369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment , also known as the Devil Division was a military unit of the Independent State of Croatia
's Croatian Home Guard
(Hrvatsko domobranstvo) which fought alongside the German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht
) on the Eastern Front
.
sent a letter to German Führer Adolf Hitler
on 23 June 1941 stating that the Independent State of Croatia was ready to send troops to the Eastern Front. On 1 July Hitler responded, accepting the offer, and the following day a call for volunteers was made. While Croatian officials had hoped for 3900 volunteers, their call was exceeded as 9000 volunteers came forward. By 16 July the unit was formed and was given its Wehrmacht unit name.
Although the unit was considered by the Independent State of Croatia to be a part of the Croat Home Guard, it was placed under Wehrmacht command because the state never officially declared war against the USSR. 369th regiment was formally a German Military unit, under German Military Court jurisdiction and direct German high command throughout the war. All soldiers wore Wehrmacht uniforms and insignia with a Croatian checkerboard patch with the word Hrvatska (Croatia) on it.
A training battalion was formed for the regiment in Stockerau
. The regiment was transported to Dollersheim
for training. From 16 to 19 August it was transported in 17 trains to Dongena in Bessarabia
. From here the regiment went on a 35 day forced march to Ukraine
. On 9 October the regiment was assigned to the 100th Jäger Division with 17th German army, Army Group "South".
, B%C4%83l%C5%A3i, Pervomajsk, Kirovohrad
, Petropavlovsk
, Taranovka, Grisin, Stalino, Vasiljevka, Aleksandrovka, Ivanovka
and Garbatovo.
Starting in early 1942, soldiers of the unit were able to send messages back to the Independent State of Croatia, which were then read on Hrvatski Krugoval (Croatian Radio). Hundreds of messages were sent back and their reading proved to be one of the most popular programs on the station. On 24 September 1942 the regiment was visited by Ante Pavelić
, along with Jure Francetić
. During these visits Pavelić decorated a number of legionnaires. Pavelić also visited and decorated Croat air force crews flying with Luftwaffe
.
The 369th regiment saw first combat action against Soviet forces in October 1941 after 750-kilometre-long exhausting marches to village Budinskaja. The regiment participated in hard, mostly victorious, battles against Soviets during the unusually cold winter 1941 and spring 1942. First 369th regiment Commander Col. Ivan Markulj managed to transform the regiment consisting of poorly trained volunteers with a large number of undisciplined soldiers into a battle-hardened, decorated and admired unit by summer 1942. To improve poor discipline only on 30 September 1941 from village Novi Senečani Col. Ivan Markulj sent 43 officers and NCOs as well as 144 legionnaires back to Croatia due to illness and/or disciplinary reasons. During April 1942 four legionaries were sentenced to death and shot while many others were imprisoned between 2 to over 10 years. German sources report with admiration that Croat legionaries remained on frontlines during desperate and deadly Soviet counterattacks deserted by their battle shocked German comrades. Markulj was transferred back to Croatia most likely due to illness and was temporarily replaced by Col. Marko Mesić on 7 July 1942 and Lt.Col. Ivan Babić who was finally replaced by Col. Viktor Pavičić
.
The 369th regiment was to become known to the German command as originally undisciplined, poorly trained, and poorly organized unit, but with time was transformed into battle-hardened and successful in most difficult battles during spring and summer 1942. The 100th German Division commander General Werner Sanne commended the regiment's battle successes and especially Mesic's artillery section on 21 and 22 February 1942 and personally on 23 February 1942 awarded Col. Mesic with the Iron Cross. The legion was to experience its most difficult and victorious battles at Harkov and Kalach encirclement and for the legion a very painful two-day battle at kolhoz 'Proljet Kultura'. At 'Proljet Kultura' during German attack on 27 July and overwhelming Soviet counterattack on 28 July the regiment suffered in desperate hand-to-hand combat 53 dead and 186 wounded. The worst recorded casualties before Stalingrad were 171 dead suffered in combat along various river Samara villages. Killed in action during this period were Lt. Tomljenović, Lt. Tomislav Anić and Lt. Ivan Malički. Col. Markulj with Lt. Eduard Bakarec and six other legion officers received the Iron Cross First class after Kharkov. Lt. Bakarec, who was the first Legion soldier ever to receive the Iron Cross 2nd class, was later wounded at Stalingrad and evacuated to Croatia, where he was killed on 5 July 1944. Col. and later NDH general Markulj was tried and executed in Belgrade in September 1945. Markulj was court-martialled and executed after his capture by the Allies, who extradited him to the Yugoslav army in summer 1945.
A report dated 21 June 1942 states that Legion counted 113 officers, 7 military clerks, 625 NCOs, 4317 soldiers with a total of 2902 horses. The number of legionnaires from that date was fast reducing to a reported total of 1,403 altogether by 21 October 1942. New fresh forces from Croatia were not added except for returns of sick and wounded and a few officers and staff. A total of 22 (15%) officers were killed, 38 (26%) wounded and 66 (45%) returned to Croatia from the original 147 Legion officers in total before fall. Only 20 officers, including Mesic, remained in Stalingrad and one is treated as MIA.
Legionnaires fought until the very end and surrender to forces of general Vasiljev around 29th or 30th of Jan 1943. The Legion was decimated holding without rest day and night moving between north and south frontlines around famous Red October factory suffering heavy casualties. Infantry combat units on 21 October 1942 counted remaining 983 legionaries (not counting artillery and support) and it was reduced to 443 on 21st of Jan 1943 or more than 50% loss of life in 3 months. Regiment command and artillery unit were stationed in and around Stalingrad flight school and nearby cemetery known as Stalingradskaja runway. The Legion's heavy casualties reduced its last frontline on 14th of Jan to 200m held by some 90 remaining frost bitten legionaries without food ammunition exposed to 24 hour battles on temperatures below −30 °C. Col. Mesić become its last commander on 14 January 1943 after resignation and disappearance of Colonel Viktor Pavicic. Col. Pavicic recommended Mesic to General Sanne in his preserved letter as his successor. General Sanne's command formally reported Pavicic's disappearance as desertion while legionnaire Sgt. Erwin Juric who flew out on 23rd of Jan 1943 claimed Col. Pavicic was issued required formal documents signed by Gen. Sanne to leave Stalingrad by air on 15th of Jan 1943. During last days Legion was desperately retraining inexperienced artillery and support soldiers to infantry combat duty from remaining 700 non combat legionaries. Last official report of 21 Jan 1943 counts 443 infantry and 444 artillery soldiers in Stalingrad.
War diary and documents mention Colonel Desović, Major Mladić and Major Pletikosa, Captain Majerberger, Madraš and Tahir Alagić, Lt. Sloboda, Lt. Božidar Katušić, Lt. Jelić, Lt. Telišman Milivoj, Lt. Mihajlo Zubčevski, brave Lt. Fijember, Lt. Krsnik, Lt. Rudolf Baričević
, Lt. Mihajlo Korobkin, Lt. Drago Mautner, Lt. Ivan Pap, Lt. Tomas, Lt. Ivan Čorić, Lt. Zvonimir Bućan, Lt. Djekić and many others. Sergeants Kučera, Martinovic and Anton Štimac are mentioned for their bravery and courage under fire. Legion doctors are dr. Modrijan and dr. Vranješ while veterinary doctor who treats wounded with success is dr. Hrestak Marijan. Dragutin Sudec, sergeants Kolaric and Zoričić are mentioned, Lt. August Cerovečki is wounded and flown out while Capt. Madraš refuses flight to safety and remains with his men. Accused of insubordination, dereliction of duty and/or cowardly behaviour were many including names like Grbeša, Karlović Ivan, Resele Ivan, Stipetić Ivo and Tufo Ešref. Major Tomislav Brajkovic is in desperate command of remaining fast disappearing frontline infantry combat units from October to December 1942. Major Brajkovic tried hard to keep up frontline units battle discipline, morale and supply/support but on own request, after disagreements with other Legion officers and possibly Col. Pavicic, was transferred during January together with Major Tahir Alagić 1943 to another German unit.
Possibly the last German soldiers to leave Stalingrad's doomed German Sixth Army by air were a group of 18 wounded and sick Croat legionnaires including Lt. Barićević as well as the Legion’s original Unit War Diaries and many documents thus preserved. These last wounded Croat legionaries were flown out only due to unbelievable almost suicidal bravery of Luftwaffe pilot(s) who dared to land that night 22nd to 23 January 1943 on the last serviceable German Staljingradskaja airfield near 369th artillery section positions. Night before, 21st to 22nd of Jan many Luftwaffe planes crashed during desperate radio navigated nigh time only takeoff and landing into deep snowdrifts at −30 °C temperatures flying hundreds of meters above and away from fast advancing Soviet forces. Already during daytime on 23 January Stalingradskaja was not serviceable any more and was controlled by the Soviets.
After capitulation of German 6th Army by General Paulus on 2 February, the Legion commanded by Lt.Col. Mesić and 15 officers, approximately 100 mostly wounded sick and frostbitten combat soldiers as well as some 600 other legionaries from artillery and support units became Soviet prisoners of war. 369th Regiment lost 175 soldiers killed in action during these last two weeks or 20% total troop strength. Under 6%, or 6,000 of total of 107,800 (91,000 + 16,800) of 6th Army German soldiers who surrendered at Stalingrad returned to Germany alive after the war.
The remaining members of the legion were first assembled at Beketovka on river Volga where they were joined by some 80,000 mainly German as well as Italian, Romanian and Hungarian POWs . Later they were sent on a forced march to Moscow where they were to be joined by other Croatian legionnaires from the Light Transport Brigade
assigned to Italian forces on the Eastern Front. Many died there due to lack of food and firewood as well as typhoid, dysentery
and later anemia
/ scurvy
.
In the Summer of 1943 one hundred legionaries and 6 officers including Marko Mesic were transferred to Suzdalj and later to Krasnogorsk near Moscow, where they met with most of surviving Croat soldiers. At Krasnogorsk, the Soviets formed a new unit that utilized Royal Yugoslav uniforms (At the time, Soviets did not recognize Tito's forces as a sovereign state). During early Soviet imprisonment, Col. Mesić may have been forced to appear in Soviet propaganda wearing a Royal Yugoslav Army uniform and Tito's flag to save the lives of his remaining men. Upon news of this, the Ministry of the Armed Forces removed him from the Croatian Armed Forces and rescinded his awards.
Col. Mesić was given command by the Soviets of this newly formed First Yugoslav Volunteer Brigade, assembled from prisoners of war of Yugoslavian origin as well as volunteers living in Russia at the time. It is quite likely that most former Croatian soldiers of the 369. Regiment chose Communist Partisan service to avoid almost certain death in Soviet prisoner-of-war camps. During the first few months in captivity, Legionnaire numbers were reduced from some 700 to around 400 odd survivors or a 40% loss of life in under twelve months. The new Yugoslav partisan brigade, now wearing old Royal Yugoslav Army uniforms, was commanded by experienced former 369th Regiment Croat Legion officers like Lt.Col. Egon Zitnik, the former commander of the Light Transport Unit; Major Marijan Prislin, the former second in command of the 369. Regiment's artillery section; and Major Marijan Tulicic, the former artillery unit commander. New unit military training was very fast as most men were experienced soldiers. As late as March 1944 they were joined by 200 more former 369th legionaries led by former 369th Stalingrad Doctor Bogoljub Modrijan as well as Lt. Vlahov, Lt. Tahtamišimov, Lt.Draženović and Lt. Ivan Vadlja, who was wounded at Stalingrad but missed the last flight out. They were transported to Yugoslavia in late 1944 under direct orders from Tito, where they were sacrificed in combat against superior German forces, suffering very high casualties. The few remaining survivors were suspected and most were later convicted of being Soviet infiltrators by the partisans as well as Croat NDH authorities.
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
's Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard
Croatian Home Guard or also, known as the "Homeland Defenders," was the name used for the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia which existed during World War II.- Formation :...
(Hrvatsko domobranstvo) which fought alongside the German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
) on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
.
Formation
Croatian leader Ante PavelićAnte Pavelic
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian fascist leader, revolutionary, and politician. He ruled as Poglavnik or head, of the Independent State of Croatia , a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia...
sent a letter to German Führer Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
on 23 June 1941 stating that the Independent State of Croatia was ready to send troops to the Eastern Front. On 1 July Hitler responded, accepting the offer, and the following day a call for volunteers was made. While Croatian officials had hoped for 3900 volunteers, their call was exceeded as 9000 volunteers came forward. By 16 July the unit was formed and was given its Wehrmacht unit name.
Although the unit was considered by the Independent State of Croatia to be a part of the Croat Home Guard, it was placed under Wehrmacht command because the state never officially declared war against the USSR. 369th regiment was formally a German Military unit, under German Military Court jurisdiction and direct German high command throughout the war. All soldiers wore Wehrmacht uniforms and insignia with a Croatian checkerboard patch with the word Hrvatska (Croatia) on it.
A training battalion was formed for the regiment in Stockerau
Stockerau
Stockerau is a town in the district of Korneuburg in Lower Austria, Austria.Leisure facilities are various: wellness centre, sports centre with three gyms, judo and table tennis gym, skittle alley and football stadium...
. The regiment was transported to Dollersheim
Döllersheim
Döllersheim was, since the mid 19th century, an Austrian municipality in the Waldviertel, the northwestern part of Lower Austria near the border with Bohemia. It included the hamlet of Strones, where Alois Hitler, the father of Adolf Hitler, was born to Maria Schicklgruber in 1837. Strones was very...
for training. From 16 to 19 August it was transported in 17 trains to Dongena in Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
. From here the regiment went on a 35 day forced march to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. On 9 October the regiment was assigned to the 100th Jäger Division with 17th German army, Army Group "South".
Military action on Eastern Front
The regiment saw action in the towns and villages of Petrusani, Kremencuga, PoltavaPoltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
, B%C4%83l%C5%A3i, Pervomajsk, Kirovohrad
Kirovohrad
Kirovohrad , formerly Yelisavetgrad, is a city in central Ukraine. It is located on the Inhul River. It is a motorway junction. Pop. 239,400 ....
, Petropavlovsk
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the main city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Population: .-History:It was founded by Danish navigator Vitus Bering, in the service of the Russian Navy...
, Taranovka, Grisin, Stalino, Vasiljevka, Aleksandrovka, Ivanovka
Ivanovka
Ivanovka is an estate near Tambov, Russia, which used to be the summer residence of the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff in the period between 1890 and 1917 . It was the family home of his aristocratic relatives, the Satins. Many of Rachmaninoff's earlier masterpieces were created in its...
and Garbatovo.
Starting in early 1942, soldiers of the unit were able to send messages back to the Independent State of Croatia, which were then read on Hrvatski Krugoval (Croatian Radio). Hundreds of messages were sent back and their reading proved to be one of the most popular programs on the station. On 24 September 1942 the regiment was visited by Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelic
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian fascist leader, revolutionary, and politician. He ruled as Poglavnik or head, of the Independent State of Croatia , a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia...
, along with Jure Francetić
Jure Francetic
Jure Francetić was an World War II Ustaše Commissioner of Bosnia and Herzegovina, responsible for the massacre of Bosnian Serbs and Jews.-Early life and activities prior to formation of NDH:...
. During these visits Pavelić decorated a number of legionnaires. Pavelić also visited and decorated Croat air force crews flying with Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
.
Viktor Pavicic
Colonel Viktor Pavičić was a commander of the Croatian Legion, a regiment that fought on Eastern Front and was involved in the Battle of Stalingrad....
.
The 369th regiment was to become known to the German command as originally undisciplined, poorly trained, and poorly organized unit, but with time was transformed into battle-hardened and successful in most difficult battles during spring and summer 1942. The 100th German Division commander General Werner Sanne commended the regiment's battle successes and especially Mesic's artillery section on 21 and 22 February 1942 and personally on 23 February 1942 awarded Col. Mesic with the Iron Cross. The legion was to experience its most difficult and victorious battles at Harkov and Kalach encirclement and for the legion a very painful two-day battle at kolhoz 'Proljet Kultura'. At 'Proljet Kultura' during German attack on 27 July and overwhelming Soviet counterattack on 28 July the regiment suffered in desperate hand-to-hand combat 53 dead and 186 wounded. The worst recorded casualties before Stalingrad were 171 dead suffered in combat along various river Samara villages. Killed in action during this period were Lt. Tomljenović, Lt. Tomislav Anić and Lt. Ivan Malički. Col. Markulj with Lt. Eduard Bakarec and six other legion officers received the Iron Cross First class after Kharkov. Lt. Bakarec, who was the first Legion soldier ever to receive the Iron Cross 2nd class, was later wounded at Stalingrad and evacuated to Croatia, where he was killed on 5 July 1944. Col. and later NDH general Markulj was tried and executed in Belgrade in September 1945. Markulj was court-martialled and executed after his capture by the Allies, who extradited him to the Yugoslav army in summer 1945.
A report dated 21 June 1942 states that Legion counted 113 officers, 7 military clerks, 625 NCOs, 4317 soldiers with a total of 2902 horses. The number of legionnaires from that date was fast reducing to a reported total of 1,403 altogether by 21 October 1942. New fresh forces from Croatia were not added except for returns of sick and wounded and a few officers and staff. A total of 22 (15%) officers were killed, 38 (26%) wounded and 66 (45%) returned to Croatia from the original 147 Legion officers in total before fall. Only 20 officers, including Mesic, remained in Stalingrad and one is treated as MIA.
Battle of Stalingrad
Sergeant Dragutin Podobnik was the most decorated NCO of the Legion and was awarded Iron Cross Second and First Class as well as many Croat decorations including one personally from Pavelic September 1942. Sergeant Podobnik became famous during Stalingrad battle when he was ordered to take a 'T shaped building' in Red October Factory (T-Haus) by Pavicic and decided not to wait for supporting but delayed armoured vehicles. Podobnik and his 18 men surprised the Soviets and without losses captured the building killed the enemy crews and handed it over to German 54th Army Group units. Soviets surprised and killed the whole German unit by entering the building through underground corridors. Few days later the same T-Haus building was again taken by German forces suffering heavy casualties. Sergeant Podobnik was later wounded and evacuated from Stalingrad and was killed during spring 1945 as a soldier of Pavelic's elite unit.Legionnaires fought until the very end and surrender to forces of general Vasiljev around 29th or 30th of Jan 1943. The Legion was decimated holding without rest day and night moving between north and south frontlines around famous Red October factory suffering heavy casualties. Infantry combat units on 21 October 1942 counted remaining 983 legionaries (not counting artillery and support) and it was reduced to 443 on 21st of Jan 1943 or more than 50% loss of life in 3 months. Regiment command and artillery unit were stationed in and around Stalingrad flight school and nearby cemetery known as Stalingradskaja runway. The Legion's heavy casualties reduced its last frontline on 14th of Jan to 200m held by some 90 remaining frost bitten legionaries without food ammunition exposed to 24 hour battles on temperatures below −30 °C. Col. Mesić become its last commander on 14 January 1943 after resignation and disappearance of Colonel Viktor Pavicic. Col. Pavicic recommended Mesic to General Sanne in his preserved letter as his successor. General Sanne's command formally reported Pavicic's disappearance as desertion while legionnaire Sgt. Erwin Juric who flew out on 23rd of Jan 1943 claimed Col. Pavicic was issued required formal documents signed by Gen. Sanne to leave Stalingrad by air on 15th of Jan 1943. During last days Legion was desperately retraining inexperienced artillery and support soldiers to infantry combat duty from remaining 700 non combat legionaries. Last official report of 21 Jan 1943 counts 443 infantry and 444 artillery soldiers in Stalingrad.
Rudolf Baričević
Rudolf Baričević was a member of the Croatian Home Guard who participated in the Battle of Stalingrad with the 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment. Baričević is credited with writing the war journal of the 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment...
, Lt. Mihajlo Korobkin, Lt. Drago Mautner, Lt. Ivan Pap, Lt. Tomas, Lt. Ivan Čorić, Lt. Zvonimir Bućan, Lt. Djekić and many others. Sergeants Kučera, Martinovic and Anton Štimac are mentioned for their bravery and courage under fire. Legion doctors are dr. Modrijan and dr. Vranješ while veterinary doctor who treats wounded with success is dr. Hrestak Marijan. Dragutin Sudec, sergeants Kolaric and Zoričić are mentioned, Lt. August Cerovečki is wounded and flown out while Capt. Madraš refuses flight to safety and remains with his men. Accused of insubordination, dereliction of duty and/or cowardly behaviour were many including names like Grbeša, Karlović Ivan, Resele Ivan, Stipetić Ivo and Tufo Ešref. Major Tomislav Brajkovic is in desperate command of remaining fast disappearing frontline infantry combat units from October to December 1942. Major Brajkovic tried hard to keep up frontline units battle discipline, morale and supply/support but on own request, after disagreements with other Legion officers and possibly Col. Pavicic, was transferred during January together with Major Tahir Alagić 1943 to another German unit.
Possibly the last German soldiers to leave Stalingrad's doomed German Sixth Army by air were a group of 18 wounded and sick Croat legionnaires including Lt. Barićević as well as the Legion’s original Unit War Diaries and many documents thus preserved. These last wounded Croat legionaries were flown out only due to unbelievable almost suicidal bravery of Luftwaffe pilot(s) who dared to land that night 22nd to 23 January 1943 on the last serviceable German Staljingradskaja airfield near 369th artillery section positions. Night before, 21st to 22nd of Jan many Luftwaffe planes crashed during desperate radio navigated nigh time only takeoff and landing into deep snowdrifts at −30 °C temperatures flying hundreds of meters above and away from fast advancing Soviet forces. Already during daytime on 23 January Stalingradskaja was not serviceable any more and was controlled by the Soviets.
After capitulation of German 6th Army by General Paulus on 2 February, the Legion commanded by Lt.Col. Mesić and 15 officers, approximately 100 mostly wounded sick and frostbitten combat soldiers as well as some 600 other legionaries from artillery and support units became Soviet prisoners of war. 369th Regiment lost 175 soldiers killed in action during these last two weeks or 20% total troop strength. Under 6%, or 6,000 of total of 107,800 (91,000 + 16,800) of 6th Army German soldiers who surrendered at Stalingrad returned to Germany alive after the war.
The remaining members of the legion were first assembled at Beketovka on river Volga where they were joined by some 80,000 mainly German as well as Italian, Romanian and Hungarian POWs . Later they were sent on a forced march to Moscow where they were to be joined by other Croatian legionnaires from the Light Transport Brigade
Light Transport Brigade
The Light Transport Brigade was a military unit of the Independent State of Croatia's Croatian Home Guard which fought alongside the Royal Italian Army on the Eastern Front. It was attached to the 8th Italian Army, which was in turn subordinate to the German Army Group B.The unit was formed by...
assigned to Italian forces on the Eastern Front. Many died there due to lack of food and firewood as well as typhoid, dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
and later anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
/ scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
.
Regiment veterans
More than 1000 legionnaires were evacuated from Soviet Union and later Stalingrad by various means and for various reasons. There was a number of legionnaires who were trained but were not despatched to Soviet Union. They were awarded the Croatian Legion 1941 Linden Leaf for their service and formed the core of a new unit, the 369th Infantry Division.Legion soldiers as Soviet prisoners of war and in Tito's Yugoslav army
German soldiers who survived post Stalingrad captivity and returned after the war mostly refuse to comment or discuss when interviewed their Soviet captivity days as ' too hard to discuss, time when all human values were destroyed and men were turned into animals'. Stalingrad German (and Croat) veterans POW hardships resulting in only some 5% returning home alive after the war is likely unparalleled in modern history of war.In the Summer of 1943 one hundred legionaries and 6 officers including Marko Mesic were transferred to Suzdalj and later to Krasnogorsk near Moscow, where they met with most of surviving Croat soldiers. At Krasnogorsk, the Soviets formed a new unit that utilized Royal Yugoslav uniforms (At the time, Soviets did not recognize Tito's forces as a sovereign state). During early Soviet imprisonment, Col. Mesić may have been forced to appear in Soviet propaganda wearing a Royal Yugoslav Army uniform and Tito's flag to save the lives of his remaining men. Upon news of this, the Ministry of the Armed Forces removed him from the Croatian Armed Forces and rescinded his awards.
Col. Mesić was given command by the Soviets of this newly formed First Yugoslav Volunteer Brigade, assembled from prisoners of war of Yugoslavian origin as well as volunteers living in Russia at the time. It is quite likely that most former Croatian soldiers of the 369. Regiment chose Communist Partisan service to avoid almost certain death in Soviet prisoner-of-war camps. During the first few months in captivity, Legionnaire numbers were reduced from some 700 to around 400 odd survivors or a 40% loss of life in under twelve months. The new Yugoslav partisan brigade, now wearing old Royal Yugoslav Army uniforms, was commanded by experienced former 369th Regiment Croat Legion officers like Lt.Col. Egon Zitnik, the former commander of the Light Transport Unit; Major Marijan Prislin, the former second in command of the 369. Regiment's artillery section; and Major Marijan Tulicic, the former artillery unit commander. New unit military training was very fast as most men were experienced soldiers. As late as March 1944 they were joined by 200 more former 369th legionaries led by former 369th Stalingrad Doctor Bogoljub Modrijan as well as Lt. Vlahov, Lt. Tahtamišimov, Lt.Draženović and Lt. Ivan Vadlja, who was wounded at Stalingrad but missed the last flight out. They were transported to Yugoslavia in late 1944 under direct orders from Tito, where they were sacrificed in combat against superior German forces, suffering very high casualties. The few remaining survivors were suspected and most were later convicted of being Soviet infiltrators by the partisans as well as Croat NDH authorities.
Commanders
- Colonel Ivan Markulj
- Lieutenant-Colonel Ivan Babić
- Colonel Viktor PavičićViktor PavicicColonel Viktor Pavičić was a commander of the Croatian Legion, a regiment that fought on Eastern Front and was involved in the Battle of Stalingrad....
- Lieutenant-Colonel Marko Mesić
Literature
- Heroji za pogrešnu stvar: Bačeni na Staljingrad, Jutarnji list, 24. veljače 2008.
- Milan Pojić Hrvatska pukovnija 369. na Istočnom bojištu 1941. - 1943.
- Welz H. Verratene Grenadiere. — Berlin, Deutscher Militärverlag, 1965
External links
- Luftwaffe photo from Stalingrad battle days, visible signal flare could even be from Croaat positions
- Good collection of photos from Stalingrad battle days. Legion was for most part fighting north and south of Red October factory located north of tennis racket shaped railway yards.
- Dated pictures and English text about the Legion.
- Units location sketch from Stalingrad.
- ullstein bild search for " kroatische ostfront " returns so far rarely seen original German photos of 369th Legion
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cre4CI9ddGw&NR=1 Dramatic movie scenes about Stalingrad battle on U-tube
- Hrvatski legionari u Staljingradu za Pavelića, a u Srbiji za Tita
