The Croatian Air Force Legion (Croatian: Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija), or HZL, was a unit of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of volunteers drawn from the nazi puppet-state, the Independent State of Croatia. Many of them had previously served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in April 1941 during the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia.[2]
The legion fought on the Eastern Front between 1941–1943 during the Second World War. The unit was sent to Germany for training on 15 July 1941, the fighter group to Fürth near Nüremberg and the bomber group to Greifswald, before heading to the Eastern Front. Some of them also had experience in the two main types that they would operate, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Dornier Do 17, with two fighter pilots having actually shot down Luftwaffe aircraft.[1]
The Legion's first commander was Obertsleutnant Ivan Mrak. During operations over the Eastern Front, the unit's fighters scored a total of 283 kills while its bombers participated in 1,332 combat missions. It was disbanded on 21 July 1944 and transformed into the Croatian Air Force Training Group.[2] It was then absorbed by the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia and its surviving members fought back on Croatian soil. The legion had approximately 360 officers, NCOs and men.[3]
^ abcCiglic and Savic 2002
^ abVladimir Brnardic 2016, p. 10-12.
^"The Eastern Front: Back in the Homeland after 65 years." Archived 2008-03-30 at the Wayback Machine vecernji.hr. Retrieved: 21 July 2010.
and 16 Related for: Croatian Air Force Legion information
The CroatianAirForce (Croatian: Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo or HRZ) is a branch of the Croatian Armed Forces whose primary task is to ensure the sovereignty...
Zagreb. The modern CroatianAirForce (Croatian: Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo) was established on 12 December 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence...
The AirForce of the Independent State of Croatia (Croatian: Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske; ZNDH), was the airforce of the Independent State...
The Croatian Naval Legion (Croatian: Hrvatska pomorska legija) was a contingent of volunteers from the Independent State of Croatia that served with Nazi...
World War II The 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division, as part of German Wehrmacht, fought in World War II The CroatianAirForceLegion, as part of German Luftwaffe...
the Soviet Union formed the Ostlegionen (literally "Eastern Legions"). The East Legions comprized a total of 175,000 personnel. These units were all...
depicting oak leaves Croatian trefoil used by the Axis-sympathetic CroatianAirForceLegion in World War II, formed from a defaced Balkenkreuz Symmetrical...
1990) was the leading Croatian fighter ace of World War II, credited with between 40 and 44 confirmed victories. He joined the AirForce of the Independent...
Zrakoplovstvo u Drugome Svjetskom Ratu (The CroatianAirForce in the Second World War) (Croatian/English). Zagreb, Croatia: Nacionalna, 1998. ISBN 953-97698-0-9...
April 1945. The CroatianAirForceLegion (Serbo-Croatian: Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija), or HZL, was a military unit of the AirForce of the Independent...
gendarmeries Leese, Capt. Robert. "Afghan National Army Air Corps now Afghan National Army AirForce". US AirForce, 14 June 2010. Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback...
included some members of the Sokol Legion and many former POWs, the dominant force within it was the Slovene Legion, and through it, the Slovene People's...
detachment was active in the Syrmia region of the Independent State of Croatia. At the end of 1942, it was recorded as having 145 members. Headquartered...
Global Information
Independent State of Croatia
Germany
Jagdgeschwader 52
