This thesis deals with the development and the activities of the First Brigade of the VDV,
which was established to fight the fifth column activities in Slovenia during the Second World
War. A particular emphasis has been given to its First Battalion. We analysed its
establishment under the name of the 1st Battalion of the VOS OF (Security Intelligence
Service of the Liberation Front), its spread, development and upgrading until the 9th May
1945. As a Security Intelligence Service, this unit played a vital role in the fight against the
occupying forces as well as against the internal enemies, and contributed greatly to their
defeat. The literature review is complemented by some new findings. The latter are based on
the study of footnotes written on the copies of the original documents, which we accessed at
the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia. Interviews with former combatants allowed us to
better understand the functioning of the First Brigade of the VDV in the contextual
framework, and in the reference time period.
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