Something went wrong - 3rd trial.
Zvonko Springer (zzspri@cosy.sbg.ac.at)
Fri, 19 Jan 1996 18:15:33 +0100
For : MEMORIES@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU
To : Project Memories for Children in Project Chatback
c/o wilson@rmplc.co.uk \ Wilson Stuart School \
From : zzspri@cosy.sbg.ac.at \ Zvonko Springer \
Date : Tue, January 16, 1996
Subj.: Reply to Karen Player's Questions for Elders
Ref. : MEMORIES.E19
Lines: 355 - Very long!
Dear Karen,
few days ago, I received your set of 10 question for the Panel of
Elders. Recently, Mr. Peters and the students in Cottage Grove Jr. High
School asked more or less the same kind of questions. I have answered Mr.
Peter's set of questions in my e-mail to MEMORIES@... Ref.: MEMORIES.E18.
Most probably you didn't see this e-mail for any reason. Therefore, I'll
append this VERY LONG e-mail text as the answers there are more detailed.
Firstly, I'll reply to you 10 questions in brief only.
1. YOUR QUESTIONS:
Q1 : How old were you when war broke out?
A1 : See answer < A2 > below!
Q2: How did you first hear the news of the outbreak of war?
A2: Newspaper special adition and by radio.
Q3: What was your most memorable event during the war?
A3: The 'DDAY' - it has been the DAY when we have felt WWII would be over ..
some day in the near future. When it'ld happen - was everyone's thought.
Q4: Did rationing of food effect you personally?
A4: Yes, like everyone else.
Q5: Were you in an air raid at any time ?
A5: Yes, several times but mostly on front (combat) lines.
Q6: Were you or members of your family in the armed forces?
A6: Yes. See answer < A4 > below too.
Q7: How did you cope with being seperated from loved ones?
A7: It's the accompaniment of any war. Please, read answers < A** > below.
Q8: How did you feel when you first left home for the forces or to be
evacuated?
A8: I haven't been evacuated. Read the attached text, please.
Q9: How did you keep in contact with your family?
A9: I have sent my letters by Armypost mail-service. Obviuosly, all letters
have been censored. Several letters never reached the addressees - for
various but unknown reasons.
A10: What of all the things that you couldn't get in the war did you miss
most?
A10: We missed the careless and inocent teenagers' years. We have lost our
youth in Worl War II.
*******
Now, let's go to the answers sent to Cottage Grove Jr. High School
at the end of December 1995. I compiled Mr. Peter's queries and sorted them
out in a certain chronological way. Few of them I didn't answer because they
aren't applicable. You'ld need a map of the ex-Yugoslavia regions looking for
some places I'ld mention too. You'ld probably know that I'm that CROATIAN
SOLDIER on the Elders' Panel of 'Project Memories for Children in Project
Chatback'. My answers might be somehow different compared to the ones from
other authors on this panel. I'm the one who was on 'THE OTHER SIDE' of the
front lines during WWII. Therefore, I'ld like to answer your questions as
good and short as possible. However, in some cases I'ld have to extemporize
giving a minimum of explanations you might need for better understanding.
*******
< Q1 : What is your name?
< A1 : ZVONKO - being the short form of 'Zvonimir' (= it's the name of the
most important Croatian King of early 10th cent.).
< Q2 : How old were you during WWII?
< A2 : I'm born June 12, 1925 in Osijek (Croatia, Kingdom of Yugoslavia) -
1000 years after King Zvonimir's enthronization. Thus, my name is it.
I was 16 years old when the WWII started at the South of Europe.
< Q3 : What country were you living in during the war?
< A3 : It was in the 'Kingdom of Yugoslavia' until April 10, 1941. From then
onwards it was the newly set up 'Nezavisna Drzava Hrvatska' ('NDH' for
Independent State of Croatia) until the end of WWII. Later, it became
known as Marshall Tito's 'Federal National Republic of Yugoslavia'.
I have lived in Osijek until late October 1943 when I had been called
to the Army. At that time, I was 18 and have 'matura' graduated (K12
certificate) at the Real Gymnasium in Osijek. Osijek is an important
town near the confluence of the river Drava in Danube.
< Q4 : What purpose did you serve in WWII? How come you were forced into
the Army? Did you have a choise to serve in the Army?
< A4 : Any young man capable for Army service kad been called into it. One
did not have any other choice - you HAD TO GO! Any desertion to such
a call would be the same as a suicide and could jeopardize own family
too. NDH had a Nazi oriented government and ruled by a dictator (Pog-
lavnik Pavelic). Its Army fought on Germans' Nazi side too. Due to my
mother's Jewish ancestry, our family was under constant scrutiny and
in a permanent mortal danger during WWII times too. Many relatives
and friends of our family had been subdued by the fatal fate through
Nazi henchmen.
< Q5 : How long were you in the Army?
< A5 : Late October 1943, we left our homes in Osijek travelling in general
cargo-waggons to Zagreb, capital of NDH. Several days later, the camp
had been surrounded by German Army Police on a late evening. We had
not have any chance for escape. At lasy, late night of the 4th day
we could leave the railway waggons at Stockerau, some 25 km west of
Vienna. By a mere chance, twenty of some 1200 young men had been sepa-
rated and taken to the 'Jaeger Kaserne' (= Hunter's Camp) at East end
of Stockerau. In this small group were 12 colleagues from Osijek!
Once there, we started the training for artillery officers (howitzer)
which lasted until late Oct 1944. For a while we stayed in Zagreb but
shortly before Christmas 1944 I got my promotion to a 'lieutenant
junior'. With it was an order to join a combat artillery unit - horse
drawn battery of howitzers with 100 mm bore. The unit has been sta-
tioned in Osijek and guns were aimed northwards and over river Drava.
The river was the fire front line all the time until Apr 13, 1944 when
the withdrawal westwards started by the Croatian Army.
My peaceful and cosy hometown turned into a gloomy and anxious one as
well as in a deadly trap. The romance of our youth was gone for ever.
The ideals and hopes of our generations had been burried deep in our
memories most of which forgotten by the survivors in the aftermath of
WWII ending.
< Q6 : When and how did you first hear about the possibility of a war
starting in Europe? How did you find out that the war was going on?
< A6 : We moved to a house my parents bought in summer 1936. My father's
first radio was a huge box made by 'Telefunken' about the same year.
Father, a well known advocate (attorney) in Osijek, had been caution-
ing about a looming European War since 1936, so far I can remember.
[Hitler came to power in 1933 and revoked the Treaty of Versaille of
May 7, 1919 soon after. Mussolini attacked Ethiopia in 1935. In 1937
Hitler and Mussolini joined into the 'AXIS PACT'. The 'civil war' in
Spain started in July 1936 and ended in February 1939].
< Q7 : How did you get most of your information on the war? What was the
view of war you were given by the media?
< A7 : My father who was well informed about political and economical deve-
lopments in Europe. Also, we read local newspapers and heard to radio
news. (Note: One cannot compare present news media's proficiency and
potency with the ones of some 55 years ago!) Please consider, that
the NEWS MEDIA were NOT FREE at all. The relevant Information Mini-
stries were strictly acting according the regime's policy and needs
only. In a tyrannical and oppressive regime there isn't ANY PLACE for
FREE NEWS or FREE SPEECH.
< Q8 : Why do you think the WWII started? Could you believe or understand
why the war was happening? Do you think it was worth fighting in WWII?
What kind of prejudice you saw around you? What's your interpretation
of prejudice in your country during the war? Why did it have such an
effect and why this was happening?
< A8 : Judgeing from my present knowledge and experience, the 'seeds' for
WWII had been sawed in the Treaty of Versaille (May 7, 1919). The
victorious Powers of WWI set border lines for several new countries
in Europe by the wrong ways. They were wrong from political and geo-
graphical and national points of view. Also, the Council of Nations
(in Geneva) was inapt or incapable or weak to master the political
circumstances occurring during 1920s and 1930s too.
One doesn't believe or even can understand why any warfare starts.
It mostly does happen like a 'bolting out of blue sky' for anybody
unconcerned. Very few experienced, educated and observant people do
have certain foreboding but nobody listens to them. Also, these very
few hardly can change the course of history - the later results from
any human mass reaction following some schismatic or paranoic
leader(s).
Why does a war start? Read history books and you'ld learn more how
and why wars do start. IMHO, the WWII started because of there wasn't
any farsightness to stop or change conditions which led to FASCISM,
NAZISM, COMMUNISM and any other kind of RADICALism. It's most unfor-
tunate that the human race had few wise and prophetic geniuses. The
MASSES didn't recognize them as such at their times or didn't follow
them at all.
It's not worth a dime following any leader recommending a war all.
Thus, it was not WORTH fighting in WWII for anybody. However, there
are ideals, duties and times when everybody has to bring sacrifices
on humanitarian grounds standing up for those everlasting civilisation
ideals. Unfortunately, by far too often we stand up for these ideals
very late! In principle, the human masses are indolent and unteach-
able, easily mislead and too often missused by those self-proclaimed
prophets.
The prejudice was part of fascist's system but the one of communists
later was not better either. The question about prejudices should be
better asked of the politicians and economists, leaders and preachers
who guide their HERDS to the unknown DESTINY and into new historical
catastrophes. Did any sheep asked the shepherd where he leads them
at any time?
However, there are always the same events for any kind of prejudice
caused say by: resentment and envy, weakness and aversion, goodwill
and hatred. These causes are as old as the human race itself and would
apply to any country as well as during the WWII too.
< Q9 : What kind of impression of Hitler and Mussolini you were given from
the media? What were your feelings towards the war - approving or
disapproving?
< A9 : What kind of opinion should one have about Hitler or Mussolini? In
my family and many of our friends knew well that both were FASCISTS
and DICTATORS. Europeans learned quite a lot from their history -
but not enough to prevent these two fanatics to get to such POWERS.
However, there were MANY who sympathized and lobbyed for Hitler and
Mussolini at those times too. Consider some states' policies like of
England (Treaty of Munich - Sep 30, 1938) or USA (large business and
industry interests, late entry into WWII only after Japan's attack on
Pearl Harbour) or Russia (Hitler/Molotov 'Bargain of Poland').
What ever kind of feelings one has (don't forget I was a teenager in
those critical times prior and during WWII) there isn't much you can
do or achieve approving or disapproving any course of events. One MUST
adjust and learn quickly how to survive under duress and repression -
if one doesn't make it then there wouldn't be much time left for any
feelings. One won't survive in the current of events. These are the
bitter facts and the truth about any crisis. The war
is one of such human crisis too.
< Q10: List some of the subjects most talked about during the war. Why were
they important? Was there any type of things you remember?
< A10: Let me list some of the subjects one talked about in secret or with
trustful persons only. Topics could be summarized like: despostism
and dictate; political oppression and persecution; lack or shortage
of merchandises and commodities; hunger and different anxieties;
terror and anxiety, mutilation and fear of death.
< Q11: Do you have any good memories from the WWII? What was it like where
you lived in WWII? Were any shortages during WWII? Did the war played
a big part in your life?
< A11: Do I have any GOOD memories from the WWII - it's a question I could
not answer at ease at all. The war did play a BIG part in my life.
I cannot give you any appropriate answer about because of my personal
rather complex life history. One would need too many explanations to
understand the background to it. Also, it would a VERY long answer,
a very personal one though. I had learned MORTAL FEARS, experienced
the INSTINCTS of survival, felt SCYTHE's HUSH over me - survived the
intended MASSACRE of CROATIANS in 1945. (Was it not an 'ethnical
cleansing' then in 1945 already?)
How was it like living through WWII times - many of you asked the
same question. There was a lot of sombreness mixed with moments of
repose, subdued joys and hopping for that all those unpleasant and
restrictive behaviours for teenagers would pass soon. The hopes and
more unidentified expectations kept us humouring and having some fun
at times.
Yes, there were shortages of different kind getting worse as the war
had protracted. Food staff was distributed on ration-coupons incl.
soap, candles, petrol, building materials like nails .. and God knows
what else. It was easier living in smaller towns and in vicinity of
villages with peasants' communities. Everyone had to find its own way
to survival or one had to abandon all hopes perishing sooner or later
anyway. No, there isn't any ROMANTIC STORY to be told about a warlike
crisis, believe me.
< Q12: Did you have any relatives or friends in other countries at the time
of the war? What relation were they to you? How did they describe
their situation? What happened to them? Did your family struggle to
survive during WWII?
< A12: There were relatives and close friends of our family most of whom
lived in Croatia (Yugoslavia). There were few in Austria too. All of
them - who were either detained for political reasons or abducted for
their racial origin (Jewish ancestry) to concentration camps - DIED
sooner or later during WWII. Mother's family had been eradicated by
1943 already except for her three sisters all whom married to husbands
of proven Aryan origin. [Each of my uncles, incl. my father, had to
support his Aryan origin by officially acceptable family tree.] Well,
the rest of my family did struggle to survive through the too long
lasting WWII.
< Q13: Describe what you consider a climax in the war. Why was this a climax?
< A13: The defeat of Rommel's Africa Corps and the Battle of Stalingrad. And,
of course, when the 'D-DAY' became the reality! I was certain then,
that the WWII would end within a reasonable time when the news came
that the Allied Forces' landed in Italy (Sicily) and in Normady few
months later. Unfotunately, the WWII ended about a year later only -
on May 8th 1945.
< Q14: Did WWII have any impact on your life - not only emotinally - but how
about any other ways?
< A14: As for myself, the WWII ended only 8 days later - which was May 15,
1945. On that day early morning, I lead the Battery soldiers into
surrender to Tito's Armies - the Yugoslave Army - somewhere between
Dravograd and Slovenjgradec (Western Slovenia). On May 17, 1945 some
40.000 P.o.W. (Prisoners of War) had started a marche eastwards from
a temporary camp at Slovenjgradec. It turned into a DEATH MARCH on
route no.2 (known also as CROATIANS' DEATH TRAIL). The topic 'Death
March' has been the TABOO during Tito's regime and communists' dicta-
torship in ex-Yugoslavia. Only recently (now, some 50 years later)
one can talk about 'Bleiburg Massacre of Croatians and their Death
Marchs'in public.
There are very few survivors left now-a-days who could report about
their experiences. One of Tito's generals said: "A Croat is good
enough as a dead one only" paraphrasing the say: "A good witness is
a dead one only". Most of the survivors don't care talking anymore
about those tragic days - they age is over 70 now. Their unspoken
memories are burried deep by tenderness of subconscious spreading a
blanket of oblivion over all horrors they had passed through. I have
met only one other officer who walked on all the same route with me.
He died some years ago but we never spoke about these gruelsome days
when we met by chance.
After an accident in 1983 I made a vow as to have write down all my
nightmares. My manuscript had been written in 1984/5 (!) in secret.
It's kept as the factual document for an analysis in some Faculties
for History Science. For myself, the route no.2 stretched over some
500 km of bare-footed walking in 16 days only. We didn't get any food
or any other humanitarian help - despite the Geneva Convention to be
applied for the Prisoners of War.
Sorry, this was really sarcastic - do not trust those humanitarian
slogans as they always get too late to those affected or to be need
of them. My apology about this rather long discourse but I believe
it was worth the effort - both sides - isn't? I wrote these lines in
memory of all who perished and suffered in and because of WWII.
You probably wonder whether one would see or meet or recognize a war
hero during such times of duress and dangers. IMHO let me say that
one meets a real friend or gets help from somebody unknown lasting
for a short time or sometimes even for a brief instant only. One
couldn't be even conscious of it at the time - probably only much
later - when the friend or helper is gone for good.
< Q15: Which general attitudes changed because of the war? What were you
doing when the WWII ended? How come you live in Austria now?
< A15: The existing and relatively free market system before WWII in Yugo-
slavia had been abolished by Tito's new regime. It introduced the so
called 'socialistic' state controlled marketing. This System prohi-
bited any private enterprise. State ruled and owned everything:
agriculture, industry, all lands and resources, houses and flats.
The main social objective is the form of sound family in a sane
society. This principle had to make way for a 'better' form favoured
by the System as the form a 'General Society'. The people moved from
their native lands (more than 70% lived outside of cities before WWII)
flocking into towns trying to find some work there. This resulted in
the greatest housing crisis and the worse dissatisfaction for many
after the WWII.
Soon after my release from a P.o.W. camp in August 1945 I could return
home. I have felt myself broken physically and my mind has been in a
turmoil. Late 1945, I have started my study at the Faculty of Civil
Engineering in Zagreb. Early 1952 I had been promoted to a 'Dipl.-Ing'
(about as a B.Sc.C.E.). However, I have worked keeping myself aflow
few years already in part-time jobs. I started my first full-time job
in fall 1951 after we married in summer 1951. I did everything in the
wrong order as my father had taught me. We didn't have any place to
stay together and it was only in 1959 when we got our first flat. Our
only daughter was born in spring 1954 and there are so many anecdotes
from the first 10 years of our marriage. Let's leave something for
the next time.
******
That's the end of a rather long answering. Sorry, I couldn't do it
in a shorter due to your many question. I believe you'ld have something to
ponder upon and show your teacher some different answers to your queries.
Please Mrs. Player, could you acknowledge the receipt of this e-mail asap.
Many regards from your now old CROATIAN SOLDIER alias
Zvonko of the Oak Hill
End of MEMORIES.E19 .