Slovenia, 1945: Memories of Death and Survival after World War II

In 1945 Slovenia, 6,000 civilians and 12,000 members of the anti-Communist Home Guard, the "domobranci", fearing punishment for their wartime resistance to their Partisan enemies, fled to southern Austria. But there, the British 8th Army loaded them into trucks, purportedly to take them to Italy, only to deliver them straight back to Tito's Partisans. The Partisans tortured and then executed them. The remaining civilians were spared due to the brave revolt of the British Red Cross and Quaker aid workers. John Corsellis witnessed and took part in these protests and in this book reconstructs the survivors' stories. These are vivid tales of wartime cruelty, of the revival of battered communities in refugee camps, and of emigration to Argentina, the U.S., Canada and Britain. In this unique volume, the authors call on more than half a century of research and an unsurpassed knowledge of the Slovene migrant communities around the world to tell their stories. At the end of May 1945, 12,000 Slovenian soldiers boarded trains in Austria. They thought they were on their way to freedom in Italy. Their true destination was Slovenia, and death. One of the most moving and tragic diaspora stories of World War II, Slovenia 1945 follows the fate of a strongly Catholic and non-Communist community in Slovenia - including members of the anti-Communist Home Guard'domobranci'- caught up in the maelstrom of war and politics in the Balkans in World War II and the problems of post-war settlement. Thousands of soldiers returned to face death and exile at the hands of their war-time enemies - Tito's Partisans - who had triumphed by the war's end. Six thousand more civilians narrowly escaped the same fate, after the intervention of Red Cross and Quaker aid workers. Yet the story of exile is also one of triumph as the surviving refugees built new lives in Argentina, the USA, Canada and Britain. In this unique book, the authors call on more than half a century of research and an unsurpassed knowledge of the Slovene migrant communities around the world to tell their stories. For the first time, the survivors tell their vivid tales of wartime cruelty, of reviving their battered community in refugee camps, and of their emigration to Argentina, the US, Canada and Britain building successful new lives through courage, self-help and strong cultural identity.Slovenia 1945 is a vivid, personal and deeply moving story of an episode that marked all those involved indelibly. "At the end of May 1945, 12,000 Slovene soldiers were put on board trains by the British Army in Austria. They thought they were on their way to freedom in Italy. Their true destination was Slovenia, and death." "One of the most moving and tragic diaspora stories of World War II, Slovenia 1945 follows the fate of a strongly Catholic and non-Communist community in Slovenia, including members of the anti-Communist Home Guard 'domobranci', caught up in the maelstrom of war and politics in the Balkans and the problems of the post-war settlement. Thousands of soldiers returned to face torture and death at the hands of their war-time enemies - Tito's Partisans - who had triumphed by the war's end. Six thousand more civilians narrowly escaped the same fate, after the intervention of Red Cross and Quaker aid workers. Yet the story of exile is also one of triumph as the surviving refugees built new lives in Argentina, the USA, Canada and Britain." "In this volume, the authors call on more than half a century of research and an unsurpassed knowledge of the Slovene migrant communities around the world to tell their stories. For the first time, the survivors tell their tales of wartime cruelty, of reviving their battered community in refugee camps, and of their emigration overseas, building successful new lives through courage, self-help and strong cultural identity."--Jacket At the end of May 1945, 12,000 Slovenian soldiers boarded trains in Austria. They thought they were on their way to freedom in Italy. Their true destination was Slovenia, and death. _x000D__x000D_One of the most moving and tragic stories of World War II, 'Slovenia 1945' follows the fate of Slovenes caught up in the maelstrom of war and politics in the Balkans in World War II and the problems of post-war settlement. Thousands were returned by British troops to face death at the hands of their war-time enemies - Tito's Partisans - who had triumphed by the war's end. Yet many survived and the sto A vivid, personal and deeply moving story that is a unique collection of the survivors' accounts. This work includes enormous breadth of scholarship by authors with unique insight into events. One of the most moving and tragic diaspora stories of WWII, "Slovenia 1945" follows the fate of a strongly Catholic and non-Communist community in Slovenia, including members of the anti-Communist Home Guard 'domobranci', caught up in the maelstrom of war and politics in the Balkans in WWII and the problems of the post-war settlement. Thousands were returned to face death and exile at the hands