Towards Understanding the Organization and Operation of the Black Hand: The Case of Franc Frakelj

Abstract

The Black Hand was one of the most controversial and mysterious organizations in Slovenia during World War II. At the beginning, the author presents a few general fi ndings about the Black Hand on the basis of archival sources and bibliography. She proceeds to present the case of Franc Frakelj and his group, who are also associated with the Black Hand by specific sources. Between November 1943 and May 1944 this group is thought to have committed a large number of cruel murders in the eastern part of the Ljubljana Marshes. The author aims to present these events as the regular operation of the Home Guard in the Ljubljana Marshes and thus to demonstrate a new outlook on the operation of the Black Hand.