Vlajko Kaurin recounts survival of Jasenovac camp

Vlajko Kaurin, a survivor of the Jasenovac concentration camp during World War II, shared his harrowing experiences in the television program ‘Za našim stolom’ hosted by Duško Vukajlović. Kaurin recounted his journey from his birthplace in Knežica through various refugee camps before arriving at the camp system.

He described living in a refugee camp on Kozara, which housed approximately 82,000 people, including 30,000 children, living in makeshift huts. Following the encirclement of Kozara by German, Ustaše, and Home Guard forces, he was part of the columns of prisoners transported toward Jasenovac.

Kaurin provided visceral details of life within the camp, describing an open, wire-fenced area where prisoners suffered from extreme hunger and thirst. He recalled drinking water from a marshy pond filled with toads to survive. His testimony serves as a historical account of the suffering of children and civilians during the conflict.