Croatian Air Force Legion
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The Croatian Air Force Legion (Croatian: Hrvatska zrakoplovna legija), 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. The legion had approximately 360 men.[1]
The unit was sent to Germany for training on July 15, 1941 before heading to the Eastern Front.[2] Its commander was Ivan Mrak. The unit's fighters scored a total of 263 kills while its bombers participated in 1,332 combat missions.[2]
[edit] Organization
It was organized into a bomber wing and fighter wing:
- 4. Fighter Wing (Major Franjo Dzal)
- 10. Fighter Squadron
- 11. Fighter Squadron
The 4. Fighter Wing was attached to the Jagdgeschwader 52. It originally served as part of the III./JG 52, while later it became known as the 15(Kroat.)/JG52. It was led by Franjo Džal.
- 5. Bomber Wing
- 12. Bomber Squadron
- 13. Bomber Squadron
The 5. Bomber Wing was originally attached to Kampfgeschwader 3 as part of the 10/KG3 and later as the 15.(Kroat.)/KG 3.
