Vinko Garašić

Deserter and Partisan

Vinko Garašic´was born in Falašc´ak, near Zagreb. His parents worked in agriculture, and Garašic´ worked as a carpenter. In winter 1941/1942, the eighteen-year-old was drafted by the army of the Independent State of Croatia. In 1943, Garaši´c failed to return to his unit after a leave from the front. Instead, he joined the partisans.

In mid-1944, Garaši´c was arrested by the Germans. On January 2, 1945, the Flossenbürg clerical office assigned Garašic´ the inmate number 43337. Several weeks later, he was transferred to the Ansbach subcamp. At the subcamp, he was forced to repair bomb damage to railroad tracks. On March 26, 1945, Garašic´ was returned to the main camp. Barely one month later, he was liberated by American troops.

Although he was very ill, Vinko Garašic´ tried to return to Croatia immediately. Along the way, a German family took him in and provided care and assistance. Garašic´ recalled this experience, which followed his imprisonment in a German concentration camp, with gratitude.

Garašic´ was finally able to return to his homeland. He married and worked in the construction industry. He and his family also maintained a farm. On April 23, 2003, Vinko Garašic´ died in Stupnik, near Zagreb.