Crna Legija

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The Crna Legija (Black Legion) was the name given to the 1st and 5th Ustaše Brigades during World War II. The units were named as such due to the fact that their uniforms were coloured black, unlike other Ustaše units. These units drew their recruits largely from survivors of chetnik massacres in Eastern Bosnia and represented among the elitest units in the Croatian army of the period.[1].

As an elite unit, they proved highly effective in driving out Chetnik units raiding Eastern Bosnia, and pressuring the Partisan as part of a large battle corp involving German & Italian troops.

The Crna Legija unit commanders were Colonel Jure Francetić and Major Rafael Boban. While Boban remained in command of the unit to the very end of the war, Francetić died in 1942 and was succeeded by Colonel Ivo Stipković and then Major Franjo Sudar. With the loss of its commander, the Legion was broken up. The main body became the I Pokretni Ustaški sdrug (I Mobile Ustasha Brigade), while the Boban Battalion was used to form the cadre for the newly formed V Ustasha Brigade in Podravina. Former members of the Black Legion continued to wear the black uniform right up to the end of the war, probably as a sort of honorary mark of distinction. Lastly, at least 120 former Black Legion men were executed by the Partisans at Sisak in May 1945.

The Black legion was especially notorious & feared even within Ustasha ranks for showing no quarter & expecting none. In the fratricidal conflict between the Black Legion, Chetniks & Partisans, civilians bore the brunt of atrocities in a cycle of revenge & violence.