Yugoslav Royal Air Force
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:43 am
During 1940 Britain supplied significant military aid to the JKRV, to strengthen its forces against the increasing German threat. In early March 1941, the German Luftwaffe forces started arriving in neighboring Bulgaria. On March 12, 1941, JKRV units began to deploy to their wartime airfields. The overthrow of the pro-German government in Belgrade on March 27 brought an end to hopes of a settlement with Germany. On April 6, 1941, Luftwaffe units in Bulgaria and Romania attacked Yugoslavia in what was known as the Bombing of Belgrade. Equipped with a combination of obsolete equipment and new aircraft still being introduced into service, the JKRV was forced to defend the country's long borders against multiple attacks from many directions. The dubious loyalty of some military personnel did not help matters. Yugoslav fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery brought down about 90-100 enemy aircraft, but defending forces were unable to make any significant impact on the enemy advance. During the attack German aircrafts on Niš Airport Medoševac, 6 April around 08:00, with the fire from the ground shot down plane was German fighter ace Herbert Ihlefeld. Captain Ilefeld, who them to the beginning of the attack on Yugoslavia was recognized over forty air victories, Captain Ihlefeld was shot down by Corporal Vlasta Belić, fire a machine gun Darn, caliber 7.69 mm who are taken down with aircraft Yugoslav Breguet 19. Having received a shot in the nose of oil cooler, engine Messerschmitt Me -109 are stop and the pilot was forced to leave the plane. He rescue themself the parachutes about 35 miles southeast of Nis. German ace was captured by Serbian peasants who handed him over to the gendarmesOn April 17, 1941 the Yugoslav government surrendered. Several JKRV aircraft escaped to Egypt via the Kingdom of Greece, and the crews then served with the British Royal Air Force (RAF).
By the outbreak of the Second World War, Yugoslavia had a substantial air force with their own aircraft, aircraft from Allied countries like Britain and aircraft from Axis countries like Germany and Italy. In 1940, Britain attempted to bring Yugoslavia to the Allied side by supplying military aide to the Yugoslav Royal Air Force, including new Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft. However Germany sold a large number of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters to Yugoslavia and in early 1941, and German dismay towards a Balkans campaign convinced Yugoslavia to join the Axis forces.
Although Yugoslavia joined the Axis powers, Fascist Italy demanded that their ally Nazi Germany invade Yugoslavia in order to reach Greece and help their disastrous campaign there and in the process break up Yugoslavia since Italians were laying claim on certain territories (mostly Dalmatia). The German Luftwaffe then began to mass at the borders of Yugoslavia from allied Axis nations. The JKRV was forced to stretch out to defend Yugoslavia from an apparent invasion and imminent air war. [1]
Following the Belgrade Coup on March 25, 1941, the Yugoslav armed forces were put on alert, although the army was not fully mobilized for fear of provoking Hitler – to no avail. The JKRV command decided to disperse its forces away from their main bases to a system of auxiliary airfields that had previously been prepared. However many of these airfields lacked facilities and had inadequate drainage which prevented the continued operation of all but the very lightest aircraft in the adverse weather conditions encountered in April 1941.[2]
Despite having aircraft superior to that owned by some of the previously German-occupied eastern European nations like Poland or Czechoslovakia, the Yugoslav Royal Air Force could not match the numbers of the German Luftwaffe and could not defend all of Yugoslavia resulting in the devastating Luftwaffe bombings of Belgrade. Yugoslavia capitulated eleven days after the Axis invasion.
Yugoslavia immediately fell apart and the Royal Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland (Kraljevska Jugoslovenska Vojska u Otadzbini), the first anti-fascist resistance movement in Europe, and the Axis forces, including the Independent State of Croatia, would continue a struggle over that territory that lasted until the middle of May 1945. Tito's communist Partisans only joined in in June, Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
The bomber eskadrilla (the equivalent of 22 squadrons) and maritime air force hit targets in Italy, Germany (Austria), Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece, as well as attacking German, Italian and Hungarian troops. Meanwhile the fighter eskadrilla (the equivalent of 19 squadrons) inflicted not insignificant losses on escorted Luftwaffe bomber raids on Belgrade and Serbia, as well as upon Regia Aeronautica raids on Dalmatia and Herzegovina, whilst also providing air support to the hard pressed Yugoslav Army by strafing attacking troop columns in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Serbia (sometimes taking off and strafing the troops attacking the very base being evacuated).[2]
Little wonder then that after a combination of air combat losses, losses on the ground to enemy air attack on bases and the overrunning of airfields by enemy troops that after 11 days the JKRV almost ceased to exist. It must, however, be noted that between 6 and 17 April 1941 the JKRV received an additional 8 Hawker Hurricane Is, 6 Dornier Do-17Ks, 4 Bristol Blenheim Is, 2 Ikarus IK 2s, 1 Rogozarski IK-3 and 1 Messerschmitt Bf 109 from the aircraft factories and work-shops.[4]
Some 70 or so operational and training aircraft succeeded in escaping to Greece and 4 to Russia (8 Do-17Ks and SM-79Ks set out, but half were lost due to poor weather conditions, mountainous terrain and/or overloading). But further tragedy was to befall even these escapees with some 44 destroyed on the ground at the airfield of Paramitia in Greece by marauding German and Italian fighters. In the end only 3 Lockheed 10s, 2 Do-17Ks, 4 SM-79Ks, 8 Do-22K floatplanes and 1 SIM XIVH floatplane reached the Allied base of Egypt in May 1941.
The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia came into existence in July 1941 with over 200 captured aircraft. Yugoslav Partisans were themselves able to form an air force in 1943 from captured aircraft from the Croatian Air Force
Aircraft - April 1941
Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3a
61
Fighter
Germany
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I
44
Fighter
United Kingdom
Hawker Fury Mk.II
30
Fighter
United Kingdom
Avia BH-33
5
Fighter trainer
Czechoslovakia
Ikarus IK-2
10
Fighter
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski IK-3
11
Fighter
Yugoslavia
Potez 63
2
Fighter
France
Dornier Do 17 K
70
Bomber
Germany
Bristol Blenheim Mk.I
47
Bomber
United Kingdom
Bristol Blenheim Mk.I
11
Reconnaissance
United Kingdom
Savoia Marchetti SM-79
40
Bomber
Italy
Caproni Ca.310
12
Trainer/Utility
Italy
Messerschmitt Bf 108
13
Trainer/Utility
Germany
Breguet 19
120
Reconnaissance/Utility
France
Potez 25
120
Reconnaissance/Utility
France
Fieseler Fi 156
10
Utility
Germany
Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann
60
Trainer
Germany
Dornier Do 16 Wal seaplane
10
Maritime Reconnaissance/Decoy
Germany
Dornier Do 22 float-plane
12
Maritime Reconnaissance/Bomber
Germany
Rogozarski SIM-XIV-H float-plane
15
Maritime Reconnaissance
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski SIM-XII-H float-plane
12
Training
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski SIM-Х
21
Training
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski PVT
64
Training
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski R-100
25
Fighter Trainer
Yugoslavia
Zmaj Fizir FN
20
Trainer
Yugoslavia
Zmaj Fizir FP-2
23
Trainer/Utility
Yugoslavia
Avia-Fokker AF.39
2
Transport/Utility
Czechoslovakia
By the outbreak of the Second World War, Yugoslavia had a substantial air force with their own aircraft, aircraft from Allied countries like Britain and aircraft from Axis countries like Germany and Italy. In 1940, Britain attempted to bring Yugoslavia to the Allied side by supplying military aide to the Yugoslav Royal Air Force, including new Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft. However Germany sold a large number of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters to Yugoslavia and in early 1941, and German dismay towards a Balkans campaign convinced Yugoslavia to join the Axis forces.
Although Yugoslavia joined the Axis powers, Fascist Italy demanded that their ally Nazi Germany invade Yugoslavia in order to reach Greece and help their disastrous campaign there and in the process break up Yugoslavia since Italians were laying claim on certain territories (mostly Dalmatia). The German Luftwaffe then began to mass at the borders of Yugoslavia from allied Axis nations. The JKRV was forced to stretch out to defend Yugoslavia from an apparent invasion and imminent air war. [1]
Following the Belgrade Coup on March 25, 1941, the Yugoslav armed forces were put on alert, although the army was not fully mobilized for fear of provoking Hitler – to no avail. The JKRV command decided to disperse its forces away from their main bases to a system of auxiliary airfields that had previously been prepared. However many of these airfields lacked facilities and had inadequate drainage which prevented the continued operation of all but the very lightest aircraft in the adverse weather conditions encountered in April 1941.[2]
Despite having aircraft superior to that owned by some of the previously German-occupied eastern European nations like Poland or Czechoslovakia, the Yugoslav Royal Air Force could not match the numbers of the German Luftwaffe and could not defend all of Yugoslavia resulting in the devastating Luftwaffe bombings of Belgrade. Yugoslavia capitulated eleven days after the Axis invasion.
Yugoslavia immediately fell apart and the Royal Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland (Kraljevska Jugoslovenska Vojska u Otadzbini), the first anti-fascist resistance movement in Europe, and the Axis forces, including the Independent State of Croatia, would continue a struggle over that territory that lasted until the middle of May 1945. Tito's communist Partisans only joined in in June, Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
The bomber eskadrilla (the equivalent of 22 squadrons) and maritime air force hit targets in Italy, Germany (Austria), Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece, as well as attacking German, Italian and Hungarian troops. Meanwhile the fighter eskadrilla (the equivalent of 19 squadrons) inflicted not insignificant losses on escorted Luftwaffe bomber raids on Belgrade and Serbia, as well as upon Regia Aeronautica raids on Dalmatia and Herzegovina, whilst also providing air support to the hard pressed Yugoslav Army by strafing attacking troop columns in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Serbia (sometimes taking off and strafing the troops attacking the very base being evacuated).[2]
Little wonder then that after a combination of air combat losses, losses on the ground to enemy air attack on bases and the overrunning of airfields by enemy troops that after 11 days the JKRV almost ceased to exist. It must, however, be noted that between 6 and 17 April 1941 the JKRV received an additional 8 Hawker Hurricane Is, 6 Dornier Do-17Ks, 4 Bristol Blenheim Is, 2 Ikarus IK 2s, 1 Rogozarski IK-3 and 1 Messerschmitt Bf 109 from the aircraft factories and work-shops.[4]
Some 70 or so operational and training aircraft succeeded in escaping to Greece and 4 to Russia (8 Do-17Ks and SM-79Ks set out, but half were lost due to poor weather conditions, mountainous terrain and/or overloading). But further tragedy was to befall even these escapees with some 44 destroyed on the ground at the airfield of Paramitia in Greece by marauding German and Italian fighters. In the end only 3 Lockheed 10s, 2 Do-17Ks, 4 SM-79Ks, 8 Do-22K floatplanes and 1 SIM XIVH floatplane reached the Allied base of Egypt in May 1941.
The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia came into existence in July 1941 with over 200 captured aircraft. Yugoslav Partisans were themselves able to form an air force in 1943 from captured aircraft from the Croatian Air Force
Aircraft - April 1941
Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3a
61
Fighter
Germany
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I
44
Fighter
United Kingdom
Hawker Fury Mk.II
30
Fighter
United Kingdom
Avia BH-33
5
Fighter trainer
Czechoslovakia
Ikarus IK-2
10
Fighter
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski IK-3
11
Fighter
Yugoslavia
Potez 63
2
Fighter
France
Dornier Do 17 K
70
Bomber
Germany
Bristol Blenheim Mk.I
47
Bomber
United Kingdom
Bristol Blenheim Mk.I
11
Reconnaissance
United Kingdom
Savoia Marchetti SM-79
40
Bomber
Italy
Caproni Ca.310
12
Trainer/Utility
Italy
Messerschmitt Bf 108
13
Trainer/Utility
Germany
Breguet 19
120
Reconnaissance/Utility
France
Potez 25
120
Reconnaissance/Utility
France
Fieseler Fi 156
10
Utility
Germany
Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann
60
Trainer
Germany
Dornier Do 16 Wal seaplane
10
Maritime Reconnaissance/Decoy
Germany
Dornier Do 22 float-plane
12
Maritime Reconnaissance/Bomber
Germany
Rogozarski SIM-XIV-H float-plane
15
Maritime Reconnaissance
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski SIM-XII-H float-plane
12
Training
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski SIM-Х
21
Training
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski PVT
64
Training
Yugoslavia
Rogozarski R-100
25
Fighter Trainer
Yugoslavia
Zmaj Fizir FN
20
Trainer
Yugoslavia
Zmaj Fizir FP-2
23
Trainer/Utility
Yugoslavia
Avia-Fokker AF.39
2
Transport/Utility
Czechoslovakia
I would like to see Me-109 on map. 
