History of Croatian Air Force - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Early aviation history

Some of the first pioneers in aviation were from Croatia or of Croatian descent. Faust Vrančić

Faust Vrancic

Fausto Veranzio or Faust Vrančić was a polymath and bishop from the Venetian Republic.-Family history:...

designed and tested the parachute in 1617. First Croat flying in a balloon

Balloon (aircraft)

A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....

was Krsto Mazarović

Krsto Mazarović

Krsto Mazarović was one of the pioneers of Croatian aviation. He was the first Croat flying in a balloon. His flight took place on December 15, 1789 in Zagreb when he was conducting the first meteorological air pressure measurement in Croatia...

over Zagreb in 1789. David Schwarz

David Schwarz (aviation inventor)

David Schwarz was a Hungarian aviation pioneer of Jewish descent.Schwarz created the first flyable rigid airship. It was also the first airship with an external hull made entirely of metal. He died before he could see it finally fly...

created the first flyable Rigid airship

Rigid airship

A rigid airship is a type of airship in which the envelope retained its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships.Rigid airships were produced and...

. Slavoljub Eduard Penkala

Slavoljub Eduard Penkala

Slavoljub Eduard Penkala was a naturalized Croatian engineer and inventor of Polish-Jewish ethnicity.Eduard Penkala was born in Liptovský Mikuláš , to Franjo Penkala, who was of Polish Jew heritage, and Maria Penkala , who was of Dutch heritage...

constructed the first Croatian two-seat aeroplane in 1909 which Dragutin Novak

Dragutin Novak

Dragutin Karlo Novak , was first person in Croatia to make a heavier-than-air flight. He flew a plane constructed by Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, June 22, 1910....

, the first Croatian pilot, used for his first flight. Katarina Matanović-Kulenović

Katarina Matanovic-Kulenovic

Katarina Matanović-Kulenović was the first female Croatian pilot and parachutist.Born near Osijek in 1913, she lived in Zagreb from 1918. She became a graduated pilot in the Yugoslav Royal Air Force in 1936...

was the first female Croatian pilot. Other notable aircraft constructors were Rudolf Fizir

Rudolf Fizir

Rudolf Fizir , was an airplane constructor, he was born in Ludbreg, a small town on the river Drava, in the north of Croatia. He built 18 original planes, some conversions of landplanes to seaplanes - and a parachute....

, Mihailo Merćep

Mihailo Mercep

Mihailo Merćep , Serb flight pioneer.Born in Dubrovnik in a tradesman family, then a part of Austria-Hungary, Merćep started his primary education in Kladovo, Serbia and finished on the other side of the Danube in Turn-Severin , He returned to his native town in 1878 where he worked as a merchant...

, Ivan Sarić

Ivan Šaric

Ivan Šarić was a Roman Catholic priest who became the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vrhbosna in 1922...

and Stanko Obad.

World War I

During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Croatian pilots flew in Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops. Johann Lasi

Johann Lasi

Stabfeldwebel Johann Lasi was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.-References:...

was the first Croatian ace, scoring five victories in only 30 minutes of combat. Miroslav Navratil

Miroslav Navratil

Miroslav 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....

and Raoul Stojsavljevic

Raoul Stojsavljevic

Hauptmann Raoul Stojsavljevic was a World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. His later career took him to postwar service in aviation both military and civilian.-Pre-World War I:...

were some of the most successful aces in the war, both scoring 10 victories.

Viktor Klobučar was the first commander of the Austro-Hungarian naval aviation. He established a naval air force and a network of seaplane

Seaplane

A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...

bases from Istria to the Bay of Kotor. Major Emil Uzelac

Emil Uzelac

Milan Emil Uzelac was a 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.-Life:...

was a Croatian military commander who was a leading figure in the air forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and later in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Independent State of Croatia. After World War I the Yugoslav Royal Air Force

Yugoslav Royal Air Force

The Yugoslav Royal Air Force was formed in 1918 in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and existed until Yugoslavia's surrender to the Axis powers in 1941 following the Invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II....

was formed upon the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...

in 1929) in 1918 and existed until Yugoslavia's surrender to Axis powers in 1941 after the Invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

World war II

The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia

Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia

The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, the Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske was the national air force of the Independent State of Croatia during World War II, founded under German authority in April 1941...

came into existence in July 1941. During the war, much of the force's capacity was sent to the Eastern Front

Eastern Front (World War II)

The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...

as the Croatian Air Force Legion
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...

(Croatian

Croatian language

Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...

: Hrvatska zrakoplovna legija, German: Kroatische Luftwaffen Legion). This consisted of one fighter squadron equipped with Messerschmitt 109 fighters and one bomber squadron equipped with Dornier Do 17

Dornier Do 17

The 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...

bombers. The fighter squadron served in Russia as part of JG 52. Many of the unit's pilots became aces, including; Mato Dukovac

Mato Dukovac

Mato Dukovac was a Croatian World War II fighter ace.Dukovac was born in September 1918 in Surčin, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. He enlisted in the Croatian Air Force soon after the country was declared independent in 1941...

, Cvitan Galić

Cvitan Galic

Cvitan Galić was a Croatian World War II fighter ace.Galić was born on November 29, 1909 in the village of Gorica near Ljubuški. He finished grade school in the town of Sovići. In 1927 he was transferred to the Yugoslav Royal Air Force and finished its pilot academy in Mostar by 1932.During the...

, Franjo Džal

Franjo Džal

Franjo Džal was a colonel in the Independent State of Croatia's air force.He finished elementary school and gymnasium in Bihać and graduated from the military academy in Belgrade in 1924. In the Yugoslav Royal Army he finished training as a fighter pilot. During the April War he was serving as a...

, and many more. The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia

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. Croatia had a large fleet of relatively modern aircraft during the Second World War usually of German origin, but also ex-Royal Yugoslav, Italian, French, British and Czech. The fleet numbered several hundred aircraft, from training biplanes to the latest Messerschmitt 109 fighters. All ZNDH aircraft captured at the end of World War II

World War II

were incorporated into the Yugoslav People's Army

Yugoslav People's Army

The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...

inventory.

On the Allied side, when the Partisan

Partisans (Yugoslavia)

The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...

forces started forming their own air force squadrons (based on donated Allied planes, as well as captured ZNDH aircraft) towards the end of the war, a number of Croats with previous flying experience (NDH defectors, USAAF pilots of Yugoslav descent, pre-war civilian pilots), as well as previously untrained personnel, took part in the effort. Most famous unit was the No. 352 Squadron RAF

No. 352 Squadron RAF

No. 352 Squadron RAF was a Yugoslav-manned fighter-bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. The squadron was also known as First NOVJ Squadron.- History :...

. Founders of the Partisan air force were Croatian pilots Rudi Čajavec

Rudi Cajavec

Rudi Čajavec was a Yugoslav pilot , best known as the first airman of Partisan air force....

and Franjo Kluz

Franjo Kluz

Franjo Kluz was a Yugoslav pilot from Bosnia and a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. He is best known as one of the founders of the Partisan air force, serving as an officer in the RAF-trained 352 SqnSqn....

. They both received the title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia

People's Hero of Yugoslavia

The Order of the People's Hero was a Yugoslav gallantry medal, the second highest military award, and third overall Yugoslav decoration. It was awarded to individuals, military units, political and other organisations who distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroic deeds during war and in...

Modern Croatian Air Force

The Croatian Air Force

Croatian Air Force and Defense

Croatian Air Force and Air Defence is a branch of the Croatian Armed Forces.-Aviation history:Some of the first aviation pioneers were from Croatia or of Croatian descent. Faust Vrančić designed and successfully tested the parachute in 1617. First Croat flying in a balloon was Krsto Mazarović over...

as it is known now was officially established on December 12, 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence

Croatian War of Independence

The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...

from Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

. At first, only small agricultural and transport planes, were used to fight a far superior, Serb-led Yugoslav National Army that took almost all aircraft which were, in fact, the property of all ex-Yugoslav states. Some UTVA-75s were fitted with 90-mm rocket-propelled grenades launchers and improvised ordnance like pressurized containers or acetylene

Acetylene

Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...

tubes filled with explosives, known as "boiler bombs". A number of Antonov An-2

Antonov An-2

The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed in the USSR in 1946...

biplanes used for crop-spraying or leased from parachute clubs were also converted by Croatian Forces to drop makeshift bombs and were used in supply missions to the town of Vukovar

Vukovar

Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...

and other besieged parts of Croatia. The main advantage for the An-2 was that they could take off and land on small or improvised airstrips. They were also used to drop supplies by parachute to isolated garrisons. At least one An-2 was shot down on 2 December 1991 over Vinkovci

Vinkovci

Vinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county...

, eastern Slavonia

Slavonia

Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...

, by Serbian SAM missiles, with the loss of its crew of four. Among the dead was Commander Marko Zivcovic, the mastermind behind the resupply missions. It is claimed that he developed a GPS navigational system to drop cargoes with an accuracy of 10 metres. Croatia was eventually able to acquire three MiG-21s (brought over by JNA defectors) by late 1992 when the first fighter squadron was formed. Soon, by evading the embargo on weapons, almost 40 MiG-21bis/UM fighters were acquired. Around 25 were put into service while the rest served as a source for spare parts. The helicopter force was basically created during the war period by purchasing around 20 Mil Mi-8

Mil Mi-8

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....

transports and 10 Mi-24 gunships, which were used to a devastating effect in 1995 during Operation Storm

Operation Storm

Operation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...

. After the war, many aircraft were withdrawn from service, and modern ones were also obtained, notably 20 Pilatus PC-9

Pilatus PC-9

The Pilatus PC-9 is a single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland.-Design and development:...

and 10 Bell 206B-3

Bell 206

The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected...

in 1997. After 2003 almost the whole fleet was modernized or completely overhauled. Croatia is now expecting new helicopters and fighters to enter service in the near future, enabling the military to operate much needed up-to-date technology.

Early aviation history

World War I

World war II

Modern Croatian Air Force

See also