Customer Reviews

Croatian Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces, 49)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the latest in Osprey's "Aircraft of the Aces" series, this is the first English language work that I have come across that deals in detail with the exploits of Croatian fighter pilots in WW2.

I think that the authors have made excellent use of a large and wide variety of published sources, as well as much unpublished material and eye-witness accounts from the families of the airmen in question.

The text begins with the Royal Yugoslav Air Force and its fight with the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica in 1941, moves on to cover the independent pro-axis state of Croatia and its volunteer "legion" fighter unit, 15/(Kroat)./JG 52 on the Eastern Front 1942-44 and back on home soil in 1944-45, attempting to defend Croatia in a motley collection of French, Italian and German fighters. It finishes with a "Hall of Fame" detailing the 21 Croatian pilots who achieved "Ace" status.

I was particularly fascinated by the many newly related first-hand accounts of battle, both in Russia and over Croatia.

Also, the 8 pages of new colour profiles and over 100 photos sourced in Croatia serve to complete what I found to be an excellent, most comprehensive look at this "forgotten" Axis air force.

Croatia, apart of Yugoslavia, was brought into WWII in April of 1941 when the Germans invaded Yugoslavia. After the Germans took over Yugoslavia, the Yugo's and Croat's fought with Germany against the Russians, but not all Croats were loyal to the Third Reich, for while in flight on patrols or other flying activity, many fled to Russia. While others were partisans against Germany.

This book has 87 pages of first hand accounts, color plates, pictures and much information on the Croatian aces who fought with Germany.
This book shines light on aces who flew Bf-109s, MS.406s, Mc.202s and G.50s.
A country darkened by war, hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, Yugoslavia was weakening greatly. An air group was needed to fend off the attackers. Many pilots fled back home or to Russia. In the end, Yugoslavia's air power was nil. Many Yugoslavians were killed towards, during and after the war had ended to partisans or the Allies.
The last chapter (13 pages) are dedicated to encyclopedia on Croatian aces. A real plus for me as a information source for my list of aces.
If you want to read about a not much heard of Axis air arm, then I would highly recommend this book.

I recently purchased the book
Croatian Aces of World War 2,
written by Dragan Savic and Boris Ciglic,
and published by Osprey, which is an English press but whose USA
distributor is in Osceola, Wisconsin.

If you want to go hunting for it, the ISBN is 1 - 8417 - 6435 - 3 and
full retail is $20.95. Amazon sells it and quite likely Osprey is a
presence at sports and gun shows, given their military titles. I
bought mine on eBAy for less than half the list for a new copy.

A little about the book:
Heavily illustrated with black and white photos and color paintings of
the planes flown, this is a publication focused on the fighter pilots
for the pro - Axis state of Croatia during WW2. In other words, these
guys flew for the Nazi's and were enrolled in the Luftwaffe. There's
some background on the war, and how Yugoslavia came to war, and lost in
about 11 days when the Wehrmacht invaded in April, 1941. Then the body
of the narrative concerns the fighter Staffel the Croatian pilots
formed to support the Axis forces battling the Russians in the Eastern
front. By the end of the war, 21 of these Croatian pilots had gained
ace status, 5 kills. Most of them had returned to Yugoslavia by 1944,
many to continue fighting enrolled in non - German forces.

A biographical section at the end of the narrative, 14 pages long,
profiles the 21 aces. Several appendices list all the pilots known to
have " arial victories," and the various ranks of the relevant forces,
Messerschmitt line drawings, and explainations of the color plates.

Top pilot for kills: Mato DUKOVAC of Surcic, near Zemun. Post - war
he joined the Syrian air force and flew in the first Israli - Arab war.
Sometime afterwards he emigrated to Canada and lived in Toronto,
working in business.

Other pilots were mostly Croats, some Slovenes, Slovaks, Czechs, and
Bosnians. One Serb and one German are listed in the appendix, although
several of these pilots had German sounding names.

One of the Croat Aces is Albin STARK, born in Rijeka, whose name I am
assuming is shortened from STARCEVIC, perhaps to sound more German, a
political consideration at the time.

Another northern Croatia name is that of Tomislav KAUZLARIC, of
Delnice, who was badly shot up several times. He moved to France with
his wife after getting out of a PoW camp and in the 1960's returned to
the then Yugoslavia, living in Subotica until his death.

The book is incredibly detailed, probably a characteristic of military history. It
covers the air war on almost a day by day basis, a numbing experience reading for
someone who has spent no time in those extremes. Perhaps this is one of the
strengths of the book, making the reader consider the horrid conditions, physical and
political, these pilots flew under.

I found the anecdotes and biographical material fascinating.