I found this lurking in the back of…

I thought this post was about things lurking in hangars, where did they go to :dev2:

You are right. It is time to finish this topic about Croatian oldtimers and Spitfires…

😎

I thought this post was about things lurking in hangars, where did they go to :dev2:

Maybe next year you could repaint Spitfire in this colours and organise route trough ex-Yugoslavia 😀

:diablo:

Wednesday 14th September Depart Duxford at 15:10 (local time) for Jersey

Thursday 15th September Jersey International Air Show

Friday 16th September Depart Jersey for Chateauroux (France) and onto Valence (France)

Saturday 17th September Depart Valence for Genoa (Italy) and onto Ciampino (Italy)

Sunday 18th September Depart Ciampino for Salerno (Italy) and onto Reggio Di Calabria (Italy)

Thursday 22nd September Depart Reggio Di Calabria to arrive in Malta through Grand Harbour at 18:00 (local time)

This page will be updated with daily reports of the Merlins Over Malta Spitfire and Hurricanes flight to Malta.

The above time table may change due to weather and aircraft serviceability. Any changes will be announced here. http://www.merlinsovermalta.com/flight/

That’s the one 😀

Tnx

Do you mean the Merlins over Malta event? Heres the website http://www.merlinsovermalta.com/ click on ‘September 2005’ for details.

I forget when is happening that event on Malta. Does anybody know?

Manga

Maybe on Malta Mark12 will find some internet caffe to report us with flying details 😀

Who knows Knasan maybe your presumption is wrong.

Mark check your inbox for lost Spitfire list. I expect your review soon 😉

Any knowledge about its content? In this moment I am interested only in aircraft losses. If book doesn’t cover that area it is not interesting for my non-english speaking friend.

Tnx in advance 😀
JeT

When Mark12’s copy arrives from the USA he’ll be able to tell you! 😀 I would assume it does not go to the level of detail your friend needs but I could be wrong.

Rob / Kansan

Any knowledge about its content? In this moment I am interested only in aircraft losses. If book doesn’t cover that area it is not interesting for my non-english speaking friend.

Tnx in advance 😀
JeT

Kansan,

I ordered ‘Air War for Yugoslavia’ from the US on Abe’s yesterday. $30 USD for a mint example, plus postage to the UK.

Is the Grub Street book basically the same book but just published in the UK.

If not could you please advise what is the title and who is the author?

Mark

Oops. and me a librarian too. They’ll take my epaulettes off.
Yup, the Grub Street book is the UK edition. Viz.

Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete 1940-41
by Shores, Christopher; Cull, Brian And Malizia, Nicola
Publisher: Squadron / Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas Date Published: 1987 ISBN: 089747208X

Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete. 1940-41
by Christopher Shores, Cull & Malizia
Publisher: Grub Street ISBN: 0948817070 (dated 1987 in other entries)

You, Sir, are a man with an eye for a bargain. 🙂

Rob / Kansan

Kansan,

I ordered ‘Air War for Yugoslavia’ from the US on Abe’s yesterday. $30 USD for a mint example, plus postage to the UK.

Is the Grub Street book basically the same book but just published in the UK.

If not could you please advise what is the title and who is the author?

Mark

What you know about this book?

Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete by Chris Shores
Publisher: Squadron/Signal Pubns (December 1, 1988)
Language: English
ISBN: 089747208X

If somebody knows how much it covers aircraft losses in the area? By all sides and nations which flew over ex-Yugoslav soil.

There are used copies and a new edition available through alibris.com, being sold by used and new booksellers in the UK and USA. Priced around US$40 minimum for a copy.

The entry for the “new” edition says this:

Publisher: Grub Street
ISBN: 0948817070
Description: The air battle began in June 1940 with the Italian declaration of war. Since the war RAF claims have been disputed by the Italians, although with little evidence. The violence of the German Blitzkrieg through Yugoslavia, Greece & the invasion of Crete ensured the destruction of many records. The authors have pieced together the records & give a full picture of the Luftwaffe, Royal Italian Air Force, RAF, Yugoslav & Greek airforces in action. Includes previously unpublished photos.

Rob / Kansan

What you know about this book?

Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete by Chris Shores
Publisher: Squadron/Signal Pubns (December 1, 1988)
Language: English
ISBN: 089747208X

If somebody knows how much it covers aircraft losses in the area? By all sides and nations which flew over ex-Yugoslav soil.

Balkan campaign

JeT,

I don’t think it is because people find it uninteresting. It is more probably that The Balkan campaign just does not get the historical attention it perhaps deserves from historians/writers compared to other campaigns, Battle of Britain, 2nd TAF etc

I am hard pressed to find much in my personal library on the Balkan campaign.

Can anybody suggest any relevant book titles?

Is there anything from Grub Street for example?

Mark

Conclussion

Just have to conclude the subject about 352 Sqd. Of course this is only for all (read three) men who find it very interesting 😀

That also might be the reason why none of the squadron members rose to a major military or political post in the SFRJ. The sole exception appears to be technical officer Franjo Lolic, who became the head of the Air-technical Service of the JRV, primarily because such a post put knowledge and ability before political credentials. Post-war treatment of the former No352 Squadron pilots in the JRV is best illustrated by examples. The already mentioned degradation of Squadron Leader Hinko Soic immediately after the war was done by relieving him off the post of the 1st Fighter Regiment (Prvi lovacki puk) commander (the unit being formed from “his” No. 352 Squadron R.A.F.). Even the new commander, politically acceptable major Djuro Ivanisevic never made a general, but retired a colonel, as did his comrade in arms Lolic. Of note is that Hinko Soic, the pilot who managed to escape to the USSR at the close of “April War”, got his Partizanska spomenica prvoborca (a medal bestowed upon those who joined the Partisans as early as 1941) rather a long time after the war, and after some exchange of letters with high Command.

If the foremost cadre got such a treatment, the others could only fare worse. Among such life stories is the one of Juraj Tomsic, who became an agricultural aircraft pilot. So, after flying top Luftwaffe bombers (Do 17Z-2) and R.A.F. fighters (Spitfire), “Bonzo” was ordered to dust forests. The pilot who survived World War Two, from Russian winters to the sandstorms of North Africa, and accumulated 58 sorties in his Spitfire in so called “Kamikaze” squadron (as other R.A.F. pilots used to call No.352 pilots), failed to return from an ordinary dusting flight in the vicinity of Daruvar, on May 13, 1950. Allegedly his aircraft exploded in the air.

So most of the squadron members had no place in the JRV; one can only guess whether it was because of their past as Royal Yugoslav and NDH pilots, or because of their R.A.F. training, which made them unfit to join the more numerous Soviet-trained staff. The fact is that they were not there anymore. Such a treatment explains their bitterness. We can only hope that they shall, get a certain historical satisfaction, so new generations will be able to learn the truth of the No.352 Squadron.

That “Croat/Serbian” stuff can be well ilustrated by this facts also:

The official Yugoslav sources (Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum) state that during the NDH existence as many as 99 aircraft with approximately 250 crew members and passengers tried to defect from the NDH Air Force to various sides with different success. Meanwhile, 20 more aircraft with about 60 crew members and passengers defected or tried to defect from Luftwaffe – Croatian Air Force Legion (Hrvatska zrakoplovna legija). This means that altogether as many as 119 aircraft with about 310 crewmembers and passengers defected or tried to defect from the Croatian units.

Understanding these numerous and constant defections from the NDH Air Force, it is rather apparent that the NDH was imposed to the Croatian people who mostly could not recognise themselves within the Axis Force. Therefore, as the NOV i POJ Forces led by Croatian antifascist Josip Broz – Tito were strengthening, the Croatian people were joining their movement in greater and greater numbers ensuring the largest participation within the NOVJ units.

For example first Comander of Partizan Air Force was Col. Franjo Pirc, who was Head of the NDH Air Force Headquarters (načelnik Stožera zapovjedništva Bojnog zrakoplovstva). After October 29, 1943 pukovnik Franjo (France) Pirc, defected to the Partisans in an AVIA F.L.3 (reg. 8102) from the Zalužani airport near Banja Luka towards the Jesenice airport near Mostar and landed onto the liberated area near Bugojno. After that he also joined NOVJ 1st Air Force Base.

He is man with the flag. Photo was taken during oath of 352 Sqd members in Lybia.

So one of thesis in the http://www.yuairwar.com/novj.asp was – If Croats didn’t reject NDH-ISC as Nazi pupet state, there wouldn’t be Partisan aviation at all.

Very interesting

JeT,

Thanks for that.

I had forgotten that we had already gone into so much detail back then.

It was a pet ‘hobby horse’ of mine for some period.

The more I understand the politics, the more this looks like a Serbia/Croatia thing.

Mark