Jure Francetić

Jure Francetić (1912 - 1942) was a member of the Croatian World War II Ustaše regime, the commander of Battle group Francetić better known as Crna Legija (Black Legion) and later commander of all brigades of the Ustaše army, Ustaška vojnica.

Early life and activities prior to formation of NDH

Francetić was born in Otočac on July 3, 1912. After gymnasium (high school) he went to study Law at University in Zagreb were he joined the Ustaše movement. Soon he was exiled from Zagreb for five years. He stayed in Otočac for short time and emigrated to Italy in March 1933. He took the Ustaše oath in the Borgotaro camp on April 24, 1933. He spent the following four years in Austria, Italy and Hungary. In Hungary he was named adjutant to Vjekoslav Servatzy, the commander of the camp at Jankapuszta.

After the assignation of King Aleksander he was interned on Sardinia. After the declaration of amnesty in Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Francetić returned to Croatia in November 1937, but was immediately arrested and exiled to his home town. Next year Francetić retured to Zagreb hoping to complete his study of Law but was called on to complete his military service. During his service in Niš he passed the exam for reserve NCO's. In late 1940 he was again arrested in Zagreb because of a congratulatory telegraph to Dr. Jozef Tiso, president of the newly formed Slovak Republic, signed by a number of Croat nationalists. He was again exiled to his native Otočac. After holding an inflammatory propagandist speech held on a New Year's school celebration in Otočac on January 12, 1941, he escaped to Germany to avoid another arrest.

Death

Francetić died on December 27 or 28, 1942. While flying to Gospić on December 22, his plane was forced to land near the village of Močile, near Slunj, which was Partisan-held area. Both he and his pilot were immediately attacked by Partisan village guards and peasants and Francetić reportedly received numerous blows with an axe. Severely wounded, he was taken to NOVJ General Staff Hospital (which was accidentally nearby) where Partisan surgeons attempted to save his life in order to exchange him for inmates of Ustaše camps and prisons, but failed.

Memorial plaque controversy

In June 2000, the Slunj branch of Association of war veterans "Hrvatski domobran" erected a memorial plaque in honor of Francetić with the inscription Hrvatski vitez Jure Francetić ("Croatian knight Jure Francetić") in the town of Slunj in Croatia. The event caused controversy, but the government of Ivica Račan didn't intervene.

In 2004 the new government of Ivo Sanader intervened and, based on Article 107 of Croatian constitution, removed it together with memorial plaque to Mile Budak in the town of Sveti Rok. The operation was carried out at 6.30 a.m. on August 27 with strong special police protection and completed without incidents.

The plaque was restored two months later, only to be removed again after few days. Other such memorial plaques appeared in other parts of Croatia in the following months, and were removed promptly by the authorities.

External links

• Francetić's picture