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WW2 Axis Footage & Pictures - Croatia

Discussion in 'Eastern Europe' started by Rafael Boban, Aug 9, 2010.

  1. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    Read the first post carefully!

    NO POLITICS OR PROPAGANDA ALLOWED.

    I'd like to ask everyone to act civilized, and not to flame or troll this thread. Pictures of Atrocities aren't welcome here as well. Keep this thread clean of irrelevant junk and if you feel an urge to write something stupid or provocative just do us all a favor and click the "back" button on your Internet Explorer .

    Feel free to leave a comment if you like this thread and find it informative and interesting.
    You are welcome to ask any question about any of those videos or pictures and I'm sure I will give my best to answer them.

    Thank you, enjoy.

    PS: I hope you don't mind that first post on this thread is long....

    [youtube]CR0ZwIvD1eE[/youtube]

    The Croatian Air Force Legion (Croatian: Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija), or HZL, also known as the Croatian Legion, was a military unit of the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia which fought alongside the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1943 and then back on Croatian soil. The legion had approximately 360 men.

    The unit was sent to Germany for training on July 15, 1941 before heading to the Eastern Front. Many of the pilots and crews had previously served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force during the Invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941. Some of them also had experience in the two main types that they would operate, the Messerschmitt 109 and Dornier Do 17, with two fighter pilots having actually shot down Luftwaffe aircraft.

    The Legion's commander was Ivan Mark. 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.

    Officially designated '15.(Kroatische)/KG 53'., the bomber squadron was equipped with Dornier Do 17Z aircraft. It arrived on the Eastern Front on October 25th 1941, after training at the Grosse Kampfflieger Schule 3, in Greifswald, Germany. Their first area of operations was near Vitebsk. The rest of the Bomber Squadron's assignments were in the Northern Sector of the Eastern Front, including the bombing of Leningrad and Moscow



    [youtube]oN0ZfyUtZS8[/youtube]

    Croatian Volunteers on Ostfront. April 16th 1942.

    Croatian Legion has joined the fight on the Ostfront (Eastern Front).
    Working together with Italian regiment on the south part of the Eastern Front in joint action against Bolshevik Soviets.
    This Croatian regiment is wearing a Ustasha Uniforms and insignia in combination with Italian M33 Helmets.

    Croats usually used Ustasha Croatian Uniform and insignia in combination with M35 German steel helmets. Joint action of Croats and Italians is the reason behind using Italian helmets, probably due to easier recognizing each other on the battlefield.

    The Light Transport Brigade (Italian-Croatian):

    The Brigade was formed with 1100 soldiers, 70 NCO's and 45 Officers (1215 total), divided into 3 Infantry Companies, 1 Machine-Gun Company, 1 (81mm) Mortar Company and 1 (65mm) Artillery Battery. The Commanding Officer was Lt.-Colonel Egon Zitnik (a Croat).

    The Brigade arrived at the Eastern Front on April 16th 1942, near the town of Harcjusk. Here they were attached to the Italian 3rd Rapid Division "Principe Amadeo Duca D'Aosta", and received the remainder of their equipment and transports (44 trucks, 3 automobiles and 6 motorcycles). On the 11th of May, near the town of Pervomajska, the Brigade fought its first battle, alongside the 63rd Blackshirt "Tagliamento" unit. 5 men were lost in this minor engagement.

    The Brigade, during the next 10 months, fought around the towns of Stokovo, Greko-Timofejevka, and Veseli-Nikitovo. On July 11th 1942, the Brigade was transfered to the Italian XXXVth Corps. The very next day, with a battle-group of Blackshirts, the Brigade fought its way 30km deep into Soviet lines. Battles follow around Vladimirovka, Krasna Poljana and Fjodorovka. On July 28th 1942 the Brigade crossed the Donjec River at Lubanskoje. On August 25th 1942, the Soviets counter-attacked and the Brigade was involved in heavy fighting. The Croatians managed to hold their lines, inflicting 20 casualties and capturing 101 Russian soldiers. The Croatians lost 8 dead and 12 wounded. For this battle, the Brigade was awarded the "Sul Campo" decoration by the commander of the XXXVth Corps.

    On December 19th 1942, the Brigade was holding Hills 210 and 168 near Hracin. Here they were surrounded by a massive Soviet attack, but continued fighting till December 21st 1942, when they ran out of ammunition and were over-run.



    [youtube]DweouLOaawo[/youtube]

    New Croatian Homeguard regiment giving an Oath to Croatia and Poglavnik Ante Pavelić.


    Croatian soldiers giving an oath to Poglavnik and Croatia:

    Oath on Croatian:
    Zaklinjem se Bogom svemogućim i svime, što mi je sveto, da ću se držati ustaških načela i pokoravati se propisima te bezuslovno izvršavati sve odredbe Poglavnika, da ću svaku povjerenu mi tajnu najstrože čuvati i nikome ništa odati.
    Zaklinjem se, da ću se u ustaškim redovima boriti za izvojevanje samostalne države Hrvatske i sve učiniti, što mi Poglavnik naloži.
    Zaklinjem se, da ću jedanput izvojevanu hrvatsku državnu samostalnost i hrvatsku narodnu slobodu u ustaškim redovima čuvati i braniti. Ako se ogriješim o ovu prisegu, svjestan si svoje odgovornosti za svaki svoj čin i propust, ima me po ustaškim propisima stići kazna smrti.
    Tako mi Bog pomogao! Amen!"

    Oath on English:
    I pledge with God almighty and everything sacred to me that i will hold up to my Ustasha principles and obey the laws and unconditionally execute all orders by Poglavnik(Fuhrer), that i will keep all secrets told to me unrevealed.
    I pledge that in Ustasha ranks i will fight for Independent State of Croatia and execute all what my Poglavnik orders.
    I pledge that once Independent State of Croatia is risen i will defend Croatian national freedom in Ustasha ranks, protect it and defend it. If i break this oath, i am aware of any mistake and misdone, by Ustasha laws i will receive death sentence.
    May God Help me! Amen!
     
  2. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    [youtube]eQ4WV5c0myA[/youtube]

    Croatian (NDH) Propaganda video showing Poglavnik Ante Pavelić visiting military regiments (Homeguard and Ustasha regiments) all over Croatia.

    Song in the background is orchestral version of Croatian Ustasha battlesong "Puška Puca".

    Classic WW2 black-and-white movie that has been "colorized".


    [youtube]NamFHcN0Sw4[/youtube]

    Croatian army fighting Serbian Chetniks and Bolshevik Partisans.

    Actual footage of "Battle on Lijevča Field" where Croatian Homeguard and Ustasha forces defeated an Chetnik army which counted 17 000 - 20 000 chetniks.

    The Croatian Armed Forces (Croatian: Hrvatske oružane snage, HOS) was the armed force of the Independent State of Croatia which were formed in 1944 with the uniting of the Croatian Home Guard and the Ustaše's forces.
     
  3. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    [youtube]113pQ1d-Nq8[/youtube]

    Black Legion (Crna legija) (also 1. Ustasha Regiment (1. ustaša pukovnija) and Schwarze Legion)
    (my grandfather was fighting in Stalingrad with Black Legion)
    Formed 3 September 1941 in Sarajevo to safeguard NDH interests and the pro-regime
    The recruiting of these men was carried out by the Legions first commander, Jure Francetić, assisted by Rafael Boban, Viktor Tomić and a number of other early Ustasha personalities. Once operational, it struck back reactively in retribution against not only the Chetniks, but against all Serbs (Orthodox) living in East Bosnia.


    [youtube]YEFv4OPKj2k[/youtube]

    Poglavnik Ante Pavelić in Velika Gorica and Turopolje inspecting Croatian troops. 1943.


    [youtube]Pg9kOp8h1Q[/youtube]

    Black Legion regiment after few months of fighting on the battlefield returned to Zagreb (Agram). Ante Pavelić saluting the regiment, handshaking with some of the soldiers and then military march was held afterward.
     
  4. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    [youtube]DSCDaNCfabc[/youtube]

    State visit of Dr. Ante Pavelic, Poglavnik of the Croatian Nation to Rome on May 22nd, 1941. The Croatian delegation receives the greetings of the Italian Chief of Government Benito Mussolini and the King Victor Emmanuel III of Savoy. King Victor Emmanuel, at the Poglavnik solemn request, designates Duke Aimone of Savoy as the new Monarch of Kingdom of Croatia.


    [youtube]wcS6iF5gx60[/youtube]

    Poglavnik Ante Pavelić meeting with Fuhrer Adolf Hitler in 1944.
     
  5. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    [youtube]IxSTWc8QU[/youtube]

    While visiting Croatia(NDH) and it's capital city Zagreb(Agram) news reporters from Imperial Japan visited Croatian village Remete to see the cultural aspect of Croatian folk and overall beauty of life in Croatian villages.


    [youtube]Wux5tuJVDFc[/youtube]

    About a month before Germany capitulated 4th aniversary of Independent State of Croatia celebration is held on 10.04.1945. in Zagreb (Agram).
    New Croatian soldiers are taking an Oath and against all odds they are willing and ready to fight for their fatherland.
    After Germany capitulated and surrendered to British and American troops, Croatia was on it's own for one whole week against Soviets, Serbs, Partisans and British thus making Croatia last official Axis state with operational Army.
    End for Croatia came with tragedy of Bleiburg where Yugoslav Partisans and Serbs killed about 500.000 innocent Croatian civilians, surrendered soldiers of Croatia, Germany and Slovenia.
     
  6. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    [youtube]7UkVqaCHl7M[/youtube]

    Anti-Communist pact - Axis.
    Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia signing an pact against Communism.

    Croatian diplomat in this video can be seen at 2:09.



    Ok this is all for today…Im tired and i will put some photos tomorrow :)
     
    C.Evans likes this.
  7. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Hi Rafeal, first, welcome to the site and, I was able to watch a couple of these and thought that it was great you showed the footage.

    That said, I met quite a few Croations when I was in Germany, and I have the highest regards for them.

    Take care--Carl.
     
  8. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    Thank you Evans :)

    Here are some photos..You can find more in my album at my profile

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    Ustashe uniforms

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    Uploaded with ImageShack.us
     
  9. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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  10. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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  11. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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  12. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    [​IMG]

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    I thought this was Stalin in thumbnail but it was Pavelić

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    Uploaded with ImageShack.us
     
  13. Rafael Boban

    Rafael Boban Member

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    [​IMG]

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    Navy girls (the girl on the left is very beautiful)

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    Uploaded with ImageShack.us
     
  14. Gebirgsjaeger

    Gebirgsjaeger Ace

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    Great collection! Thanks for sharing.

    Regards

    Ulrich
     

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