Franc Rozman - World War Two

World War Two

For a while, Rozman lived with an activist of the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People. In early December 1941, he visited his youngest brother Martin, after which he joined the Slovene partisan resistance. Soon he became a military instructor with the High Command of the Slovene partisan forces. He was given the task of setting up the Styrian Battalion (Štajerski bataljon), which would consist of the partisan troops, the Revirje and the Savinja companies (Revirske in Savinjske čete), which were active in Styria in the autumn of 1941. He participated in the attack on Šoštanj and later in the Battle of Čreta. The Germans repeatedly tried to liquidate Rozman, setting many ambushes.

In the April 1942 Rozman became the commander of a Slovene partisan brigade, established on April 5, 1942 at Kremenik in Lower Carniola, and numbering more than 300 fighters. Measured by composition, organization, training, and fighting power, this was the most powerful Slovene partisan unit at that time.

On 13 July 1943, he became a commander of the High Command of the Slovene partisan army with the rank of lieutenant general (generallajtnant), which he held up to his death.

Rozman died in White Carniola as a consequence of a serious wound received while testing new mortar weapons sent to the partisans by their British Allies. There were some rumors that he was killed by sabotage by the Chetnik military authorities or at the behest of Partisan commander Arso Jovanović, but they have never been proven. He was proclaimed a People's Hero of Yugoslavia on 11 November 1944.