1. Franc Rozman, nom de guerre Stane or Stane Mlinar, was a Slovene Partisan commander in World War II.
13 Facts About Franc Rozman
1. 2.
Franc Rozman was born in the Carniolan village of Spodnje Pirnice near Ljubljana, part of Austria-Hungary at the time, to a Slovene working-class family.
3.
Franc Rozman's father Franc Rozman was a railway track-worker, while his mother Marjana was a housewife.
4.
Franc Rozman was the third of four children, with two elder sisters, Marjeta and Terezija, and a younger brother, Martin.
5.
In 1935, after the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, Franc Rozman tried unsuccessfully to join the Ethiopian forces fighting the Italian invaders.
6.
Franc Rozman was among the first Yugoslav volunteers in Spain, where he, on 1 October 1936 joined the International Brigades.
7.
Franc Rozman became a member of the Yugoslav Communist Party in 1939.
8.
Franc Rozman was given the task of setting up the Styrian Battalion, which would consist of the partisan troops, the Revirje and the Savinja companies, which were active in Styria in the autumn of 1941.
9.
Franc Rozman participated in the attack on Sostanj and later in the Battle of Creta.
10.
The Germans repeatedly tried to liquidate Franc Rozman, setting many ambushes.
11.
Franc Rozman died on 7 November 1944, aged 33, in White Carniola as a consequence of a serious wound received while testing newly arrived PIAT weapons sent to the partisans by their British Allies.
12.
Franc Rozman was proclaimed a People's Hero of Yugoslavia four days later, on 11 November 1944.
13.
Franc Rozman's legacy is controversial and questions have been raised about his involvement in wartime liquidations of civilians.