discusses the Ustaše taking her family in May 1942 to Stara Gradiska camp; the separation of men from women; the lack of food and the poor living conditions; seeing hundreds of dying children lying together; her relocation to the German village Faierbach and then to Mauthausen concentration camp where she received a little food; her transfer to barracks in Cvjetni square in Zagreb and return to Cerovljani where she lived with Ustaše soldiers; her relocation to Sisak, where her mother died, and then to Brest village and back to Jasenovac; seeing the arrival at Jasenovac of 100 Jewish children and women; receiving a letter from her brother in Germany inviting her to join him; her release from Jasenovac in 1944, her return to Cerovljani and then to Topolovac village where she lived with her aunt until liberation.

Oral history interview with Rade Slijepčević

Oral History

Rade Slijepcevic, born in 1929 in Kosca, discusses his family’s escape to Kozara after hearing gunshots; the killing of Serbs by Ustaše; seeing civilians being killed by bombs; being arrested by Domobrans and taken to Dubica and then to Cerovljani under the control of Ustaše; witnessing the beating of his father by Ustaše; witnessing the torture by Ustaše; seeing women who had been raped; his relocation to Ustica camp where his sister died, and then to Jasenovac; the death of prisoners from starvation and poor living conditions; witnessing a ferry transporting people to the other side of the Sava River, hearing gunshots, and the ferry returning empty; his transfer to Japaga, a Croatian village, being arrested again and relocated to Stara Gradiska, Jasenovac and then to the Novska children’s camp; seeing children drowning in the Sava River; his relocation to Donje Zdjelice village where his host lied to authorities to prevent him from being taken by Ustaše; and reuniting with his family in Kosca.

Oral history interview with Vuka Slijepčević

Oral History

Vuka Slijepčević, born in 1930 in Trkulja/Kozarska Dubica in the former Yugoslavia describes the escape of her family to Kozara in 1942; her arrest by the Ustaše and deportation to Cerovljani; violence committed by the Ustaše; her transfer to the camp in Novska; starvation in the camp; the death of her family members; her transfer to villages in Slavonia; and her return to Bosnia.

Oral history interview with Radomir Trubarac

Oral History

Radomir Trubarac, born in 1922 in Medjedja in the former Yugoslavia, describes an unsuccessful assault on the Ustaše; escaping to Kozara in 1942; his arrest by Ustaše and Germans at the offensive on Kozara; his transfer to Cerovljani; his transfer to Staro Sajmiste in 1942; the violence of the Ustaše, Germans, and Kapos against the prisoners of the camp, including the mass murder of prisoners and disposal of the bodies; his transfer to a camp in Zemun; forced labor; the death of prisoners from starvation and diseases; violence against those who tried to escape; his illness, recovery in Belgrade, then return to Zemun; his transfer through Stargrad and Stetin to Norway in January 1943; his placement in a camp called Eisand; assisting in the killing of seven Kapo guards; his removal to work camp Erland in spring 1943 to build roads; the murder of prisoners by the SS; his transfer to Trondhein in 1944; liberation by British forces; and the execution of Ustaše by partisans after the war.

Oral history interview with Kosta Rastovac

Oral History

Kosta Rastovac, born in 1922 in Ustica in the former Yugoslavia, describes the sight of bodies in the Sava River in 1941 and 1942; his arrest by the Ustaše in 1942; his transfer to Jasenovac; his transfer to Zemun and Staro Sajmiste; the removal of Jews from the camps; his transfer to Norway in 1943 through Kryms, Stargrad, and Szczecin; his placement in camp Bootenn; his transfer to a camp in Polarkreuz; the mass murder of prisoners in different camps by violence, cold, starvation, and disease; liberation by British forces; his transfer to Trondheim; his arrival home in 1945; the effects of Holocaust on his family; and his work after the war for the Yugoslav secret police.

Oral history interview with Rastko Dragić

Oral History

Rastko Dragić, born in 1929 in Donja Dubica/Bosanski Samac in the former Yugoslavia, describes the retaliation of members of his village against the Ustaše in 1943; the mass killing of the men in his village and that of Donji Svilaj, a nearby village in 1944; his escape to the mountain Vucjack; hiding until the end of the war; the violence committed by the Ustaše; and the effects of the Holocaust on his family.

Oral history interview with Petar Minić

Oral History

Petar Minić, born in 1932 in Donja Dubica/Bosanski Samac in the former Yugoslavia, describes the robbing of his family home by Ustaše in 1943; the mass killing of the men in his village in 1944, including his ignored warning to the Serb men gathered; the removal of the bodies to the Bosna River; the violence committed by the Ustaše on the villagers; and the escape of his family to Chetnik territory, where they remained as refugees until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Cvijan Tovirac

Oral History

Cvijan Tovirac, born in 1922 in Tisina/Bosanski Samac in the former Yugoslavia, describes his arrest along with his neighbors in 1943 by German and Ustaše forces; his transfer to a Ustaše prison in Samac; his transfer via cattle wagons in Sajmiste in Zemun; his transfer to Mauthausen; the deaths of many prisoners due to violence by the Ustaše and starvation; his forced labor in a quarry; his transfer to a castle in Kassel where he was subjected to medical experimentation; his return to Mauthausen; his forced labor to flatten the land; violence committed by the SS guards; a beating by an SS guard that caused him to be placed in the hospital; his return to Mauthausen; the transport of Jews to Mauthausen in 1944 and subsequent executions; terrible conditions in the camp resulting in the death of prisoners from starvation and exhaustion; his transfer to Steurer in 1944; his forced labor cleaning ruins and digging anti-tank trenches; the march returning to Mauthausen; and liberation at Mauthausen by American forces.

Oral history interview with Petar Paležnica

Oral History

Petar Paležnica, born in 1936 in Srpska Tisina/Bosanski Samac in the former Yugoslavia, describes the arrest of men from his village in 1943 by the Ustaše and their transport to Mauthausen; the murder of his uncle and several neighbors by the Ustaše in 1943; the arrest of all the men in the village by the Ustaše in 1944; the murder of villagers by the Ustaše; the escape of his father in the Sava River; the plundering of his village by Ustaše; his escape to a Chetnik village with his family; remaining at Chetnik village until liberation; the sight of bodies in the Sava River in 1945; and the treatment of Ustaše members after the war.

Oral history interview with Marko Paležnica

Oral History

Marko Paležnica, born in 1930 in Tisina/Bosanki Samac in the former Yugoslavia, describes the relocation of some Serbs from his village in 1943 to Dachau; the robbing of his village by the Ustaše in 1944; dead bodies in the Sava River; the murder of villagers by the Ustaše; the removal of villagers by the Ustaše; the destruction inflicted by the Ustaše on his village; the death of family members; the escape of his father; his flight to the Chetnik village Skarici; the flight of his neighbors from executions; and the punishment of certain Ustaše soldiers after the war.

Oral history interview with Savo Borojević

Oral History

Savo Borojević, born in 1935 in Donja Dubica/Bosanski Samac in the former Yugoslavia, describes the massacre of many men in his village by the Ustaše in 1944, including his father and uncle; hiding with his mother; escaping to partisan territory in Brusnica for the remainder of the war; and returning to his village after liberation.

Oral history interview with Milka Radanović

Oral History

Milka Radanović, born in 1921 in the former Yugoslavia, discusses how her family fled to the hills outside of her Bosnian town to escape the Ustaše at the beginning of the war; how three Ustaše entered the house and killed her grandmother and uncle; being beaten by the Ustaše; the burning of her house by Ustaše guards; learning about the fate of other families; her family’s arrest by the Ustaše and imprisonment in Jasenovac; hiding for the rest of the war in another village; other Ustaše cruelties; how her father was her only family member to survive the war by joining the Partisans; and the fates of her other family members.

Oral history interview with Vojin Jovišić

Oral History

Vojin Jovisić, born in 1930 in the former Yugoslavia, discusses how the majority of the Serb population of Vinjska was taken toward Brod, then Jasenovac; how his family was spared because they lived in the end of the village; the sight of Ustaše robbing Serb houses; the massacre of certain remaining villagers; and the flight of his family from their village.

Oral history interview with Gligor Vidić

Oral History

Gligor Vidić, born in 1929 in the former Yugoslavia, describes the rounding up of all villagers by local Ustaše to be taken to Bosanski Brod; his father's beating by Ustaše; the intervention of a local Volksdeutsche leading to some families' release; how the Ustaše robbed the houses of those in the center of the village; the murder of his next door neighbors; the names of Serbs who were slaughtered; other murders committed by the Ustaše; his arrest with his brother by the Ustaše; the intervention of a German officer who had them released; and the names of some local Ustaše members.

Oral history interview with Radivoje Danilović

Oral History

Radivoje Danilović, born in 1930 in the former Yugoslavia, describes how he saw Ustaše killing Serbs in their own gardens; witnessing the Ustaše rounding up the inhabitants of Vinjska and taking them to Jasenovac; his family’s protection in the village because a Ustaše wanted to marry his sister; his sister's marriage to the man on threat to her family; his father's joining the Domobran Army; his father’s experience almost being murdered with a knife by Ustaše who pulled over his truck; his sister's husband's escape after the war; the names of prominent men in Vinjska arrested by the Ustaše; and seeing the bodies of a local family slaughtered by the Ustaše.

Oral history interview with Luka Temić

Oral History

Luka Tomić, born in 1927 in the former Yugoslavia, describes incidents when Ustaše from a neighboring village would often come to his village and threaten Serbs; the murder of three Serbs by Ustaše; how vocal the Ustaše were about their role in the murders; his family's imprisonment for a night in Bosanski Brod; the Serbian population of the camp; learning that his father had been shot in the head by his former friend, now an Ustaše member; the man's disappearance after the war; the murder of a Ustaše member after the war by a Serb; and how no one knows the fate of his uncle who was arrested by the Ustaše.

Oral history interview with Rosa Čečavac

Oral History

Rosa Čečavac, born in 1922 in the former Yugoslavia, describes her life at the beginning of the war in Lijesce, Bosnia; how the Ustaše from neighboring villages would come to Lijesce; hearing stories of rape, robbery, and murder by Lijesce inhabitants; the murder of a local man by the Ustaše; how vocal the Ustaše were about their role in the murder; hearing about women being raped in Bosanski Brod; other cruelties by the Ustaše; and the arrival of the Germans in 1943 who brought peace.

Oral history interview with Petra Čečavac

Oral History

Petra Čečavac, born in 1919 in the former Yugoslavia, describes the violent actions of the Ustaše, including the murder of civilians, rape of women, and robbing of families; the removal of her family from the village Vinjska; the arrest of her husband in 1942 and his transfer to a camp in Derventa; the release of her husband in 1943; their arrest in 1944 and transfer to Derventa; their release when partisans took the camp; the effects of the Holocaust on her family; and the aftermath of the war.

Oral history interview with Vid Vasilić

Oral History

Vid Vasilić, born in 1924 in the former Yugoslavia, describes Ustaše murder of civilians in his village of Klakar; the removal of many peasants in 1942 to Brod; how his family was spared because of his work for a Slovenian who had good relations with the Ustaše; his arrest by Ustaše; his removal to Brusnica; almost being murdered by an Ustaše soldier but being spared by an old Croatian and the German Ustaše commander; and the withdraw of Chetniks and Ustaše toward Slovenia in 1945.

Oral history interview with Bogdan Zečević

Oral History

Bogdan Zečević, born in 1923 in the former Yugoslavia, describes remaining in his village until 1943 because of the lack of Ustaše attacks; joining the Domobrans in 1943; the Ustaše rounding up civilians in 1944 to bring to Jasenovac; the massacre in his village in 1944; the sight of dead bodies; his friend who joined the Partisans; many Serbs who joined the Chetniks; and his joining the Partisans in Ljesce.

Oral history interview with Dušan Vrač

Oral History

Dušan Vrač, born in 1928 in the former Yugoslavia, describes the arrival of the Ustaše in his village in 1941; the removal of the men from the village and their execution in Pozega; the arrest of a few women who were later released; the forced labor of the Serbs in the village as guards; the organized mass conversion of Serbs to Catholicism; hiding because he did not want to convert; a massacre of local people in Pozega; forced killing of village dogs; and the effects of the Holocaust on his family.

Oral history interview with Mirko Sekulić

Oral History

Mirko Sekulić, born in 1919 in the former Yugoslavia, describes the mass conversion of Serbs in his village of Polje to Catholicism in 1941; his arrest in 1941; his deportation to Bosanski Brod; a massacre of prisoners on the bridge over the Sava River by Ustase; his transfer to Slavonski Brod and then Slavonska Pozega; experiencing horrible conditions at Slavonska Pozega; his return to Slavonski Brod; his return to Polje; and the long term effects of the Holocaust on his family.

Oral history interview with Simo Marjanović

Oral History

Simo Marjanović, born in 1928 in the former Yugoslavia, describes the deportation of Serbs from his village and their execution in Pozega; the arrest of his mother by Ustase and her return from a prison in Derventa six months later; the treatment of the women in Derventa; and the long-term effects of the Holocaust on his family.

Oral history interview with Sava Poljarac

Oral History

Sava Poljarac, born in 1928 in the former Yugoslavia, describes her escape to Kozara in 1942 and later capture by German forces there; her transfer to Ustase custody; her transfer to Cerovljani; her transfer to Uštica; the death of children and elderly from starvation and exhaustion; her relocation to Bosanska Pozega; her placement with a landowner’s family; her return to Gradina; and the destruction of her village.

Oral history interview with Stoja Poljarac

Oral History

Stoja Pojarac, born in 1925 in the former Yugoslavia, describes the arrival of the Ustase in her village in 1941 and her escape; a massacre committed by the Ustase in the church of Draksenić; the burial of the dead; her stay in a partisan camp until 1942, when she left for Dubica; being sent by the Ustase to Cerovljani; the rape of young women; the death of prisoners as a result of poor living conditions; the murder of prisoners; her transfer to Ustica; her release in Slavonia; joining the Partisans for the remainder of the war; and incidents after the war of partisan retribution against the Ustase.

Oral history interview with Draginja Dušanić

Oral History

Draginja Dušanić, born in 1930 in the former Yugoslavia, describes the removal of the men from her village in 1944 and their deaths; a massacre of women and children by the Ustase and escaping the massacre; giving herself up to the Ustase; two members of the Ustase finding a safe place for her to stay for the remainder of the war; placement in a Slavonia village where she worked on the farm of a rich German landlord; the postwar removal of the landlord’s family by partisans; and finding and staying with her aunt in Dubica.

Oral history interview with Milica Gubić

Oral History

Milica Gubic, born in 1930, discusses her escape to Radovici village after hearing gunshots during the Draksenic massacre; her father’s memories of witnessing the Ustaše killing family members and setting the town on fire; a massacre in her uncle’s house; being covered by bodies after Ustaše kill a crowd in front of a church; witnessing Ustaše killing people with knives and guns and finding her uncle’s body; witnessing a known partisan man jump off a bridge in Dubica; her family being separated into groups of men and women in Cerovljani; starvation and diseases, the beating of prisoners by Ustaše; seeing evidence of rape; her relocation to Ustica camp where she witnessed children starving to death; working in a field watching cattle near Slavonska Pozega; witnessing Ustaše raiding villages while living in a partisan controlled zone in the Kozara; and returning to Dubica to see bodies in the Una River and mass destruction.

Oral history interview with Blagoja Djukić

Oral History

Blagoja Djukic, born in 1928, discusses being captured by Ustaše Herzegovinians and being taken to Cerovljani village from which his father was taken away with other men; dressing as a girl in order to stay with his mother in Ustica; seeing a boy disappear with Ustaše in Jasenovac Blagoja; hearing about a boy who was forced to kill his father, being attacked and tortured by Ustaše; his transport with his mother to Sirac and other villages in Slavonia; working on a cattle farm and running away from Ustaše who were shooting at him; reuniting with his mother in the forest and seeing dead bodies; and living in free partisan territory until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Rajko Grbavac

Oral History

Rajko Grbavac, born in 1928, discusses his mother who was beaten by a Ustaše soldier when she refused to give her gun to him; watching from the forest the Ustaše burning and looting Draksenic village; his relocation to Dubica to live with family, then to Ustica, and Jasenovac; his reunification with his mother on their way to Sirac; being exchanged for six German soldiers captured by partisans; an unknown woman with permits which allowed their relocation back to Dubica; witnessing malnourishment of camp prisoners; the deterioration of his aunt’s mental health after witnessing the murder of her child; and seeing skeletons on his way from Knezpolje to Draksenic.

Oral history interview with Milja Grbavac

Oral History

Milja Grbavac, born in 1928, discusses the Ustaše invasion in December 1941; hiding under a bed when Ustaše shot into her family’s house; her arrival in Dubica and the forced separation of men and women; her relocation to Cerovljani and then to Garasnica village; returning to her village to find mass destruction; living in the hills; her memories of her village, Josik, invaded by violent Cherkes; witnessing the Ustaše 1945 invasion and being shot at in the woods; the death of a friend; hearing about her sister’s escape from Ustaše; and her escape to the woods every time Ustaše attacked the village.

Oral history interview with Marijan Perić

Oral History

Marijan Peric, a Croat from Garovac village born in 1927, discusses his training and activities as a Ustaše youth member; seeing three trucks traveling towards Bosna River bridge and hearing gunshots; Ustaše and Croats being taken to stables by partisans to be killed; his Serbian friend who joined the Chetniks; the strained relationships between Croats from Garevac and Croats and Serbs from other villages before the war; his memories of two Croats joining the Partisans; Croats who joined Ustaše and those who joined the German SS Division; and his uncle’s trial and incarceration for running the Ustaše youth group.

Oral history interview with Sulyo Mesić

Oral History

Sulyo Mesic, born in Tarevci in 1923, discusses his membership in the communist youth SKOJ before the war; the Partisan invasion in 1943; the apprehension and killing of a Ustasa agent; joining the Partisans in 1943; seeing burnt villages and murdered civilians; the partisan unit adopting an orphan boy; hearing about a partisan soldier who was accused of stealing food in Montenegro; running away from and later rejoining a partisan unit; and his memories of a partisan song.

Oral history interview with Emina Mesić

Oral History

Emina Mesic, born in Brnik in 1928, discusses the peaceful relationship between Muslims, Croats, and Serbs before the war; witnessing a Ustaše soldier shoot an Orthodox Priest; her membership to SKOJ; her escape to the Partisans during the Chetnik invasion; seeing bodies of Muslims at her house; the Ustaše forcing her Mother to show where partisans were hiding; discovering her mother's hanging in 1944; working in a partisan hospital; the robbing and murder of three Muslims by the Chetniks; and returning to find two Jewish women in her house who were transferred by SKOJ to a safer location.

Oral history interview with Ramiza Džambić

Oral History

Ramiza Dzambic, born in Modrica in 1928, discusses the peaceful relationship between different religions in Modrica before the war; watching Jews boarding a bus; a neighbor’s comment that they will not return; her memories of her Serbian family-friends’ arrest by Ustaše; their death on a bridge over the Bosna River; watching a woman begging a Ustaše soldier to tell her the location of her deceased husband; the names of those who joined Ustaše; the rescue of two partisan women; the conflict between Chetniks and Ustaše; and seeing Ustaše bodies after the war.

Oral history interview with Bego Efendić

Oral History

Bego Efendic, born in 1930 in Tarevci close to Modrica, discusses the prewar peaceful relationships among different ethnic groups; hearing about the death of a Jewish girl in his school; Chetniks from Vraniok attacking Modrica, robbing and killing his neighbor; the killing of Serbs on the Bosna River bridge by Ustaše; a Serb attack on Garovac; the arrival of Muslim refugees from East Bosnia; seeing nearly naked Ustaše soldiers who were captured and later executed by partisans; and his cousin who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his Ustaše membership.