- Rudolf Perešin
Rudolf Perešin (1958-1995), a
Croatia n fighter pilot in theYugoslav People's Army , defected fromŽeljava Air Base toKlagenfurt ,Austria in 1991, during reconnaissance flight because he wanted to help his homeland Croatia during theCroatian War of Independence . He was the first pilot to leave JNA due to disapproval of war.He was born in the village of Jakšinec, Gornja Stubica near the Croatian capital of Zagreb. He entered Military Pilot Academy in Zadar, Croatia. He graduated in 1981 with outstanding scores at the top of his class as one of the best fighter pilots of JNA.
Return to Croatia
In 1990, as the JNA was quietly preparing for aggression on Croatia he, unlike most pilots, refused point blank to join Communist Alliance of Yugoslavia. He decided to defect to help defend his homeland, realising how risky that plan was. Like all Croatian born personnel, he was under close surveillance. That did little to discourage him and on
October 25 ,1991 , he flew over to Austria after shaking off his escort.Croats recognize him as one of the greatest heroes of the war, his defection dealing a powerful blow to the morale and political agendas of the aggressor while simultaneously giving a huge boost to morale, defiance and pride to Croats, who were fighting for their freedom against seemingly hopeless odds. After landing in Klagenfurt, he said one of the most memorable things of the war, equally boosting Croatian morale, explaining his action: "I am a Croat and I cannot and will not fire upon my Croatia".
The
MiG-21 he used to defect can be viewed in front of the military museum in Vienna. On theMay 2 ,1995 while providingclose air support toCroatian Army duringOperation Flash he was shot down overStara Gradiška byVRS Army Triple A. He was buried with full military honors in Mirogoj cemetery of Zagreb.Today, Croatian Air Force Flight School in Zadar and Aviation High School in
Velika Goric a are both named in his honor.External links
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP_OWvzVWDA&eurl= YouTube video about him]
* http://arhiva.kurir-info.co.yu/Arhiva/2007/jun/14/V-03-14062007.shtml
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