Franc Rozman, nom de guerre Stane (Slovene convention: Franc Rozman – Stane) or Stane Mlinar (27 March 1911 – 7 November 1944), near Ljubljana, part of Austria-Hungary at the time, to a Slovene working-class family. His father Franc Rozman was a railway track-worker, while his mother Marjana (née Stare) was a housewife. He was the third of four children, with two elder sisters, Marjeta and Terezija, and a younger brother, Martin.

At the age of three, Rozman's father died on the Eastern Front, where he fought as a soldier in the Austro-Hungarian Army. Rozman had a poor and hard childhood. His sisters Marjeta and Terezija were sent to an orphanage, while Franc and his brother Martin remained in Pirniče. At the age of 15, he worked in a tavern and then trained as an apprentice baker.

As a young boy he had great enthusiasm for a military career, but his application to the military school was rejected. In spring 1932, he did his military service in the Royal Yugoslav army.

Military experience prior to World War II

In 1935, after the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, Rozman tried unsuccessfully to join the Ethiopian forces fighting the Italian invaders. Soon after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he decided to travel to Spain. Rozman was among the first Yugoslav volunteers in Spain, where he, on 1 October 1936 joined the International Brigades. In November 1936 he became a member of the Spanish Communist Party. but they have never been proven. He was proclaimed a People's Hero of Yugoslavia four days later, on 11 November 1944.

His legacy includes the following:

  • There is a plaque on the house in Spodnje Pirniče where he was born, A bust of Rozman also stands in front of the house.
  • There is a monument in downtown Ljubljana, at the corner of Slovene Street () and Šubic Street (), dedicated to Rozman.
  • The well-known partisan song "Komandant Stane" ('Commander Stane') is dedicated to him.
  • Many Slovene schools bear his name; for example, the Franc "Stane" Rozman primary schools in Ljubljana and Maribor.
  • On 21 March 2011, Slovenia issued a two-euro commemorative coin to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Franc Rozman.
  • The former Franc "Stane" Rozman Barracks (Vojašnica Franca Rozmana–Staneta) at Ljubljana-Polje were named for Rozman until July 2012, when they were renamed in honor of Edvard Peperko (1966–1991), one of the first to fall in the Slovenian Ten-Day War. The renaming was opposed by the Partisan veteran organization, opposition parties, and one of the coalition parties.

References

  • Rozman in a drawing by Slovene artist Božidar Jakac, zzb-nob.si; accessed 12 March 2016.