32nd Aviation Division
32. vazduhoplovna divizija
Active1945–1959
Disbanded1959
BranchYugoslav Air Force
TypeDivision
Size3 regiments
HQPleso

The 32nd Aviation Division (Serbo-Croatian: 32. vazduhoplovna divizija/ 32. ваздухопловна дивизија) was a Yugoslavian military air unit originally established in 1945 as the 4th Aviation Bomber Division (Serbo-Croatian: 4. vazduhoplovna bombarderska divizija / 4. ваздухопловна бомбардерска дивизија).

History

1st Fighter Regiment

Hawker Hurricane Mk IVRP of No. 351 Squadron RAF, Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, used by the 1st Fighter Regiment for its short existence.

The 1st Fighter Regiment (Serbo-Croatian Latin: 1. lovački puk, 1. ловачки пук) was an aviation regiment established 18 May 1945 as part of the Yugoslav Air Force. The regiment was stationed at Zadar Airport until it was disbanded after three months. The 1st Fighter Regiment was formed on 18 May 1945. It comprised aircraft and personnel from two former RAF squadrons, No. 352 and No. 351 that had been operated by Yugoslav personnel and equipped with British-made Hawker Hurricane Mk IV and Supermarine Spitfire Mk VC and IX fighter aircraft. The regiment, under the command of Đuro Ivanšević, was short-lived. It was disbanded by the end of August 1945, with its personnel sent to Sombor to contribute to the formation of the 4th Aviation Bomber Division. Some of its equipment was transferred to Mostar airport.[1]

Aircraft

4th Aviation Bomber Division

The 4th Aviation Bomber Division was established by order from August 3, 1945, with headquarters at Sombor. The division was direct under the Command of Yugoslav Air Force. It consisted from 41st and 42nd Bomber Aviation Regiment.

In 1947, 43rd Bomber Aviation Regiment, the third regiment attached to this division, was established.

By 1948, this division was renamed for conventional purposes to 32nd Aviation Bomber Division (Serbo-Croatian: 32. vazduhoplovna bombarderska divizija/ 32. ваздухопловна бомбардерска дивизија).

The commanders of division in this period were Božo Lazarević and Sava Poljanec. Commissars were Radoje Ljubičić, Drago Vuković and Ljubiša Čerguz.[2]

32nd Aviation Division

The 32nd Aviation Bomber Division was formed by renaming of 4th Aviation Bomber Division. It has moved from Sombor to Boronogaj and finally to Pleso in 1951 until it was disbanded.

In 1950, the division was attached to the 3rd Aviation Corps. It has relocated its headquarters from Zagreb to Cerklje. By 1957, it was renamed as the Aviation Fighter Division due to the replace of bomber aircraft with domestic-made fighters.

It was disbanded by the order on June 27, 1959, per the "Drvar" reorganization plan. It was transformed into the 5th Air Command.

The commanders of division in this period were August Canjko, Radoslav Jović, Milan Tojagić and Stanislav Perhavec. Commissars were Ljubiša Čerguz, Ivan Dolničar and Novak Matijašević until 1953.[2]

Assignments

Previous designations

  • 4th Aviation Bomber Division (1945–1948)
  • 32nd Aviation Bomber Division (1948–1957)
  • 32nd Aviation Fighter Division (1957–1959)

Organization

1945-1948

1948-1959

Headquarters

Commanding officers

  • Major General Božo Lazarević [3]
  • Colonel Sava Poljanec
  • Lieutenant-Colonel August Canjko [4]
  • Major General Radoslav Jović
  • Colonel Milan Tojagić
  • Colonel Stanislav Perhavec

Political commissars

  • Colonel Radoje Ljubičić
  • Colonel Drago Vuković
  • Colonel Ljubiša Čerguz
  • Colonel Ivan Dolničar
  • Colonel Novak Matijašević

References

Notes and citations
  1. ↑ Dimitrijević, Bojan. Jugoslovensko Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo 1942-1992. Beograd, 2006, p. 356.
  2. 1 2 Dimitrijević, Bojan. Jugoslovensko Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo 1942–1992. Beograd, 2006, p. 354.
  3. ↑ 4th Bomber Aviation Division
  4. ↑ 32nd Bomber Aviation Division
Bibliography
  • Dimitrijević, Bojan (2012). Jugoslovensko ratno vazduhoplovstvo. Beograd: Institut za savremenu istoriju. ISBN 8674031633.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.