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Re: Croatian Blenheims
Setting aside the humiliation of posting here and having the designation "junior", or "newbie" or "novice" or whatever appear beneath my name, especially after originating over 2,000 posts on the old TOCH! prior to December 2005 when R.H. took it "off the air" to change the software, I nevertheless feel compelled to respond to this question since I may be the only one who has the information.
The fledgling air force of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) took possession of 8 Bristol Blenheim I aircraft (serial numbers 1501 - 1508) in June-July 1941, including 3 abandoned by the Royal Yugoslav Air Force at Zemun airdrome, 1 at Nova Topola airdrome, 1 at Sarajevo-Butmir airdrome and 1 at Augustanovac (Topusko) airdrome.
The following notes have been taken from surviving NDH documents, Yugoslav Partisan reports, and German, Italian and Allied documents in my possession. The sole published source used is given below:
20 Nov 41: 7(0) Blenheim I’s on strength (CAF strength return this date). One had already been written off and scrapped by this date.
01 Jan 42: 8th Bomber Sqdn. based at Sarajevo-Rajlovac equipped with Bristol Blenheim I, Caproni CA.210 and Amiot 143M bombers.
09 Jul 42: an officer and two NCOs at Sarajevo-Rajlovac stole Blenheim #1506 and deserted to Turkey, but crashed near Izmir before they could find an airfield.
02 Oct 42: a workshop test crew of 3 at the Belgrade- Zemun overhaul and repair facility stole Blenheim #1502 and deserted to Turkey.
Dec 42: 8th Bomber Sqdn. at Sarajevo-Rajlovac, the only one there to have Blenheims, had 3 or them on strength.
Jan – Mar 43: several still in service with 8th Bomber Sqdn. at Sarajevo-Rajlovac. They were given limited use during Operation “Weiss” in January – March 1943 against Tito’s partisans.
Apr - Jun 43: the 8th Bomber Sqdn. was now down to just two Blenheims and these were used for Operation “Schwarz”. The Blenheims eventually became unserviceable, presumably due to lack of spare parts.
10/11 Aug 43: during a devastating night sabotage attack on Sarajevo-Rajlovac airdrome by partisans, the CAF lost 11 Do 17s and one Blenheim I (serial number not given). The Luftwaffe lost a Do 17, 3 Ju 52s and 2 courier aircraft.
Oct 43: by October, the several serviceable Blenheims had been moved to the 19th Transport and Courier Sqdn. based at Zagreb-Borongaj which used them mainly as fast transports for VIPs, cargo and courier duties.
Feb – Jun 44: one or two Blenheims destroyed on the ground during numerous Allied air attacks on airfields at Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Bihac and Zagreb.
19 Jul 44: Blenheim #1505 was destroyed during a partisan commando attack on Zagreb – Velika Gorica airdrome.
Aug 44: 19th Transport and Courier Sqdn. at Zagreb reported 1 Blenheim I, 8 Bü 131, 1 Saiman and 3 P.V.T. on strength. This was the CAF’s last surviving Blenheim and it was lost to unknown circumstances sometime later, probably the victim of more Allied air attacks which devastated every airfield in Yugoslavia and everything on them by the end of the war.
For photos of Croatian Air Force Blenheims, see: Frka, Danijel, Josip Novak and Siniša Pogačić. La Force Aérienne Croate 1941 – 1945. Collection Histoire de L’Aviation Nº 10. Outreau (France): Editions Lela Presse, 2000. ISBN: 953-97564-0-4. Oversize Hb (heavy card cover). 303p. Profusely illus. Maps. Dwgs. Color profiles. Bibliography. Appendices. Pages 65-66 and 90.
Larry deZeng
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