Miroslav (Friedrich) Navratil | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1893-07-19)19 July 1893 |
| Died | 7 June 1947(1947-06-07) (aged 53) |
| Allegiance |  Austria-Hungary(until 1918) Yugoslavia(1918–1941) Croatia(1941–1945) |
| Branch | Aviation |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Flik 41J |
| Commands | Flik 3J |
| Battles / wars | |
| Other work | Minister of Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia |
Miroslav (Friedrich) Navratil (19 July 1893 – 7 June 1947) was aCroatianarmy general who served in the armies ofAustria-Hungary, theKingdom of Yugoslavia, and theIndependent State of Croatia.
Navratil was born inSarajevo in theCondominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He attended high school in Sarajevo, and finished cadet's school inGraz. InWorld War I he served in theAustro-Hungarian Armed Forces, as a fighter pilot in theImperial and Royal Aviation Troops. While on theEastern and Italian fronts, he scored a victory with Flik 41J on 14 April 1918, before assuming command of Flik 3J on 9 June 1918. FlyingAlbatros D.IIIs, he scored nine more victories.[1]
He attained the rank of Oberleutnant.[2] His victory string ran until 31 August, when he downed aBristol F.2 Fighter, but lost all four of his inexperienced wingmen in the process. Navratil blamed himself for their loss. He largely removed himself from combat operations. On 21 October, during a test flight of anAlbatros D.III, his seat broke, and he was injured in the resultant crash landing. He did not recover before the Armistice.[3]
In 1918, Austria-Hungary dissolved and Navratil moved to the newly formedKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, where he took on a position in the royal army. He rose to the rank of colonel, but was eventually retired from the army in 1940 because of conflict with Serb officers within its ranks.[1]
With the establishment of theIndependent State of Croatia on 10 April 1941 Navratil was brought back into active service. He was named as a military representative inBucharest. He served as minister of the armed forces from 2 September 1943 to 29 January 1944. After he was relieved of his post, reportedly due to complaints about the brutality of the government, he traveled toVienna, where his family was located and remained there until the end of World War II. In 1945 he moved toZell am See, where he lived until he was located by American troops in 1946. He was extradited to communist Yugoslavia in December 1946. In Zagreb he was sentenced to death on charge of war crimes,[3] and executed on 7 June 1947.[1]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of the Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia 1943–1944 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
