The Treaty of Rome of 18 May 1941 established the border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Independent State of Croatia, and on 7 June of the same year the island of Rab [Italian: Arbe], located in the Kvarner Bay [Italian: Golfo del Quarnero], became part of the province of Fiume (Rijeka) and thus of Italy.
Concentration Camp Run by the Italian Army
In the village of Kampor, six kilometres from the town of Rab, one of the largest concentration camps (campo di concentramento) operated by the Italian army for civilians in the annexed Yugoslav territories was set up. The Arbe camp was operated by the Intendancy (logistical command unit) of the Second Army. The commander of the army was Mario Roatta (1887–1968), who used brutal repressive measures not only against partisans, but also against the Slovenian and Croatian civilian population. The camp commandant was the lieutenant colonel of the Royal Carabinieri Vincenzo Cujuli (1895–1943), who had both soldiers and Carabinieri under his command.
Arrival and Conditions
The first 1,225 internees arrived between 27 and 31 July 1942. At that time, the accommodation consisted only of tents. The construction of barracks progressed very slowly, so that many had to spend the winter in the tents. Old people, women and children were housed in a separate area. They were later moved to the Gonars camp in the province of Udine.
In spring 1943, another section of the camp was completed, which was designated for the ‘protective internment’ [‘internamento protettivo’] of around 2,761 Jews. These were Jews living in the territories occupied and annexed by Italy or who had sought refuge there from other countries.
During the time the camp was in operation, around 7,540 non-Jewish civilians were also interned there, of whom two thirds were Slovenians and the rest Croatians from the areas incorporated into the Italian province of Fiume (Rijeka) in 1941. The living conditions of the Slovenian and Croatian internees were desperate, especially for those who were housed in tents. The food was completely inadequate, which meant, among other things, that pregnant women often suffered stillbirths.
Roma Deaths in the Camp
To this day, there is no complete list of all those who died in the camp; current research estimates the number at around 1,500. In 2000, Tone Ferenć (1927–2003) published an overview of the Arbe camp victims which includes three surnames of Roma.
In a more recent research project on Slovenian Roma victims of World War II, the Institute of Contemporary History in Ljubljana identified eleven Roma who died in Arbe. Of these, only one is included in Ferenć’s list. Taking both lists into account, the names of 13 Roma who did not survive the Arbe camp are currently known.
The testimony of Maria Braidich (1903/04–unknown), who was arrested with her family in Arbe, confirms the dramatic living conditions of the internees.
Liberation and Commemoration
On 11 September 1943, shortly after the announcement of the armistice between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies, the Liberation Front cell in the camp disarmed the Italian garrison, arrested the camp commander Cujuli and sentenced him to death.
On 13 September, the Rab Brigade was formed with around 1,600 partisans. It was divided into five battalions, one of which consisted exclusively of Jews. They made their way towards the Croatian coast to oppose the advance of the German troops. Around 250 Jews remained in the camp. Mainly old and sick people, they were deported by the Germans to the San Sabba camp in Trieste and from there to Auschwitz.
A memorial cemetery was established in 1953 in memory of all the victims of the camp; a memorial plaque was also erected in 1998.
