Emil Uzelac
Encyclopedia
Milan Emil Uzelac was a Croatian soldier and military commander who was a leading figure in the air force
s of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
and the Independent State of Croatia
.
, Hungary, on August 26, 1867. He was Serbian Orthodox Christian by birth. He started in the compulsory Austro-Hungarian army in 1888.
In 1912 he was made commander of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops, which until then had been mostly a force of balloons. He modernized the force and was subsequently decorated with numerous imperial awards.
After World War I
Uzelac joined the Yugoslav Royal Air Force
on November 28, 1919, along with two other Austro-Hungarian generals, Rudolf Maister
and Ante Plivelić. He retired on August 19, 1923.
In 1941 he was saved by deportation by the Independent State of Croatia
, through his friend Edmund Glaise von Horstenau, the Deutscher kommandierender General in Agram. He was made an honorary general of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia
, within the Croatian Home Guard
.
He died in Petrinja
on January 7, 1954 and was buried in Zagreb
's Mirogoj cemetery
.
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
s of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
and the Independent State of Croatia
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...
.
Life
Milan Uzelac was born in KomáromKomárom
Komárom is a city in Hungary on the right bank of the Danube in Komárom-Esztergom county.The city of Komárom was formerly a separate suburban village called...
, Hungary, on August 26, 1867. He was Serbian Orthodox Christian by birth. He started in the compulsory Austro-Hungarian army in 1888.
In 1912 he was made commander of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops, which until then had been mostly a force of balloons. He modernized the force and was subsequently decorated with numerous imperial awards.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Uzelac joined the Yugoslav Royal Air Force
Yugoslav Royal Air Force
The Yugoslav Royal Air Force was formed in 1918 in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and existed until Yugoslavia's surrender to the Axis powers in 1941 following the Invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II....
on November 28, 1919, along with two other Austro-Hungarian generals, Rudolf Maister
Rudolf Maister
Rudolf Maister was a Slovene military officer, poet and political activist. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern Slovenia became known as "Maister's fighters"...
and Ante Plivelić. He retired on August 19, 1923.
In 1941 he was saved by deportation by the Independent State of Croatia
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...
, through his friend Edmund Glaise von Horstenau, the Deutscher kommandierender General in Agram. He was made an honorary general of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia
Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia
The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, the Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske was the national air force of the Independent State of Croatia during World War II, founded under German authority in April 1941...
, within the 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 :...
.
He died in Petrinja
Petrinja
Petrinja is a city in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banovina. The city belongs to Sisak-Moslavina County .- History :The name of Petrinja has its roots in Latin petrus, meaning "stone"...
on January 7, 1954 and was buried in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
's Mirogoj cemetery
Mirogoj Cemetery
The Mirogoj Cemetery is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemetery parks in Europe and, because of its design, numbers among the more noteworthy landmarks in the City of Zagreb....
.