Light Transport Brigade (Independent State of Croatia) explained

Unit Name:Light Transport Brigade
Laki prijevozni zdrug
Legione Croata Autotrasportabile
Dates:26 July 1941 - 13 April 1943
(Destroyed in December 1942)
Size:~1,200
Motto:hr: Za dom spremni
it: Per l'Italia alalà
Battles:Case Blue
Battle of Stalingrad
Commander1:Stjepan Neuberger (1941)
Egon Žitnik (1941-1942)
Commander1 Label:Commander

The Light Transport Brigade (Croatian: Laki prijevozni zdrug, Italian: Legione Croata Autotrasportabile) was a military unit of the Independent State of Croatia's Croatian Home Guard which fought alongside the Royal Italian Army on the Eastern Front. It was attached to the 3rd Cavalry Division of the 8th Italian Army, which was in turn subordinate to the German Army Group B.[1]

The legion was composed of about 1,215 volunteers divided into 3 Infantry Companies, 1 Machine-Gun Company, 1 (81mm) Mortar Company and 1 (65mm) Artillery Battery.[2]

The unit was formed by Italian request in July 1941,[2] after a meeting between Italian General Antonio Oxilio, delivering a letter from the Italian High Command, and Poglavnik Ante Pavelić. However, it remained in the Independent State of Croatia until December when it was finally moved to Italy. Upon completion of their training the unit was visited by Croatian field marshal Slavko Kvaternik in early 1941.[3] By 16 April 1942 it arrived on the Eastern Front.[2] It fought until December 1942 when it was destroyed by the Red Army around the Don River in the Battle of Stalingrad.[2] The unit was commemorated with a stamp featuring a soldier in the Don region.[1] Proceeds went to the families of legionnaires.

In 2008, 16 soldiers' remains were returned to Croatia.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: "AXIS & FOREIGN LEGION MILITARIA. 21 January 2016.
  2. Web site: Croatian Volunteers in the German Wehrmacht in WWII . Milcic . Allen . www.FeldGrau.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20161221010802/http://www.feldgrau.com/croatia.html . 21 December 2016 . live . 24 January 2017 .
  3. Web site: Slavko Kvaternik. Ivan Bajlo. 21 January 2016.
  4. http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/3003727/index.do Istočna fronta: U domovini nakon 65 godina