movement than killing the children outright. However, the NDH regime had not made any arrangements to implement this idea, so the children's camp was established in haste, especially as there was strong pressure to do something for the children. NDH regime propaganda advanced the idea that the children were being liberated from slavery at the hands of the Partisans. Establishment The camp was established in the town of Jastrebarsko, about southwest of the NDH capital, Zagreb. This location was chosen due to its close proximity to Zagreb, which reduced exposure to Partisan influence and made defence easier. The buildings earmarked to accommodate the children were: the castle Dvorac Erdödy, the nearby Franciscan monastery, and the former Italian barracks and stables. It was located in an area that had previously been garrisoned by Italian troops under an agreement with the NDH government. The castle had previously housed a children's home and, in the spring and summer of 1941, a transit camp for Jews and political opponents of the regime, in which they were held, tortured, and then moved to other concentration camps. Preparations for the reception of the children were completed hastily by the Croatian Red Cross and local peasants. At the head of the camp administration was a nun, Sister Barta Pulherija, a member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul order, and Sister Gaudencija was the manager of the camp estate. Pulherija was the sister-in-law of Mile Budak, a senior Ustaše ideologist and high-ranking NDH official. The staff otherwise consisted of members of the Ustaše Youth and female Ustaše. A sub-camp was established on 31 July at Donja Reka, north of Jastrebarsko, under the same administration as the main camp. It was situated in an old brick factory, and barracks and stables previously used by the Italian Army. Conditions at this sub-camp were even worse than at the main camp, with no electricity, running water or sanitary facilities. Food was extremely poor, and disease and death were common among the up to 2,000 children kept there. Operation Initial transport In early July 1942, 16 Red Cross nurses were sent from Zagreb to the Stara Gradiška concentration camp to collect 650 children and bring them to Jastrebarsko. The journey of from Stara Gradiška to Zagreb took 24 hours, during which 17 children died. During decontamination procedures in Zagreb another 30 children died. Another 37 very ill children