Croatian Air Force Legion (Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija) was raised 1941 as the Croatian Air Force Regiment (Zrakoplovna Pukovnija) and was made up of volunteers. The men was sent to Germany for training 15 July 1941.

The 10. Fighter Squadron was sent to the Eastern Front Oct 1941 and was followed by 11. Fighter Squadron in Dec. The 4. Fighter Wing served as a part of III/JG52. It was reorganised Jan 1942, due to the shortage of fighter planes, as the Reinforced 10. Fighter Squadron (Ojacano 10. Lovacko Jato), and again in Apr 1945, this time as Dzal's Fighter Wing (Lovacka Skupina Dzal) while the Germans called it 15/JG52. The Fighter Wing scored a total of 263 kills.

The 5. Bomber Wing arrived at the Eastern Front Oct 1941 and served as 10/KG3 and from June 1942 as 15. Kroatische/KG53. It returned to Croatia after having flown a total of 1.332 combat missions.

The Legion was disbanded 21 July 1944 but was reformed as Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Izobrazbena Skupina (Croatian Air Force Training Wing).

Order of Battle

4. Fighter Wing (Major Franjo Dzal)

   10. Fighter Squadron

   11. Fighter Squadron

5. Bomber Wing (Major Vjekoslav Vicevic, later Vladimir Graovac)

   12. Bomber Squadron

   13. Bomber Squadron

Reference material on this unit

Gerhard Rauchwetter - U über der Ostfront