Oral history interview with Velinka Kovačev

Oral history interview with Mira Aršinov

Oral History

Mira Aršinov, born in 1925 in Novi Zdenik, Yugoslavia (Serbia), describes Hungarian soldiers entering her village in 1941 with the intention of shooting the Serbian civilians; a Hungarian civilian persuading the commandant not conduct the mass shooting; her deportation to various concentration camps in the former Yugoslavia and Hungary, including Subotica, Radenkovac, Sombor, Barc, Nac Kanjiza, and Sárvár; conditions in the camps and modes of transportation between camps; the forced labor of the prisoners; escaping from the Sárvár concentration camp; working in Salac until liberation by Russian forces in 1944; and reuniting with her family in her hometown after liberation.

Oral history interview with Bogdan Krajnović

Oral History

Bogdan Krajnović, born in 1933 in Lika, Yugoslavia (Croatia), describes the beginning of the war in 1941, during which his brother joined the army; the execution of local townspeople without trial; his deportation from Lika to a concentration camp at Jugovicevo; his transfer to a concentration camp in Sarvar; the terrible conditions in the concentration camp which led to the death of his mother in 1941; the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church in freeing and finding childcare for the children in the Sarvar concentration camp; his release from the camp to live with a family until his sister took him in 1944; and living with his sister in Farkata village until liberation by the Soviet Army in 1944.

Oral history interview with Mara Katić

Oral History

Mara Katić, born in 1922 in Malikovac, Yugoslavia, describes prewar life in her hometown; watching films about Hitler in the village school; the beginning of the war; a Ustaše member confiscating her house and forcing her family to leave; her husband joining a partisan unit; the deportation of local Jews and Roma; a roundup of local Serbs by the Ustaše; the massacre of Serbs committed by the Ustaše; deportation and transfers between different concentration camps, including Gradiska, Jasenovac, and Sisak; the conditions of the camps; rumors of young beautiful girls being taken to Germany to be used as forced surrogate mothers; the exchange of her for a German officer by the Partisans; multiple arrests by the Ustaše because of her role distributing partisan propaganda; and the killing of a Ustaše member by her husband.

Oral history interview with Zdravko Čule

Oral History

Zdravko Čule, born in 1932 in Kukunjevac in the former Yugoslavia, describes Ustaše soldiers entering his village in 1942; the deportation of local Serbs to the Gradiska concentration camp, including the conditions of the camp and murders performed by the Ustaše; his transfer to the concentration camp at Sisak, including separation from his mother and the conditions of the camp; his father working for the German forces and securing the release of his family; returning to Kukunjevac; the deaths of his siblings; his father's internment and death in Auschwitz because of an accusation by a Ustaše member that his father was a communist; fleeing to Hungary in 1945 because a warning from a members of a partisan unit; and witnessing the opening of a mass grave after the war.

Oral history interview with Milan Novakov

Oral History

Milan Novakov, born in 1921 in Zabalj in the former Yugoslavia (Serbia), describes a roundup of local Serbs by Hungarian soldiers and local Hungarians; his imprisonment in the city hall where he was beaten; his German neighbor assisting his escape and preventing him from being killed; a second arrest from which he was released; hiding in the house of a Hungarian townsperson; being conscripted into the Hungarian Army and his deployment to Czechoslovakia; strategies he used to avoid being sent into battle; escaping the Hungarian Army and returning to Subotica; returning to Zabalj by the end of the war; and an act of revenge by a partisan after the war.

Oral history interview with Dragojla Ćulibrk

Oral History

Dragojla Ćulibrk, born in 1915 in Lika in the former Yugoslavia (Croatia), describes her arrest along with her family and their deportation to Jugovicevo concentration camp; her transfer to Sarvar; the conditions of the transport and the camp; the death of her baby and many children there; beatings administered by soldiers; receiving assistance from the Serbian Orthodox Church; her transfer to Subotica; encountering Jewish inmates; her illness; and her forced labor on a local farm where she remained until the end of the war.

Oral history interview with Milan Vukobratović

Oral History

Milan Vukobratović, born in Karadjordjevo in the former Yugoslavia (Serbia), describes the Hungarian government taking control of her village in 1941; Hungarian soldiers, Hungarian civilians, and Slovakian civilians taking over the houses of local townspeople in 1941; a roundup of Serbian civilians by Hungarian soldiers; her deportation to Jugovicevo concentration camp; conditions in the camp; declining to go to Croatia because of the mass murders committed at Jasenovac; some families escaping from the camp; her transfer to Sarvar; her forced labor on a farm; the sight of a group of Jews digging antitank trenches; her liberation by Soviet forces in 1944; and her return home.

Oral history interview with Danica Garunović

Oral History

Danica Garunović, born in 1928 in Gorna Rogatica in the former Yugoslavia, describes a roundup of Serbian civilians by Hungarian soldiers; the theft of the homes of Serbian civilians; her deportation to the Jugovicevo concentration camp; the conditions in the camp; the sight of soldiers burning corpses; her transfer to the Sarvar concentration camp; the death of her sister in 1942; and liberation by Soviet forces.

Oral history interview with Cvijeta Knežević

Oral History

Cvijeta Knežević, born in 1932 in Duvno in the former Yugoslavia, describes her background and the beginning of the war; her forced conversion to Catholicism; her father's flight from the village; the massacre of Serbian civilians in Duvno in 1942 by Ustaše forces, including details of the attack; escaping from the Duvno to Ravno; Italian forces burning Ravno; staying with a family in Vukovsko; the Ustaše committing arson and a massacre of the civilians of Vukovsko; her escape from Vukovsko; joining the Partisans; acts of terror committed by Ustaše forces; and caring for children in the Trešnjevka children's camp.

Oral history interview with Danica Živančev

Oral History

Danica Živančev, born in 1932 in Zabalj in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; the arrest of her father by Hungarian soldiers and local; policemen; her neighbor reporting her family to the authorities; the arrest of her family and other Serbian families; their imprisonment in the municipality and school buildings; their transfer from Vilovo to Šajkaš; the conditions at Šajkaš concentration camp; their transfer to Gardinovci, where her father and brother were separated from the rest of the family; their return to Vilnovo; the sight of the German army passing through her village; the sight of a group of Jews being marched through her village; and the treatment of suspected local collaborators by partisan members.

Oral history interview with Vladislava Večić

Oral History

Vladislava Večić, born in 1928 in Jamena in the former Yugoslavia, describes German soldiers staying in her village and fighting partisans in 1942; the deportation of the men of her village to Jasenovac by the Domobrani Croatian army and Ustaše; her uncle's escape from Jasenovac; the arrest of local Roma; the murder of her neighbor by the Ustaše; the behavior of Soviet soldiers under German command in her village; hiding with her family in Bosnia; destruction in her village, including burnt houses and murdered civilians; returning to her village in 1945; and the death of her father in Jasenovac.

Oral history interview with Dragica Nenaddović

Oral History

Dragica Nenaddović, born in 1934 in Jamena in the former Yugoslavia, describes the treatment of local townspeople by the Ustaše; the arrest and deportation of her father in 1942 by Domobran forces; the deportation of the local Roma; staying away from the village in 1944 to avoid problems with soldiers; the bombing of her home which killed her mother; and the treatment of local townspeople by Soviet forces under German command.

Oral history interview with Ljiljana Djordjević

Oral History

Ljiljana Djordjević, born in 1928 in Kosovska Mitrovica in the former Yugoslavia, describes the arrest of her family because of her Jewish father; their transfer to the Saimiste concentration camp (Zemun); the liquidation of the camp; her father's transfer to Poland where he was presumably killed; her release along with her mother; staying in Belgrade with friends; her and her mother's imprisonment in Banjica concentration camp; mass shootings at the concentration camp; friends securing her and her mother's release; and remaining in Belgrade for the remainder of the war.

Oral history interview with Aleksandar Jovanović

Oral History

Aleksandar Jovanović, born in 1931 in Veliko Nadbrdje in the former Yugoslavia, describes his family and the beginning of the war; the searching of his home by Croatian soldiers; his father going into hiding, resulting in the arrest of his mother; the forced conversion to Catholicism of the local Serbian community; the treatment of local Serbs by Croatian soldiers; the deportation of the local Serb community to Jasenovac; conditions in Jasenovac, including the selection process for those capable of forced labor; his transfer to Stara Gradiška then Zagreb concentration camp; how his mother saved him and his sister through a relative at Zagreb; his thoughts on partisan actions during the war; returning to his village; and problems in his village after the war.

Oral history interview with Slavka Rašljić

Oral History

Slavka Rašljić, born in 1932 in Kruhani in the former Yugoslavia, describes an attack on his family's farm by the Ustaše; the murder of his family members and the burning of his home; a mass grave of Serbian civilians; hiding in the forest with other children; watching columns of people led to an execution site; partisans assisting them until the battle at Kozara, the transfer of the children to Zagreb concentration camp; their transfer to Jasterbacko concentration camp; the poor treatment of the children at the camp; remaining in the camp until liberation; and returning to Sanski Most after the war and reuniting with his brother.

Oral history interview with Djuro Karanović

Oral History

Djuro Karanović, born in 1926 in Sanski Most in the former Yugoslavia, describes the Serbian community of Sanski Most; the arrival of Ustase forces in his hometown; restrictions placed on the Serbian community by the Ustase forces; the murder of young Serbian men by Ustase members; the evacuation of the Croatian community in 1941; the roundup and deportation of the Serbian community by Ustase members; the torture and execution of Serbian men by Ustase; the release of Serbian women and children; disguising himself as a woman to escape; the looting of his home; joining a partisan unit; the deaths of family members as a result of the war; and hearing about the deportation of Jewish communities from the region.

Oral history interview with Radojka Čonkić

Oral History

Radojka Čonkić, born in 1928 in Žabalj in the former Yugoslavia, describes the prewar community of Žabalj; Hungarian forces entering her hometown; the murder of civilians by Hungarian forces, including her father; the sight of trucks loaded with the victims' bodies; the sight of corpses floating in the Tisa river; watching the dissection of the corpse of a pregnant Jewish woman; the flight of German and Hungarian residents at the end of the war; and partisans shooting local collaborators.

Oral history interview with Ljubomir Bugarin

Oral History

Ljubomir Bugarin, born in 1917 in Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia, describes his education in Belgrade and return to Novi Sad at the beginning of the war; Hungarian soldiers entering Novi Sad; the murder of civilians by Hungarian soldiers; the sight of corpses in the Danube river; his father preventing the arrest of his sons; and spending the rest of the war in Pešt.

Oral history interview with Žarko Vidović

Oral History

Žarko Vidović, born in 1921 in Tesenj in the former Yugoslavia, describes his education, including the different student organizations at his school in Zagreb; joining the Yugoslav Army; traveling to Novi Sad for training; suffering a defeat by the German army; leaving the army and traveling to Sarajevo; Ustase members destroying synagogues in Sarajevo; propaganda against the Jews, Roma, and Serbs; assisting Serbs hiding in the forest around Sarajevo; the deportation of Jews and Serbs; restrictions placed upon the Jewish and Serbian communities; creating anti-Hitler propaganda; helping Jews escape to the Partisans and Chetniks; watching a column of Serbs going through Sarajevo guarded by Ustase; the actions taken by German forces to calm the Serbian community; his multiple arrests and eventual deportation to Jasenovac concentration camp; his transfer by German soldiers to Staro Saimiste concentration camp to work; his transfer to Szczecin to work on a ship in terrible conditions; his transfer to Beyfjord and his work there; retaliation by German soldiers for the escape of two prisoners; his escape to Sweden with the assistance of a Norwegian man; remaining in Sweden until the end of the war; and returning to Yugoslavia.

Oral history interview with Rade Vlaisavljević

Oral History

Rade Vlaisavljević, born in 1933 in Veliko Nadbrdje in the former Yugoslavia, describes life in his village before the war; the wartime roundup of local Serbs by Ustase members; his deportation to Stara Gradiška concentration camp with his mother and younger siblings; his separation from his mother and the conditions of the camp; his transfer to Zagreb concentration camp with other children; the conditions of the camp, including the treatment of the prisoners; his time in an orphanage in Zagreb; his forced labor in Novigrad Podravski as a servant in the house of an Ustase member; his unsuccessful attempt to escape and join the Partisan movement; the fate of his family members; and moving to an orphanage in Đakovo after the war.

Oral history interview with Rodoljub Malenčić

Oral History

Rodoljub Malenčić, born in 1932 in Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war in 1941; Hungarian forces entering Novi Sad; a Hungarian neighbor who defended his home from Hungarian soldiers; hearing about the massacres of Serbian villages by Hungarian troops in 1942; the restrictions placed on the civilians of Novi Sad; the execution of a civilian for not following the curfew; the arrest and deportation of his Jewish neighbors; the bombing of his house and the murder of his neighbors; the sight of Hungarian soldiers taking away corpses; and a Hungarian soldier who attempted to take his house.

Oral history interview with Zdravka Zorić

Oral History

Zdravka Zorić, born in 1932 in Trijebovljani in the former Yugoslavia, describes her family and the beginning of the war; fleeing her home to Bosanska Gradiška; her transfer to Jasenovac concentration camp; separation from her father; the decapitation of her mother by a guard; her transfer to Jastebarsko children's camp with her brother; life in Jastebarsko, including the poor treatment of the children by the attending nuns; her transfer to Sisak concentration camp; how civilians were able to take children from the camp; her transfer to Sunja; the adoption of children by local civilians; mistreatment by the family who took her in; the massacre of Serbian Orthodox children; living with her uncle after the war; and staying in a nursery for children of dead soldiers and starting a school.

Oral history interview with Nada Nedelikov

Oral History

Nada Nedelikov, born in 1933 in Gornja Jurkovica in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; skirmishes with a nearby Croatian village; the invasion of German and Ustaše forces; fleeing to Kozara; the attack on Kozara by German troops and the Ustaše; her transfer between different concentration camps, including Stara Gradiska, Jasenovac, Mlaka, Zagreb, and Jastrebarsko; the conditions the camps, particularly of Jastrebarsko, including the treatment of the child inmates by the guards; her rescue by partisans, and then capture by Ustaše; her transfer to a concentration camp in Reka, and then Zagreb; placement in a home in Torcic, where she was cared for by a kind local woman and her family; the fate of her family members, and visiting her adopted family after the war.

Oral history interview with Živko Blagojev

Oral History

Živko Blagojev, born in 1926 in Curug in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; his father's desertion from the Yugoslavian Army; the Hungarian Army's entry into Curug; the Hungarian Army shooting at buildings in Curug, killing civilians in the process; being forced to join a military youth organization; the arrest of townspeople by local policemen and Hungarian soldiers; the death of his neighbor in a raid conducted by armed civilian patrols; the disposal of the dead in the Tisa river; the deportation of the Jewish community of Curug; joining the Partisans in 1943; his hospital stay in Slavonia at the end of the war; and witnessing the trial and execution of a German war criminal.

Oral history interview with Ana Gemović

Oral History

Ana Gemović, born in 1925 in Crkveni Bog in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; her deportation to Jasenovac concentration camp by the Ustaše in 1942; witnessing the shooting of a civilian into a burial pit by a Ustaše member; her time in Jasenovac concentration camp, including the presence of Jewish and Roma inmates; her transfer to Stara Gradiska; her neighbors asking for the release of her family; her release and return home; assisting partisans; her arrest by Chetniks when caught bringing food to partisans; her imprisonments in Sunj, Petrinja, and Sisak and interrogation; her transfer to Belgrade; her relocation to Germany; working in Jen; leaving Jen one month prior to the end of the war; her journey to Zagreb and her hometown at the end of the war; and the long term effects of the Holocaust on her family.

Oral history interview with Mirjana Pavlović

Oral History

Mirjana Pavlović, born in 1934 in Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia, describes Hungarian forces entering her hometown; hiding in the basement with her neighbors and being discovered by the Hungarian soldiers; being driven out of her house, only to be released later and find her house had been robbed; a raid by Hungarian soldiers in 1942 which killed her father and many other local townspeople; the Hungarian Army fleeing Novi Sad at the end of the war; stealing items from the Hungarian Army barrack; and the execution of Hungarian civilian collaborators by partisans.

Oral history interview with Petar Kekić

Oral History

Petar Kekić, born in 1932 in Curug in the former Yugoslavia, describes Hungarian soldiers entering Curug in 1941 and killing Serbian civilians; restrictions placed on local townspeople; the attempted arrest of his communist cousin; the arrest of his father; the persecution and deportation of the Jewish and Romani communities; a roundup by Hungarian civilians during which he was taken to a warehouse; the shooting of some of the prisoners in the warehouse, including his mother and sister; the removal and disposal of the dead; a friend of the family helping him escape the warehouse and bringing him to his grandparents; and the arrest and interrogation of local Hungarian collaborators after the war.

Oral history interview with Ljubica G. Turčan

Oral History

Ljubica G. Turčan, born in 1922 in Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia, describes her education at the Medical College of Belgrade University; moving to Novi Sad upon the closing of the college and volunteering at a children's hospital; the bombings and roundups of local civilians during the first days of the war; the deportation of her Jewish neighbors; a colleague who saved a group of Jews; massacres committed by the Hungarian Army; the treatment of local townspeople by Hungarian soldiers; her work in the hospital; her transfer to Bečej to treat an outbreak of typhus; and a public hanging of a local collaborator after the war and the reaction of spectators.

Oral history interview with Milka Ožegović

Oral History

Milka Ožegović, born in 1928 in Bosanska Krupa in the former Yugoslavia, describes the invasion by Hungarian forces in 1941; moving from Sirig to Stepanovićevo then Bosanska Krupa; the Ustaše terrorizing her family and town, burning houses, murdering civilians, and looting their property; receiving assistance from partisans who found homes in which they could stay for the majority of the war in Srpska Jasenica; escaping to Grmeč mountain during a military assault; contracting typhus; German soldiers and Domobran forces searching for partisans; the death of her mother; Domobran forces taking women to Germany to work; her arrest by German soldiers and transfer to Bosanska Krupa; her transfer to Cazin; returning to Srpska Jasenica; the actions of the Ustaše during the war; the end of the war in 1945; attempting to learn about the fate of her family members; and living with her uncle after the war.

Oral history interview with Nedeljko Goga

Oral History

Nedeljko Goga, born in 1937 in Kozara in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war in Belgrade; moving to Vrbaska with his family; encounters with the Ustaše; taking refuge in the forest because of Ustaše attacks; his parents' work with the partisans; the fall of Kozara in 1942; atrocities committed by the Ustaše on the civilians of Vrbaska and Bistrica in 1942; hiding in the woods with his brother; his capture by German forces and transfer to the Ustaše; his imprisonment in the Stara Gradiska concentration camp; his transfer to Jasenovac; watching the liquidation of the adult prisoners in Jasenovac; the conditions of the camp, including frequent beatings and the presence of Jewish and Romani children; his transfer to Sisak concentration camp; conditions in Sisak concentration camp, including the cruel behavior of the nuns there; his mother rescuing him and his brother from Sisak; their return to Bosnia; his mother fighting with the partisans; remaining with an elderly woman for the remaining duration of the war; and his mother receiving a house in Indjija for her work with the partisans.

Oral history interview with Smilja I. Tišma

Oral History

Smilja I. Tišma, born in 1932 in Zrinjska village in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; her father's arrest by the Ustaše in 1941 and his presumed death; the arrest of her family and their time in concentration camps in Veliki Grdjevac and Bjelovar; returning home and then being arrested by the Ustaše and deported to the Jasenovac concentration camp; her transfer to Stara Gradiska and then Sisak concentration camp; conditions in the concentration camps; the death of her mother; her transfer to Jastrebarsko; writing to her grandmother; her neighbor coming to Jastrebarsko to retrieve her and her siblings in 1943; staying with her grandmother for the remainder of the war; and fleeing to the forest during battles.

Oral history interview with Jovan Stjepanović

Oral History

Jovan Stjepanović, born in 1924 in Glumaca in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; a roundup of Serbs by Ustase; their deportation to Stara Gradiska; his father's death in a mass shooting; his transfer to Jasenovac concentration camp in 1942; the conditions in the concentration camp, including the lack of food, beatings of the prisoners, and executions; escaping from Jasenovac in 1945 and joining a partisan unit; assisting in hunting Ustase members; and his life after the war.

Oral history interview with Jovanka Keskenović

Oral History

Jovanka Keskenović, born in 1925 in Ustica in the former Yugoslavia, describes German and Ustaše forces entering her hometown; a column of Jews going through her hometown; the execution of Jews; expulsion from her hometown by the Ustaše and her transfer to Jasenovac concentration camp; conditions of the concentration camp, including the atrocities committed by the Ustaše; her transfer to Stara Gradiska concentration camp; the conditions of her imprisonment; being sent to work in Germany; her work in a factory and living in different concentration camps; liberation by the Soviet forces; returning home; and the fates of her family members.

Oral history interview with Milanka Soleša

Oral History

Milanka Soleša, born in 1933 in Veliko Nadbrdge in the former Yugoslavia, describes the deporation of her family from her hometown by Ustaše and Domobran members; her imprisonment in Gradiska concentration camp; her separation from her mother; the conditions of the concentration camp; her transfer to Zagreb; local townspeople taking children to their homes; her neighbors taking her and her brother to Djakovo to their aunt in 1942; moving with her grandfather to Nadbrdje in 1943; the Ustaše burning the village in 1944; the death of her grandfather; the return of her mother in 1944; and the lack of punishment for the Ustaše after the war.

Oral history interview with Mirjana Kon

Oral History

Mirjana Kon, born in 1926 in Paucije in the former Yugoslavia, describes the begininng of the war; the conscription of her father into the army; the forced conversion of her family to Catholicism in 1941; local townspeople joining the partisans; the arrest of her father by the Ustaše; the deportation of her family to Stara Gradiska concentration camp in 1942; the conditions in Stara Gradiska and the treatment of the prisoners by the Ustaše; her rescue along with her mother by a cousin; going to Zagreb then Osijek; anti-Serb propaganda in Osijek; joining the Partisans in 1944; and her time at the end of the war among the Partisans.

Oral history interview with Dušan Ramić

Oral History

Dušan Ramić, born in 1934 in Sirig in the former Yugoslavia, describes the retreat of the Yugoslavian Army in 1941; a mass shooting of Serbian civilians by Hungarian soldiers in 1941; fleeing to Temerin and then Turija; the death of his mother; his deportation to a concentration camp in Becaj; being sent to a hospital in Novi Sad; staying with a friend of his father's in Turija after his recovery for the remainder of the war; and returning with his father after the war.

Oral history interview with Ljubomir Zečevic

Oral History

Ljubomir Zečevic, born in 1925 in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia, describes the bombing of Belgrade in 1941; the sight of a line of Jews escorted by Wehrmacht soldiers in Belgrade; the sight of corpses in the Sava River; the arrest, imprisonment, and punishment of partisan members by the Wehrmacht; his arrest and imprisonment in Bajica in 1943 because of his membership in the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia; the treatment of the prisoners by Serbian guardsmen; the victims of interrogation by the Gestapo and Serb Secret Police; the escape of a prisoner and the entire Serbian Guard; his deportation to Mathausen concentration camp; conditions in Mathausen; his transfer to a factory where he worked until 1944; his transfer to Ebensee concentration camp; conditions in Ebensee, including the hanging of prisoners who attempted to escape; his liberation by American forces; and his return to Yugoslavia in 1945.

Oral history interview with Milica Maljkovič

Oral History

Milica Maljkovič, born 1931 in Rujane in the former Yugoslavia, describes the mass execution of the Serbian men in her village, including her father and uncle, by her Croatian neighbors; a roundup of Serbian women and children by her neighbors; being taken into the mountains to be killed in a cave; surviving the fall into the pit with her mother and sister; Italian forces assisting the survivors of the massacre; receiving medical treatment in Livno; returning to her village for the remainder of the war; her mother and sister testifying against local collaborators after the war; and her family moving to Serbia because of concerns for their safety.

Oral history interview with Bosiljka Lončar

Oral History

Bosiljka Lončar, born in 1931 in Kusonje in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; the imprisonment of her father in Germany because of his membership in the Yugoslav Army; the Ustaše searching her house and threatening her family; her mother joining a partisan unit; the murder of a group of Serbian boys by the Ustaše; the deporation of the residents of her village in 1942; her deporation to Stara Gradiska concentration camp; conditions in the concentration camp; her separation from her mother who was sent to work in Germany; imprisoned children; caring for dying infants; the refusal of her younger brother to separate from her; her transfer to Zagreb, including the conditions of the transport and the barracks there; a peasant taking her and her brother in until 1944; her mother arranging their transfer to a partisan family in 1944; and remaining with the partisan family until liberation.

Oral history interview with Branislav Milenković

Oral History

Branislav Milenković, born in 1923 in Mali Krcemir in the former Yugoslavia, describes the bombing of Belgrade in 1941; fleeing to Nis; the German occupation of Nis; restrictions placed upon the Jewish community of Nis; hearing that German soldiers were arresting known communists; joining a partisan unit in 1941; his arrest by Bulgarian forces in 1942; his transfer to German forces in Leskovac for interrogation; denying his role in the partisans; his transfer to a concentration camp in Nis; conditions of the camp and the presence of Jewish inmates; his transfer to the concentration camp Sajmiste in 1942; his transfer to Vorberg, Germany to work on a farm in 1942; his memories of the route through Austria; his transfer to Szczecin concentration camp; his forced labor and illness; escape attempts by some inmates; liberation from the concentration camp; returning home in 1945; and the execution of his brother for being a partisan during the war.

Oral history interview with Miodrag Tričković

Oral History

Miodrag Tričković, born in 1925 in Crvenje in the former Yugoslavia, describes his recruitment into the army; joining the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia in 1941; life under Bulgarian occupation; the treatment of civilians by Bulgarian soldiers; the arrest and hanging of a local partisan member; local townspeople collaborating with the Cetniks; Cetnik members shooting three local townspeople; Cetnik members joining the partisans in 1943; his membership with the partisans in 1944; the sight of the atrocities committed by Domobran members, German forces, and the Ustaše; liberation in 1945; the survival of two local Jewish families; and returning to his hometown in 1945.

Oral history interview with Julijana Bošković

Oral History

Julijana Bošković, born in 1920 in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia, describes her education in medicine; anti-fascist actions by students before the war; the bombing of Belgrade; restrictions placed upon the Jewish community of Belgrade; the mass murder of the Jews of Belgrade; the collaboration of the Serbian Special Police with German forces; her membership in the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia; spreading anti-fascist propaganda; joining a partisan unit in 1943; unsucessfully attempting to save a Jewish friend of her husband's; an incident in which she and her husband had to hide from Bulgarian soldiers in the village of Donje Gravinje in 1944; the execution of the men of Donje Gravinje by Bulgarian soldiers; fighting Chetnick members; and the liberation of Toplice.

Oral history interview with Mileva Trifunović

Oral History

Mileva Trifunović, born in 1924 in Bosanski Osredci in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; the Ustaše arresting and executing Serbian civilians; joining the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia; the bombing of her hometown in 1941; sheltering a Jewish family; partisans organizing the hiding of Jews; her work mobilizing civilians for the national liberation movement; saving her younger brother during a bombing; the bodies of dead civilians in Sarajevo and east Bosnia; infighting within the partisan movement; going to Serbia in 1944; participating in the liberation of Nis; and the trial of war criminals.

Oral history interview with Nadežda Stanisavljević

Oral History

Nadežda Stanisavljević, born in 1927 in Reljane in the former Yugoslavia, describes Serbians, Jews, and communists who were hanged by German soldiers; German officers staying in her home; local Chetniks who collaborated with German forces; her arrest and beating by a member of the field guard; her membership in the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia; her arrests; attending school in Belgrade in 1943; working on sabotage for the SKOJ; raids and searches of houses in Belgrade; the arrest of civilians; the interogation of her and her mother by Chetniks and then the Gestapo; her arrest along with her mother and their imprisonment in the Nis concentration camp in 1943; the treatment of the prisoners; her transfer to Austria to be a governess for the children of a doctor; her firing upon discovering that she had tuberculosis and her forced labor in an ammunition factory; her imprisonment in Mauthausen concentration camp; witnessing the execution of inmates; her transfer to Dachau, then Auschwitz, and then Ravensbrück; her forced labor in Ravensbrück; being used as a subject for medical experimentation; liberation by American forces at Mauthausen; recovering in Francenbad; working in Prague, Czech Republic in the provisional Embassy of Yugoslavia; returning to Aleksinac; and the lack of punishment for local collaborators after the war.

Oral history interview with Vladimir Jovanović

Oral History

Vladimir Jovanović, born in 1925 in Kravlje in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; the sight of German soldiers arresting civilians in Nis; restrictions placed upon the Jewish community of Nis; hiding prisoners who escaped from the Nis concentration camp in 1942; the execution of Jewish prisoners; his arrest in 1944 under suspiscion of working with partisans; the conditions of the concentration camp in Nis, including mass murders there; his experiences in different concentration camps, including Banjica, Mauthausen, and Gusen; being used as a subject for medical experimentation; his liberation by American forces; and his return to his hometown after the war.

Oral history interview with Esad Useinović

Oral History

Esad Useinović, born in 1930 in Nis in the former Yugoslavia, describes the bombardment of Nis and the invasion of German forces; the arrest and execution of local townspeople; his mother disguising him as a woman to protect him; throwing food to the inmates of the Nis concentration camp; a mass shooting of Jews by German soldiers; the treatment of Roma peoples by German soldiers; assisting partisan forces; liberation in 1944; and the efforts taken by local Roma to save a German translator who helped them during the war.

Oral history interview with Dušan Bugarski

Oral History

Dušan Bugarski, born in 1931 in Podujevo in the former Yugoslavia, describes the prewar Jewish community of Nis; the arrival of German and Bulgarian forces in Nis; the restrictions placed upon the Jewish and Roma communities during the war; the deportation of the Jewish community in 1941 or 1942; the treatment of the civilans of Nis during the war by German and Bulgarian soldiers; local Roma who were ordered to dig graves and loot victims' bodies for German soldiers; and the liberation of Nis in 1944 by partisan forces.

Oral history interview with Danica Lalić

Oral History

Danica Lalić, born in Rujani in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war in 1941; her father's murder by her Croatian neighbors; escaping a massacre in which Serbian civilians were thrown into a deep natural cave; jumping into the cave to escape from Croatian gendarmerie members; surviving for five weeks in the cave with her mother and sister; the family members who died in the cave; being rescued from the cave; returning to her home to find it looted; her transfer to a hospital in Livno; and testifying against the Croatians who committed mass murder during the war.

Oral history interview with Borivoj Oparušić

Oral History

Borivoj Oparušić, born in 1925 in Donji Petrovci in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; his arrest in 1943 by German soldiers as revenge for the death of a German officer by a partisan; his imprisonment in Gusen concentration camp; conditions of the camp and his forced labor; his transfer to Wiener Neudorf and his forced labor there; his transfer to Staro Sajmište and then Mauthausen concentration camp; the execution of prisoners; liberation by American forces; the death of his father; and finding his brother in Mauthausen.

Oral history interview with Borivoj Matić

Oral History

Borivoj Matić, born in 1923 in Donji Petrovici in the former Yugoslavia, describes the beginning of the war; partisan members executing suspected local collaborators; his arrest in 1943 by German soldiers as revenge for the death of a German officer by a partisan; his imprisonment in Mauthausen concentration camp; being a subject of medical experimentation; conditions in Mauthausen and his forced labor; his transfer to Staurer and then Gusen concentration camps; the treatment of Jewish inmates; liberation by American forces; revenge taken by prisoners on the SS guards and kapos; and his return to his hometown in 1945.

Oral history interview with Edit Szabo Evetovic

Oral History

Oral history interview with György Boros

Oral History

Oral history interview with Jolán Papp Fajferics

Oral History

Oral history interview with László Boros

Oral History

Oral history interview with Etelka Kovács

Oral History

Oral history interview with Géza Varga

Oral History

Oral history interview with Sándor Rattay

Oral History

Oral history interview with Ferenc Maronka

Oral History

Oral history interview with Ibolya Molnár Balassy

Oral History

Oral history interview with Éva Mezei

Oral History

Oral history interview with István Urbán

Oral History

Oral history interview with Veronka Pósa Tőke

Oral History