#5MEMOSTORY

Zvonko Springer (zzspri@COSY.SBG.AC.AT)
Sat, 1 Nov 1997 20:40:07 +0100 

        Hello to MEMORIES' subscribers!

        I'm back online with a new story of my series 'MEMOSTORIES'. Recently
Wilson Stuart School's teacher Karen Player has asked several questions one
which was about Hitler's Youth organization. In my fifth MEMOSTORY I
explain about

        THE YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS PRIOR & DURING WW2 IN CROATIA

        Yugoslav King Alexander Karadjordjevic I. proclaimed his dictatorship in
1929, which started prosecutions of Croatian nationalists. I remember the
smart beige uniforms of the "Hrvatski Sokol"(= Croatian falcon) which had
been a social and gymnastic society in Croatia. I was too young to become a
member of this society when it was dissolved.
        In October 1934 I went to the 4th grade of Primary School in Osijek. Some
days after King Alexander's assassination in Marseilles the door burst open
and school director entered furiously calling me out in front the class.
Our teacher Knezevic was a Serb and mourned the loss of Serbs' king. I was
accused of whistling in a cinema during the newsreel showing the attempt on
King's life. I was loudly scolded and cried down and sent home to report my
father about my vile behavior. Very frightened and weeping bitterly I
explained to father what happened in the school regarding accusations
against me.
        Bad luck for the director because my father a well-known layer and
president of the Home & School Society. He threatened him bringing my case
to the Court because I wasn't in school being sick on the day when they
went visiting the cinema. Thus, all ended with few public apologies but
I've had my 1st lesson of a prosecution.
Few years later I've joined "Croatian Crusaders" which members met in
Franciscan cloisters. Grey Friars have been known as steadfast Croats and
keepers' of religious Faith through many centuries even during medieval
Turkish Occupation. [They have played a similar role during wartime in
Bosnia & Hercegovina 1992/5.]
        However, father found out that this organization wasn't the right one for
a too young teenager so I've joined St. Mary's Congregation. A Padre Krist
of Society of Jesus was an excellent organizer of teenagers' students. Soon
many students came and joined it achieving a considerable success in public
too. Besides some religious duties we've had skating or volleyball grounds,
could play table tennis and billiards, had an orchestra and amateur theater
group (in which I was an important factotum). I stayed with the
Congregation until my graduation in summer 1943 and parallel to this I've
had some training in a light-athletic group too.
        The regime of Independent State of Croatia ("NDH" - see in #3Memostory)
introduced the new organization "USTASKA OMLADINA" (translated Ustashas'
Youth) similar to "Hitler's Youth". Everybody had to become a member of it
and in particular all students going to school as from fall 1941. In 1939
the Croatia Province (Banovina) got its autonomy within Kingdom of
Yugoslavia. The Peasant Party of Croatia established "HRVATSKI JUNAK" (=
Croatian Brave) as a youth's society. They had a uniform for boys and girls
too topped up with blue cap.
        They meeting ground was at the same sports field like before of "SOKOL"
and where I had trained athletics too. Over our garden rear fence made of
boards some 2-m high one could get to this field or look at happenings
there free of charge. I didn't bother much about "JUNAK" doings at all
although I became a nominal (obligatory) member of it when it was converted
in the "U-Youth" in late 1941.
        My 3 years younger sister couldn't resist such gatherings beyond that
fence and joined in. She got her uniform and blue cap on day proudly
returning home met father at entrance door. Father, a big man of some 120kg
(250lb), seeing his beloved daughter smacked that cap of her head saying:
"NEVER SHOULD your wear this cap here at home!"
        Why had it happened? On the cap there was a big letter "U" with a bomb in
it - the badge of Ustasha's regime. My sister couldn't understand what was
it all about and why - she would have to learn it by growing up during WW2
and later when father had to smack her again in fall 1945. That's another
story!

End of #5Memostory.