1

It`s so terrible. I never thought what we did to the German minority in Slovenia!
When did that vicious cercle start?
In the 19th century with romanticism?

Andreja

2

Andreja, please stop smoking crack. In 19th century it was the german speaking people that held all the positions of power including army and police. If anything, some excrement might have hit the fan in 1945. I suspect most german people left on their own however, fearing the retribution after WWII.

3

I had to take some time to think about this awful site. I`ve also made some inquiries in the meantime. For now I`ve learned this, in short.

KoÄ?evje: the Central Spot of the Slovenian Tragedy

1. The Kocevje area was settled by peaceful German peasants for centuries. They built their homes, churches, schools, inns, had a vivid social and cultural life, developed a specific German dialect. They had close ties with the surrounding Slovenian population as could be seen from their surnames, many of them are Slovenian, on the other hand many of their German surnames still exist in today`s Slovenia. Between the wars they were maltreated by the Yugoslave authoroties. In 1941 they were expelled from their homes by Hitler. After the war they were not allowed to return by Tito. They scattered around the world.
During the war most of their villages were burnt, the remaining were sistematically destroyed after the war. The Kocevje area was the only area in Slovenia where all the churches (about 80 I heared) were destroyed. Today this area is mostly deserted, bushes and trees spread over the ruins. It`s a strange feeling when you hike through the woods and suddenly stumble on a ruin and an apple tree…The land once cultivated by the Germans is let to wilderness and has become till now the way it was before the Germans` arrival, the dwelling for bears.

2. In summer 1945 after WWII unspeakable horrors took place in the dark woods of Kocevski Rog (see Nova Slovenska Zaveza, The New Slovenian Testament).

3. After WWII several concentration camps were located in Kocevje area. Yesterday I spoke to somebody who was detained in Wedrig in 1952 and 1953. Believe me he has something to say of the Titoist tortures and humiliations. His group was taken from a camp near Ljubljana (there were other camps elswhere, in Styria for instance) by train to Kocevje and then by trucks further. Already on the day of arrival they had to go “to work”: to demolish the German graveyard in the village. He also told in some camps were women and girls (high school students) with several nuns among them.

4. After that a large part of the Kocevsko region became THE FORBIDDEN AREA. Nobody was allowed to enter it, except the Party elite. Wild rumors were whispered among people, fantastic horrifying stories about happenings down there…Perhaps the Party itself, its secret police UDBA, supported the rumors to keep people in fear.
What exactly was hidden there has never been disclosed. The Party hid, or stole, or burnt the secrets on time.

Andreja

P.S. I purposly write only about our own misdeeds. We have to look sincerely at our true face. And not lie any more. Repent. The truth will liberate us.

Andreja

4

I am sorry, I made a mistake, all the churches and all the villages were not destroyed. I don`t know exactly in which villages and towns the Germans lived. I have no idea who got their deserted homes.

Andreja

5

One more remark: I spoke on phone so I am not sure if Wedrig is spelt correctly.

Andreja

6

The 100 thousand Germans resident in modern-day Slovenia a century ago might have been an overcount, including upwardly-mobile Slovenes fluent in German along with ethnic Germans. To say nothing of intermediate categories …

7

The 100 thousand Germans resident in modern-day Slovenia a century ago might have been an overcount, including upwardly-mobile Slovenes fluent in German along with ethnic Germans. To say nothing of intermediate categories …

8

www.gottschee.de

Here you will find historical informations about Kocevje (Gottschee) how it really was.

J. Tschinkel am 08 Maerz, 2003

The End of the Gottscheer as an Ethnic Group;
The Documented Facts.
by John Tschinkel

1. Foreword
This Article confronts a topic which has, since the end of W.W.II, remained taboo among the displaced Gottscheer and is, even today, a hidden chapter in our history: the real facts behind the loss of our homeland.

For many years after 1945, the reply to an outsider’s question “why did you leave your country� most likely was “we fled from Communism� or “we were displaced by postwar Yugoslavia under Tito because we were anti-Communist.�

This answer produced admiration and sympathy for many decades of the cold war, when escape from communism was the motivation for thousands to abandon homes and properties for the freedom and security of the democratic West. And those who were expelled because they were anti-Communist wore the expulsion as a badge of honor.

It was convenient for us Gottscheer to include ourselves in this group even though we knew that our explanation was not correct. We chose this explanation because we were embarrassed to tell the truth. We wished to forget our traumatic past and concentrate on a future in countries that welcomed us as refugees.

The truth is we were expelled at the end of the war from Tito’s Yugoslavia because we were identified by the liberating forces as being part of the occupying power of Nazi Germany.

We were identified as such because we allowed ourselves to come under the Nazi spell during the prewar years. In 1941, after the occupation of Yugoslavia and annexation of part of Slovenia, we accepted citizenship of the Third Reich and swore allegiance to Adolf Hitler.

We also agreed to be resettled as part of Hitler’s Ingathering Policy or “Heimführung” (homebringing) of ethnic Germans from foreign lands back into the Reich.

Our “Heimführung” to Reich, however, was to the annexed part of Slovenia from where the rightful owners were Ethnically Cleansed (to make room for the Gottscheer). Only half of the 37,000 expelled Slovene survived the following four years in forced labor camps in the Reich.

At the end of the war we left Yugoslavia. We were not expelled; we were directed to leave by our Gauleiter as citizens of the Reich and part of the occupier. Our leaving the place we occupied since 1941 became known as “Die Flucht”. We had rejected our Yugoslav citizenship by accepting that of the Third Reich and had given up our heritage. We were not allowed to go back to our true homeland where the Gottscheer had lived for over 600 years.

It is therefore not surprising that the humiliated Gottscheer refugees evaded a truthful answer to “why did you leave� with the above convenient and sympathy evoking reply. We dimly knew that we had been manipulated by larger forces but were unaware of the details. However, we had taken sides, had chosen our destiny and lost. Now we wanted to forget.

In the decades since the expulsion it became clear, however, that we were used and manipulated by our own leaders who were in the service of Hitler’s in-gathering policy designed to expand the Third Reich. This policy was implemented approximately as follows:

ï‚· annex part of the occupied land,
ï‚· ethnically cleanse the resident, non-German population,
ï‚· re-settle the land with in-gathered ethnic Germans.

Ethnic cleansing, Nazi style.

First however, the ethnic Germans, in this case the Gottscheer population, had to be brought under the Nazi spell.

The politically unsophisticated Gottscheer of the 1930’s were brought under the Nazi spell by a group of young Gottscheer converted to Hitler’s cause specifically for this purpose.

This group was given the task by the Nazi organizations to force out the established conservative Gottscheer leadership and then persuade the population by any means to give up their 600 year heritage and resettle into occupied lands, cleansed of resident Slovene. The leadership accomplished this task to the satisfaction of their masters. In this they succeeded making us homeless.

The detailed role of the leadership was kept hidden from the general displaced Gottscheer population for many decades. During the last decade, key individuals of this group have even been allowed to enter the Gottscheer organizations that loosely keep the heritage alive.

Evidence exists showing that these individuals have now considerable influence and have even succeeded in having others justify their activities on behalf of the Third Reich and produce renewed discord between the Gottscheer and the Slovene people.

This article shows how the Gottscheer heritage was betrayed by these servants of Hitler’s objectives and how their action is being defended and justified by their friends today.

2. Introduction
In the April 1 1998 issue of the Gottscheer Zeitung, Dr. Victor Michitsch, chairman of the Gottscheer Landsmannschaft in Klagenfurt, offers his explanation of a report of the Slovene historian Zdravko Troha. The report appeared under the title “Gottscheer German� in Dolenjski List, a publication produced in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.

In his article, “Explanation of an Article in Dolenski List�, Dr. Michitsch counters the historical events presented by Troha on the Resettlement (Umsiedlung) of the Gottscheer. Unfortunately, Dr. Michitsch does not quote all relevant assertions of Troha which produce these explanations and in addition, Dr. Michitsch does not support his counter arguments with documented facts. Dr. Michitsch justifies his explanations only with personal observations and the reader can, therefore, not accept the opposing views of the chairman as historical facts.

Since I count myself among this group of readers, I will attempt to place the explanations of Dr. Michitsch into an accurate perspective using documented facts. That these facts actually prove the opposite of the explanations of the chairman is not surprising to those who are familiar with the history of the Gottscheer resettlement and its aftermath.

I first wish to explain what brings me, as one originating from this ethnic group, into opposition to the chairman.

I am one of those Gottscheer who, as a youth, experienced the Resettlement in full measure and who, as a consequence, forever lost his heritage and homeland. Just like other Gottscheer and ethnic Germans in countries that came under the influence of the Third Reich, my family and I became the victims of the Ingathering Policy of Hitler.

The object of this policy was to secure the conquered and annexed countries by settling them with ethnic Germans. That this Ingathering Policy depended in large measure on active and forceful ‘support’ from those to be in-gathered is clear to all who know their history.

This was also the case with the ingathering of the Gottscheer Germans where psychological pressure and coercion were applied to force this ethnic group to opt for resettlement.

This pressure came, however, not directly either from the Italian occupiers of Slovenia nor from the Germans as Dr. Michitsch explains. The pressure came from the leadership of the ethnic group under the 25 year old Gottscheer Wilhelm Lampeter, his militia (Mannschaft), and his propaganda organ the Gottscheer Zeitung, then under his complete control.

Lampeter was appointed to SS Sturmbannführer by Himmler in 1941 as a reward for preparing the population to accept the resettlement. It is this active support of the Ingathering Policy by the Gottscheer leadership which made the resettlement possible and brought us the loss of our homeland and our heritage.

But history cannot be changed. Like other Gottscheer, I became reconciled with the loss of our homeland in 1941 and accepted the humbling of our national pride by members of our own people.

Unfortunately, in the long years since our expulsion from Yugoslavia in 1945 it has been many times “explained� to us in the Gottscheer Zeitung, now again published in Klagenfurt, which “others� were responsible for our loss. These “others� were, until now, the Slovene who “through their assimilation attempts drove us from our homeland.�

We dismissed these explanations since we wanted to forget the trauma of our loss and because the future again offered bright and positive prospects. Today we are made to understand from the April explanations of the chairman that he now places the responsibility of the Umsiedlung firmly on the National Socialism of Hitler.

This is closer to the truth. Of the voluntary activity by the Gottscheer leadership in preparing the population for accepting the resettlement option there is, unfortunately, still nothing to be heard. On the contrary, the pronouncements of the chairman indicate that the effort to deflect any responsibility from these leaders has increased.

The reason for this denial demands no extensive search. Since shortly after the fall of the East-West Wall, the former SS Sturmbannführer again surfaced in the leading circles of the present Gottscheer leadership and on 21 December 1997 was even declared an ‘Ehrenmitglied’ (Honored Member), the reason for this denial becomes apparent.

(Lampeter lives in Leipzig where the former Nazi and SS officer retired from a high ranking university position in the Communist State of East Germany).

The pronouncements of Dr. Michitsch are contrary to facts and therefore are a veiling of our history. A large responsibility for our loss hangs on the then leadership of the Gottscheer and the following documented facts show how Lampeter, his co-workers and his organization betrayed their people and assisted in their extinction.

To support these assertions, I will prove the facts with quotations from Hermann Frensing’s Book “Die Umsiedlung der Gottscheer Deutschen; das Ende einer südostdeutschen Volks-gruppe.� (The Resettlement of the Gottscheer German; the End of a South-east German Ethnic Group). This book, sponsored by the South-east German Historical Commission, is the most encompassing and reliable source of documented facts regarding the loss of our homeland and was published in 1970.

The urge to undertake this task comes, ironically, from an appeal of Dr. Michitsch who in 1988 (prior to the resurfacing of Lampeter) challenged us under the title:

“Der Heimat dienen�, and warns: … “wir müssen achten daß unsere Geschichte nicht verfälscht wird…�. (“To serve our heritage…he warns:.. “we must watch out that our history is not falsified…�) [GZ, 11/89].

I will show that the resettlement was successful primarily due to the Preparation Effort executed by the leadership of the Gottscheer on behalf of Hitler’s Ingathering Policy. Had it not been for this voluntary effort, we would not have lost our homeland. Proof of this statement is in the fact that those who were strong enough to resist the pressure are still living in their homeland and they and their descendants are today in full possession of their properties.

I hope that this claim is accepted by the reader in the spirit of the Michitsch challenge… “we must guard that our history is not falsified…�.

It is also a plea by an average Gottscheer descendant who wishes to be freed of the often mentioned label of Nazi, a label that can be applied, fairly, only to the Nazi appointed leaders of that period. The average Gottscheer must be freed of that label since he was helpless to resist the onslaught of the Preparation Machine so efficiently developed and used by Wilhelm Lampeter and his organization, the willing servants of Hitler’s Ingathering Policy.

The following paragraphs will examine and place into accurate perspective the assertions of Dr. Michitsch, principally through the quotation of documented facts. These assertions were translated from his article in the April 1998 issue of Gottscheer Zeitung.

The Michitsch assertions:

1. “Italy and Germany have, on August 31, 1941 in Rome, decided to resettle the Germans out of the Province of Ljubljana.�

2. “It must be especially stressed that the re-settlers were not told where they were going.�

3. “The Italians as well as the Germans heavily pressured the population to follow the call for resettlement.�

4. “Fact is therefore, the resettled Gottscheer lost their land without any blame.�

5. “Had the settlement destination been announced, no Gottscheer would have resettled since [through their resettlement] they caused the expulsion of the resident Slovene.�

6. “On the expulsion of the Slovene from the destination region, the Gottscheer carry no blame.�

7. “It is not accurate that the Gottscheer could take with them their entire belongings.�

8. “The Gottscheer received no credit which they did not have to repay; also, they received no farming implements. The Slovene ‘property and livestock’ belonged to the DAG [Deutsche Ansiedlungs Gesellschaft] [German Settlement Authority] as well as all other farming implements. The Gottscheer were only day workers on their allocated farms.�

9. “The Gottscheer re-settlers have not, until today, been reimbursed for their movable and immovable property they left behind.�

3. Examination and Rebuttal
The examination and treatment of each of the nine Points follows its quotation from the GZ. Each is based on quotations from Frensing so as to support my rebuttal with documented facts. Each quotation contains at its conclusion the page in Frensing’s book from which the quote was taken; i.e., [F. pg. 152]
The quoting of documented facts does not, however, explain the relevant background and chronological development of events, which brought the Gottscheer to the point of accepting the Resettlement Option. This is fully detailed in Frensing’s book. A brief overview of this background is given in the Appendix to this article. This overview describes how Lampeter rose to become the Leader of the ethnic group in 1938 and how he reached a position from which he was able to coerce the Gottscheer people into accepting the Resettlement Option.

1. “Italy and Germany have on August 31, 1941 in Rome decided to resettle the Germans out of the Province of Ljubljana.� [M.GZ.4/98]
Fact is: The decision was made long before by Hitler. That the Italians had little to say regarding the resettlement decision as part of the Ingathering Order of Adolf Hitler is eminently clear from the following.
The Resettlement Contract was formalized in Rome on 31. August 1941. The leader of the German delegation ambassador Clodius noted on 13. 8. 1941 for Ribbentrop:
“The factual negotiations passed without difficulties. In two cases… the Duce intervened personally to decide that the wishes of the Germans should be accommodated. Regarding the resettlement of the 15,000 Germans from the Gottscheer area, an agreement was reached which in all essential points adhered to the German demands.� [F.Pg.47].
Article 1 of the Resettlement Contract shows the following:
“Those in the province of Ljubljana residing or there born ethnic German may, in total freedom, depart to acquire German citizenship. They lose their Italian citizenship the moment when they leave the Italian territory to resettle permanently.� [F.Pg.152]
[The complete Resettlement Contract is published by Frensing in the Appendix of his book.]
It was not necessary to travel to the Reich to acquire German citizenship. The Gottscheer acquired German citizenship in the processing train “Heinrich�, (after Heinrich Himmler) that arrived in Gottschee for the acceptance of the Resettlement Option.
The Resettlement contract came into force 1 October 1941 and with that the Ingathering Order of the Führer directive of 7 October, 1939. Himmler took on this assignment of Hitler under the title:
“Reichskommissar für die Festigung des Deutschen Volkstums.� [RKFVD]
“And in the spring of 1940, the following program appears formatted; From the areas annexed to the Reich, the as non German classified population was to be moved out and as ‘foreigners’ either brought to the ‘Altreich for work or pushed into the ‘Generalgouvernement’. Ethnic Germans whose cultural autonomy could not be assured, were to be resettled into the annexed provinces of the Reich.� [F.Pg.28]
The above quotation gives proof that the Gottscheer Resettlement Contract of 31 August 1941 embodied only the final formality of the Ingathering Policy of Hitler.
“As with other Ethnic Groups, the final decision on the destiny of the Gottscheer was the Diktat of Hitler’s foreign policy.� [F.Pg.27]
The explanation of Michitsch gives the impression that the Italians and the Germans had a discussion in which it was decided to resettle the Gottscheer. This is inaccurate and misleading. That the Italians had little to say on the emigration decision and the resettlement as a result of the Ingathering Order of Adolf Hitler is eminently clear from the notes of ambassador Clodius quoted above.

2. “It must be especially stressed that the re-settlers were not told where they were going.� [M.GZ.4/98]

Fact is: The re-settlement destination was kept a secret at the insistence of Lampeter and his organization until it was too late for the re-settlers to change their minds.

The order for the Resettlement came directly from Hitler. Lampeter reports on the relevant reception of the Gottscheer on 26. April, 1941:
“… During his visit to the liberated Marburg [Maribor] the representatives of the Gottscheer Ethnic Group were introduced to the Führer. The Führer confirmed to the Gottscheer the information already conveyed to them on 20. April by the Reichsführer SS [Himmler] regarding the future destiny of the Ethnic Group.� [F.Pg. 26]
Simultaneously, the Sawe-Sotla region was:
…�allocated the Gottscheer as their future home�… [F.Pg.48].
Also, ..â€?Hitler also gave the Ethnic Group Leadership the right to self-selection.“ [F.Pg.62]. This “right” allowed the leadership to segregate those it believed unfit or unreliable to be members of the group after resettlement. Segregation was to be based on lack of ethnic purity, mixed marriage, unreliable political views, etc. Those so segregated were to be separated from the others during the actual resettlement and transported directly into the inner Reich and used as forced labor.
The EGL (Ethnic Group Leadership), consisting of Schober, Lampeter and Sturm, was at the same time invited to the SS Headquarters in Berlin to finalize the details of the directive of the Führer.
“On 14 May1941, three members of the Leadership arrived in Berlin. With the responsible adviser, Dr. Stier, they discussed the modalities of the Resettlement, above all, the Preparatory Work, which was to be carried out by the EG Leadership.� [F.S.35,36].
According to “W. Lampeter, journal notation of 9.2.1942�:
“Negotiations were with SS-Brigadeführer Greifelt and individual station chiefs of the Reichskommissariat. Discussed was the Preparatory Work, which was to be carried out by the EG Leadership prior