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Navy of the Independent State of Croatia

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TheNavy of the Independent State of Croatia(Croatian:Ratna Mornarica Nezavisne Države Hrvatske,RMNDH), was the navy of theIndependent State of Croatia(Croatian:Nezavisna Država Hrvatska,NDH), anAxispuppet statecontrolled by thefascistUstašeparty. The NDH was created from parts of theKingdom of Yugoslaviaon 10 April 1941, four days after theWorld War IIinvasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powerscommenced. The RMNDH consisted of two commands, the Coast and Maritime Traffic Command, and the River and River Traffic Command, and had its headquarters in the NDH capital,Zagreb.The Coast and Maritime Traffic Command consisted of three naval commands along theAdriaticcoast, which were each divided into a number of naval districts. The naval districts consisted mainly of naval and weather stations, and were only responsible forcoast guardandcustomsduties. The River and River Traffic Command consisted of seven river stations, anaval infantrybattalion,and a River Command Flotilla built around two former Yugoslavriver monitors,which had beenscuttledduring the invasion but subsequently refloated.

Navy of the Independent State of Croatia
Ratna Mornarica Nezavisne Države Hrvatske
A 250t-class torpedo boat similar toT7,which was operated by the RMNDH in theAdriatic Seabetween September 1943 and June 1944 when she was sunk
Active1941–1944
DisbandedMay 1945
CountryIndependent State of Croatia
TypeNavy
Size1,262 personnel (1943)
Part ofCroatian Armed Forces
HeadquartersZagreb,Independent State of Croatia
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Đuro Jakčin
Edgar Angeli
Nikola Steinfl
Insignia
Naval Ensign (1941–1944)
Naval Ensign (1944–1945)

The RMNDH was only a small part of the armed forces of the NDH, largely due to restrictions imposed byItalyunder theTreaties of Rome.To avoid these limitations, the Germans raised theCroatian Naval Legionwhich fought as part of theGerman Navyin theBlack Sea campaignbetween 1941 and 1944. After theItalian capitulationin September 1943, the Germans transferred several captured Italian vessels to the RMNDH, including thelight cruiserDalmacija(renamedZniam), the formerYugoslav torpedo boatT7,and theMalinska-class mining tenderMosor.All of the significant assets had been lost by December 1944 when the remaining personnel were assigned to duties ashore to circumvent their defection to theYugoslav Partisans.The RMNDH was disbanded in May 1945 with the collapse and defeat of the NDH.

Background

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Main article:Yugoslavia in World War II

On 10 April 1941, four days after theinvasionof theKingdom of Yugoslaviaby theAxis powerscommenced, an extremeCroat nationalistandfascistUstaše-ledpuppet statewas created. Known as theIndependent State of Croatia(often called the NDH, from theCroatian:Nezavisna Država Hrvatska), it combined almost all of modern-dayCroatia,all of modern-dayBosnia and Herzegovinaand parts of modern-daySerbiainto an "Italian-German quasi-protectorate".[1]GermanyandItalyquickly agreed on their division of responsibility within the NDH, and effectively occupied the entirety of the country, but the Germans retained the upper hand and control over the most industrially and agriculturally productive parts of the puppet state, despite assuring the Italians that the NDH was in their sphere of influence. The Germans gradually increased their domination over the NDH as time passed, while the Italians were unpopular among theCroatpopulation because they annexed large parts of Croatian territory, including much of theAdriaticcoastline. As the weaker Axis partner, Italy was unable to challenge Germany's grip on the NDH, and theUstaše-led Croats had to accept whatever conditions were imposed on them.[2]By long-standing agreement between theUstašeleadership and Italy that preceded the outbreak of World War II, if the Croats ceded the Croatian coast to them, the Italians would provide for its protection.[3]

TheRoyal Yugoslav Navy,targeted heavily by air attacks, conducted few combat operations during the invasion,[4][5]and the Italians captured most of its ships in port,[5]losing onedestroyerscuttledby its crew. Onesubmarineand twomotor torpedo boatsalso escaped to join the Allied cause. The Italians took over the bulk of the remaining seagoing ships and employed them in various roles.[6]One exception was theYugoslav minelayerZmajwhich sailed toSplitin an attempt to join the nascent NDH navy, but was captured at Split by the Italians on 17 April and handed over to the Germans soon after.[7]

Formation

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The Navy of the Independent State of Croatia (Croatian:Ratna Mornarica Nezavisne Države Hrvatske,RMNDH) was established by the Law on the Establishment of the Army and Navy issued on the same day as the NDH was established by theUstašedeputy leader and retired Austro-HungarianLieutenant Colonel(later Marshal andCommander-in-chiefof the armed forces of the NDH)Slavko Kvaternik,with the approval of the German authorities. The task of the navy, along with the army, was to defend the new state against both foreign and domestic enemies.[8]The Italians opposed the formation of a navy by the NDH, as they considered theAdriaticto beMare Nostrum(Our Sea). The Germans supported the Italians in this, so the development of the RMNDH along the Adriatic coast was initially very restricted.[9]On 18 May 1941, the Agreement on Military Matters Pertaining to Coastal Areas was signed in Rome – the second of threeTreaties of Romesigned that day. In this bilateral treaty with Italy, the NDH agreed to demilitarize the coastal area entirely, restricting itself to civil administration there. It also agreed not to create any naval units in the Adriatic except for policing and customs purposes.[10]By July 1941, the RMNDH consisted of two commands, the Coast and Maritime Traffic Command, and the River and River Traffic Command, and had its headquarters in the NDH capital,Zagreb.[11]

The Coast and Maritime Traffic Command comprised three naval commands for the northern, central and southern sections of the Adriatic coast, headquartered atCrikvenica(laterSušak),Makarska(laterSplit) andDubrovnikrespectively. These commands were further divided into naval districts; North Adriatic Naval Command was divided into theKraljevicaandSenjNaval Districts, Central Adriatic Naval Command comprised theOmiš,Supertar, Makarska,MetkovićandHvarNaval Districts, and South Adriatic Naval Command consisted of theTrpanj,Orebićand Dubrovnik Naval Districts. The naval districts consisted mainly of naval and weather stations, and were only responsible forcoast guardandcustomsduties.[11][12]

The formerYugoslav monitorMoravawas renamedBosnaand was part of the River Command Flotilla

The River and River Traffic Command was headquartered inSisak,at the confluence of theKupa,Sava,andOdrarivers about 57 kilometres (35 mi) southeast of Zagreb. It consisted of seven river stations – at Sisak,Brod na Savi,Hrvatska Mitrovica,Zemun,Petrovaradin,VukovarandOsijek,and a naval infantry battalion based at Zemun (later Zagreb). The River Command Flotilla, headquartered in Zemun, was also part of River and River Traffic Command. It comprised: two former Royal Yugoslav Navyriver monitors,SavaandBosna,which had been scuttled during the invasion and later recovered; two rivergunboats,UstašaandBosut;two riverminelayers,ZagrebandZrinski;and six motor boats. The flotilla had a flagship, the river tugboatVrbas,and two patrol groups, each consisting of one monitor, one gunboat, one minelayer and three motor boats.[11]

Re-organisation

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Cover ofHrvatski krugovalmagazine from 17 October 1943 featuring a member of the RMNDH.

The Law Decree on the Armed Forces of 18 March 1942 re-organised the RMNDH as a branch of theCroatian Home Guard(Croatian:Domobrani). The RMNDH was always a small part of the armed forces, numbering only 1,262 men in September 1943.[13]After theItalian capitulationin 1943, the Germans recovered the formerYugoslav torpedo boatT7from the Italians and handed it over to the RMNDH under her Yugoslav designation. Her crew came under the influence of theYugoslav Partisans,and were preparing to mutiny when the Germans intervened.[14][15]Two more former Yugoslav vessels were captured from the Italians and handed over to the RMNDH by the Germans; thelight cruiserDalmacija(renamedZniam), and theMalinska-class mining tenderMosor.Croatian crews also served on German-operated vessels, for example twenty Croats served aboard the minelayerKiebitz,ex-Italianauxiliary cruiserRamb III.[16]

Zniamwas stranded on 19 December 1943 and was torpedoed byRoyal NavyMotor Torpedo Boats(MTBs) two days later. On 24 June 1944,T7and two GermanS-boatswere sailing betweenŠibenikandRijeka,protecting German sea supply routes along the Adriatic, when they were attacked by three Royal Navy MTBs near the island of Kukuljari, south ofMurter Island.The MTBs fired two torpedoes atT7,but missed, so they closed and engaged her with their guns, setting her ablaze. She was beached, and 21 crew were rescued by the MTBs. The British crews later examined the wreck, capturing five more crew, then destroyed her with demolition charges.[17]The river monitorBosnastruck a mine and sank in the same month,[18]andSavawas scuttled on 8 September 1944 when her crew deserted to the Partisans.[19]Mosorwas stranded onIst IslandnearZadaron 31 December 1944, and remained there until after the end of the war.[20]By this stage, the RMNDH consisted of aflotillaof small coastal craft stationed at Rijeka. The entire flotilla tried to desert to the Partisans in December 1944, but all but one craft (carrying the commander of the flotilla) was prevented from doing so by the Germans. The Germans brought the naval personnel to Zagreb and used them to form a unit for ground combat, and disarmed the remaining vessels.[21]Nevertheless, the RMNDH continued to exist on paper and had a designated commander until it was disbanded at the end of the war.[12]

Croatian Naval Legion

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During the war, a unit known as theCroatian Naval Legion(Croatian:Hrvatska pomorska legija) fought as part of theGerman Navyin theBlack Sea campaignunder the command ofKapetan korvete(Commander) Andro Vrkljan and laterKapetan fregate(Captain) Stjepan Rumenović.[12]The purpose of posting a naval contingent on theBlack Seawas to evade the prohibitions imposed on the RMNDH by the second Treaty of Rome.[22]The Croatian Government hoped that its personnel could gain experience there and later serve as the core of a naval force in the Adriatic.[23]The unit did not have any ships upon its arrival in theSea of Azov.[22]It managed to scrounge up 47 damaged or abandoned fishing vessels, mostly sailing ships, and hired localRussianandUkrainiansailors to help man them. They patrolled a coastal sector of the Sea of Azov,[24]and the Legion eventually reached a strength of 1,000 officers and men as the 23rd Minesweeping Flotilla.[12]On 24 September 1942, thePoglavnik(leader) of the NDH,Ante Pavelić,visited Legion headquarters, where he reached an agreement with the Germans to train and equip a flotilla that would undertake anti-submarine patrols.[24]In 1943, a coastal artillery battery was added to the Legion. Following the capitulation of Italy in September 1943, and Axis reverses on theEastern Front,the Croatian Naval Legion returned to the NDH in May 1944 as aTrieste-based torpedo boat flotilla, part of the German 11th Escort Flotilla. The Germans disbanded the Legion at the same time as the crew of the RMNDH were brought ashore to prevent them from defecting with their vessels to the Partisans.[12]

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Three officers commanded the RMNDH:[12]

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^Tomasevich 2001,pp. 52–53, 272.
  2. ^Tomasevich 2001,pp. 233–234.
  3. ^Tomasevich 2001,p. 31.
  4. ^Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987,pp. 205–207, 213–218, 220–224.
  5. ^abWhitely 2001,p. 312.
  6. ^Chesneau 1980,pp. 357–358.
  7. ^Freivogel & Rastelli 2015,p. 97.
  8. ^Tomasevich 2001,p. 417.
  9. ^Chesneau 1980,p. 356.
  10. ^Tomasevich 2001,p. 237 (with map on p. 236).
  11. ^abcNiehorster 2013.
  12. ^abcdefThomas & Mikulan 1995,p. 18.
  13. ^Tomasevich 2001,pp. 423–424.
  14. ^Gardiner 1985,p. 339.
  15. ^Chesneau 1980,p. 357.
  16. ^Chesneau 1980,p. 359.
  17. ^Paterson 2015,p. 223.
  18. ^Naval Records Club 1968,p. 333.
  19. ^Naval Records Club 1965,p. 44.
  20. ^Chesneau 1980,p. 358.
  21. ^Tomasevich 2001,p. 431.
  22. ^abMüller 2012,p. 98.
  23. ^Brnardic 2016,p. 12.
  24. ^abMüller 2012,p. 100.

References

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  • Brnardic, Vladimir (2016).World War II Croatian Legionaries: Croatian Troops under Axis Command 1941–45.London: Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN978-1-4728-1768-6.
  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946.London, UK: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN978-0-85177-146-5.
  • Freivogel, Zvonimir & Rastelli, Achille (2015).Adriatic Naval War 1940-1945.Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus.ISBN978-953-7892-44-9.
  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1985).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921.London, UK: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN978-0-85177-245-5.
  • Müller, Rolf-Dieter(2012).The Unknown Eastern Front: The Wehrmacht and Hitler's Foreign Soldiers.London, UK: I. B. Tauris.ISBN978-1-78076-890-8.
  • Naval Records Club (1965). "The Independent Croatian Navy".Warship International.2.Rutland, Massachusetts: International Naval Research Organization.ISSN0043-0374.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Naval Records Club (1968). "Yugoslavian Monitors".Warship International.5.Toledo, Ohio: International Naval Research Organization: 333.OCLC1647131.
  • Niehorster, Leo (2013)."Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia – Order of Battle Croatian Navy 1st July 1941".Leo Niehorster.Retrieved11 March2015.
  • Paterson, Lawrence (2015).Schnellboote: A Complete Operational History.Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-84832-083-3.
  • Shores, Christopher F.; Cull, Brian; Malizia, Nicola (1987).Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete, 1940–41.London, England: Grub Street.ISBN978-0-948817-07-6.
  • Tomasevich, Jozo(2001).War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: Occupation and Collaboration.Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.ISBN978-0-8047-3615-2.
  • Thomas, Nigel; Mikulan, Krunoslav (1995).Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941–45.New York, New York: Osprey Publishing.ISBN978-1-85532-473-2.
  • Whitely, M. J. (2001).Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia.Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-0-87021-326-7.
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