Background
Štajnberger was born on 15 February 1916 in Zagreb to a Jewish family of Mavro Štajnberger.
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Drago Stajnberger
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Career
In his early youth he joined the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War he went to Spain as a volunteer, soon to be included in the ranks of the International Brigades. Afterwards he returned to Zagreb.
During World World War II, he was imprisoned at the concentration camps in France from which he was deported for forced labour to Nazi Germany.
He managed to escape in mid-July 1941, and move to the occupied territory of Yugoslavia, in Croatia. Upon arrival, Štajnberger briefly stayed in Zagreb, and then moved to the liberated territory in Kordun.
He helped organize the first Partisan units in Perjasica, Kestenjac, Veljun, Kloloć and Kladuša. Among the Partisans and the people of Kordun at the time, he was known by his birth name Adolf.
At the beginning of 1942, Italian fascists with the help from the Chetniks captured Štajnberger with fellow fighters Robert Domany, Branko Latas and Stevo Čuturilo.
All of them were killed by Chetniks, and afterwards their bodies were thrown in the 380-meter-deep pit of Balinka. Štajnberger was declared a People"s Hero of Yugoslavia on 27 July 1942 and was among the first recipients of the award. The four men"s bodies were found in 1966 by an English caving team, after which they were buried in a common grave in Plaški.
Membership
In 1938, Štajnberger became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.
Personality
He was known as a brave and resourceful fighter.
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Born
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Died
March 3, 1942 (aged 26) -
Nationality
Croatian Jewish -
Political Party
Communist Party