The
Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, the
Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske (ZNDH) was a national air force of the
Independent State of CroatiaThe Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany. The NDH was established on April 10, 1941 after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers...
during World War II, founded in April 1941. In 1943 it was renamed the
Croatian Battle Air Force.
During the middle part of 1941, some of the force's man-power capacity was sent to the
Eastern FrontThe Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of war between the European Axis powers, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia and Finland , and the Soviet Union which encompassed central and eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9...
as part of the
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
, the
Croatian Air Force LegionThe Croatian Air Force Legion , or HZL, also known as the Croatian Legion, was a military unit of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia which fought alongside the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1943 and then back on Croatian soil...
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
: Kroatische Luftwaffen Legion). Most of the Croatian Air Force Legion's personnel were back on Croatian soil by late 1943-early 1944 to help counter the growing Allied air threat. A Croatian Anti-Aircraft Legion was also deployed.
The force maintained a flying school, originally in Rajlovac near
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
. Its parachute and paratroop school was located in
KoprivnicaKoprivnica is a city in northern Croatia. It is the capital of the Koprivnica-Križevci county, and in 2001, the city had a population of 30,994.-Short history:...
, and its scout school was located in
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
.
Four men attained the force's top rank
General zrakoplovstva (General of the Air Force):
Emil UzelacEmil Uzelac was Croatian soldier and military commander who was a leading figure in the air forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Independent State of Croatia..In 1912 he was made commander of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops, which...
,
Miroslav NavratilMiroslav Navratil was a Croatian soldier, pilot, and general who served in the armies of Austria-Hungary, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and the Independent State of Croatia....
,
Vladimir KrenVladimir Kren was a major general of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia.He held the rank of captain in the Yugoslav Royal Air Force before defecting to the German army on January 4, 1941. With him he took plans of Yugoslav air fields, which he gave to German officials...
, and Dragutin Rubčić.
Organization
The air force was organized as follows:
- Command of the Air Forces
- Headquarters
- Technical service
- Economic-supply service
- Justice department
- Health section
- Cultural-education section
- Armed section
- Command of quarters
- Command of the Airplanes
- Information Service
- Anti-Aircraft Artillery
Commanders
- Vladimir Kren
Vladimir Kren was a major general of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia.He held the rank of captain in the Yugoslav Royal Air Force before defecting to the German army on January 4, 1941. With him he took plans of Yugoslav air fields, which he gave to German officials...
(1941 - 1943)
- Adalbert Rogulja (1943 - 1944)
- Vladimir Kren (1944 - 1945)
Literature
The air force released a weekly paper called
Hrvatska krila (Croatian Wings). It was edited by Major Mario Petrović. Other contributors included Alfons Vedelik, Franjo Vuk, prof. Aleksandar Mužinić, Borivoj Švajer and Dragutin Novaković. It also released two monthly papers:
Modelar and
Jedriličar.
Birth of an air force
The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, the
Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske (ZNDH) came into being as early as 19 April 1941, just nine days after the proclamation of the Independent Croat State. Its commander was Colonel Vladimir Kren, a former captain of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force who had defected to Graz in his
Potez 25Potez 25 was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line plane and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions...
on 4 April 1941 and declared himself an Ustashe supporter.
The first task of the new air force, which consisted largely of former members of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (JKRV), was the acquisition or salvage of aircraft, weapons, equipment and fuel that had survived the fighting and had not been confiscated by the German or Italian forces.
Following the brief April war, the Germans had captured a substantial number of ex-Royal Yugoslav Air Force aircraft, over 300 machines in fact. They considered them to be of little use for the
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
, so it was decided to equip the ZNDH with an appropriate number of these aircraft. These aircraft, scattered in every corner of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia, were then collected, minor damage repaired and stocks of fuel and spare parts stored at airfield workshops. Naturally, the majority of the aircraft were more or less damaged and action was undertaken to repair as many of them as possible. Former JKRV pilots of Croatian origin and other personnel of aeronautical specialty were approached and offered instant rehabilitation (most of them were in German POW camps), jobs and safety for their families.
Colonel Kren also initiated the formation of an early warning system, anti-aircraft batteries (armed with German and Czech weapons) and various training and servicing departments, ammunition stores and workshop facilities. The fuel necessary for the operations of the ZNDH was supplied by the Germans from old Yugoslav stocks in
KraljevoKraljevo is a city and municipality located in Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Zapadna Morava; and in the midst of an upland valley, between the Kotlenik Mountains, in the north, and the Stolovi Mountains, in the south.In 2002 the city had population...
, Serbia.
As early as May 1941, the Croats had asked Germany for, among other things, 22 Messerschmitt 109s. Instead, they got the worst remains of the JKRV. Yet, at the same time, Germany appropriated 6 captured
Dornier Do 17The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
K bombers, which were then supplied to
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
.
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
received 6 ex-JKRV
Hawker HurricaneThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. Some production of the Hurricane was carried out in Canada by the Canada Car and Foundry Co Ltd....
s, as well as 6
Bristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was later adapted into a successful long-range and night fighter...
s, whilst
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
received 20 half-completed Blenheims, together with manufacturing tools and production equipment, as well as a huge variety of spare parts..
The personnel of the ZNDH took over and re-activated the airfields at
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
,
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
,
MostarMostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the biggest and the most important city in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
,
Banja LukaBanja Luka or Banjaluka is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest and most developed city in Republika Srpska which is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditionally it has been the center of the Bosanska Krajina region located in the northwestern...
and
ZemunZemun is a town in Serbia and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the country's capital...
, where the Ikarus and Zmaj aircraft plants were located. By June 1941 the Germans had begun to pass on to the ZNDH various captured Royal Yugoslav Air Force aircraft, including eight
Bristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was later adapted into a successful long-range and night fighter...
I and five
Potez 25Potez 25 was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line plane and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions...
bombers, These and most of the 211 ex-Yugoslav aircraft received by the ZNDH had first to be repaired and/or overhauled at the Ikarus plant in
ZemunZemun is a town in Serbia and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the country's capital...
.
The first missions - 1941
In late 1941 the ZNDH had 95 aircraft distributed in 4 groups and 8 squadrons. Fighting the Yugoslav Partisans from the air had begun already in late June 1941, when
Breguet 19The Breguet 19 was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.-Development:...
and
Potez 25Potez 25 was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line plane and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions...
light bombers had proved most suitable. The Breguets could carry a bomb load of up to 400 kg (880lb) using 24 12 kg bombs, whilst the Potez 25s could carry about half that amount. Both types were also armed with three 7.7 mm machine-guns. Altogether the Croat air force eventually came to possess 50 Breguet 19s and 45 Potez 25s. The operational use of these light bombers was not limited to fighting the Partisans; the aircraft were also used to supply isolated or surrounded Croat strong points.
The emblem of the ZNDH was to be the red and white chequerboard insignia, , derived from the Croat coat of arms, dating back to the 10th century, carried on the fin. In January 1945 this was replaced by the black and white trefoil cross of King Zvonimir.
>
As well as the Breguet and Potez aircraft, which were the most numerous types in the ZNDH inventory, Zmaj Fizir FP2 light bi-plane trainers were also converted to carry six 12 kg bombs. These aircraft were used to bomb and strafe Partisan troops and positions in northern Bosnia but they also faced return fire. The first missions cost the ZNDH one Breguet and a Potez aircraft, both of which crash landed after being hit by Partisan ground fire. The Croat crews had little chance of survival after being hit, as they flew without flying suits, helmets or parachutes (which were not available at the time!) - hence their desperate crash-landings.
Similar actions continued throughout 1941. The ZNDH flew many missions in support of Army troops in limited scale operations against the Partisans mostly over eastern and western Bosnia, as well as over Croatia. By September, the ZNDH introduced larger aircraft for bombing Partisan forces and territory. Two bombers, an Avia
Fokker F.IXThe Fokker F.IX was an airliner developed in the Netherlands in the late 1920s, intended to provide KLM with an aircraft suitable for regular services to the Dutch East Indies...
derived F.39 and a Savoia Marcetti SM-79 were available for operations and had the added advantage of being able to carry 100 kg bombs. They were extensively used for bombing villages and road communications. However it was soon established that the vintage bi-plane
Breguet 19The Breguet 19 was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.-Development:...
and
Potez 25Potez 25 was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line plane and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions...
aircraft were ideally suited for missions against Partisan troop concentrations. Although they were outdated and certainly their use would be out of the question on any other front, their performance and armament made them very dangerous for an ill-armed enemy. The Partisans were scattered in villages, forests and mountains and their positions could only be detected by a slow moving aircraft. Visual reconnaissance missions using hand-held cameras were also flown. Aerial reconnaissance supplied the Croatian Army with vital data about Partisan movements and positions and about the situation in Partisan territory in general. This was all the more important because the Croatian Army desperately lacked radio equipment of all kinds. Light aircraft were frequently used for liaison duties, particularly connecting the surrounding NDH garrisons and higher command. Often the Army requested one or two aircraft to be temporarily attached to particular Army units to closely co-operate with ground troops.
The ZNDH's fighter force was poorly equipped in every respect, consisting of 12 ex-JKRV machines including 4
Ikarus IK 2The Ikarus IK-2 was a 1930s high-wing, all-metal, single seat, monoplane fighter aircraft of indigenous design built for the Yugoslav Air Force...
s, 7 ancient
Avia BH-33The Avia BH-33 was a biplane fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in 1927. It was based on the BH-21J that demonstrated promising results by marrying the original BH-21 airframe with a licence-built Bristol Jupiter radial engine...
Es and one
Hawker FuryThe Hawker Fury was a British biplane fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was originally named the Hornet and was the counterpart to the Hawker Hart light bomber.-Design and development:...
II. Fortunately for this ill-equipped force, there was no aerial opposition and some more modern fighter aircraft were received from 1942 onwards.
Colder October and November weather limited aerial activities over the Yugoslav Front. The Partisan operations spread to eastern Serbian territory and the squadrons based at Sarajevo airfield made their appearance on the Bosnian-Serbian border area. The Partisans were trying to secure and expand a territory in the eastern part of Yugoslavia, which they had liberated in the Autumn of 1941. The ZNDH flew daily supply missions with their Avia-Fokker F.39 and due to the lack of other aircraft also used the venerable Breguets and Potez. These could land on hastily prepared strips and performed very well in airlifting supplies to the surrounded garrison of
Visegrad-Places:* Višegrad, a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina* Vishegrad, Bulgaria, a village in Bulgaria* Vishegrad, the highest peak of Sakar, a mountain in Bulgaria* Vyšehrad, a castle in Prague, Czech Republic...
.
Expansion - 1942
thumb
In 1942, fighting with the Partisans intensified. Not only had they liberated a substantial territory in the eastern part of Yugoslavia, but they encouraged rebellion all over the country. The German, Italian and
NDHThe letters NDH can mean:* The Independent State of Croatia * New German Hardness, or Neue Deutsche Härte * National Dairy Holdings L.P.* In ads for used vehicles, particularly aircraft: No damage history...
governments were aware of this danger and they used every means available to destroy the Partisan forces. They planned several large-scale operations for this purpose in which air support played a very important role.
The first half of 1942 was marked by several deliveries of new or refurbished aircraft from Germany and Italy, aside from those received from Ikarus in
ZemunZemun is a town in Serbia and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the country's capital...
. First of all the ZNDH received 10 brand new
Caproni Ca.311The Caproni Ca.311 was a light bomber-reconnaissance aircraft produced in Italy prior to and during World War II. It was a member of the large family of Caproni designs derived from the Ca.306 airliner prototype of 1935, and more directly a modification of the Ca.310 bomber. As with other related...
M medium bombers from Italy. These aircraft had been ordered and paid for by the Yugoslav Government for service in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force, but the Axis
Invasion of YugoslaviaThe Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on Kingdom of Yugoslavia on April 6, 1941 during World War II...
prevented delivery. The ZNDH also purchased 20 AVIA F.L.3 basic trainers, nine
Fiat G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
bis fighters and one Fiat G.50B two-seat fighter trainer. The Fiat aircraft were to provide the ZNDH's fighter pilots with some operational training on more modern aircraft.
Other batches of overhauled ex-Royal Yugoslav Air Force (JKRV) aircraft also arrived from the Ikarus aircraft plant in
ZemunZemun is a town in Serbia and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the country's capital...
, including 11 Dornier Do-17K, 3
Bristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was later adapted into a successful long-range and night fighter...
Mk I and one
Caproni Ca.310The Caproni-Begamaschi Ca.310 Libeccio was an Italian monoplane, twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used in World War II. Derived from the similar Ca.309, it had its combat debut during the Spanish Civil War, and took part in the earlier phases of World War II in Libya...
bombers, 15 Rogozarski PVT and 11 Rogozarski R-100 attack aircraft, which had been fitted with bomb racks to carry 100 kg bombs, plus a few Breguet 19s, Potez 25s, Zmaj Fizir FNs and Fizir F.P.2s. From Prague in Czechoslovakia (under German occupation), the ZNDH received seven Avia Fokker F.7 transports, one Avia Fokker F.9 and one Avia Fokker F.18. Of these, the F.7s and F.18 were pre-war Czech airliners. As the ZNDH suffered from a total lack of transport aircraft, these were immediately pressed into service, after only minor adjustments.
The nine
Fiat G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
bis fighters took off from
TurinTurin is a major city as well as a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River surrounded by the Alpine arch...
-
Fiat AviazioneFiat Aviazione was an Italian aircraft manufacturer, at one time part of the Fiat group, focused mainly on military aviation. After the World War I, Fiat consolidated several Italian small aircraft manufacturers, like Pomilio and Ansaldo. Most famous were Fiat biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s,...
on 12 June 1942, but before crossing the border they were stopped by an order from
Capo di Stato Maggiore Cavallero, that was afraid the Croatian pilots could defect with the new Fiat aircraft. The G.50 had to wait until 25 June before beeing delivered to the 16th Squadron at
Banja LukaBanja Luka or Banjaluka is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest and most developed city in Republika Srpska which is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditionally it has been the center of the Bosanska Krajina region located in the northwestern...
, but during the course of 1942, five were transferred to the 1st Squadron stationed in
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
in order to strengthen the defence of the Croatian capital. Their deployment between the two squadrons was aimed to further familiarise the Croatian fighter pilots with more sophisticated aircraft. Until that time, the only fighters available in numbers were the 7 ancient
Avia BH-33The Avia BH-33 was a biplane fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in 1927. It was based on the BH-21J that demonstrated promising results by marrying the original BH-21 airframe with a licence-built Bristol Jupiter radial engine...
E biplanes and 4 Ikarus IK-2
gull wingThe gull wing is an aircraft's wing configuration with a prominent bend in the wing somewhere along the span, generally near the wing root. Its name is derived from the seabirds which it resembles. It has been incorporated in aircraft for many reasons...
fighters (for which there were very few spares), as well as 11 Rogozarski R-100
parasol wingA parasol wing monoplane is an aircraft design in which the wing is not mounted directly to the fuselage, but rather, the fuselage is supported beneath it by a set of struts, called cabane struts...
fighter-trainers.
Thanks to this extended aircraft park the ZNDH could now form new units: in January the 1st Group, comprising the 1st, 2nd 3rd and 19th Squadrons were formed at
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
, and then the 2nd Group with the 4th, 5th and 6th squadrons and the 3rd Group with the 7th, 8th and 9th Squadrons at
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
's Rajlovac airfield, whilst the 6th Group was formed at
Banja LukaBanja Luka or Banjaluka is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest and most developed city in Republika Srpska which is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditionally it has been the center of the Bosanska Krajina region located in the northwestern...
's Zaluzani airfield in June 1942 to cover operations in central Croatia and western Bosnia.
These reinforcements came just in time to participate in a large German offensive against the Partisan forces in eastern Bosnia. Initially, the
Regia AeronauticaThe Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy . It was established as a service independent of the Italian Royal Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolished and the Kingdom of Italy became the Republic of Italy...
also participated in this campaign, but after a tragic incident where an Italian bomber mistakenly attacked German positions near Vlasenica, the German command assigned the ZNDH the responsibility for providing the entire aerial support mission for formations on the ground. At this time there were no significant
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
forces based in Yugoslavia.
In support of the ground forces, the ZNDH flew 121 combat missions in January, 100 missions in February and 350 in March. Although the Axis ground forces generally succeeded in their operations in January and February, in March they were forced to release the pressure as other Partisan units attacked several solitary
NDHThe letters NDH can mean:* The Independent State of Croatia * New German Hardness, or Neue Deutsche Härte * National Dairy Holdings L.P.* In ads for used vehicles, particularly aircraft: No damage history...
garrisons, threatening to destroy them.
Aside from constant bombing sorties,
Potez 25Potez 25 was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line plane and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions...
and
Breguet 19The Breguet 19 was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.-Development:...
aircraft were also used for daily supply missions to the besieged Croatian Army garrison at
RogaticaRogatica is a municipality and town in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina located 60 kilometres northeast of Sarajevo; midway on the road from Goražde towards Sokolac...
. They would land under fire at a small improvised grass landing strip, unloading ammunition and other supplies while keeping their engines running and taking off as soon as was possible. On 23 March a ZNDH Potez 25 was shot down by the Partisans and the crew were killed. Three days later an Avia Fokker F.9 was damaged whilst dropping ammunition to Rogatica but managed to return to base safely. As a result of the determined re-supply effort by the ZNDH, the Croatian Rogatica garrison succeeded in holding out until relieved by German-Croatian forces on 17 April.
As the weather improved towards the summer, flying activity intensified. Some 325 missions were flown during April, with a further 350 sorties during May, including direct combat support, reconnaissance and supply missions, as well as leaflet dropping.
Most of the missions were performed by the 2nd and 3rd Group's squadrons based at Sarajevo, which was the strongest operational base at that time. The Zagreb air base was principally employed in attacking Partisan positions in western Slavonia and Bosnia.
The ten new Caproni Ca.311Ms were tried out during the successive attacks on Partisan territory. They were equally divided between 3rd Squadron (Zagreb) and 7th Squadron (Rajlovac). During September and October Blenheims from 8th Squadron and the Dornier Do-17Ks from 3rd and 9th Squadrons were extensively used to attack Partisan positions in
BihacBihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, center of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
,
BugojnoBugojno is a town and municipality of the same name in central Bosnia and Herzegovina on the river Vrbas. It is located in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity. The town is to the northwest from Sarajevo, with an estimated population of 50 000 To the west...
,
LivnoLivno is a town in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located between Tomislavgrad, Glamoč, Bosansko Grahovo and Kupres.- Position :...
and Duvno and Bosnia. Owing to the availability of increased numbers of aircraft, the 6th Group was formed at Banja Luka comprising the 13th, 16th, 17th and 18th Squadrons. Not only did this medium bomber force fly reconnaissance and bombing missions against Partisan forces, but also flew deep into territory under Partisan control and attacked railway stations, road traffic, agricultural depots and food stocks.
The Yugoslav Partisan forces were aware of the threat to their operations that the ZNDH provided and were constantly trying to improve their anti-aircraft defence, which relied mainly on machine-guns.
December 1942 also saw the return of the
Croatian Air Force LegionThe Croatian Air Force Legion , or HZL, also known as the Croatian Legion, was a military unit of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia which fought alongside the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1943 and then back on Croatian soil...
(HZL) bomber squadron to Croatia from service on the
Eastern FrontThe Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of war between the European Axis powers, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia and Finland , and the Soviet Union which encompassed central and eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9...
, where they had flown more than 1,500 sorties. Upon its return the Legion's bomber squadron was redesignated
1./(Kroat.)KG after having flown its 9
Dornier Do 17The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
Z bombers from Russia back to Croatia. The Dorniers proved a welcome addition to the strike power of the
AxisThe Axis powers comprised the countries that were opposed to the Allies during World War II. The three major Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers...
forces fighting the Yugoslav Partisans on the Yugoslav Front right up to the end of 1944. In late 1943, a second squadron,
2./(Kroat.)KG was formed to provide operational training. It was equipped with Italian designed and built
CANT Z.1007The Cant Z.1007 Alcione , nicknamed "the flying barn door" by its air crews because of its flying characteristics, was a three-engined medium bomber used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica, Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and Luftwaffe during World War...
and
Fiat BR.20The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna was a twin-engine bomber of the Italian Regia Aeronautica which saw service in the Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II...
medium bombers.
During the course of 1942, the ZNDH flew some 4,800 sorties, of which 30% were combat missions, with 35 aircraft being lost. Of these losses, 19 were to Partisan ground fire, 12 to accidents and four deserted. By the end of the year the Croat aircraft park consisted of 191 aircraft, formed into 14 squadrons.
1942 had seen the first desertions of aircraft from the ZNDH, the first on 23 May when a Breguet and a Potez had defected to the Yugoslav Partisan forces. The Croatian armed forces conducted an intensive search for the aircraft and in response the Partisans produced two decoy scale-model aircraft, made of wood and canvas, which were duly destroyed by ZNDH bombers. Both "destroyed" aircraft were able to perform a number of attacks on
NDHThe letters NDH can mean:* The Independent State of Croatia * New German Hardness, or Neue Deutsche Härte * National Dairy Holdings L.P.* In ads for used vehicles, particularly aircraft: No damage history...
forces (armed with hand-made pipe bombs) before either being shot down (the Breguet on 4 June) or destroyed on the ground (the Potez on 6 July). The two other defections occurred in July and October, with a Blenheim bomber in each case flying to
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
.
Croatian paratroops
In January 1942, the ZNDH formed a parachute unit, known as the 1st Light Infantry Parachute Company or 1 PLS. It had a strength of 120 men and was based in the northern Croatian town of
KoprivnicaKoprivnica is a city in northern Croatia. It is the capital of the Koprivnica-Križevci county, and in 2001, the city had a population of 30,994.-Short history:...
, near the border with Hungary. An Avia Fokker F.7 tri-motor transport aircraft was assigned to the unit on a permanent basis, with other transports assigned as required. The paratroops were equipped with rifles, sub-machine guns, light machine-guns and light mortars. After a period of training, 1 PLS made a demonstration mass tactical jump on 6 July 1943 at Borongaj airfield,
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
. 45 paratroopers made a successful jump from 3 Avia Fokker transports.
On 6 November 1943, three brigades of the Yugoslav Partisans, supported by artillery and heavy machine-guns mounted an attack on the town of Koprivnica, which they took on 9 November. The paratroops of 1 PLS held out at their base for three days before withdrawing into Hungary and continuing the battle with other NDH and German defending forces until 29 November. They received direct air support from ZNDH Dornier Do-17Ks, as well as supplies from light aircraft, but were unable to prevent the loss of their base, together with 20 men, all of their parachute equipment and their transport aircraft. The ZNDH also lost a Dornier Do 17 bomber and a
Bucker Bu 131The German Bücker Bü 131 "Jungmann" was a 1930s basic training aircraft which was used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.-Development:...
bi-plane shot down during this period.
The unit was re-deployed in 1944 to Borongaj airfield in Zagreb and in June 1944 grew in strength with the addition of 3 further companies and was re-designated as the 1st Light Infantry Parachute Battalion or 1 PLB. They were responsible for the ground defence of this important air base and also performed ceremonial guard duties in Zagreb itself.
By late January 1945 the unit was equipped with white winter jackets for camouflage and attached to the Croatian Army's Motorized Brigade, seeing its first action on this new sector, south of Zagreb. 1 PLB remained in constant action against the advancing Yugoslav Partisans until the last unit surrendered in Austria on 14 May 1945, one week after the official end of World War II.
The balance shifts - 1943
At the beginning of 1943 the Axis forces had complete control of the airspace over the Yugoslav Front. No aerial opposition of any kind was expected and that was the primary reason that the bomber force could operate without any fighter cover, notwithstanding the fact that there was a total lack of any serious fighter force in the ZNDH's squadrons. However, the situation started to change by the beginning of 1943.
The Headquarters (HQ) of the ZNDH had plans to re-arm at least one Group with more modern aircraft of German or Italian origin. The Italians refused to supply the requested
Macchi C.200The Macchi C.200 Saetta was a World War II fighter aircraft built by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy, and used in various forms throughout the Regia Aeronautica...
and Macchi C.202 fighters, as the
Regia AeronauticaThe Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy . It was established as a service independent of the Italian Royal Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolished and the Kingdom of Italy became the Republic of Italy...
needed every aircraft to fill its "squadriglia" in the beginning of 1943.
This was because the situation began to change in favour of the Allies. They had landed in North Africa while the Soviets were undertaking their great winter offensive, endangering, and eventually defeating, the
WehrmachtWehrmacht was the name of the unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe ....
6th Army around Stalingrad.
The Partisan movement in Yugoslavia, aside from some smaller territories, established a large liberated territory extending west of the rivers Neretva and Bosna, in the direction of the cities of
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
and
RijekaRijeka is the city and the principal seaport of Croatia, located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea. It has 144,043 inhabitants . The majority of its citizens, 80.39% , are Croats...
. The Partisan force had grown stronger – it had more than 60,000 armed fighters in this so-called "Tito's State" who were both well trained and supported by artillery. On 20 January 1943, the German HQ in Yugoslavia launched an offensive codenamed "Fall Weiss" (Case White), intending to regain the lost territory. The attack was supported by aircraft from the
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
,
Regia AeronauticaThe Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy . It was established as a service independent of the Italian Royal Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolished and the Kingdom of Italy became the Republic of Italy...
and the ZNDH. Aircraft from the 2nd and 3rd Groups from
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
and the 6th Group from
Banja LukaBanja Luka or Banjaluka is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest and most developed city in Republika Srpska which is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditionally it has been the center of the Bosanska Krajina region located in the northwestern...
were involved in bombing raids as well as leaflet dropping missions.
The Banja Luka air base was reinforced by a newly formed 5th Group after the end of operation "Fall Weiss". The ZNDH now consisted of three air bases with six Groups and 14 squadrons. During 1943 new aircraft continued to arrive, with 30 overhauled Dornier Do-17E bombers delivered from Germany and divided between the 3rd Squadron (Zagreb), and the 13th and 15th Squadrons (Banja Luka). From Italy came 34 long promised ex-JKRV
Bucker Bu 131The German Bücker Bü 131 "Jungmann" was a 1930s basic training aircraft which was used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.-Development:...
Jungmans and 25
Saiman 200The SAIMAN 200 was a 1930s Italian two-seat primary trainer designed and built by the Società Industrie Meccaniche Aeronautiche Naval .-Development:Designed as a basic trainer the first of theee prototypes SAIMAN 200 first flew at the end of 1938...
light bi-plane trainers, which were dispatched to all three air bases.
Although the ZNDH had a brief role in the subsequent anti-Partisan offensive, "Fall Schwartz" (Case Black) in mid 1943, its main involvement was on the front in central Croatia. As always, the Partisan resistance displayed frustrating survivability and effectiveness and new events started to influence the fighting in Yugoslavia.
The Partisan forces were well aware of the constant threat of air attack posed by the ZNDH's medium bomber force and on 10 August 1943 undertook a devastating night attack by a brigade on
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
's Rajlovac airfield. The three and a half hour assault on the airfield left 10 ZNDH bombers, plus another five
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
bombers and transports, destroyed, with another 17 aircraft damaged. Although some aircrews returned fire from the machine-gun turrets of their aircraft, Partisan losses were less than 20. Afterwards ZNDH Command complained that the German ordered dispersal of aircraft around the airfield's perimeter, in case of air attack, made the aircraft especially vulnerable to just this type of ground attack..
By mid-1943, following the capture of southern Italy, Allied aircraft started to appear over the Balkans.
NDHThe letters NDH can mean:* The Independent State of Croatia * New German Hardness, or Neue Deutsche Härte * National Dairy Holdings L.P.* In ads for used vehicles, particularly aircraft: No damage history...
military command was aware of this danger and was trying to persuade the Germans to provide at least two squadrons of Messerschmitt 109 fighters to the ZNDH. However, instead of Messerschmitts, the only reinforcement fighters that came from Germany were the first of a batch of 36 overhauled captured French
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II but was under-powered, weakly-armed and lacked full armour protection when compared to its contemporaries...
fighters in October, plus another dozen which arrived in December. The Germans also supplied 25
Beneš-Mráz Beta-MinorThe Beneš-Mráz Be-50 Beta-Minor was a light airplane manufactured in Czechoslovakia shortly before World War II. First flown in 1935, it was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of wooden construction, with tandem open cockpits and fixed tailwheel undercarriage. The aircraft proved popular with...
sporting two seater monoplanes, which were dispatched between the squadrons for liaison duty, as the lack of radio communications equipment at squadron level was still evident.
Following the capitulation of Italy in September 1943, around 60
Regia AeronauticaThe Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy . It was established as a service independent of the Italian Royal Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolished and the Kingdom of Italy became the Republic of Italy...
aircraft were found at
MostarMostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the biggest and the most important city in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
and
ZadarZadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Zadar faces the islands of Ugljan and Pašman, from which it is separated by the narrow Zadar Strait. The promontory on which the old city stands used to be separated from the...
airfields and 33 machines were incorporated into the ZNDH. This number included further
Fiat G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
fighters, as well as six
Fiat CR.42The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a single-seat fighter biplane which served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica before and during World War II. The aircraft was produced by the Turin firm, and entered service, in smaller numbers, with the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungary...
bi-plane fighters. Some
CANT Z.1007The Cant Z.1007 Alcione , nicknamed "the flying barn door" by its air crews because of its flying characteristics, was a three-engined medium bomber used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica, Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and Luftwaffe during World War...
and
Fiat BR.20The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna was a twin-engine bomber of the Italian Regia Aeronautica which saw service in the Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II...
bombers were also incorporated into the ZNDH.
The capitulation of Italy also brought with it the real threat of an invasion by the Allies of the Dalmatian coast. As a result on 9 September, orders were received by
1./(Kroat.)KG to execute two coastal reconnaissance sorties over the central and south Adriatic each morning and afternoon. On 10 October one of its Dornier Do-17Zs was intercepted by 8
SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries through the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used into the 1950s both as a front line fighter and in secondary roles...
Mk.VIII fighters of RAF 92.Sqn near the coast of Italy. All of the fighters made firing passes on the Dornier, which was shot down, the crew bailing out. But one Spitfire was hit by return fire and crashed into the sea, killing its pilot. After this, reconnaissance sorties were confined to the vicinity of the Dalmatian coast..
Although the ZNDH was now able to mount a credible threat against the insurgents, by then a new menace was arriving from the other side of the Adriatic. On June 30, 1943 the first Allied reconnaissance flights were reported, followed by the first USAAF bombers, when 61 B-24 Liberators of IX Bomber Command overflew Croatia on a deep penetration raid on the Austrian city of
Wiener Neustadt----Wiener Neustadt , is a town located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land.- History :...
on 13 August. The ZNDH's 3rd Flak Group, defending Brod na Savi (
Slavonski BrodSlavonski Brod is a city in Croatia, with a population of 61,823 in 2001. The city was known as Marsonia in the Roman Empire, and as Brod na Savi 1244–1934. Located in the region of Slavonia, it is the centre of Brodsko-Posavska county, and a river port on the Sava river. It is 197 km...
), managed to shoot down a single bomber en route to its target..
The best aircraft that the ZNDH could put up to defend its homeland at the end of 1943 were 20
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II but was under-powered, weakly-armed and lacked full armour protection when compared to its contemporaries...
s, 10
Fiat G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
s, 6
Fiat CR.42The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a single-seat fighter biplane which served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica before and during World War II. The aircraft was produced by the Turin firm, and entered service, in smaller numbers, with the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungary...
s, 5
Avia BH-33The Avia BH-33 was a biplane fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in 1927. It was based on the BH-21J that demonstrated promising results by marrying the original BH-21 airframe with a licence-built Bristol Jupiter radial engine...
s and 2
Ikarus IK 2The Ikarus IK-2 was a 1930s high-wing, all-metal, single seat, monoplane fighter aircraft of indigenous design built for the Yugoslav Air Force...
fighters – aircraft that had been obsolete in 1940!
The end of 1943 saw the ZNDH in possession of 295 aircraft, having lost 61 shot down, destroyed on the ground, in accidents and 5 desertions.
The Allies strike hard - 1944
With the capitulation of Italy, the ZNDH lost an important source of new aircraft and the tide turned significantly when Allied air raids on targets in the
BalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
became a reality. The
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
fighter squadrons stationed in
LjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is located in the centre of the country, historically part of the Inner Carniola, and is a mid-sized city of some 280,000 inhabitants. Ljubljana is regarded as the cultural, scientific, economic, political and administrative centre of...
,
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
, southern Austria and northern Italy fought heavy battles to stop the American USAAF heavy bomber armada. The ZNDH was also included in the defence with the newly formed 11th Fighter Group consisting of the 21st, 22nd and 23rd Fighter Squadrons equipped with
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II but was under-powered, weakly-armed and lacked full armour protection when compared to its contemporaries...
and Fiat
G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
aircraft.
1944 also saw the return of the
Croatian Air Force LegionThe Croatian Air Force Legion , or HZL, also known as the Croatian Legion, was a military unit of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia which fought alongside the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1943 and then back on Croatian soil...
(HZL) fighter squadron to Croatia from service on the
Eastern FrontThe Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of war between the European Axis powers, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia and Finland , and the Soviet Union which encompassed central and eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9...
. Upon its return the HZL was redesignated
Kroat. JGr 1 and its operational fighter squadron was redesignated
2./(Kroat.)JGr. Soon after arrival
2./(Kroat.)JGr sent its Croatian pilots to collect 12 brand new Macchi C.202 fighters direct from the plant near
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
in Italy. These aircraft retained their
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
markings whilst in service with the unit. A second training/operational conversion squadron was also formed, designated
3./(Kroat.)JGr and equipped with
Macchi C.200The Macchi C.200 Saetta was a World War II fighter aircraft built by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy, and used in various forms throughout the Regia Aeronautica...
and
Fiat CR.42The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a single-seat fighter biplane which served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica before and during World War II. The aircraft was produced by the Turin firm, and entered service, in smaller numbers, with the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungary...
fighters. After a period of operational conversion, the squadron commenced operations against the frequent incursions over Croatia by USAAF and RAF aircraft. During a period of intensive activity over the summer of 1944, the squadron claimed some 20 Allied aircraft shot down, while at the same time receiving six further Macchi C.202s, as well as four brand new
Macchi C.205The Macchi C.205 Veltro was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built by the Aeronautica Macchi. Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Macchi C.205 was one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine...
s.
The ZNDH's long obsolete
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II but was under-powered, weakly-armed and lacked full armour protection when compared to its contemporaries...
and Fiat
G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
fighter aircraft also bravely attempted to intercept the USAAF bomber formations, but were no match for the escorting
Mustang-Aircraft:* Cessna Citation Mustang, a modern business jet which is currently the smallest model in the Cessna Citation range* Mustang Aeronautics Midget Mustang, a homebuilt sportsplane...
and
ThunderboltA thunderbolt is a traditional expression for a discharge of lightning or a symbolic representation thereof. In its original usage the word may also have been a description of meteors, although this is not currently the case. As a divine manifestation it has been a powerful symbol throughout...
USAAF fighters and suffered heavy losses, both in the air and on the ground.
By the end of 1944 the HZL squadron had handed in its remaining worn-out Macchis for brand new German Messerschmitt 109G & K fighters. A total of 21 Messerschmitts had been delivered to the ZNDH by year's end.
In the second half of 1944, the situation on all fronts rapidly worsened for the Axis forces. Soviet, Bulgarian and
PartisanA partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation. The term can apply to the field element of resistance movements that opposed German rule in several countries during World War II .- History :As early as the...
armies had liberated the whole eastern part of Yugoslavia and Partisan forces in Bosnia pressed their attacks on even larger Axis garrisons. In a surprise attack on 20 September, they captured the city of
Banja LukaBanja Luka or Banjaluka is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest and most developed city in Republika Srpska which is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditionally it has been the center of the Bosanska Krajina region located in the northwestern...
and the ZNDH's airbase at Zaluzani airfield, including 11 unserviceable aircraft. In the total confusion during the attack on the airfield, a number of ZNDH crews managed to take off and escape at the last moment, some even starting their take off runs when barely clear of open hangar doors, using their turrets to provide suppressing fire, whilst others took off under heavy Partisan fire. The city and airbase were re-taken several days later in a heavy counter-attack by NDH and German troops.
The Germans also continued to supply 2nd line aircraft to the ZNDH, including between 8 and 12 exotic
Fieseler Fi 167The Fieseler Fi 167 was a 1930s German biplane torpedo and reconnaissance bomber designed for the new aircraft carriers then being planned.-Development:...
bi-plane torpedo bombers. These had been originally designed and intended for use aboard the German aircraft carrier
Graf ZeppelinGraf Zeppelin may refer to:*Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin , German officer and engineer, founder of the Zeppelin airship company *LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, the first airship named after Count Zeppelin...
, which was never completed. After that they were sold to
CroatiaThe Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany. The NDH was established on April 10, 1941 after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers...
, where their short-field and load-carrying abilities made them ideal not only for attack missions, but also for transporting ammunition and other supplies to besieged Croatian Army garrisons. Between their arrival in September 1944 and the end of the War, many of these missions were flown (under the right conditions, the aircraft could descend almost vertically). During one such mission, near
SisakSisak is a city in central Croatia. The city's population in 2001 was 52,236 and it is the administrative centre of Sisak-Moslavina county...
on 10 October 1944, an Fi 167 of the ZNDH was attacked by 5
P-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was a long-range single-seat World War II fighter aircraft. Designed, built and airborne in just 117 days, the Mustang first flew in RAF service as a fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft before conversion to a bomber escort, employed in raids over...
Mk IIIs of 213 Squadron RAF. The crew of the Fieseler (piloted by an ex-HZL 8-kill
Flying aceA flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of air victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more.It is said that fighter aces are a dying...
), exploiting the aircraft's extreme manouverability to the fullest, had the distinction of shooting down one of the Mustangs before itself being shot down. Possibly one of the last bi-plane "kills" of the war.
Death of an air force - 1945
1944 had been a catastrophic year for the ZNDH. Aircraft losses amounted to 234, primarily on the ground, and it entered 1945 with 196 machines, including 17 Messerschmitt 109Gs, 12
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II but was under-powered, weakly-armed and lacked full armour protection when compared to its contemporaries...
, seven Fiat
G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
and two
Fiat CR.42The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a single-seat fighter biplane which served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica before and during World War II. The aircraft was produced by the Turin firm, and entered service, in smaller numbers, with the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungary...
fighters.
Further deliveries of new aircraft from Germany continued in the early months of 1945 to replace losses. By 10 March, the ZNDH had 23 Messerschmitt 109G&Ks, three
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II but was under-powered, weakly-armed and lacked full armour protection when compared to its contemporaries...
, six Fiat
G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
and two Messerschmitt 110G fighters. The ZNDH still had 176 aircraft on its strength in April 1945..
The Dornier Do-17s of the ZNDH were still hitting back when and where they could and on 31 December 1944 a Dornier Do-17E attacked an RAF 148 Squadron
Handley Page HalifaxThe Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engine heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
bomber on the ground at the Partisan airfield at Grabovnica near
CazmaČazma is a town and municipality in Bjelovar-Bilogora county, Croatia.-Geography:Čazma is situated 60 kilometers southeast of Zagreb and only 30 kilometres from the center of the region - Bjelovar....
, destroying it with bombs. On 15 April 1945 a Dornier Do-17Z, escorted by two Messerschmitt 109Gs destroyed 2 aircraft of the Yugoslav Partisans at the airfield at
Sanski MostSanski Most is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Sana River in Bosanska Krajina, between Prijedor and Ključ. Administratively it is part of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
..
The last fighter delivery took place on 23 April 1945 and the last attack mission on 6 May, when two ancient Rogozarski R-100 fighter trainers bombed the railway bridge over the Kupa River in an effort to stop the partisan advance on
KarlovacKarlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the whole municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
, south of
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
. One of the Yugoslav-built
parasol wingA parasol wing monoplane is an aircraft design in which the wing is not mounted directly to the fuselage, but rather, the fuselage is supported beneath it by a set of struts, called cabane struts...
aircraft was hit by ground fire and the pilot crash-landed near his target. He was captured and shot on the spot.
That evening, with Partisan forces advancing upon the Croatian capital city of Zagreb, the commanding officer of the Croatian fighter group gathered together his men at Zagreb's Lucko airfield and released them from their oath of loyalty and announced that each was free to go. Some flew their aircraft and crews, including several Dornier Do-17s and a
CANT Z.1007The Cant Z.1007 Alcione , nicknamed "the flying barn door" by its air crews because of its flying characteristics, was a three-engined medium bomber used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica, Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and Luftwaffe during World War...
to Italy and the Allied forces there, some flew their aircraft over to the Partisans, including several light aircraft and some Messerschmitt 109s, whilst others, including at least one Dornier Do-17Z, a
Bristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was later adapted into a successful long-range and night fighter...
I and a Yugoslav designed and built Zmaj Fizir F.P.2 sought sanctuary at
KlagenfurtKlagenfurt am Wörthersee is the capital of the federal state of Carinthia in Austria. With a population of over 90,000 it is the sixth-largest city in the country. The city is the bishop's seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt and home to the Alpen-Adria...
in Austria.
The four year campaign of the
Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske (ZNDH) thus ended with the capture of the airbases around
ZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental center of Croatia, and a global city. According to the city government, the population of Zagreb in 2008 was 804,200...
on 8 May 1945 and the ZNDH ceased to exist. Its colourful collection of often vintage aircraft, scattered on deserted airfields, received new markings, a red star, and formed the basis of the new Yugoslav Air Force.
Service types
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Quantity
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Role
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
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|Messerschmitt Me-109G/K||50+||Fighter||Germany
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|
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II but was under-powered, weakly-armed and lacked full armour protection when compared to its contemporaries...
||48||Fighter||
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|
Fiat G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. It was the first Italian monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
||15+||Fighter||Italy
|-----
|Macchi C.202||18||Fighter||Italy
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|
Macchi C.205The Macchi C.205 Veltro was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built by the Aeronautica Macchi. Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Macchi C.205 was one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine...
||4||Fighter||Italy
|-----
|
Fiat CR.42The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a single-seat fighter biplane which served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica before and during World War II. The aircraft was produced by the Turin firm, and entered service, in smaller numbers, with the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungary...
||10+||Fighter||Italy
|-----
|Messerschmitt Me 110G-2||2||Fighter||Germany
|-----
|
Avia BH-33The Avia BH-33 was a biplane fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in 1927. It was based on the BH-21J that demonstrated promising results by marrying the original BH-21 airframe with a licence-built Bristol Jupiter radial engine...
||7||Fighter-trainer||
|-----
|Ikarus IK-2||4||Fighter||Yugoslavia
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|
Dornier DO-17KThe Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
||11||Bomber||Yugoslavia
|-----
|
Dornier DO-17EThe Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
||30||Bomber||Germany
|-----
|
Dornier DO-17ZThe Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
||21||Bomber||Germany
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|
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was later adapted into a successful long-range and night fighter...
||8||Bomber||
|-----
|Savoia Marcetti SM-79||1||Bomber||Italy
|-----
|
CANT Z.1007The Cant Z.1007 Alcione , nicknamed "the flying barn door" by its air crews because of its flying characteristics, was a three-engined medium bomber used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica, Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and Luftwaffe during World War...
||10||Bomber||Italy
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|
Fiat BR.20The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna was a twin-engine bomber of the Italian Regia Aeronautica which saw service in the Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II...
||6||Bomber||Italy
|-----
|Avia Fokker F.39||1||Bomber||
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|
Caproni Ca.310The Caproni-Begamaschi Ca.310 Libeccio was an Italian monoplane, twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used in World War II. Derived from the similar Ca.309, it had its combat debut during the Spanish Civil War, and took part in the earlier phases of World War II in Libya...
||7||Bomber/Utility||Italy
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|
Caproni Ca.311The Caproni Ca.311 was a light bomber-reconnaissance aircraft produced in Italy prior to and during World War II. It was a member of the large family of Caproni designs derived from the Ca.306 airliner prototype of 1935, and more directly a modification of the Ca.310 bomber. As with other related...
/313/314||16||Bomber/Utility||Italy
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|
Breguet 19The Breguet 19 was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.-Development:...
||50||Reconnaissance/Utility||
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|
Potez 25Potez 25 was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line plane and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions...
||42||Reconnaissance/Utility||
|-----
|
Fieseler Fi 156The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market...
||11||Utility||Germany
|-----
|
Fieseler Fi 167The Fieseler Fi 167 was a 1930s German biplane torpedo and reconnaissance bomber designed for the new aircraft carriers then being planned.-Development:...
||8-12||Utility||Germany
|-----
|
de Havilland Puss MothThe de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth is a three seater high-wing monoplane aeroplane designed and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company between 1929 and 1933...
D.H.80||2||Utility||
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|
RWD-13The RWD-13 was a Polish touring plane of 1935, three seater high-wing monoplane, designed by the RWD team. It was the biggest commercial success of the RWD.-Design and development:...
||1||Utility||
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|
Beneš-Mráz Beta-MinorThe Beneš-Mráz Be-50 Beta-Minor was a light airplane manufactured in Czechoslovakia shortly before World War II. First flown in 1935, it was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of wooden construction, with tandem open cockpits and fixed tailwheel undercarriage. The aircraft proved popular with...
||25||Trainer/Utility||
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|
Bücker Bü 181The Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann is a two seater, single engine trainer aircraft built by Bücker Flugzeugbau GmbH in Johannisthal, Berlin and extensively used by the Luftwaffe in World War II.-Development:...
Bestmann||22||Trainer/Utility||Germany
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|
Saiman 200The SAIMAN 200 was a 1930s Italian two-seat primary trainer designed and built by the Società Industrie Meccaniche Aeronautiche Naval .-Development:Designed as a basic trainer the first of theee prototypes SAIMAN 200 first flew at the end of 1938...
||25||Trainer||Italy
|-----
|
Saiman 202The SAIMAN 202 was a 1930s Italian two-seat cabin monoplane designed and built by the Società Industrie Meccaniche Aeronautiche Naval .-Development:...
||2||Trainer/Utility||Italy
|-----
|
AVIA FL.3The Avia FL.3 was an Italian two-seat cabin monoplane designed and built by Anonima Vercellese Industria Aeronautica who were later taken over by Lombardi in 1947.-Development:...
||20||Trainer/Utility||Italy
|-----
|Rogozarski SIM-XI||1||Trainer||Yugoslavia
|-----
|Rogozarski SIM-X||1||Trainer||Yugoslavia
|-----
|Rogozarski PVT||15||Trainer/attack||Yugoslavia
|-----
|Ikarus MM-2||1||Fighter-trainer||Yugoslavia
|-----
|Rogozarski R-100||11||Fighter-trainer/attack||Yugoslavia
|-----
|
Bücker Bü 131The German Bücker Bü 131 "Jungmann" was a 1930s basic training aircraft which was used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.-Development:...
||46||Trainer/Utility||Germany
|-----
|
Bücker Bü 133The Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister was an advanced trainer of the Luftwaffe in the 1930s. It was a single-engine, single-seat biplane of wood and tubular steel construction and covered in fabric.-Development:...
||10||Trainer/Utility||Germany
|-----
|Zmaj Fizir FN||20||Trainer||Yugoslavia
|-----
|Zmaj Fizir FP.2||23||Trainer/Utility||Yugoslavia
|-----
|Avia
Fokker F.VIIThe Fokker F.VII was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence.-Design and development:...
||7||Transport||
|-----
|Avia
Fokker F.IXThe Fokker F.IX was an airliner developed in the Netherlands in the late 1920s, intended to provide KLM with an aircraft suitable for regular services to the Dutch East Indies...
||2||Transport||
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|
Junkers W 34Junkers W 34 was a German-built, single-engine, passenger- and transport aircraft. Developed in the 1920s, it was taken into service in 1926. The passenger version could take a pilot and five passengers. The aircraft was developed from the Junkers W 33...
||4||Transport||Germany
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|
Airspeed EnvoyAirspeed AS.6 Envoy was a British light, twin-engined transport aircraft designed and built by Airspeed Ltd. at Portsmouth Aerodrome, Hampshire.-Development:...
||2||Transport||
|-----
|}
See also
- Croatian Air Force Legion
The Croatian Air Force Legion , or HZL, also known as the Croatian Legion, was a military unit of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia which fought alongside the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1943 and then back on Croatian soil...
- Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany. The NDH was established on April 10, 1941 after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers...
during World War II
- Yugoslav Front of World War II
- Yugoslavia during the Second World War
- Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on Kingdom of Yugoslavia on April 6, 1941 during World War II...
- Royal Yugoslav Air Force
- Yugoslav Partisans