Krndija's Death Camp mass grave cemetery
© Dr. V. Geiger
In October 1944 after
Tito-Partisans came to power in Yugoslavia, there were still
194,759 ethnic Germans (Donauschwaben) living there. Of those
6,760 were killed prior
to having been sent to the starvation camps.
166,970 were being put
into the starvation camps between 1945 and 1948.
48,447 survived the
starvation camps.
12,380 were deported to
Russian slave labor camps. Of those
1,994 died in Russian
slave labor camps.
As
per Mrs. Maerzluft’s recollection in Hrastovac during that
time
-
Jakob Mueller was found dead in a well at the end of town.
- Georg Bohmer was found dead on top his manure pile.
- Johann Shaeffer was kidnapped and found dead at a Partisan camp in a
wooded area.
- The Partisans dragged Hans Kaiser to death behind horse and
wagon.
- The Partisans raped to death Mrs. Bulich (the town's mid-wife).
By
May 1945 those who were not killed yet were evicted from their
hereditary homes and were placed into forced labor and starvation
camps with the hope by the powers of the time to fully eliminate
them. Many prisoners died of starvation, were beaten to death or
shot or died on illnesses like typhus and malaria. The camps were
closed in 1948.
KRNDIJA
was one of the eight most notorious Yugoslav death camps for the
country’s ethnic German minority where they perished en mass.
Hrastovacer
who perished in Krndija
As per recollection of Mrs. Maerzluft
Baecker
, Anna, nee Faust, † in Krndija; daughter-in-law of Johann &
Kristina Baecker;
Baecker, Johann, *1876 March 29; † in 1946 in Krndija;
Baecker, Kristina, nee Ferber, *ca. 1883; † in Krndija; wife of
Johann Baecker;
Faust, Anna, nee Rapp; † in Krndija; mother of Anna Kautmann and Eva
Kehl;
Kah, Anna; † a few days after release from Krndija;
Kautmann, Anna, nee Faust, † in Krnidja, daughter of Anna Faust;
Kehl, Eva, nee Faust and little daughter Anna, † in 1945 in Krndija,
Ochsenhoffer, Kristina, † a few days after release from Krndija;
Velika
Mlinskaer who died in Krndija:
As
per recollection of Mrs. Ferber
Birkenbach,
Anna, nee Eiler, * in Antunovac; † 1945, December;
Ferber,
Elisabeth, nee Hock; † 1885, † 1946, March;
Knies,
Elisabeth, nee Krauss, * 1905 Sep 29; † 1946 Feb 21;
Kraus,
Heinrich, *1877 Jul 7; † 1946 Mar 1, father of Elisabeth Knies;
Lux,
Elisabeth, nee Mueller, *1885 Jan 27; † 1946 Feb 22;
Mueller,
Peter, † 1946, father of Elisabeth Lux;
Rittinger,
Katharina, nee Ferber, *1921 Aug. 2 in Mlinska, † 1946 Mar 23;
Rittinger,
Katharina, nee Hock, 1887 Sept. 14, † 1946 Mar 26;
Rohmann,
Christina, nee Kah, *1900 in Hrastovac; † in Krndija;
Rotenbiller,
Elisabeth, nee Rohmann, *1925 Jan 1; † 1946;
The
silence has to be broken.
The homage is long overdue.
Other
Surrounding Villages:
As
per contribution of Dr. V. Geiger
Frudinger,
Anna, nee Kniess, from Bastaji,
*1895;
Frudinger,
Georg, from Bastaji, *1885, Apr 26;
Grünwald,
Eva, nee Summenauer from Bastaji, *1886 Mar 6;
Hock,
Stjepan from
Sokolovac, *1866; † 1945 Sep 23;
Jelinek,
Wenzel, from Kakinac, *1882 † 1945 Oct 8;
Staubhenzer,
Lisa from
Daruvar, *1867 † 1945 Sep 1;
Gravestone of Johann Baecker 1876-1946
©
Dr. V. Geiger
