Podržavajući anketu riječkog »Novog lista« iz 1975. god., ja bih pod svaku cijenu htio postaviti pitanja na koja čekam već desetljećima da odgovori netko koji časnim riječima želi pomoći istini: na te odgovore čekaju mnoge druge nejasnoće. Tko je dao nalog i tko je strijeljao jugoslavenskog oficira Benića »u bijegu« i gdje je pokopan? Kako se s obzirom na formiranje koncentracionog logora u Slani ponašao ustaški politički logor u Pagu? Tko je odlučivao sa upućivanjem ispomoći ustašama u Slani, bilo u ljudstvu, bilo u organizaciji, materijalu ili sredstvima za transport? Tko je davao nalog solanskom brodu sa paških Solana kad je polazio za SLANU i Karlobag bilo da vozi lica

Među ostalim, čudno je na pr. kad Nada Feuereisen kazuje: »Iz Metajne krenuli smo za Slanu vozeći se trabakulima. Potom smo krenuli jedrenjakom i nakon pola sata stigli smo u jednu uvalu…« (Slana, uvala Suha). Za onoga koji poznaje ovu razdaljinu, biva jasno da se najvjerojatnije radi o umoru u pamćenju, jer ako se neko ukrca da ga se iz Metajne odvede do Slane, ne znam zašto bi bilo potrebno mijenjati vozilo, to nije dugačka relacija. Tim je interesantnije što kazuje da se krenulo »trabakulima«, znači s više brodova. Ali ako se promijenilo vozilo (iz trabakula u jedrenjak, mada je i trabakul jedrenjak) onda bi to značilo da je negdje,

Upoređujući ustaška priznanja, izjave svjedoka i drugo i razmatrajući odvođenje i dovođenje sa Velebita i obratno, ispada reljefno jasno sa su ustaše naprosto i sami ponekada bili dovoljno smeteni pitanjem: gdje smještavati, gdje ubijati, na Pagu ili na Velebitu? Kako, naime, drukčije shvatiti ovo njihovo seljakanje lokacije ubistva? Sjetimo se da oni internirane ljude ovamo dovode sa Velebita, iz Gospića i Jadovna, gdje se redovno ubija, a zatim opet neke grupe (koliko njih?) odvode obratno sa Paga na Velebit, gdje ih kraj mora, zatim na Oštarijama, pa na putu za Jadovno, zatim u samom Jadovnu ili tko već zna gdje – sve ubijaju!? Počesto se tu javlja pitanje, zašto sav

Ustaše su osnovali svoj politički logor – ustaški stan – imenovali logornika (po selima tabore na čelu s tabornikom), okružili ga s pobočnicima, pozvali narod na mitinge i javno ga zaklinjali Paveliću. Talijanska komanda neće baš doslovno tako misliti nego će jačati svoje i vojne i političke i policijske mogućnosti da bi na otoku (također i sve dublje u geografski prostor NDH, u tim danima sve do Karlovca) osigurali što više uticaja i prevladali. U tu svrhu služit će se svime što im stoji na raspolaganju. Pomagat će jedne protiv drugih, hrvatske i srpske ekstremiste podjednako, katolike i pravoslavce, razarat će, razdvajat će, sukobljavat će. Pružat će im mogućnost da

When approaching the Suha beach (Slana camp) on the right and left rise tall cliffs and caves. The people managed to collect some of their scarce money and place a marble plaque on one of those cliffs. Every year next to the plaque a history class is held and wreaths are laid. For the memorial area of Slana, the Pag Municipal Committee ordered a project documentation which will include the whole area of the former camps and gravesites. In 1988 there is already a project to build a road which will go from the village of Metajna to Slana. It will go parallel to the road built by the inmates

On the following pages we are going to read the testimony of Josip Balaž, Joža, a Hungarian, now retired living in Daruvar. In his written statement from October 9, 1970, which is located in SUBNOR in Pag, comrade Balaž writes that he was born in 1912 in Goveđe Polje, Daruvar Municipality. At age of six he lost both of his parents. His father died in the First World War, while his mother, brother and sister died of Spanish flu. Later on Joža was working for villagers watching over their gees and pigs, and later on also their cattle. For this he was given some food and allowed to sleep in

The date on the order to get “sand”, June 20, 1941 shows us that the coordination between Pag and Zagreb, i.e. between local Ustashas and those in the capital, was excellent. As we said before, the Jews in Zagreb were arrested on June 21 and brought to Slana on June 24. Oguić had sent the ship to get “sand” three days before. Don’t be surprised because I mention these dates several times. These dates and activities that happened before the Jews in Zagreb were arrested tell us that this was an organised activity of the Ustasha headquarters in Pag, going forward full power while hiding it from the people who

Event the smallest item in the agreement of this brave group of local Ustashas and outsiders was based on crime. They were aware of lawlessness under which they would arrest people to be brought to Slana; they were aware of the difficult road the prisoners would take across Velebit; they knew that their new organizations were not equipped with transportation vehicles and that prisoners would be tied up and brought on foot from Gospić to Karlobag; they agreed to put them in small, uncomfortable boats in Karlobag, because only those types of boats were available in neighbouring ports; being islanders, they knew that the prisoners would be brought to the

The Ustashas established their political camp – Ustasha headquarters – named a camp commander (and in villages they established encampments with commanders), they surrounded him with aides-de-camp, called people to rallies and swore them to Pavelić. The Italian command did not literally share the same views, but they rather strengthened their military, political and policing capabilities in order to ensure they had as much influence on the island as possible and become dominant in that way (not only on the island but also in inland NDH, as far as Karlovac in those days). They helped each party fight the other, both Croatian and Serbian extremists equally, Catholics and Orthodox, they

Radomir Vidas from Novalja on Pag as a witness gave the following statement in the Pag Town Command in 1945: “In July 1941 I was on my way home for a leave as a Domobran (soldier of the territorial army). From Otočac I went to Pag via Gospić. I wanted to travel to Karlobag in a post bus. Since the bus was not scheduled for that day I had to find another transport. While I was looking for transport I found out that an Ustasha truck is transporting prisoner to a camp on Pag. Several days before I found out there was a camp on Pag, but I had never

After one part of her life, which you can only see in your worst nightmare, and during which she lost her husband and a five-year-old girl, after going through different camp and countless fights that seemed far from reality, the witness got to Italy into a Partisan base. Here she gave her statement to Captain Katalinić on September 8, 1945 in the office of the Section 5 of the Base Command (Rijeka Archives, SLANA, 8/1, 2, 3). Her accurate and clear statement caused me a lot of headache. When I compared her statement to Dr. Radan’s I came across a lot of unclear issues that I could not surmount easily.