The Slovene Police - Policija

The Slovene Police 15
The National Protection Force
During World War II the Slovene territory was divided between the Germans,
the Italians and the Hungarians; who all established their own police
apparatus, which included parts of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia’s police force.
On the other side, the bodies involved in the
national liberation fight that resisted the
occupiers, and the new authorities founded
during the war, formed their own security
services and bodies that worked in the field of
security and were initially called village
guards. The National Protection Force, from
which the post-war militia (milica) was
formed, was founded in October 1941 by the
Liberation Front, which had united all
antifascist forces in Slovenia at the beginning
of the war. Throughout Slovenia, and
especially in the Dolenjska region, units of the
The national protection group in Litija, spring 1945
National Protection Force started to form. In
Ljubljana relatively strong groups of National Protectors were already active. The
National Protection Force was a structural part of the partisan forces and its units
were therefore militarily organised. Besides the sworn in and strictly militarilyorganised
protection units there was also a large group of active “voluntary”
protectors. Some secret collaborators of the National Protection Force and of the
liberation movement were also constables working in the German and Italian police
apparatus, who prevented many arrests and potential victims. Unfortunately many
of them paid with their lives.
“I, a soldier of the People’s Liberation Army of the Slovene nation,
fighting side by side with the worker’s-peasant’s Army of the Soviet
Union and together with all other nations fighting for their freedom, fight
for the liberation and unification of the Slovene nation, for peace and
brotherhood between nations, and for the happy future of working people;
I pledge before my nation and together with my comrades in arms to
dedicate all my strength and all my skills to the Liberation Front of
Slovene people, to the working class and to all progressive and freedom
willing humanity in the sacred war against the fascist occupiers and
barbarians, that I will never leave the ranks of the Slovene Liberation
Army, which I joined voluntarily and wilfully and I will not stop fighting
until the complete victory over the fascist occupiers and the great
liberation aims of the Slovene nation and of the working class is achieved.
I pledge that I will not withhold my force and will not be frightened of
any sacrifice nor trouble and will, if need be, also offer my life for my
nation. Death to fascism - liberty to the people!”
The solemn oath of the National Protection Force, Source: Professional bulletin of
the People’s Militia, 1952.