Английская Википедия:Franjo Šimić

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Шаблон:Infobox military person

Franjo Šimić (25 May 1900 – 9 August 1944) was a Croatian colonel, and later general, in the Croatian Home Guard.

Education and early career

Franjo Šimić was born on 25 May 1900 in Gospić, a town in Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.Шаблон:Sfn He finished compulsory education in his hometown, after which he enrolled in a lower military Realschule in Strass and after that in a higher military Realschule in Maribor. He completed a year in the Military Academy of Wiener Neustadt and another year in a military academy in Karlovac. After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, he enrolled in the Military Academy of Belgrade in the newly-formed Yugoslavia.Шаблон:Sfn He completed it in the May 1920 and gained the rank of a podporučnik.Шаблон:Refn

Šimić commanded a platoon in the 19th Infantry Regiment stationed in Kragujevac from 3 March to 24 December. After that, until 5 April 1924, he commanded a platoon in an infantry regiment of the King's Guard. He was promoted to poručnikШаблон:Refn on 17 December 1922. From April to November 1924, he attended an infantry officer school in Kalinovik near Sarajevo. Šimić returned to the infantry regiment of King's Guard, this time serving as a commander of a company until 18 March 1930 and while in that position he rose to the rank of kapetan.Шаблон:Refn Between 1930 and 1932, he served in the Royal Palace as a Queen Maria of Yugoslavia's adjutant.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Afterwards, he enrolled in a higher school of the Military Academy, which he completed in 1924, and during this education, he was promoted to the rank of major. He commanded several different battalions in 1938 and 1939 and in 1940 he was promoted to pukovnik.Шаблон:RefnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

World War II

April war and counterinsurgency in Herzegovina

On 6 April 1941, Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia, at that time Šimić was commander of a VI subsection of the border troops.Шаблон:Sfn A day later, he was assigned commander of the 333rd Reserve Infantry Regiment.Шаблон:Sfn On 18 April, Yugoslavia surrendered and it was occupied and dismembered Yugoslavia, with several nations annexing parts of its territory and a puppet state called the Independent State of Croatia (Шаблон:Lang, NDH) being established.Шаблон:Sfn Šimić joined Home Guard branch of the armed forces of the NDH on 14 May 1941.Шаблон:Sfn

On 5 July 1941, Šimić was assigned a force consisting of the 6th, 11th, 15th, and 17th Battalions, a company of the 18th Battalion and a troop of artillery to put down an uprising in the eastern Herzegovina. The force numbered 62 officers and 2,062 men, with heavy weapons including four 100 mm Skoda houfnice vz 14 mountain howitzers, six heavy machine guns and twenty-seven light machine guns.Шаблон:Sfn Šimić seized the crossroads near Kifino Selo and Plužine, securing it with one company of the 11th Battalion, then sent the 15th Battalion to Gacko and the 17th Battalion to Berkovići. On 6 July, Šimić issued an order in which he established rules of behavior and "most strongly forbid terror, violence, pillaging and any mess".Шаблон:Sfn He also ordered the armed forces to prevent terror by the locals. Operations by Šimić's force proceeded without significant fighting and by 7 July, NDH forces had full control of eastern Herzegovina.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Šimić became a commander of the Home Guard Nevesinje Brigade which conducted counterinsurgency operations in eastern Herzegovina against a new uprising that begun in mid-August 1941.Шаблон:Sfn On 19 November 1941, he was appointed commander of 9th Infantry Regiment, which also operated in Herzegovina.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn On 23 March 1942, Šimić was appointed commander of the newly-formed 2nd Mountain Brigade, stationed in Bjelovar.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Poglavnik of the NDH Ante Pavelić appointed Šimić an operational commander of all armed units of the NDH in great parishes of Pliva-Rama and Lašva-Glaž on 27 May 1942, as rebel activity had increased following Italian withdrawal from these areas earlier that month.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Battles during the Partisan Long March

Файл:Jure Francetić and Franjo Šimić with German officers.png
Jure Francetić, Franjo Šimić, and German officers inspecting a map during July 1942

In early July 1942, Šimić arrived in Bugojno to organize defences in that area where an attack by Yugoslav Partisans was expected.Шаблон:Sfn A partisan 2nd Proletarian Brigade was spotted from Bugojno in the morning of 13 July and the Šimić's forces opened artillery fire on the brigade, killing one partisan. Šimić ordered a company to pursue the Partisans, the company was unsuccessful but it captured a Partisan runner who gave information about the strength of the brigade.Шаблон:Sfn In the following days, Šimić threatened the county prefect in Prozor, saying that he will be executed "for spreading alarming news". After that, Šimić ordered arrests of the county prefect in Bugojno and several civilians because of suspicion that they collaborated with the Partisans. He also threatened civilian officials in Kupres and Donji Vakuf.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

At around 22:00 on 16 July, the Partisans attacked Bugojno.Шаблон:Sfn Both sides suffered heavy losses during the battle and the Partisans retreated on the next day.Шаблон:Sfn On 20 July, Šimić together with Colonel Jure Francetić re-captured Bugojno-Donji Vakuf road from the Partisans.Шаблон:Sfn During the night of 20/21 July, the Partisans attacked Bugojno for the second time and again failed to capture it.Шаблон:Sfn In next several days, Šimić led a successful anti-partisan operation in the valley of Vrbas river near Bugojno.Шаблон:Sfn

Šimić retook Šuica and Tomislavgrad in August 1942. He was awarded the Military Order of the Iron Trefoil III Class in late 1942 for his role in the defense of Kupres and Bugojno. He was allegedly assassinated in Mostar in 1944 and posthumously awarded the Military Order of the Iron Trefoil II with Wreath, which gave him the title of vitez (knight).Шаблон:Citation needed

Notes

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References

Footnotes

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Bibliography