After the capture of Yugoslavia and the first reports of raids by partisan units, the German command did not expect big trouble and planned to quickly deal with the poorly armed insurgent units. However, soon the Yugoslavs were able to get in touch with the leaders of the anti-fascist coalition, and the allied aviation began to make occasional sorties to drop cargo over the former Yugoslavia. But in 1941-42, both in the West and in the East, the situation was more than critical, and in reality no country was able to provide tangible assistance to the nascent partisan movement.
However, it was at the end of 1941 that information appeared that partisans had organized several ground sites in western Bosnia. At the same time, propaganda work began among the pilots of the newly created Croatian Air Force. The propaganda was more than effective because the flight personnel of these air forces were staffed by the pilots of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force, who for various reasons returned to service.
Hard work soon yielded the first results. On Saturday, May 23, 1942 at 9:30 a Croatian biplane Potez XXV took off from the airfield near Banja Luka. This unarmed aircraft was to deliver supplies to a distant garrison in Sansk - Most. A little later, another plane took off from the same airfield - Breguet XIX with a similar task. Both aircraft, however, did not arrive at their destination, but landed on the partisan field site.
These two biplanes became the first aircraft of the so-called "partisan air force". All available air defense assets were immediately put on high alert. Croatian leaders seriously feared a bomb attack on their capital, Zagreb. Moreover, soon the anti-aircraft gunners received the order: to shoot at any biplane that appears in the field of view.
In addition, a serious search campaign was organized to search for aircraft, for which large forces of the army, police and security services were involved, and of course all available air forces. This whole "epic" ended with the fact that on May 29 Croatian pilots announced that both aircraft had been destroyed during the bombing of a "suspicious" site in the Uriye area.
Breguet Br.19 Jupiter (4521) of the Guerrilla Air Force. Pilot - Rudy Chayavets; shooter - M. Yazbets. 1942 With this machine on March 21, 1942, she deserted from the Croatian Air Force to the Yugoslav partisans. This date is considered the day of the founding of the Yugoslav Air Force. On July 2, 1942, the plane was shot down during an attack on the airfield near Banja Luka and made an emergency landing. The crew was captured by the Chetniks and killed.
In fact, the planes were reliably covered by the partisans, who began preparations for combat missions. The main problem at first was the lack of fuel, but it was soon solved by purchasing regular motor gasoline. The lack of weapons was much more troublesome. The gunners of both aircraft set up a "production" of improvised bombs. These 10 kg bombs were made from pieces of water pipes; 270 units of such ammunition were produced in 10 days. The MG-34 machine gun was installed in the rear cockpit of Potez, and large red stars were painted on the keel of Breguet.
The first combat sortie of partisan aviation took place on June 4, 1942, when Potez bombed a Croatian convoy. The enemy's losses amounted to 9 people, and one of them was a German. At the same time, Breguet struck at the former "native" airfield in Banja Luka. During the third approach, the anti-aircraft gunners who took aim hit the low-speed aircraft. The pilot was injured, the plane was seriously damaged, but he tried to reach the territory controlled by the partisans. But after the engine stopped, there was only one way out - an emergency landing. The landing site was immediately surrounded by the police. After a short skirmish, the pilot shot himself, and the wounded letnab was captured. Subsequently, he was shot by a court-martial sentence as a deserter.
For the Croats, the appearance of partisan aircraft was a complete surprise, and therefore the search was resumed with renewed vigor. A reward of one million Croatian kuna was assigned to the pilot's head. However, already on June 7, the "elusive avenger" is bombing the positions of the Croatian troops.
However, the search ring was narrowing, and in a week the plane would have to fly to a new site. Along the way, the pilot bombed the detected Croat convoy. July 5 marked the first night flight of the "partisan".
However, with the complete air supremacy of the enemy aviation, the denouement came very soon. On July 6, 1942, the attack aircraft, ready for departure, was discovered and destroyed by a German patrol aircraft FW-58.
Multipurpose auxiliary aircraft Fw. 58 Weihe ("Lun") of the Luftwaffe
A number of measures were taken directly in the Croatian aviation units to exclude such cases in the future.
The situation in occupied Yugoslavia began to change dramatically only after Italy left the war in 1943. The Italian corps, located on the territory of the country, began to disarm everyone and everything: this was done by both the Germans and the Croats, well, of course, the partisans. During this period, the quiet collapse of the Croatian military aviation began. In June 1943 alone, 60 people (both pilots and technicians) deserted from one of the units in the Zagreb region.
Something also got from the aircraft. Thus, at the Italian seaplane base in Divulje (near the city of Split), the partisans captured the Consolidate Fleet in a non-flying state. On September 10, 1943, pilot Cyril, with the help of an Italian mechanic, flew the plane to the Seget-Vranitsa Bay, where an impromptu partisan hydro base was organized. Then he made 26 sorties in this aircraft, mostly by courier, since the plane was unarmed. On October 6, 1943, the plane was shot down by fire from the ground, and both the pilot and the passenger - the commander of the 8th partisan detachment - died during a forced landing.
On September 11, 11 Italian aircraft were captured by Slovenian partisans at the Italian Gorizia airbase. However, when the Germans approached, 10 planes were burned, and one ("Saiman") was transferred to a field site in the area of the headquarters of the partisans of the Primorsky region. From September 20, this plane began to make regular courier flights to the General Headquarters of the Liberation Front of Yugoslavia. The aircraft was not repainted, but a triglav was applied to the fuselage. However, this plane was not the last in the hands of the partisans. At about the same time, partisans at the airfield near Rijeka captured two communications aircraft: Fizler 156 "Storh" and Caproni Sa. 164.
On October 9, 1943, pilot Josip Klokočovnik deserted from the Zagreb airfield in his Bücker "Jungmann", and on October 29, the chief of staff (!) Of the Croatian Air Force, Colonel Franjo Pirk, flew to the side of the partisans on a FL.3 training aircraft.
Training aircraft Bucker Bu.133 Jungmeister of the "partisan" air force of Yugoslavia
The further fate of this person is very interesting. After the flight, he became Tito's right-hand man and was appointed chief of the aviation department of the General Staff, and later became the first commander of the JNA Air Force. Since 1946, he falls into disgrace and is sent as ambassador to Argentina. He died in 1954 in Ljubljana with the rank of Major General of the Yugoslav Air Force.
Since October 14, at the airbase in Livno, a kind of training course has been organized to train pilots and technicians for the partisan air force. They underwent basic flight training at FL.3 as long as there was enough fuel and oil. The courses were attended by about 60 people.
On November 13, 1943, a real combat aircraft fell into the hands of the partisans: it was a Dornier Do.17 bomber hijacked by a Croatian pilot. For this aircraft, the command of the partisans prepared a special task: it had to transfer representatives of the Yugoslav headquarters to negotiations with the allies. However, on November 28, a tragedy occurred: during the landing of the delegation on the partisan strip, the car was discovered and attacked by the German Henschel Hs-126 reconnaissance aircraft. The losses of the partisans were very serious: several members of the General Staff and two British advisers were killed. Naturally, the partisan Dornier burned down.
Yugoslav partisans at the Dornier Do.17 bomber
However, December also saw a decisive German offensive on the partisan positions, and the front began to approach Livno. In view of this, the only plane flew to Glamoch (however, there, too, it was burned when the Germans approached). In the defense of Livno, 34 people from the course were killed.
However, the work of the "partisan air force" in Yugoslavia did not stop. Moreover, air battles were also marked in 1944! Well, first things first.
On the night of September 20-21, 1944, a partisan detachment captured the Zalusany airfield. Among other things, three Morane Salunier MS.406 C1 fighters from the Croatian Air Force were captured here. Within a few days, these machines with new identification marks (a large flag on the keel and red stars on the wings) began to fly combat missions.
Fighter Morane Salunier MS.406 C1 "partisan" Air Force of Yugoslavia
Moreover, they were brought together into one unit, proudly named "Bosnian Aviation Corps". In a couple of days, partisan pilots flew 23 sorties to cover the area of hostilities. But the most interesting thing about all this is that the pilots managed to win at least one victory in the air! One day, Sergeant Suleiman Sulyo Selimbegovic in a car with number 2308 near Banja Luka shot down a transport Junkers W-34 of the Croatian Air Force. Another of his applications - over the Croatian Fiat G. 50 has not received confirmation. On September 25, 1944, one aircraft burned down during maintenance on the ground.
The remaining two fighters, with the approach of the front, were transferred to the airfield in the Sanski Most area. The last report of the partisan "moraines" dates back to the end of October 1944, when they supported the offensive in the Travnik area.
But this was not an isolated case of the capture of enemy aircraft at home airfields. At the end of 1944, the partisans captured the Kovin airfield (50 km east of Belgrade), which had several Me-109Gs and one FW-190 F-8. Yugoslav pilots drove the cars to the Zemun airfield, where a liaison squadron was organized on their base.
Fighter Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 partisan air force of Yugoslavia
FW.190F-8 fighter "partisan" air force of Yugoslavia
The desertion of Croatian pilots also continued. So, on September 2, 1944, the Croatian Fiat G. 50bis flew over to the side of the partisans. The car was used for courier flights until the end of the war. And now the plane is on display at the Aviation Museum in Belgrade.
Fighter Fiat G. 50bis partisan air force of Yugoslavia
Partisan aviation was replenished in other ways. At the end of February 1945, a young German pilot, while ferrying a Ju-87B2, mistakenly landed at a partisan airfield. The pilot was naturally captured, and the car was included in the liaison squadron.
Bomber Ju-87B2 partisan air force of Yugoslavia
Apparently, this was the last case of replenishment of partisan aviation.
However, it was clear to everyone that the partisans could not do without the help of the allied aviation. Moreover, there were bases in the liberated Italy nearby. Tito's air force headquarters moved to southern Italy, where, under the guidance of British instructors and on British aircraft, Yugoslav units were organized as part of the RAF.
On April 22, 1944, the first Yugoslavian division of the British Air Force was formed - the 352nd Yugoslav Fighter Squadron. It was also the first unit to be formed on the Mediterranean coast. The squadron was based on Hawker Hurricane fighters, later replaced in June by the Supermarine Spitfire. On July 1, 1944, the second Yugoslavian division of the British Air Force, the 351st Yugoslav Fighter Squadron, was formed. The backbone of the squadron from the moment of its formation to the end was made up of Hawker Hurricane fighters (first models IIC, then IV).
Fighter Hurricane Mk. IVPR Air Force of Yugoslavia
Fighter Spitfire Mk. Vc Yugoslav Air Force
In August 1944, the squadrons were relocated to Italy as part of the 281st Air Wing. The island of Vis served as the base, which became the official base on January 1, 1945.
The squadrons were divided into two squads A and B, each of which had 8 fighters. The service personnel were recruited from the Royal Yugoslav Air Force, and the crew consisted of personnel from the 1st NOAJ Air Base.
During the war years, the 351st squadron flew 971 sorties, completing 226 missions, which included air support for ground forces, cover for air groups, reconnaissance flights, and so on. The squadron suffered losses in the amount of 23 pilots, of whom four were killed in action (including the commander). 352 Squadron flew 1,210 sorties, completing 367 missions. The bases in Cannes, on the island of Vis and in Zemunik were used as air bases. The squadron suffered losses in the amount of 27 pilots, of whom 10 were killed in action.
The headquarters were moved to Yugoslavia from Italy in April 1945. After the end of the war on May 16, 1945, the squadrons were expelled from the British Air Force: on May 18, after their unification, the 1st Fighter Aviation Regiment was created.
Since February 1944, Soviet long-range aviation operated in the partisans' interes; Li-2NB and B-25 bombers flew from airfields in Ukraine (dropping weapons, medical supplies, etc. to partisans by parachute). In March - June 1944, the USSR provided assistance to its allies on the balconies and from the airfields of Italy, where the transport Li-2 was based. The importance of this aid is evidenced by the fact that the Soviet Li-2 was evacuated on June 3, 1944 by Josip Broz Tito and his closest associates. The Germans then carried out an operation on the territory of Western Bosnia and Kraini, the purpose of which was the capture or destruction of Tito. From July 1944, an operational group under the command of Colonel Sokolov, consisting of 12 transport Li-2 and C-47 and 12 Yak-9D fighters of the Red Army Air Force, operated from the airfield in Bari in the interests of the partisans.
By September 1944, the NOAJ was a significant military force (50 divisions), which liberated a significant part of Yugoslavia from the occupiers. The NOAJ had four aviation squadrons. The Red Army, meanwhile, was advancing through the territory of Romania and Bulgaria, creating conditions for more significant air support for the NOAJ units. By agreement of October 16, 1944, the 10th Guards Assault and 236th Fighter Aviation Divisions of the 17th Air Army were transferred to NOAJ. The Yugoslav Air Force was reinforced by 125 Il / UIL-2 attack aircraft, 123 Yak-1/3/7/9 fighters and five U-2 fighters.
Il-2M3 attack aircraft NOAU Air Force
Fighter Yak-1B Air Force NOAU
Fighter Yak-3 Air Force NOAU
Fighter Yak-9P Air Force NOAU
These aircraft were used to form the 42nd Aviation and 11th Fighter Divisions of the NOAU. Until March 1945, Soviet pilots also served in the Yugoslav squadrons, not only helping their Yugoslav colleagues in mastering new aircraft for them, but also taking part in hostilities. The assistance of the spacecraft Air Force pilots was necessary, because the Yugoslav pilots sent to the USSR had not yet completed their training. Until 1948, 2500 Yugoslav pilots, technicians and other aviation specialists were trained in aviation schools in Krasnodar (fighters), Grozny (attack aircraft), Engels (bombers) and Moscow (transport aviation).
NOAJ's cooperation with the USSR was not one-sided. For example, the partisans transferred the B-17 and B-24 bombers to the USSR, which ended up in Yugoslavia in different ways.
By a partisan order of October 23, 1944, all pilots of the former Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, who were in the liberated territory, were ordered to appear in Pancevo (near Belgrade) and take part in the final liberation of their homeland from the invaders.72 pilots responded to the call, but instead of being assigned to combat units, the communists declared them traitors and shot them without trial near the village of Yabuka, not far from the airfield. Probably, there were fears that the pilots would facilitate the return of King Peter to Yugoslavia. There was no question of such an attitude of Tito (he was Croatian by origin) to the Croatian air force pilots who left ZNDH en masse. So, the former general of ZNDH Franz Pirc became the first commander of the air force of the new Yugoslavia …
