Croatian Air Force Legion
The Croatian Air Force Legion (Croatian: Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija), or HZL, was a unit of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of volunteers drawn from the nazi puppet-state, the Independent State of Croatia. Many of them had previously served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in April 1941 during the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia.
| Croatian Air Force Legion | |
|---|---|
| Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija | |
Badge of Croatian Air Force Legion | |
| Active | 12 July 1941 – 21 July 1944 |
| Country | Independent State of Croatia |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Part of | Jagdgeschwader 52 Kampfgeschwader 3 Kampfgeschwader 53 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col Ivan Mrak |
| Insignia | |
| Fuselage | |
| Roundel | |
| Fin flash | |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Bomber | Dornier Do 17 CANT Z.1007 Fiat BR.20 |
| Fighter | Bf 109E (until 1942) Bf 109G-2 Bf 109G-4 Bf 109G-6 Macchi C.200 Macchi C.202 Macchi C.205 Fiat CR.42 Falco |
The legion fought on the Eastern Front between 1941–1943 during the Second World War. The unit was sent to Germany for training on 15 July 1941, the fighter group to Fürth near Nüremberg and the bomber group to Greifswald, before heading to the Eastern Front. Some of them also had experience in the two main types that they would operate, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Dornier Do 17, with two fighter pilots having actually shot down Luftwaffe aircraft.
The Legion's first commander was Obertsleutnant Ivan Mrak. During operations over the Eastern Front, the unit's fighters scored a total of 283 kills while its bombers participated in 1,332 combat missions. It was disbanded on 21 July 1944 and transformed into the Croatian Air Force Training Group. It was then absorbed by the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia and its surviving members fought back on Croatian soil. The legion had approximately 360 officers, NCOs and men.