Slovenian National Defense Corps

Slovenian National Defense Corps
The sign of the Slovenian National Defense Corps
Active	1943–1945
Country	Italy
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Size	about 3,500 at its height
Commanders
Notable commanders	Anton Kokalj

The Slovenian National Defense Corps (Slovene: Slovensko narodno varnostni zbor; German: Slowenisches Nationales Schutzkorps) was an anti-Slovene Partisans military organization that was active in the territory of the Operation Zone of the Adriatic Littoral in the German-occupied portion of Italy. Although led by Anton Kokalj, it was directly subordinated to German Nazi commander Odilo Globocnik.^[1] The organization was ideologically and organizationally linked to the Slovene Home Guard that was active in Province of Ljubljana.

Background

The organization had problems recruiting from the Slovene minority in Italy (1920–1947) that has had experienced Fascist Italianization already for almost two decades. So most of its officers instead came from Province of Ljubljana. At their peak, the organization had only about 2000 members.^[2]

Activity

They provided Germans with lists of locations of Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation hideouts and suspicious individuals (described as "propagandist", "husband is a Communist").^[2]

At the time Boris Pahor, now an internationally best known Slovene writer from Trieste and concentration camp survivor, has been handed over and sent to the camps in Germany, another 600 persons were also handed over to the Germans by them.

References