Franjo Džal

Franjo Džal (born in Bihać, April 9 1906 - died in Belgrade in September of 1945) was a colonel in the Independent State of Croatia's air force.

He finished elementary school and gymnasium in Bihać and graduated from the military academy in Belgrade in 1924. In the Yugoslav Royal Army he finished training as a fighter pilot. During the April War he was serving as a major in Niš. He soon joined the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia and was assigned to the Croatian Air Force Legion.

He was a member of the 4th Legionnaire Fighter Wing of the Legion. The Legion was sent to the Eastern Front in September of 1941. In February of 1942 he became commander of the wing and it soon became known as Džal's Fighter Wing. [http://www.15jg52.com/history.html History of 15./JG 52] ] By December, the wing returned to the Independent State of Croatia for vacation. The unit returned to the Eastern Front in February of 1943.

Altogether Džal scored 16 victories in 157 missions. [ [http://aces.safarikovi.org/victories/croatia-ww2.html Croatian World War II Aces] ] He was later returned to the Independent State of Croatia from flight service and held posts within the command of the air force. With the defeat of the state in 1945 he travelled to the Austrian border to surrender to the Allies. [ [http://www.safaric-safaric.si/lokacija_bleiburg/Crljen.html Truth about Bleiburg] ] He was soon arrested by the Communist Yugoslavian government and was subsequently murdered later in September.

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