Overview
- Interview Summary
- Zdravko Tovirac, born in 1935 in Tisina in the former Yugoslavia, describes the Ustaša taking men from his village for labor in Germany in 1941; Serbian civilians hiding with their Croatian neighbors when the Ustaša came to their village; Croatian civilians hiding with their Serbian neighbors when Chetniks came to their village; atrocities committed by the Ustaša; a shooting of Serbian men by the Ustaša in 1944; the massacre of his village by the Ustaša; a Domobran member preventing the Ustaša from killing his family; the looting of his house by the Ustaša; his family escaping to a refugee camp in Skuglic and remaining there until the end of the war, and witnessing the hanging of a Ustaša member in 1945.
- Interviewee
- Zdravko Tovirac
- Date
-
interview:
2009 October 24
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, courtesy of the Jeff and Toby Herr Foundation
Physical Details
- Language
- Serbo-Croatian
- Extent
-
2 videocassettes (DVCAM) : sound, color ; 1/4 in..
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Yugoslav. Chetniks. Croats. Forced labor--Germany. Hanging. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Yugoslavia. Massacres--Bosnia and Hercegovina. Murder--Bosnia and Hercegovina. Refugee camps. Serbs--Crimes against--Bosnia and Hercegovina. Serbs. World War, 1939-1945--Children--Bosnia and Hercegovina. World War, 1939-1945--Destruction and pillage--Bosnia and Hercegovina. World War, 1939-1945--Refugees. Men--Personal narratives.
- Geographic Name
- Bosnia and Hercegovina--History--1918-1945. Bosnia and Hercegovina. Croatia. Sava River. Tišina (Bosnia and Hercegovina) Yugoslavia--History--Axis occupation, 1941-1945.
- Personal Name
- Tovirac, Zdravko.
- Corporate Name
- Croatian Home Guard Ustasha, Croatian revolutionary organization
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- This is a witness interview of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Perpetrators, Collaborators, and Witnesses: The Jeff and Toby Herr Testimony Initiative, a multi-year project to record the testimonies of non-Jewish witnesses to the Holocaust. The interview was directed and supervised by Nathan Beyrak.
- Funding Note
- The production of this interview was made possible by Jeff and Toby Herr.
- Special Collection
-
The Jeff and Toby Herr Oral History Archive
- Record last modified:
- 2023-11-16 09:05:58
- This page:
- http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn44867
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Oral history interviews of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Former Yugoslavia Witnesses Documentation Project in Croatia.
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Oral history interview with Sofija Petrović
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Oral history interview with Mario Carnelutti
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Oral history interview with Sonja Budak
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Oral history interview with Branko Vujasinović
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Oral history interview with Josip Pribilović
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Oral history interview with Stjepan (Stipe) Lukin
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Oral history interview with Jerko Matošić
Oral History
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Oral history interview with Srećko Ozretić
Oral History
Srećko Ozretić, born in 1925 in Split in the former Yugoslavia, describes his work at the beginning of the war; fighting Italian occupiers; forcibly cutting the hair of women who spent time with Italian troops; the killing of local collaborators; his imprisonment in 1942 in Perugia during which he was tortured; his transfer to Dachau and then Buchenwald concentration camp in 1943; conditions in the concentration camps, including the deaths of the prisoners and forced labor; his transfer to and forced labor at Koln, Ruan, Lille, and Dora; and escaping from a line of prisoners outside Dora and joining the Soviet Army.
Oral history interview with Ante Dragić
Oral History
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Oral history interview with Janja Jokić
Oral History
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Oral History
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Oral history interview with Ivan Jurčić
Oral History
Ivan Jurčić, born in 1934 in Kastav in the former Yugoslavia, describes the Italian occupation of Kastav; the murder of members of certain families in 1942 by Italian soldiers; visiting the execution site; his deportation with his mother to the concentration camp in Udine in 1943; the conditions of the concentration camp; their release after the capitulation of Italy; living with his aunt until the end of the war; and returning to Kastav in 1947.
Oral history interview with Dušan Jardas
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Oral history interview with Gino Sirola
Oral History
Gino Sirola, born in 1925 in Rijeka in the former Yugoslavia, describes the occupation of Rijeka by Italian forces, including restrictions placed upon the local townspeople; aiding the Partisans after the capitulation of Italy; his arrest by German forces in 1944; his imprisonment and forced labor at different concentration camps in Germany, including Neugamme, Hamburg, Dachau, Sandel, and Webblin; liberation by American forces; and his return to Yugoslavia after the war.
Oral history interview with Čedomir Rubignoni
Oral History
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Oral history interview with Božidar Mladenović
Oral History
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Oral history interview with Antun Erent
Oral History
Antun Erent, born in 1933 in Gerovo in the former Yugoslavia, describes Italian occupation of Gerovo; local townspeople assisting partisan forces; Italian troops burning villages in retaliation for partisan attacks; his imprisonment with his family in the concentration camps at Treviso and Gonars; living with his aunt in Osijek in 1943 after the capitulation of Italy; remaining in Osijek until the end of the war; Yugoslav Germans fleeing Croatia at the end of the war; and returning to Hrib in 1946.
Oral history interview with Antonija Ivković
Oral History
Antonija Ivković, born in 1933 in Donji Pustakovac in the former Yugoslavia, describes the occupation of her hometown by Hungarian forces; her neighbor collaborating with Hungarian forces; the punishment of local townspeople in an attempt to locate partisan members, which including the burning of buildings, the killing of suspected partisan members, and her forced participation in the transportation and burial of the victims; the deportation of her father in 1944 to a concentration camp in Hungary; and the return of her father and brother after the war.
Oral history interview with Adam Čavlek
Oral History
Adam Čavlek, born in 1924 in Sveti Juriji in the former Yugoslavia, describes working in Hungary at the beginning of the war; the sight of Hungarian soldiers shooting young men attempting to join the Partisans; joining the Partisans in 1944; the sight of burned villages and murdered civilians; arresting German, Hungarian, and Ustaša soldiers, many of which were executed; and the execution of imprisoned soldiers after their trials.
Oral history interview with Mirko Marcinjaš
Oral History
Mirko Marcinjaš, born in 1932 in Palinovac in the former Yugoslavia, describes the "Hungarization" of his village, including the placement of Hungarian teachers in the schools and the order for young men to join the Hungarian army; the imprisonment of young men and their families in Cakovec and then Germany for desertion from the Hungarian army; attending partisan meetings in his neighbor's house; the shooting of partisans in his neighbor's garden; the story of a partisan member who was executed after the war because he deserted the Partisans and joined the Hungarian Army, giving them information about partisan activity; and few who returned from concentration camps after the war.
Oral history interview with Milan Roknić
Oral History
Milan Roknić, born in 1927 in Prkos in the former Yugoslavia, describes fleeing Prkos and traveling to Sjenicak upon hearing that Ustaša members were coming to his village; the murder of the citizens of Prkos by the Ustaša; staying as a refugee in Kordun and Petrova Gora; joining the Partisans in 1944; and participating in the exhumation, identification, and reburial of the victims of the Prkos massacre in 1951.
Oral history interview with Milić Bučan
Oral History
Milić Bučan, born in 1928 in Prkos in the former Yugoslavia, describes fleeing Prkos and traveling to Sjenicak upon hearing that the Ustaša were coming to his village; the massacre of the citizens of Prkos by the Ustaša; his arrest by the Ustaša and imprisonment in Pisarevina; the Jewish and Serbian prisoners there; his transfer to Zdencina and then Stara Gradiska concentration camp; volunteering to work in Germany, and then being released in Zagreb; joining the Partisans; and participating in the exhumation, identification, and reburial of the victims of the Prkos massacre.
Oral history interview with Ljiljana Tonković
Oral History
Ljiljana Tonković, born in 1932 in Smederevo in the former Yugoslavia, describes the bombing of Smederevo in 1941; the arrival of German forces in Smederevo; her father and brother joining the Partisans; restrictions placed upon the Jewish community of Smederevo; witnessing her Jewish neighbors being forced into a gas van; relocating to Sabac; the imprisonment of the men of Sabac in the internment camp at Jarak; the sight of bodies of executed civilians; the arrest of her parents and brother for aiding the Partisans; the release of her parents from prison; remaining in Sabac for the remainder of the war; liberation in 1944; the sight of Partisans escorting a line of captured German soldiers; and attending an exhumation of corpses in 1945.
Oral history interview with Milan Zaharija
Oral History
Milan Zaharija, born in 1926 in Sobolin in the former Yugoslavia, describes the occupation of Sobolin by Italian forces; partisan members warning villagers about the mass murder planned by Italian forces; the shooting of the men of the village of Podhum in 1942 by Italian forces; the deportation of the women and children of Podhum; being forced to assist in the burial of the victims of Podhum; joining the Partisans in 1943; atrocities committed by Ustaše and Chetnick forces; and the arrest and execution of his father in 1944 by German forces.
Oral history interview with Stjepan Klić
Oral History
Stjepan Klić, born in 1936 in Potkilavac in the former Yugoslavia, describes the occupation of his hometown by Italian forces; many young people joining the Partisans; the burning of Podhum village in 1942; his family's arrest by Italian forces; his imprisonment on the island of Rab; the conditions of the concentration camp; his transfer to Gonars concentration camp; remaining in Gonars until the capitulation of Italy; returning to his village; and Ustaša and Chetnick forces plundering his village in 1944.
Oral history interview with Tomislav Erak
Oral History
Tomislav Erak, born in 1926 in Sibenik in the former Yugoslavia, describes the occupation of his town by Italian forces; his arrest in 1942 because he wrote anti-Italian slogans; his imprisonment in Perugia until the capitulation of Italy; his transfer to Dachau concentration camp in 1943 and then Buchenwald where he stayed until 1945; conditions in Buchenwald; his forced labor; different types of camp inmates; and death of many prisoners; assisting in the liberation of Buchenwald with other prisoners; and the arrival of American forces.
