crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
3.2. The Nazi occupation of part of present-day Slovenia from 1941–45
In 1941 the Slovene region was occupied and divided by three forces: German, Italian and
Hungarian. The largest part was occupied by the Germans: Styria, Gorenjska, and the 90 km by 10 to 15
km zone south from the River Sava in Dolenjska and four communities in the northwest of Prekmurje
(Fikšinci, Kramarovci, Serdica, and Ocinje). For these regions Hitler chose the same occupying system
as he had introduced in Alsatia, Lotaringia and Luxembourg. This means that he nominated “gauleiters”
(leaders of some kind of administrative unit, in the former German and Austrian federal states, known
as “gau”) and national deputies of neighbouring region as heads of the civil administration.
Nazi Germany began the most radical ethnic cleansing and took on the task of making a large part
of Slovenia German. Hitler’s plans included the deportation of the Slovenes and colonization by the
Germans of Kočevje and other regions which had stayed outside the region of German conquest after
the occupation.
The German occupying unit which followed the orders of Adolph Hitler, with harsh brutality,
“Make this land German again”, brought the regions of Gorenjska and Styria temporarily under civil
administration with the centre in Klagenfurt and Gradec. But the desired formal inclusion in the Third
Reich was not achieved. On 14 April 1941 the Germans introduced a civil administration by decree
from Hitler. The administration of Gorenjska was taken over by “gauleiter” Dr Sigfried Uiberreither
in Maribor, while the head of the civil administration in Bled was first the deputy of the Carinthian
“gauleiter”, Franz Kutschera. And then, on 16 December 1941, a new gauleiter for Carinthia, Dr
Friederick Rainer, was appointed, who then transferred the headquarters of the civil administration
from Gorenjska to Klagenfurt. On Hitler’s orders to establish an operational zone in the Adriatic (with
the region Friuli, Gorica, Trieste, Reka, Cvarner and Ljubljana) in September 1943, he also became
high commissioner for this zone.
The Germans brought in their own officials. Higher Slovene officials were dismissed and some
deported. With a decree enacted on 1 May 1942, Uiberreither dissolved all the district administrations
in Styria and established the districts of Maribor, Ptuj, Celje, Trbovlje, Brežice and city district of
Maribor. Ljutomer was combined with Radkersburg (Radgona).
The head of the civil administration for Gorenjska immediately put political commissioners at the
head of the registered offices, who answered only to him and to whom he gave instructions. Juridical,
post, railway, finance, labour and cadastral offices were subject to them. In Gorenjska 5 political
commissioners were nominated (in Kranj, Škofja Loka, Radovljica, Kamnik and Litija). For political
commissioners the Nazis chose people from the Reich, so national “folksdojčerjev” from Slovenia
were not put for these posts. All the commissioners were verified members of the Nazi party (NSDAP)
who followed the advice of the “folksdojčerji” and even appointed them as advisers. The political
commissioners took the administration from the hands of the Yugoslav sreski chiefs immediately on the
arriving in their posts.
Reorganisation soon appeared. On account of shortages in the German bureaucracy and with the
intention that people would be occupied in the same manner as in the region of former Austria, they
established three rural districts (Kreis) in Gorenjska on 1 August: Kranj, Radovljica and Kamnik. These
new districts were renamed in the provincial councillors (Landrat) on 1 February and were led by
the political commissioners. The head of the civilian administration dissolved the Yugoslav municipal
boards on 25 June and authorized the political commissioners to name mayors.
3.2.1. The measures for faster Germanization
In the first two years of occupation, the civil administration had before it Hitler’s order that the
occupied region had to be Germanized and brought into the Reich. All efforts were subordinated to
this aim, which the Nazis emphasized incessantly. Among the most fundamental measures for attaining
this goal were the exiling of politically and racially unsuitable people, the strengthening of German
nationality and the Germanization of racially and politically suitable Slovenes who would be allowed
remain. For this purpose the Styrian Patriotic Union (Steirischer Heimatbund) was established in Styria,
and in Gorenjska the Carinthian People’s Union (Kärtner Volksbund) which all Slovenes suitable for
Germanization had to join. For young people there were special “sections” in these organisations.
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