Franjo Kluz

Franjo Kluz (September 19, 1913 – September 14, 1944) was a Yugoslav pilot of Croatian origin, best known as one of the founders of the Partisan air force.

Franjo Kluz was born in Jošik, near Bosanska Dubica. In 1931 he graduated from the Yugoslav reserve officers school as a sergeant-pilot. After the Axis invasion and establishment of Independent State of Croatia in 1941 he was drafted into the Croatian Air Force and was stationed in Banja Luka.

In the second half of May 1942, like Rudi Čajavec before him, he defected to the Partisans with his Potez 25 aircraft. From the improvised airfield near Prijedor he carried out a number of sorties against Axis forces, the most notable being the attack on an Ustasha column near Orahovo on June 4. His plane was destroyed by hostile fire on July 6.

He then became a member of the Partisan command for Bosanska Krajina region. With his new command responsibiities, he needed to be a Party member and on August 14, 1942 he became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.

On October 14 Kluz became the station commander of the First Air Base of the Yugoslav National Liberation Army (YNLA) in Livno. After the German offensive, Kluz and his 200 men were sent to Allied-controlled Italy, where they received training, equipment and aircraft from RAF. Kluz was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the RAFVR, service number 178171. Kluz became a member of the First Air Squadron of YNLA (Prva eskadrila, NOVJ), otherwise known as 352 Squadron, RAF. He was shot down and killed [http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2224251] (unfortunately CWGC mis-spells his first name) by German AAA over Omiš.

After the war Franjo Kluz received the title of a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. A clothing factory in Belgrade was named in his honour, as was a printing company in Omiš. [ [http://www.omisinfo.com/ Omis, Croatia - OMIS Info ] at www.omisinfo.com] , a title it holds to this day.

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