← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Zvaci
Thread ID: 8717 | Posts: 9 | Started: 2003-08-03
2003-08-03 14:39 | User Profile
1st Ustasa Regiment
The 1st Ustasa Regiment formed in September 1941 with 800 men from the Sarajevo Ustasa Camp. By December of the same year, it contained 1500 men in3 to four battalions. (Originally formed by Becir Lokmic, but after his death taken over by Jure Francetic). It was led by probobly the two most notorious Ustsha officers - Francetic (1912-1942) acting as a commander, and Major Rafael Boban (1907-?) as his deputy commander. It soon received the name under which the regiment is more commonly known, "Crna Legija" or the "Black Legion", named so because of its black uniforms. It was intended for service against Chetniks and Partisans in Eastern Bosnia. The Black Legion was without any doubt a very effective, ruthless and highly motivated unit, so that it never was defeated in battle by the Partisans or the Chetniks. It consisted of a mixture well trained and fanatical Ustasha Officers and soldiers, most of them being Croatian and Muslim refugees from Eastern Bosnia, that had just witnessed their families death by the Cetnik hands in Foca and Gorazde in the cycle of massacres that followed the independence of Croatia, and that were now seeking revenge. Its strength was growing rapidly from 800 men at the beginning and until December 1942 when it had approximately 1500 men. operating in three to four battalions. At that time it already gained fame as probably the most brutal Croatian unit in World War II, responsible for killing many captured Chetniks and Partisans, eventually even prompting the protests of German military authorities in Croatia. The Legion was engaged in all major anti-partisan offensives in Eastern Bosnia and Southern Herzegovina, operating around Bugojno, Kupres and Donji Vakuf. During the German offensive "trio" (in April 1942), the Black Legion (three) battalions led by Colonel Jure Francetic) started the attack before planned and without informing the HQ of the German Kampfgroup "Badek" in advance. However the Black Legion again did its duty and took Vlasenica on the 1st of April 1942, and eight days later also took the town of Bratunac and Srebrenica. One Black Legion battalion also took part in the defense of Bugojno July 1942. The proudest hour of the Legion was, however, the defense of Kupres (two battalions engaged) in August 1942, just before Jury Francetic was transferred out of the unit. The Black Legion was then disbanded at the end of 1942. Most men of the Black Legion were incorporated into the 5th Ustasa Active Service Brigade and a few of them joined the unit assembled by Major Rafael Boban, called "Bobanova Bojna" (Boban's Battalion). The "father" of the Black; Legion, Colonel Jure Francetic, died shortly after the Kupres battle, on December 23, 1942 when his plane was forced to land due to some engine problems near the village Mocilo (near Slunj), where the villagers handed him over to the Partisan command in Slujn, where he died from wounds he received during the forced landing, posthumously promoted to the rank "Ustaski Krilnik", a honorary rank equivalent to an Army General (the highest "operational" was that of a Colonel.
[img]http://connexus.net.au/~mikuto/stamps/ndh_160.jpg[/img] On the NDH stamp: Vitez (Knight) Krilnik (general) Jure Francetiæ comander of the 1st Ustasa Regiment 'Crna Legija' (The Black Legion)
2003-08-03 16:53 | User Profile
Thank you for this very interesting article. I do recall hearing about the Ustasa in more general terms but any information about what they beleived and did is rather hard to find (for those of us that don't know your tongue). Prhaps you or the other Croats (is that the proper term?) could bring us non Slavs up to date. Thank you
2003-08-03 17:42 | User Profile
**Thank you for this very interesting article.ÃÂ **
Its a pleasure.
**I do recall hearing about the Ustasa in more general terms but any information about what they beleived and did is rather hard to find (for those of us that don't know your tongue).ÃÂ **
Ustasha subject is still taboo, and most things you can find on them are holocaust kind of propaganda, but the times are starting to change, new authors like lord N. Tolstoj started to tell the truth:
[url=http://www.hic.hr/books/seeurope/015e-tolstoy.htm]http://www.hic.hr/books/seeurope/015e-tolstoy.htm[/url]
**Prhaps you or the other Croats (is that the proper term?) could bring us non Slavs up to date. Thank you **
I have some detail literatour, but its unfortunatelly all on Croatian, Ill translate interesting sources I find in this thread. :)
2003-08-04 09:01 | User Profile
One of the most drammatic battles fought by these elite Ustasa fighters (the Boban units, named after their legendary commander) was the fighting through the Communist blockade in 1945 when the Croatian Army and hundreds of thousands of civilians were withdrawing from the Tito's Communists towards the Austrian border to surrender to the Allies, hoping for a more humane treatment. They were then tricked by the British into boarding trains that they were told would bring them to refugee camps in Italy, but were instead delivered to the tender mercies of the Tito's Communistic hordes who killed almost all of them. Up to 200 thousands died in what is known in Croatia as 'The Bleiburg Massacres' (although estimates vary). These battles took place a week after the WW2 was over, making them the last WW2 military operations in Europe. The Croatian government is currently trying to buy some land in the Bleiburg valley in Austria to build a monument for these victims, while thousands of Croatians attend a commemoration of these trgic events every year on May 15. Some time Ago, I posted some material on [url=http://forum.originaldissent.com/index.php?showtopic=8986]Croatian Forces in WW2[/url] including the Ostfront volounteers. Although a small country (then 3.5M people) Croatia was a honourable German ally that fought to the bitter end. Even the Fuhrer himself thought highly of Croatians. For example, in the book 'Hitlers Tischreden' (Hitler's Tabletalk) under the entry for October 29, 1941, the following quote from Hitler can be found: "The Croatians are a proud Folk. They should be bound directly to The Leader (i.e. A.H. himself) by an oath of loyalty. Like that, one could rely upon them absolutely. When I have [Commander in Chief of the Croatian Army, Slavko] Kvaternik standing in front of me, I behold the very type of the Croatian as I've always known him, unshakeable in his friendships, a man whose oath is eternally binding.
Regarding the principle of the Ustasa movement, here are some excerpts from "The Croat Question from its leader Ante Pavelic (1936):
...thousand years ago, the Croat people had already chosen the Western Culture and civilization. Standing on the border between East and West, it successfully defended this border, despite great sacrifices, against Byzantine and Turkish attacks in a struggle lasting for centuries, fighting in its own defense, but also in defense of all Europe. During these thousand years, the Croats stood on one side and the Serbs on the other of a frontier which also forms the border between Western Civilization and the Orient. . . .
The Croats, a people conscious of their thousand-year-old national individuality, cannot and will not ever give up this individuality, and will resist unconditionally, with all available means, its destruction. This Croat life force is a fact which cannot be affected by any reasons, explanations or arguments, a fact which is indisputable and not subject to discussion. Thus life itself demonstrates the falsehood of the arguments of the victors of the [First] World War. . . .
From the fact that the Croats are an independent ethnic personality and not a part of a fictitious Yugoslav nation, the other fact inevitably follows, that the Croats do not accept the contemporary Yugoslav state but reject it with all determination. This state was established against the will of the Croat people; the committee of the Zagreb National Diet which proclaimed the unification of Croatia and Serbia on 1 December 1918 was never empowered to do so by the Croat people. Within a few days of this unification, the Croat resistance had to be suppressed with machine guns. . . . Thus was Croatia cast into the confusion of a total Balkan chaos, overflowing with political and private amorality, where disorder and corruption characterize the normal form of state administration and immorality is the ideal of private life. . .
The Croat liberation movement demands the reconstruction of a free and independent Croat state comprising the entire historical and ethnic territory of the Croat people. It strives for this end because it corresponds to the will of the whole Croat nation and to its vital needs, because the Croat nation has an incontrovertible right thereto, and because no one is empowered to deny it this right under any pretext whatever. . . .
The Enemies of the Croat Liberation Movement
To estimate the difficulties of the Croat liberation struggle, we must look more closely at the question of its enemies. Here stands in the first place the Serbian government, which, with all the means at its disposal, exerting all its powers, strives to destroy the Croat movement. . . .
The role played by freemasonry in Yugoslavia is little understood abroad. But a closer examination of this question shows that all state power is in the hands of freemasons. During the World War, freemasonry contrived the establishment of Yugoslavia. For this purpose, during the war, it organized and supported abroad the "Yugoslav Committee", which constituted the embryo of Yugoslavia. . . . As its own creation, international freemasonry has the Yugoslav state well in hand. From the foundation of the state to this day, all personalities occupying any important political position or any administrative position of importance have been lodge members. The highest patron of the Yugoslav freemasonry is the Karadjordjevic dynasty, and the king is also, as a rule, the grand master of the Yugoslav lodges. . . . It goes without saying that both the Yugoslav and international freemasonry has outlawed and excommunicated the Croat liberation movement. It tries to ruin any Croat in the country who is suspected of taking any part, however small, in the independence movement. Freemasonry does not attack any of the Croat party politicians who demand Croat autonomy on the basis of democracy in the framework of a Yugoslav state, because these are in part themselves connected with Jewry and freemasonry. It acts exclusively against our independence movement, which is neither masonic nor democratic, but which fights for the full liberation of Croatia and for an internal order built on sound nationalistic principles. . . .
Today, practically all finance and nearly all commerce in Croatia is in Jewish hands. This became possible only through the support of the state, which thereby seeks, on one hand, to strengthen the pro-Serbian Jews, and on the other, to weaken Croat national strength. The Jews also celebrated the establishment of the so-called Yugoslav state with great joy, because a national Croatia could never be as useful to them as a multi-national Yugoslavia; for in national chaos lies the power of the Jews. . . . In fact, as the Jews had foreseen, Yugoslavia became, in consequence of the corruption of official life in Serbia, a true Eldorado of Jewry. The latter shows its gratitude for the patronage of Belgrade by using its capital, squeezed out of the Croat people, against the Croat freedom struggle. . . . The entire press in Croatia is also in Jewish-masonic hands, because after the establishment of the military dictatorship in 1929, the Croat press was prohibited and destroyed. This press serves primarily to combat the Croat independence movement directly or indirectly, and also to misrepresent abroad the popular feeling in Croatia. . . .
Communism has not been able to penetrate wider layers of Croat society. Nevertheless, the Belgrade government has sent a large number of communist-infected Serbian students to attend the Croat university in Zagreb at the cost of the state. Together with the Jews, these students spread communist propaganda in Croatia, demonstrate at every opportunity and try to falsify before the outside world the true position of the Croat nationalist student body. . . .
Furthermore, the Comintern has adopted the fully justified standpoint that bolshevik aims will be far more easily achieved in an unconsolidated and corrupt Yugoslavia, disrupted by Serb-Croat struggle, than in a nationally homogeneous Croat state, whose national solidarity, sound peasantry, strong Central European cultural tradition, and historical mission as the bulwark of the West against the Orient would also make it a barrier against bolshevism. Therefore the Communists work for the survival of the Yugoslav state, and attack our independence movement with unexampled hatred. . . .
Principles of the Ustasa Movement (1941)
The Croat nation is an independent ethnic entity. It is a nation in itself, and, in respect of nationality, is not identical with any other nation, nor is it a tribe or branch of another nation. . . .
The Croat nation, taken as a whole, has a right to happiness and prosperity, and every Croat has the same right as a member of this whole. This happiness and prosperity can be achieved, either by the nation as a whole or by the individual as a member of this whole, only in a fully self-governing and independent Croat state, and therefore no part of it can ever become, in any form, a component of another state.
In consequence of its sovereign right, the Croat nation must alone rule in its state and alone decide all state matters and national concerns.
No one not of Croat race and Croat blood may participate in Croat state and national leadership. Similarly, no foreign state or foreign nation may decide the fate of the Croat nation and Croat state.
The peasantry is the foundation and source of all life, and as such is the chief vehicle of all state authority in the Croat state. However, all other classes in Croatia are part of the national whole, because the other classes of the Croat nation whose members are of Croat blood have not only their roots and ancestry but also an unbroken family relationship with the village. Whoever, in Croatia, is not of peasant descent is, in nine out of ten cases, not of Croat origin or blood but an immigrant foreigner.
All material and spiritual wealth in the Croat State is the property of the nation, and the latter alone is empowered to dispose of them and to exploit them. The natural resources of the Croat fatherland, and especially its forests and mines, cannot be the object of private trade. The land can only belong to him who cultivates it himself or with his family, that is, to the peasant. . .
The exercise of all official functions is bound with personal responsibility. Anyone who conducts any business in the name of the state or the nation must answer for his actions with his life and his property. Duty and responsibility before society must also be the guiding principle of every action in the private life of every member of the Croat nation.
The moral strength of the Croat nation consists in an orderly family life in accordance with religious principles; its economic strength lies in agriculture, in its social collective life, and in the natural wealth of the Croat land; its military strength lies in its organizational and soldierly qualities. . .
Industry, trade and commerce must cooperate for the benefit of the whole national economy. These branches must become a field for honest and honorable work and a source of appropriately dignified life for the worker, but never a means for accumulating national wealth in the hands of the capitalists. . . .
2003-08-05 05:42 | User Profile
Excellent text Rudel! I found on the net Ustasha principles, but not quotations with Poglavik comment, thanks! :)
I composed a brief Gen. Rafael Boban biography using 'Who is who in NDH' (collection of biographies of famous people from the history of Independent State of Croatia)
[u]Rafael Boban [/u]
[img]http://users.skynet.be/hendrik/Images/Croat/cr-boban.jpg[/img] Born in à  iroki Brieg (Todays socalled 'Bosnia and Hertzegovina' on 22.XII.1907, died - unknown (?)
During Jugoslavian monarchy served as the active officer. He left the country 1932. to Italy were he joined Ustasha camp Buvegno raised by the support of Mussolini. He participates in Croatian rebellion attempt against Yugoslav government which took place in Croatian province of Lika and returns to the Buvegno camp. 1934. receives by Poglavnik dr. A.Pavelic the rank of Ustasha officer (Rojnik). 1838 he was arested for the attempt of assassination on Yugoslav President of government Milan Stojadinovic, but released. After the downfall of Jugoslav kingdom and proclamation of Independent State of Croatia he enters 'Ustaà ¡ka Vojnica' - elite units of the Ustasha party. After the tragic death of Knight Jure Francetic he replaced his place commanding the Black Legion. With the break of Croatia 1945. and Bleiburg massacre of Croatian army and civilians with the small group of comrades he managed to break threw the partisan and ally troops and ecsape deeper into Austria, away from the bloody Beiburg field. He understood very well that British Army would surrender him like thousands of Croatian civilians and soldiers to the Yugoslav partizans and certain death. From Austria he escaped to Argentina and from Argentina to USA. 1951 Ante Pavelic (as Poglavnik of the nation in exsile) appointed him to be minister of defense in exsile. With the Vietnam war he joined US army as officer. After the Vietnam he retired, and settled in Ireland. This is the last information about him we know.
Boban was recipient of First Class Cross (neck badge) - only three people have been awarded with so high decoration: Generalmajor der Waffen-SS (Gruppenführer) Arthur Phleps of the 7th SS-Freiwilligen- Gebirgsdivision "Prinz Eugen", NDH Marshal Slavko Kvaternik and Rafael Boban, at that time not only comander of the Black Legion but also Domobranstvo (regular army)
[img]http://users.skynet.be/hendrik/Images/Croat/Cr-it1.jpg[/img] (recipients of the 2nd class or higher were knighted) received the Iron Trefoil 1st class on the 22nd of February 1945 after defeating Russian forces on Tereza's Field near Virovitica
2003-08-06 00:38 | User Profile
[u]Zdenko Blazekovic[/u]
[img]http://www.pyxz.com/users/1044051680/Blazerovic.jpg[/img] (Bihach 23.IX.1915.-Zagreb 24.I.1946.) Hero of Ustasha Youth('Ustaska Mladeà ¾' and 'Ustaà ¡ka Uzdanica'), sportsman, politician and martyr.
After graduation of Architecture study in Osijek he become vice president of cultural academic society August à  enoa 1934. 1945 he become a goalkeeper of Zagreb soccer club "HAà  K" (Dinamo today) 1936. Zdenko activates him self in patriotic organization of Croatian University Student Youth (Hrvatska Sveucilià ¡na Nacionalna Mladeà ¾).In summer of 1936. Yugoslav police imprisoned him. In prison he experienced torture and molesting, after that he was put on trial in Dubrovnik. Police torture left permanent consequences on his health and completely ruined his charier as a sportsman. The state forbid him to act publicly so he was forced to join illegal Ustasha movement. He was elected for the member (stoà ¾ernik) of Ustasha University comity (Sveucilià ¡ni Ustaà ¡ki Stoà ¾er). 1940. Yugoslav authorities discovered his activities but he avoided arrest 1940. in Zagreb. From that time Zdenko shall live like an outlaw hidden in Osjek, Slavonia until the Ustasha victory and proclamation of NDH 1941. In liberated Croatia he was apointed as the commander of the male section of Ustasha Youth and chief of the state ministry for sport and body fitness. 1941/42. he established 13. Ustasha storm division (13. ustaà ¡ka jurià ¡na satnija) composed out of the student volunteers. He was the author of the book 'The Youth and the State' (Mladeà ¾ i drà ¾ava). 1943 he received the Ustasha rank of 'Bojnik'. 6.V.1945. (after the break of NDH) with other members of the NDH government he escaped to Austria where he hides in prisoner camp in Salzburg. But the authorities of US occupation troops recognized Zdenko and send him in concentration camp 'Camp Marcus'. Two days later Americans surrendered him to the Yugoslav communists and death.
Ustaska Uzdanica Platoon (Vod Ustaà ¡ke uzdanice) Adopted: 1943 Abandoned: 8th May 1945 The flag of a platoon of Ustaska uzdanica is red triangular pennant with white and black UM symbol near hoist on obverse, and with a black lined white platoon symbol on reverse where there are also headquarters, tabor and platoon numbers inscribed in fly end. The platoon symbol is different for each platoon, and might have been a coat of arms of the city or town or platoon's origin, the name of a UM official from that town that was killed in action and considerd UM martyr, with the date of his martyrdom, or an image of a characteristic plant or animal (e.g. cloverleaf, daisy, dear, wolf, fox, boar, hawk, eagle, rooster, swan etc.). The size of the flag is 1.00 Ãâ 1.50 m, with a spear of 2.50 m with the metal UM finial. [img]http://zeljko-heimer-fame.from.hr/images/hr-ndhum6.gif[/img] [img]http://zeljko-heimer-fame.from.hr/images/hr-ndhum6a.gif[/img]
2003-08-06 03:33 | User Profile
Zvaci:
thank you for your informative posts...I am very interested in Croatia's noble and storied history, and (as was noted already) there is a scarcity of English sources about 20th Century Croatia.
I was wondering if you could answer a question:
I read some years ago in a book by a man named Hasselbach (the book was a memoir of anti-racist tripe) that many young men from Germany and Austria who harbored National Socialist sympathies volunteered to fight alongside Croation militiamen in Bosnia between 1992-1995...did this actually occur, or is it a fabrication?
2003-08-06 04:24 | User Profile
*Originally posted by Walter E Kurtz@Aug 5 2003, 21:33 * ** Zvaci:
thank you for your informative posts...I am very interested in Croatia's noble and storied history, and (as was noted already) there is a scarcity of English sources about 20th Century Croatia.
I was wondering if you could answer a question:
I read some years ago in a book by a man named Hasselbach (the book was a memoir of anti-racist tripe) that many young men from Germany and Austria who harbored National Socialist sympathies volunteered to fight alongside Croation militiamen in Bosnia between 1992-1995...did this actually occur, or is it a fabrication? **
Thanks :)
There was a number of foreigner that fought on our side, they was mostly Germans and Irish. I dont know the Bosnia case and I don't know the details about their convictions but I heard they volunteered. Its also interesting that Ethnic Germans (Volksdeutscher) and Ukrainian Chatolic minority from Croatia was most active non-Croats in this conflict fighting in our lines as no1. volunteers
I have found for instance this Irish fellow on the net few months ago and I know personally one Irish veteran which even settled in my town after the war.
[url=http://www.tonycascarino.com/]http://www.tonycascarino.com/[/url]
Austria, Germany and Hungary was the most friendly and supportive states which contributed sending us necessary aid when we needed it the most.
2003-08-06 16:25 | User Profile
@Leland Gaunt
**I also saw a report of a "Austrian" skinhead in a magazine, who eventually got digusted with the warfare and left. He witnessed how croats were torturing some old man and he didn't like that. He told the croate comrade to stop it, but the guy kept continuing and insulted him, saying he was a weakling. so he pulled his gun and shot his croat comrade in the head.ÃÂ :angry: **
This things was possible to happen specially in the early stage of the war. We had no organized agmy and the discipline that follows - just volunteers. Many of them loosed a family member or even a whole family, so the emotional element was very much present. However its necessary to approach all this stories cum grano salis because it was in the interest of anti fascist circles and specially in the interest of the other side to build the myth of natural Croatian cruelty toward the Serbs (starting from WW2 and Jasenovac where Croats are shown as brutal fascist monsters while Serbs, Jews and Gypsies as the innocent victims) Croatian side had much more civilian losses specially during the Serbian siege of devastated Vukovar. The enemy goal was to exterminate the Croats from their own fatherland in aggressive war. [url=http://www.hr/hrvatska/WAR/civil_c.html]http://www.hr/hrvatska/WAR/civil_c.html[/url]
During the liberating 'Storm operation' no mass atrocities from our side occurred, and the number of collateral victims was not even half way close to hell of the Vukovar or some other shelled citie.