369th Infantry Feldpost

Rare feldpost card mailed on April 11, 1942 by a Croatian volunteer of the 369th Infantry Regiment. Sender shows FPN 42050A indicating that he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion/5th Company. The feldpost card shows the unit seal and has been censored. By April 1942, the 369th Regiment was attached to the German 6th Army and already advancing towards the Don River.

The 369th Infantry Regiment in Stalingrad

After a year in existence, in July 1942, the regiment advance on the Don River at the collective farm Kolhoz near Selivanovo, members of the regiment fought often at close quarters defeating repeated Russian counter-attacks. The Croatians casualties were high 46 dead and 176 wounded.
On 26 August 1942, the first reinforcements arrived from the training battalion in Stokerau and the regiment was sent to Glaskov for rest and refitting. On 22 September 1942, Colonel Viktor Pavicic replaced Col. Markulj as the CO of the regiment.

On 25 September 1942, the 6th Army enters Stalingrad. The next day the regiment received orders to move out, arriving 14 hours later on the suburbs of Stalingrad. These Croatian volunteers fought on several of the hardest sectors inside the surrounded perimeter at Stalingrad, especially fought with extreme courage in the "Red October." Very few Croatians survived after the Russians overran their positions.
By 13 October the regiment was down to one weak battalion and two independent companies consisting of only 983 men. On 6 November the remains of the regiment were attached to the German 212th Infantry Regiment. By the end of November there were only 5 Officers, 9 NCOs and 110 men left fighting. On 23 January 1943, 18 wounded Croatians were flown out of Stalingrad. They were the last Croatians to leave Stalingrad alive.

By January 1943, German 6th Army surrendered to the Russians, who captured the last remnants of the 369th Croatian Regiment. Only less then 100 men lead by Lt-Col Mesic surrendered on 2 February 1943, at the building of the Soviet Airforce Academy.

About 1000 wounded Croats were flown out to safety. After the Stalingrad disaster, a division of Croatian volunteers was created with former members of the regiment and volunteers from Croatia.

These Stalingrad veterans were awarded a special Linden Leaf shaped badge, with the Croat checkerboard and the words "Hrvatska Legija-1941" (Croatian Legion). A sample of the badge is shown in my Croatian Legion Awards.

In March 1943 the division, which carried the same designated number was formed as the"Kroatischen Infanterie Division 369." Although the formation was Croatian, many Officers and NCO's were German. Its commander was the German Lt-General Fritz Nieholdt. This division was committed to fight Tito's partisans in Yugoslavia.

In late 1944 two more units under German cadre were created, designated the 373rd & 392nd Infantry Divisions. These three divisions were deployed against Tito's partisans. The personnel of these divisions wore German Army uniforms with the checkerboard national emblem beneath the legend "HRVATSKA"(Croatia). On their headgear they sometimes wore a gold oval badge with the letters "NDH" (for Independent State of Croatia) or coat-of-arms shield.

The Croatians were also, recruited by Italians who controlled coastal and certain sectors of Croatia. A contingent of 1200 volunteers was attached to the Italian 8th Army. The formation was known as the "88. Legione Croata Autotransportabile." These Croatians wore Italian Army uniforms. In addition, in May 1943 a Croatian legion was being raised (about four months before the collapse of the Italian army). This legion was sent to Lake Gorda in northern Italy, where it was formed into a 1800 man combat regiment of two battalions, one artillery battalion an engineer company, and a replacement battalion. This regiment was located in the Italo-Slovene border and used for guard duty by the Germans when the Italians surrendered. Nevertheless the legion was sent to Stockerau training camp, where the regiment was disbanded. Its men composed of Croatians and Italians were used to reinforce the Croatian 369th, 373rd and 392nd Infantry Divisions.

A Croatian Naval Legion was formed in 1941. About 1000 volunteers were placed in some 60 light vessels left behind by the Russians. This makeshift flotilla, badly equipped carried out coastal security duties in the black sea. With the fall of Mussolini in 1943, the Croatian fleet was almost disbanded. However still under German domination, the Croatian fleet managed to operate in the Andriatic sea with German and Italian vessels under the German flag.

The "Kroaten-Staffeln" Croatian Air Force was also formed in late 1941. It was composed of a fighter squadron and a bomber squadron. The squadrons were equipped respectively with Me109bf's and the Do17's. They were attached to the German fighter groups JG52 and JG53. The fighter group was commanded by Oberst Franjo Dzal. The Air Force saw action over many sectors; the bombers raiding Moscow at one point while the fighters saw action in the Caucasus. In mid-1944 the Croatian airmen returned to their own country to help stop the partisan threat.