Genocide of the Ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia 1944-1948
European English-Language Edition
The book is based on the four-volume documentation
Leidensweg der Deutschen im kommunistischen Jugoslawien [The suffering of
the ethnic Germans in Communist Yugoslavia], compiled 1990-1995, and the
companion pocket book Verbrechen an den Deutschen in Jugoslawien 1944-1948
[Crimes committed against the ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia 1944-1948] which
was published in several editions since May 1989. It is, however, a distinct
edition. Due to space limitation, this English-language book dispenses
with detailed source references; interested readers can obtain these from the
aforementioned documentation series which was compiled in a scientific and
responsible manner. The project committee “Documentation”,
which is responsible for the content of this publication as well as for the
entire documentation series has been authorized by the Donauschwäbische
Kulturstiftung München and the Federal Danube Swabian Associations of Germany
and Austria to document the genocide events.
Finally, the book was created out of respect for the immeasurable suffering of
the victims. The solidarity of remembrance, a dominant feature of a new
humanity, mandates that the suffering of those innocently killed shall not be
forgotten. The book also wants to give those dead victims a voice.
During the last ten years of the 20th century the whole world
followed, with horror and detest, the terrible events in multi-ethnic
Yugoslavia. However, hardly anybody knows that 50
years earlier, in this very nation, a gruesome genocide, preplanned and directed
by its highest leadership, took place. At that time ethnic German citizens of
Yugoslavia were the victims, but the civilized world looked the other way.
After 1944, about 500,000 ethnic German citizens of Yugoslavia disappeared from their native land. Since Tito assumed power, and up to the deposition of Milošević, Yugoslavian historical writings with reference to their former ethnic German citizens contained only lies, concealment of crimes and disavowal of the genocide. During more than 50 years the systematic falsification of history was also practiced by Yugoslavian writers. Only now, after they have overcome dictatorship, local people are gradually beginning to ask that the truth be told. One purpose of the book is to help them in this endeavour. It is a terrible, cruel, truth; not a pleasant, but a necessary reading.
The ethnic Germans whose ancestors had been living since 1686 in the area of the middle Danube region, then part of Hungary which in turn was part of the Habsburg Empire and since 1918 was attached to Yugoslavia, are of the opinion that world conscience cannot remain silent about the crimes and atrocities committed against them. But without knowledge, conscience cannot be raised. In order for world consciousness to learn about their fate and bring it to its awareness, the facts of the genocide and committed atrocities have to be recollected: orgies of murder, confiscation of property, disfranchisement, shipment to concentration camps, planned annihilation by starvation, epidemics, and ethnic re-education of children. – For that purpose, this book attempts to fight against suppression, concealment and forgetfulness.
We get informed that over many generations the Danube Swabians, as the majority of the ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia were called, lived peacefully among other nationalities in their native homelands which were incorporated in the newly created Yugoslavia after World War I. For those readers who are not familiar with this area, and to better understand these events, there is a brief explanation of the development of this new nation up to World War II, the first disintegration, the following civil war, and the attainment of power by the Communists. The ethnic Germans were submitted to these historic developments and when the Communists prevailed, their fate was sealed.
In the title and throughout the book the authors have used the term “genocide” for the crimes committed against the ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia. And they present objective proof that the legal facts of genocide within the definition of the UN Convention of December 9, 1948, are clearly established. Furthermore, by publishing this book they want to draw world attention and the attention of the pertinent nations to the fact that the moral and legal rehabilitation and an adequate restitution for the ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia is still an open file. A settlement of this matter will contribute to the peaceful cohabitation in a new Europe.
NOTE: There is quite a difference between the book already published in 2001 under the same title in the United States and the present special European English-language edition published in September 2003 in Munich, Germany.
When ordering this book, you are kindly requested to insist on the European edition. The book may be ordered at bookstores (ISBN 3 – 926276 – 47 – 9) at the price of EUR10.00 plus shipping costs. To avoid unreasonably high mailing costs when the book is obtained from Germany, it is recommended to order it from one of the following distributors:
In U.S.A. In Canada
Mr. Peter Erhardt Heimat Publishers
100 N. Roy Ave Mr. Frank Schmidt
Northlake, IL 60164 1 Lyme Regis Cres.
USA Toronto, ON
Canada - M1M 1E3
Donauschwäbische Kulturstiftung Donauschwäbische Kulturstiftung
Herrn Hans Sonnleitner Herrn Ernst Jäger
Schädlerweg 2 Max-Hildebrandt-Straße 9
D-81929 München D-76571 Gaggenau
Haus der Heimat Donauschwäbische Kulturstiftung
Mag. Peter Wassertheurer Herrn Egon Hellermann
Steingasse 25 Siezenheimerstraße 197
A-1030 Wien A-5020 Salzburg