Colonel Viktor Pavičić | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Viktor Pavičić |
| Born | (1898-10-15)15 October 1898 |
| Died | 20 January 1943(1943-01-20) (aged 44) |
| Allegiance |  Independent State of Croatia |
| Branch | Croatian Armed Forces |
| Years of service | –1943 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 369th Reinforced Croatian Infantry Regiment |
| Commands | 369th Reinforced Croatian Infantry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | |
Viktor Pavičić (15 October 1898 – 20 January 1943) was a Croatian military commander who led the369th Reinforced Croatian Infantry Regiment, which fought on theEastern Front and was involved in theBattle of Stalingrad duringWorld War II.
Viktor Pavičić was born on 15 October 1898 inGospić. A colonel, he was the commander of theCroatian Home Guard military academy from July to August 1942. In August, he was named commander of the369th Croatian Reinforced Infantry Regiment that was to fight alongside otherAxis forces on theEastern Front. In late September, Croatian leaderAnte Pavelić met with Pavičić and decorated him. Immediately afterwards, Pavičić and his regiment left theIndependent State of Croatia to participate in theBattle of Stalingrad.[1]
The 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment was devastated in the ensuing battle, and Pavičić elected to leave the surviving Croatian soldiers, and return to Croatia. He was killed on 20 January 1943. There are several conflicting accounts of how he died. One account holds that the airplane in which he was travelling was shot down by the Soviets, while another states that he was executed by the Germans for wishing to leave the battlefield.[1] He was replaced byLieutenant ColonelMarko Mesić on 21 January.[2]
