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Royal Croatian Home Guard

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Kraljevsko hrvatsko domobranstvo
Royal Croatian Home Guard
Home Guard Coat of Arms
Active1868–1918
Country Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
 Austria-Hungary
BranchCommon Army
Motto(s)Za kralja i Domovinu (For King and Homeland)
EngagementsWorld War I
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Svetozar Boroević
Stjepan Sarkotić

The Royal Croatian Home Guard (Croatian: Kraljevsko hrvatsko domobranstvo, Hrvatsko-slavonsko domobranstvo or Kraljevsko hrvatsko-ugarsko domobranstvo, often simply Domobranstvo or Domobran in singular, in German: Croatisch-Slawonische Landwehr) was the Croatian-Slavonian army section of the Royal Hungarian Landwehr (Hungarian: Magyar Királyi Honvédség), which existed from 1868 to 1918. The force was created by decree of the Croatian Parliament on December 5, 1868, as a result of the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement.

Home Guard Cap Badge
Uniform of the Hungarian Honvéd

The settlement specified four conditions:

  1. Croats would serve their military service within Croatia
  2. Military training would be conducted in Croatian
  3. Cadet and Domobran academies would be formed
  4. Croatian military units could take on Croatian names

Formations and units

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The Home Guard initially consisted of 8 squadrons, garrisoned in 6 town:

  • 79th Home Guard Squadron (Varaždin)
  • 80th Home Guard Squadron (Zagreb)
  • 81st Home Guard Squadron (Virovitica)
  • 82nd Home Guard Squadron (Vukovar)
  • 29th Home Guard Squadron (Varaždin)
  • 30th Home Guard Squadron (Varaždin)
  • 31st Home Guard Squadron (Vinkovci)
  • 32nd Home Guard Squadron (Vinkovci)

Following a reform, it was reorganized into 8 battalions each garrisoned in a different town:

Following a second reform, it was reorganized into 5 regiments, each in 5 major cities:

  • 25th Home Guard Infantry Regiment (Zagreb)
  • 26th Home Guard Infantry Regiment (Karlovac)
  • 27th Home Guard Infantry Regiment (Sisak)
  • 28th Home Guard Infantry Regiment (Osijek)
  • 10th Home Guard Cavalry Regiment (Varaždin)

Commanders

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No. Portrait Name Tenure
1 Count Miroslav Kulmer [hr] 1869–1875
2 Dragutin Višnić [hr] 1875–1880
3 Milan (Emil) Musulin [hr] 1881–1890
4 Matija Raslić [hr] 1890–1893
5 Eduard Lukinac [hr] 1893–1897
6 Josip Bach [hr] 1897–1901
7 Ðuro Ćanić [hr] 1901–1903
8 Radoslav Gerba [hr] 1903–1907
9 Svetozar Boroević 1907–1912
10 Stjepan Sarkotić 1912–1914
11 Ivan Salis Seewis 1915
12 Anton Lipošćak 1915–1916, 1917
13 Luka Šnjarić [hr] 1916–1917
14 Mihael Mihaljević [hr] 1917–1918
15 Teodor Soretić [hr] 1918

World War I

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Badge of the 42nd Home Guard Infantry Division.

In August 1914, the 42nd Home Guard Infantry Division consisting of the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th Home Guard Infantry regiment under the command of Stjepan Sarkotić took part in the Serbian campaign, together with the 104th Landsturm (pučko-ustaška) Brigade under the command of Theodor Bekić [hr].[1] In late 1918, elements of various Royal Croatian Home Guard regiments took part in occupation of Međimurje.[2]

Legacy

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During World War II, the Independent State of Croatia was formed and its regular army was also called the "Croatian Home Guard". It existed from April 1941 to May 1945.

On 24 December 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, a part of the Croatian Army was formed that was also called the "Home Guard" ("Domobranstvo"). It ceased to exist in a 2003 reorganization.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "OOB Serbia". www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2002-02-11.
  2. ^ Vuk, Ivan (2019). "Pripojenje Međimurja Kraljevstvu Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca: Od neuspjeloga pokušaja 13. studenog do uspješnoga zaposjedanja Međimurja 24. prosinca 1918. godine" [The Annexation of Međimurje to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes: From the unsuccessful attempt on 13 November to the successful occupation of Međimurje on 24 December 1918]. Časopis za suvremenu povijest (in Croatian). 51 (2). Zagreb: Croatian Institute of History: 507–532. doi:10.22586/csp.v51i2.8927. ISSN 0590-9597. S2CID 204456373.
  3. ^ "20. Godina od osnivanja Domobranskih postrojbi HV-a | Braniteljski portal". www.braniteljski-portal.hr. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012.
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