The Neuland, a Danube Swabian newspaper which Leopold Rohrbacher began in Salzburg, Austria in 1948. It lasted until 1979, and therefore represents the primary newspaper of the Donauschwaben.

The book is based on a conference Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth-Century Europe held on the campus of Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh, Nov. 16-18, 2000, and organized and by Professors Steven Béla Várdy, Duquesne University and T. Hunt Tooley, Austin College. Print publication by editors Várdy, Tooley and associate editor, Agnes Huszár Várdy; foreword, Otto von Habsburg.

This volume is the result of the conference on Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth Century Europe held at Duquesne University in November 2000. The conference brought together sixty scholars, primarily historians but also specialists in other fields, as well as survivors of ethnic cleansing from seven different countries who presented forty-eight papers. The volume encompasses a rich array of case studies, behaviors, origins and patterns, addressing such topics as "redrawing the ethnic map" in North America from 1536 to 1946, the twentieth century's first genocide (Armenia 1915-16), ethnic cleansing in World War II and its aftermath, or recent developments in Kosovo.

Völkermord der Tito-Partisanen 1944-1948 
"Genocide Carried out by the Tito Partisans 1944-1948"

Österreichische Historiker-Arbeitsgemeinschaft Für Kärnten und Steiermark (Austrian Historian Working Group for Kärnten & Steiermark)

Translated by Henry Fischer

Chapter 1: General Introduction The Mass Liquidations Deportations to Russia Internment:
The Forced Labor Camps Concentration Camps   The Closing of the Camps

Population Figures of the Donauschwaben

Current Ethnic German Settlements

Milchhalle at Gross-Kikinda/Kikinda - Already by the middle of October 1944, immediately after the take-over by the Russians and partisans, it became a torture and murder camp for over 1,000 defenseless civilians. Subsequently, it was the central camp for the northern part of the Banat until the end of 1946.

Alte Mühle at Gross-Betschkerek/Zrenjanin - It was probably the most gruesome execution camp for the Germans during the bloody autumn 1944 and then used as a central camp until May 1947.

Stoikowitch-Telep at Werschetz/Vrsac - The town Werschetz, in the South-Banat was also notorious for the murders committed there. After the killing-orgies of the "bloody autumn 1944" came to an end, it served as a central camp.

Stockhaus at Weisskirchen/Bela Crkva - This building too, was used for the torture and executions of hundreds of victims before it was transformed into a Southeast central camp of the Banat.

Schuschara/Susara - On December 24, 1944, the whole village was declared a central camp for the German civilians of the surrounding area. For a time, children, old and ill civilians were housed there as well. It existed until spring 1947.

Karlsdorf/Banatski Karlovac - Established April 27, 1945; it also contained children and old people until October 1945, when they were transferred to the liquidation camp Rudolfsgnad. At Karlsdorf 1,000 occupants, including 400 documented by name, died of starvation.

Fischplatz at Pantschowa/Pancevo - This camp was established November 1944 and dissolved February 22, 1948. The conditions in the overcrowded barracks were horrible and led to diseases and epidemics. The commander, a cruel female named Radojka, indulged in torturing the defenseless victims.

Banat-Brestowatz/Banatski Brestovac November 1944 - early 1948. This camp contained, among many others, several thousand inhabitants of the city of Pantschowa, unable to work, until October 1945, when they were shipped to the liquidation camp Rudolfsgnad.

Seidenfabrik at Kubin/Kovin - Towards the end of 1944, after termination of the murderous "Aktion Intelligenzija," this silk spinning mill was made into the central camp for the surrounding communities. It contained about 600 detainees.

Mramorak - By the end of April 1945, all those inhabitants of Mramorak not yet interned, were put into several houses, together with children, ill and old people from the surrounding area. Beginning November 1945, they were all shipped to the liquidation camp Rudolfsgnad.

Children's camp in the Banat:

Banatsko tovo Selo (Banater Neudorf)

Debeljaca (Debeljatscha)

Jabuka (Apfeldorf)

Kacarevo, vorh.Kraljevicevo (Franzfeld)

Vlajkovac (Wlajkowatz)

Sick Patient Camps in Banat:

Banatski Karlovac (Karlsdorf)

Ravni Topolovac, vorh.Banatski Topoloyac (Kathreinfeld; Katarina)

Zitiste, vorh.Begejski Sveti Djuradj (St.Georgen)

Neusatz/Novi Sad
Already in November 1944, the notorious central camp Neusatz was the first of its kind established on the swampy banks of the Danube River in the South-Batschka.

Palanka/Backa Palanka
The central camp Palanka was set up in November 1944, containing 14-15 year old boys and 60-70 year old, able-bodied men from its surrounding area. Eventually it grew to an average of 600 internees.

Sombor
The town of Sombor, as already mentioned in a previous chapter, turned out to be the "turn-table" for the persecution, internment and murder of the Germans in the West-Batschka. It was established in November 1944 and also had jurisdiction of the central camps Hodschag, Apatin and Filipowa.

Apatin
This town was originally inhabited by 12,000 Germans.  During the winter the local camp, under the overall jurisdiction of Sombor, suffered from starvation. The camp commander, Mito Volic was particularly cruel. His deputy, Milivoj Beljanski from Sombor took girls from the camp into his apartment and raped them. Later he was demoted and dismissed. His successor tied women to trees, whipped them until they became unconscious and threw them naked into the cellar. His specialty was to electrify naked women's breasts and genitals.

Hodschag/Odzaci
This camp too, fulfilled its purpose, particularly in the investigation and persecution of members of the "Kulturbund" (cultural society). Those arrested were never seen again.

Filipowa/Backi Gracac
Because the liquidation camps Gakowa and Kruschiwl were overflowing by mid-1945, this camp was opened between mid-June to mid-October 1945 for able-bodied, as well as those unable to work, of the Hodschag area. In this short time about 250 perished due to starvation and epidemic diseases. By about October 1945, about 2,000 had died of starvation at Gakowa and since there were now openings those unable to work at Filipowa were shipped to Gakowa.

Seidenfabrik at Werbass/Vrbas
Towards the end of 1945 this former silk factory was established as a central camp for the Germans of the Middle-Batschka. It also had jurisdiction over the relatively large work camps at Tschervenka, Kula and Weprowatz. The conditions there were worse than in a prison. Since there was no more work to be done in the fields as of December 1946, the camp commander made the inmates stand in formation from 5 to 11 o'clock during the bitter cold winter mornings. Then he let them sit till evening in the court yard. The camp was most likely dissolved the beginning of 1948.

Sekitsch/Lovcenac
This used to be an entirely German community at the eastern edge of the German settlements and in January 1945 was transformed into a central camp for about 6,000 Germans. In October 1945 it was reduced to 1,500 inmates and was functioning as a work camp. Most of the rest were taken to the liquidation camps of Gakowa and Kruschiwl at about the time their inmates were dying in great numbers. Before they were shipped they were searched once more and deprived of their last miserable belongings. They even had to exchange any still somewhat useful clothing they wore for torn rags.

Stärkefabrik at Subotica
This former starch factory was most likely converted into a central forced labor camp by the middle of November 1944. The 4,000 inmates were mostly Germans who earlier had fled to Hungary but tried to return to their homes after cessation of the war. Upon crossing the border from Hungary they were immediately robbed of all their belongings. According to reports, devastating typhus epidemics raged throughout the camp. It was most likely dissolved in January 1948.

Kalvaria at Semlin/Zemun
After the murderous stations in the villages India and Ruma were transformed into work camps, the central camp established on the Kalvarienberg (Kalvarien mountain) was apparently the only one of this kind. According to Hans Volk, it was a barracks area 100m x 200m, fenced in by high barbed wire. The inmates were Germans from the town of Semlin and the few Germans that did not flee from the eastern part of Syrmia. They had to sleep on bare wooden cots and forced to perform hard labor from 3 a.m. till late at night. They were repeatedly and mercilessly beaten. The food was hardly any better than in the death camps. In the morning watery soup with some ground corn (maize), at noon soup with a few rotten potatoes or wormy peas and evenings whatever was left over from noon, with a slice of corn bread, without fat or salt - the same fare as in other camps. The central camp Semlin was evacuated in August/September 1945. As Hans Volk recalled, there were only about 150 men and 60 women that survived. These were shipped to the work camp in the nearby Beschania and in November 1945 after this one was also shut down, transferred to the death camp Mitrowitz.

Bibliography

GENOCIDE of the Ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia 1944-1948. Published by the Danube Swabian Association of the USA
2001. ISBN 0-9710341-0-9

Volume III of the documentation Leidensweg der Deutschen im kommunistischen Jugoslawien, 1995; respectively in the Weissbuch der Deutschen aus Jugoslawien. (The Tragedy of the Ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia).

This book uses hundreds of first person accounts, as well as documentary evidence, to tell the story of the German people from the last days of World War II to the Berlin airlift. It is broader than the story of the Donauschwaben, telling of the Germans throughout eastern Europe as well as those in Germany and Austria. It documents the arrival of the Allied armies, the atrocities against German people by the soldiers and the other ethnic groups, the deportations, and the struggles in devastated post-war Germany.

Copyright 2007. Published by Basic Books (Perseus Books Group) 387 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10016. First published in Great Britain 2007 by John Murray (Publishers), a division of Hodder Headline.
ISBN-13: 978-0-465-00337-2
ISBN-10: 0-465-00337-0
MacDonogh has written several books on European history and other subjects as well as columns in several British newspapers.

Submitted & Recommended by Glenn Schwartz