Misplaced Pages

Rab concentration camp: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 18:34, 8 April 2008 editAlasdairGreen27 (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers4,457 edits Undid revision 204262235 by Gennarous (talk) Please do not remove sourced material from articles. Thank you.← Previous edit Revision as of 02:54, 9 April 2008 edit undoGennarous (talk | contribs)6,735 edits →History of the prisonNext edit →
(5 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
The '''Rab ]''' was one of 24 Italian concentration camps <ref>http://www.webarticles.com/Society/People/Concentration-camp</ref> during ]. It opened in July ] near the village of Kampor, on the ] island of ]. The camp was disbanded after the Italian capitulation in September ]. The '''Rab "]"''' was one of 24 Italian ran ]s in which captured ] from opposition Yugoslav forces were placed in during ]. It opened in July ] near the village of Kampor, on the ] island of ]. The camp was disbanded after the Italian government made an armistice with the Allies in September ].


==Prisoners==
⚫ It held about 10,000 prisoners housed in tents <ref>A photo of the camp: http://ww2panorama.org/images/96.jpg</ref>, with ] and ] in one area and ] in another. About 1,200 prisoners died from ] and inhospitable winter and summer weather conditions. Another 800 prisoners from Rab died later when they were relocated to other Italian concentration camps such as ] and ]. Many prisoners who survived until September 1943 and were still strong enough to do so joined the ] and formed the ] <ref>http://emperors-clothes.com/croatia/rab.jpg</ref> which fought the ] ] occupying forces.
The main ] held here, were the so called ], a Communist ] fighting against the Italian Fascists in the country who were interned after been captured. The people of this organisation went on to commit numerous brutal massacres and war crimes including ] and ] once given free reign in the following years, such as the ]<ref></ref> where 50,000 were killed, the ]<ref name="yugoslavwarcrime"></ref> against ethnic Italians (innocent civilians) which lead to the ] commonly cited as a ] and ].<ref name="yugoslavwarcrime"></ref> The so called Yugoslav Partisans also butchered thousands of Hungarians at the ].<ref></ref>


==History of the prison==
In ], a memorial was built to ]'s plans <ref></ref> <ref></ref> - ironically by prisoners of a ] camp from the nearby island of ].
It is claimed that the camp held around 10,000 prisoners housed in tents <ref>A photo of the camp: http://ww2panorama.org/images/96.jpg</ref> though there is no information to coroborate this, with ] and ] allegedly in one area and ] allegedly in another. However this was not an ], like some of the Nazi camps, this was merely a ] camp to house enemey forces who had attacked Italians on the battlefield and been captured.


⚫ By this tine Italy as a whole was having problems and had shortages of food in areas it controlled, home and abroad, especially in regards to bread shortages; it is alleged that 1,200 of the criminals held in the camp died from ] as well as the weather conditions, though there is no information to corroborate the figure. Another 800 prisoners from Rab allegedly died later when they were relocated to other Italian prisoner of war camps such as ] and ]. Many prisoners who survived until September 1943 and were still strong enough to do so re-joined the ] and formed the ], going on to commit attrocities mentioned in the above section.<ref>http://emperors-clothes.com/croatia/rab.jpg</ref>
It has been said that "By the murderous standards of the second world war, Rab was only a footnote of evil" <ref></ref> and due to Italian "amnesia" <ref></ref> and their role on the Allied side in the last years of the ], not much is known about this camp outside the borders of the former ]. In ] the ] ] told Italian newspaper ] that the fascist government of ] "never killed anyone" and "Mussolini used to send people on vacation in internal exile" <ref></ref>.


==Since the war==
⚫ Survivors of the camp include ], who went on to be ]'s ambassador at the ] and was ] (1978-80), and Elvira Kohn, who described her experiences at the camp in some detail <ref></ref>.
In ], a memorial was built to ]'s plans <ref></ref> <ref></ref> - ironically by prisoners of a ] camp from the nearby island of ]. When historians compare the prisoner of war camp to others during the war, they have said that "By the murderous standards of the second world war, Rab was only a footnote of evil" <ref></ref> Extremist Balklan nationalists sometimes use it to form an ] propaganda, however this is in the extreme minority as much bigger events have happened in the ] since that time, such as the insertion and then fall-out of authoritarian ]s.
⚫ One of the prisoners in the camp was ], who went on to be ]'s ambassador at the ] and was ] (1978-80), and Elvira Kohn, who described her experiences at the prison in some detail.<ref></ref>.


==References== ==References==

Revision as of 02:54, 9 April 2008

The Rab "Concentration Camp" was one of 24 Italian ran prisons in which captured prisoners of war from opposition Yugoslav forces were placed in during World War II. It opened in July 1942 near the village of Kampor, on the Adriatic island of Rab. The camp was disbanded after the Italian government made an armistice with the Allies in September 1943.

Prisoners

The main prisoners of war held here, were the so called Yugoslav Partisans, a Communist terrorist organisation fighting against the Italian Fascists in the country who were interned after been captured. The people of this organisation went on to commit numerous brutal massacres and war crimes including mass murder and rape once given free reign in the following years, such as the Bleiburg massacre where 50,000 were killed, the Foibe massacres against ethnic Italians (innocent civilians) which lead to the Istrian exodus commonly cited as a holocaust and ethnic cleansing. The so called Yugoslav Partisans also butchered thousands of Hungarians at the 1944-1945 Killings in Bačka.

History of the prison

It is claimed that the camp held around 10,000 prisoners housed in tents though there is no information to coroborate this, with Slovenians and Croats allegedly in one area and Jews allegedly in another. However this was not an extermination camp, like some of the Nazi camps, this was merely a prisoner of war camp to house enemey forces who had attacked Italians on the battlefield and been captured.

By this tine Italy as a whole was having problems and had shortages of food in areas it controlled, home and abroad, especially in regards to bread shortages; it is alleged that 1,200 of the criminals held in the camp died from starvation as well as the weather conditions, though there is no information to corroborate the figure. Another 800 prisoners from Rab allegedly died later when they were relocated to other Italian prisoner of war camps such as Gonars and Padova. Many prisoners who survived until September 1943 and were still strong enough to do so re-joined the Yugoslav Partisans and formed the Rab battalion, going on to commit attrocities mentioned in the above section.

Since the war

In 1953, a memorial was built to Edvard Ravnikar's plans - ironically by prisoners of a communist camp from the nearby island of Goli Otok. When historians compare the prisoner of war camp to others during the war, they have said that "By the murderous standards of the second world war, Rab was only a footnote of evil" Extremist Balklan nationalists sometimes use it to form an anti-Italian propaganda, however this is in the extreme minority as much bigger events have happened in the Balklans since that time, such as the insertion and then fall-out of authoritarian Communist governments.

One of the prisoners in the camp was Anton Vratuša, who went on to be Yugoslavia's ambassador at the United Nations and was Prime Minister of Slovenia (1978-80), and Elvira Kohn, who described her experiences at the prison in some detail..

References

  1. Serendipity.li: The Bleiburg Massacre
  2. ^ The Annotico Report: "Foibe" Massacres raised in Answer to Croatian President Mesic's Claims
  3. German Minorities in Europe: Ethnic Identity and Cultural Belonging
  4. A photo of the camp: http://ww2panorama.org/images/96.jpg
  5. http://emperors-clothes.com/croatia/rab.jpg
  6. TEKST 02
  7. The Croatian Island of Rab
  8. Survivors of war camp lament Italy's amnesia - International Herald Tribune
  9. Centropa

Further reading

External links

Categories: