Navy of the Independent State of Croatia
| Navy of the Independent State of Croatia Mornarica Nezavisne Države Hrvatske | |
|---|---|
|
Insignia of the Navy of the Independent State of Croatia | |
| Active | 1941–1944 |
| Country |
 NDH |
| Allegiance | Poglavnik |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Coastal defence |
| Size | 1,262 personnel (1943) |
| Part of | Croatian Armed Forces |
| H/Q | Split, Croatia |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | See article |
| Disbanded | 14 December 1944 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Đuro Jakčin, Edgar Angeli, Nikola Steinfel |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Ensign (1941–1944) |
 |
| Naval Jack (1941–1944) |
 |
The Navy of the Independent State of Croatia (Croatian: Mornarica Nezavisne Države Hrvatske), was the navy of the NDH established by the Law on the Establishment of the Army and Navy issued on 10 April 1941 by retired Austro-Hungarian Lieutenant Colonel (later Marshal and Commander-in-chief of the armed forces) Slavko Kvaternik, with the approval of the Germans. The task of the navy, along with the army, was to defend the new state against both foreign and domestic enemies.[1] The Law Decree on the Armed Forces of 18 March 1942 organised the navy as a branch of the army (Croatian: Domobrani). The navy was always a small part of the armed forces, numbering only 1,262 in September 1943.[2] At the end of December 1944, the navy consisted of a flotilla of small craft stationed at Rijeka. The entire flotilla tried to desert to the Partisans in December 1944, but all but one craft (carrying the commander of the flotilla) was prevented from deserting by the Germans. The Germans disarmed the remaining vessels and sent the crews to Zagreb where they formed a special unit for service on land.[3]
Makarska was the port for the navy and served as the headquarters of the Central Adriatic Naval Command, until it was moved to Split.[4]
During the war, a military unit of the navy (the Croatian Naval Legion), fought as part of the Kriegsmarine on the Eastern Front.[5]
Naval commanders
- Đuro Jakčin[6] (1941–1943)
- Edgar Angeli (1943–1944)
- Nikola Steinfel (1944)
Ships
See also
- Croatian Armed Forces
- Croatian Home Guard
- Croatian Naval Legion
- Croatian Air Force
Notes
- ↑ Tomasevich (2001), p. 417
- ↑ Tomasevich (2001), p. 424
- ↑ Tomasevich (2001), p. 431
- ↑ Nigel Thomas, K. Mikulan, Darko Pavlovic. Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45, pg. 18, Osprey Publishing, 1995.
- ↑ Croatian Naval Legion at AxisHistory.com
- ↑ Biographies - Home Defense Navy
References
- Tomasevich, Jozo (2001). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: Occupation and Collaboration 2. San Francisco: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-3615-4.