Rafael Boban
Encyclopedia
Rafael "Ranko" Boban was a member of the Croatia
n World War II
Ustaše
regime, and the commander of the Black Legion.
Boban was born in Sovići
near Grude
. He emigrated from Yugoslavia
in 1932 and it was at this time that he met and joined Ante Pavelić
. He returned to Croatia
that same year and took part in the unsuccessful Velebit Rebellion.
After the death of Jure Francetić
, Boban became the sole commander of the Black Legion.
Closer to the war's end he was a Domobran
general as well. At the end of World War II, he retreated to Austria, emigrated to USA and was small unit tactics instructor in the Korean War
, where he lost his right arm. Ante Pavelić named him Commander of Armed Forces in exile in 1951. Everything after 1951 is unknown about him. Some say he died in Korea, other say he moved to Austria after retirement from US Army.
Boban was awarded the honorary title Vitez ("knight
") and the title is often included with his name.
A street in downtown of Grude
was named after him.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Ustaše
Ustaše
The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border...
regime, and the commander of the Black Legion.
Boban was born in Sovići
Sovici
Gorica is a village in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is in the West Herzegovina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Grude municipality....
near Grude
Grude
Grude is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina.- Geography :Grude is 49 kilometers from Mostar,19 kilometers from Imotski, and 100 km from Split....
. He emigrated from 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...
in 1932 and it was at this time that he met and joined 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...
. He returned to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
that same year and took part in the unsuccessful Velebit Rebellion.
After the death of 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:...
, Boban became the sole commander of the Black Legion.
Closer to the war's end he was a Domobran
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 :...
general as well. At the end of World War II, he retreated to Austria, emigrated to USA and was small unit tactics instructor in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, where he lost his right arm. Ante Pavelić named him Commander of Armed Forces in exile in 1951. Everything after 1951 is unknown about him. Some say he died in Korea, other say he moved to Austria after retirement from US Army.
Boban was awarded the honorary title Vitez ("knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
") and the title is often included with his name.
A street in downtown of Grude
Grude
Grude is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina.- Geography :Grude is 49 kilometers from Mostar,19 kilometers from Imotski, and 100 km from Split....
was named after him.