Ivan Babić (soldier)

Ivan Babić (Sveti Ivan Žabno, 1904 - Torremolinos, Spain, 1982) was a Croatian soldier and lieutenant-colonel in the Croatian Home Guard and later an emigrant dissident writer against Communist Yugoslavia.

He attended gymnasium in Bjelovar. Babić became a military cadet in the Yugoslav Royal Army and was sent to Paris to perform further training. [http://www.nacional.hr/articles/view/13618/5/ Boris Maruna - dissident in the ambassador's chair] ] During the April War Babić served as a major in the 38th Drava Infantry Division. [ [http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/kingdom-of-yugoslavia/organization/1941/ Yugoslav Army, April 1941] ]

In 1942 he commanded the 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the "Croatian Legion", which fought on the Eastern Front. In 1943 he headed the Home Guard Central School. [ [http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=6964 Domobran Central School] ]

In 1943 Babić flew a mission to American troops in Italy to suggest that the Allies invade the Dalmatian coast of the Independent State of Croatia to prevent the country from falling into communist hands. He claimed the invasion would meet no resistance and that the Croatian army would establish a beachhead for them. [ [http://wap.macedonia.org/myth/airmen.html Myth: "The Croatians executed dozens of American airmen"] ] He eventually abandoned his military position and flew out of the country, foreseeing the fall of the state. [ [http://www.snimanje.adu.hr/stivo/matacic08.html#f38a Štivo - Odsjek snimanja ADU Zagreb ] ]

After the war he worked for a period as an engineer in Venezuela. He was a frequent contributor to the Croatian emigrant weekly "Hrvatska revija" (Croatian Review). [ [http://161.53.245.120/WebCGI.exe?Tip=traziJ&srchfield=7&searchdata=700%3A000679%20or%20701%3A000679%20or%20702%3A000679%20or%20600%3A000679&Exact=NotE&SelBase=1&NaslovSF=Babić,%20Ivan] ] He secured the visa for Croatian writer, and later assassination victim, Bruno Bušić to come to Spain. [ [http://www.fokus-tjednik.hr/vijest_arhiva.asp?vijest=2989&izdanje=123 Fokus ] ]

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