october september leading croatian fighter ace world war credited confirmed kills joined air_force independent state croatia following axis invasion yugoslavia april luftwaffe flew combat missions eastern tours eastern spanned october november february june october march defected soviet_union september returned yugoslavia november worked flight instructor italy april left italy captain arab israeli war flew combat missions israel american following war emigrated canada started family died toronto early life born october town near austria-hungary avid pilot entered class belgrade graduated april rank commenced pilot training october year world war german led axis invasion yugoslavia april served 2nd squadron airfield defeated occupied axis powers member armed forces newly created croatia croatian joined air_force independent state croatia croatian april rank initially posted personnel department headquarters june formed fight alongside germany invasion soviet_union july air component legion formed known croatian consisted bomber group fighter group formed members swore oath loyalty adolf_hitler subject german disciplinary regulations wore luftwaffe uniforms attending luftwaffe training schools fighter group sent eastern designated squadron iii 52nd fighter wing transferred pilot school germany september october april underwent advanced training june transferred fighter pilot school october seven pilots joined operating flying fighters october minute flight afternoon day new members unit flying veteran pilots victory november flying 12th mission escorting dive bombers mission companion intercepted fighters downed attackers city register confirmed aerial victory unable build success time days later rotated personnel endured year constant combat men break months commencing return journey february collecting aircraft german occupied poland february flying flew february eastern changed significantly absence strategic initiative passing soviets second tour march transferred flew missions second tour following day april took patrol area shot bell days later late taking catching downed fighter engagement soviet aircraft witnesses confirm claim later day pilots escorting group medium bombers came soviet fighters flying boats black_sea claimed witnessed following morning patrol pilot near came fighters claimed pilot aircraft hit retire later day pilot engaged claimed witnessed april attacking shipping force land aircraft engine problems flew mission different aircraft later day black_sea downing bomber april flew escort mission ground attack aircraft fighters attacking shipping near pilots assisted sinking small vessels april accounted escort claimed victory patrol days later seen separated fight sank small vessel following day pilots escorting group tried intercept formation pilot claimed soviet fighters destruction witnessed morning mission saw claim encountered near afternoon pilot escorting encountered group seven ground attack aircraft fighters engagement aircraft damaged force landed claiming following morning sortied escort mission force landed time near claims morning escort mission evening following evening shot escorting claimed escort mission liaison aircraft reinforcements arrived form pilots served tour eastern pilots meet success claimed fighters southeast days later pilots surprised west claiming claim witnessed escort mission accounted pilots flying soviet airfields remaining pilots questioned luftwaffe withdrawn commander replaced end second tour eastern claimed confirmed unconfirmed kills later confirmed tour luftwaffe decided replace remaining pilots newly trained men veterans joined fighter training graduated october newly promoted pilots arrived october equipped deployed airfield commenced combat missions october days later scored victory tour downing south days claimed november successful day entire war pilots claiming aircraft loss including claimed day aircraft badly damaged escorting fighters crash landed near escaping followed claim november november moved days later downed end november approach winter reduced flying operations halt downed december near 30th 31st confirmed aerial victories january added tally february flew sorties downed second shot fifth mission shot crash landed injuring spine evacuated field hospital returned soon walk days later find pilots fit duty despite pending arrival newly trained pilots loss pilots mid march led luftwaffe decide attempting maintain futile men sent home tours accounted total soviet aircraft confirmed unconfirmed aerial victories seven later confirmed beginning july luftwaffe decision newly promoted group veteran fresh pilots began way eastern transported romania aircraft provided july pilots advised disbanded despite august moved airfield took delivery beginning september flew lithuania preparation rejoin september pilot defected soviets taking airfield soon announced spelled end remaining members withdrawn infantry men eventually released infantry duties early allowed return assigned november soviets handed yugoslav partisans offered position flight instructor following month returned belgrade conversion fly fighters worked flight instructor february constant insults directed fellow personnel owing service prompted apply transfer april posted 1st instructor august tiger flew adriatic defected time italy placed refugee camp del later life legacy began expressing increasingly anti jewish beliefs following war joined arab israeli war captain squadron based lebanon flew combat missions american equipped ground attack rockets pound bombs following end arab israeli war emigrated canada settled toronto started family worked founder largest croatian organisations canada canada died toronto september scoring croatian pilot world war life controversy surrounding exact number aircraft downed croatian wartime documents discovered belgrade death credited confirmed kills source indicates tally confirmed kills unconfirmed total included following aircraft records noted unconfirmed claim
Mato Dukovac