Black Hand (Slovenia)
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| Black Hand | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Leaders | Unknown |
| Dates of operation | 1943–1945 |
| Allegiance | Slovene Home Guard (disputed) |
| Active regions | Slovenia |
| Ideology | Anti-communism Clerical fascism (alleged) |
| Size | Unknown |
| Allies | Slovene Home Guard (disputed) |
| Opponents | Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation Slovene Partisans |
| Wars | Second World War |
The Black Hand (Slovene: Črna roka) was a secret anti-communist organisation active in the Slovene Lands during World War II. It conducted assassinations of members of the Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation[1] and Slovene Partisans.[2] The organization's main goal was the elimination of "communism and its proponents". It is often regarded as associated with the Catholic Church[3][4] and Slovene Home Guard.[2][4][5]
The historic record regarding the Black Hand is sparse. Sources originating in the Yugoslav period often bear strong ideological condemnatory undertones. The Black Hand is sometimes referred to as the "Slovene Gestapo"[4][2] (and possibly collaborated with the Gestapo in some instances, though to what extent, if any, is uncertain).[2][6] Its name may have been derived from a "Serbian military tradition".[2]
The organization's activities commenced in the autumn of 1943 with its first acts carried out in Jesenice, and Bled region. Its activities in Ljubljana began in March 1944 and later spread to other regions as well. Some sources trace the Black Hand's inception to a February 1944 meeting of various anti-Partisan and Nazi leaders that allegedly took place in Trieste.[4]
The Black Hand was likely not connected to the German occupying forces, which were often exasperated by the anarchic and unsupervised nature of Black Hand's activities and purportedly often demanded reports of its activities or even arrested and interrogated its operatives after the killings.[4]
Members were often young and pious men from a rural background who likely joined the group due to the influence of local religious authorities. Members were often also associated with the Slovene Home Guard, Chetniks, and clerical groups.[2][3][4][5] Black Hand justified its actions as a defense of religion/faith.[4]
After the war, many former Black Hand members evaded arrest and escaped, though some were convicted and sentenced to death.[4]