Occupation and the National Liberation War in Upper Carniola

Authors

  • Ivan Križnar

Keywords:

Second World War, Slovenia, Gorenjska, Upper Carniola, occupation, resistance movement, National Liberation War

Abstract

On the basis of the archive material, the author deals with the German occupation of north-west Slovenia (the Jesenice region) in 1941 and the popular resistance against it. The occupation, accompanied by forced Germanization and the adjustment of the local administration to the Nazi regime, rendered the resistance and armed partisan struggle of the Slovenian people, organized in the Liberation Front, very difficult. The occupier reinforced its police and military ranks with the aim of securing an undisturbed operation of vital industrial plants and infrastructure, such as the Jesenice Ironworks and the railway lines connecting Carinthia with Ljubljana and Gorizia. It was only in 1943, that the organized resistance and the partisan units struck the balance of power with the occupier's administration and military units. From that time until the end of the war, the resistance gradually limited the occupier's control to the towns, industrial areas and communications. This was also due to the fact that the occupier had failed to gain any significant support among the populace.

Published

2001-01-01

Issue

Section

Articles

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