Ante Vokić

Ante Vokić
Minister of Traffic of the Independent State of Croatia
In office 11 October 1943 – 29 January 1944
Prime Minister	Nikola Mandić
Preceded by	Hilmija Bešlagić
Succeeded by	Jozo Dumandžić
Minister of Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia
In office 29 January 1944 – 30 August 1944
Prime Minister	Nikola Mandić
Preceded by	Miroslav Navratil
Succeeded by	Nikola Steinfl
Personal details
Born	23 August 1909 Mostar, Austria-Hungary
Died	30 May 1945 (1945-05-31) (aged 35) Lepoglava prison, Croatia
Nationality	Croat
Political party	Ustaše movement
Spouse	Dragica Vokić
Profession	Soldier, politician
Military service
Allegiance	Croatia
Branch/service	Ustaše Army
Rank	Krilnik
Commands	Ustaše Traffic Brigades Domobranstvo Ustaše Army

Ante Vokić (23 August 1909 – 8 May 1945) was a Croatian/Ustaše politician, general, and putschist. He was the Minister of Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia from 29 January to 30 August 1944, succeeding Miroslav Navratil.

Biography

Youth

Vokić was born in Mostar on 23 August 1909. He attended a gymnasium in Sarajevo and studied Law at University of Zagreb. He ended his studies in 1929 and started working in the train service in Sarajevo. He co-founded the Croatian Academic Club "Kranjčević" and the newspaper Svijest (Consciousness) and participated in the HKD Napredak.

World War II

Before the establishment of the Croatian state, Vokić was a member of the Ustaše branch in Zagreb. On 11 April 1941, by order of Slavko Kvaternik, he was sent to serve at the Headquarters of Ustaška Nadzorna Služba (Ustasha Surveillance Service), whose main task was "to lead the existing Ustaša combat formations, form and build up further formations". Later that year he was appointed Director of Train Service in Sarajevo. He was an organising commander of all Traffic Ustaša brigades. An associate of Jure Francetić, he was a founding member of Crna Legija (Black Legion). In 1943 he left Sarajevo and moved to Zagreb. On 11 October 1943 he was appointed Minister of Traffic.

On the suggestion of Mladen Lorković, he was promoted to the Ustaše rank of colonel and named Minister of Armed Forces on 29 January 1944, without the approval of German ambassador Siegfried Kasche and German military attache Edmund Glaise von Horstenau. On 13 July 1944 Ante Pavelić promoted him to the highest rank, that of krilnik (Brigadier General). He became a close associate and friend of Mladen Lorković. Lorković introduced him to Baroness Vraniczany and Baroness Zlata Lubienski, members of high society, who later became his good friends. At the beginning of August 1944, he stood as best man in the marriage of Lorković to Countess Nada Von Ghyczy.

Lorković-Vokić plot

Vokić visits Croatian volunteers in Stockerau

Together with Mladen Lorković, Vokić led a coup named Lorković-Vokić plot. The goal of the coup was switching sides of Croatia, that is, declaring war on Nazi Germany and entering an alliance with the Anglo-American allies. He visited Domobran and Ustaše units together with their officers and said that they should expect a big event.

He received support from the Domobran officers, and consequently lost favour with the Ustaše, who were loyal to Ante Pavelić. He contacted Ivan Faroli, lawyer of Vladko Maček, president of Croatian Peasant Party, whom he informed about a coup to bring down the Ustaše and give power to the Croatian Peasant Party. This included replacement of Ustaše's officers with the Domobran officers, loyal to Croatian Peasant Party, and also disarmament of German units on Croatian territory and possible Ustaše's rebels.

Later Pavelić was visited by a Gestapo officer and told about Germany's new (V2) weapons which would turn the war. On 21 August 1944, Pavelić informed Siegfried Kasche about the coup and announced actions against the putschists. He also accused German general Edmund Glaise von Horstenau of involvement in the coup, because von Horstenau was coaxing Pavelić to approve the coup.

Vokić's friend, Ante Štitić, high ranking Police official, who was also involved in the coup, wrote a report after the meeting with Lorković (24 August 1944) and Vokić (25 August 1944) on four pages about those meetings and handed it to the commander of Ustaše units, Ivo Herenčić, an old opponent of Vokić. Herenčić gave a report to Pavelić. That report was the main evidence presented against Vokić and Vokić's minister Mladen Lorković at trial for "high treason".

Death

At a sudden assembly of Government on 30 August 1944, Vokić was, together with Lorković, accused of conspiring against Pavelić and Croatian allies, mainly Nazi Germany. On the same day, they were removed from their duties and placed under house arrest. With Lorković, Vokić was brought in front of the court of Poglavnik's Bodyguard Unit. They convicted him, stripped him of his rank and expelled him from the unit. Later, he was interned in Novi Marof, from where he was moved to Koprivnica with Lorković. After that he was jailed in Lepoglava and on 8 May 1945, the day Germany surrendered, Vokić was executed.

Sources

• Zdravko Dizdar. Tko je tko u NDH (Who is who in NDH)
• Jozo Tomasevich. War and revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: occupation and collaboration