Mihajlo Lukić (24 September 1886 – 18 July 1961) was a Croatian general who began his career as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I, then climbed the hierarchy of the Royal Yugoslav Army, finally joining the Croatian Home Guard during World War II. He was retired in 1943 due to his disapproval of sending Croat volunteers to the Wehrmacht. After the collapse of the Independent State of Croatia, communist authorities sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Mihajlo Lukić | |
|---|---|
 Mihajlo Lukić in Royal Yugoslav Army uniform | |
| Born | 24 September 1886 Virje, Croatia-Slavonia, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | July 18, 1961 (aged 74) Zagreb, PR Croatia, Yugoslavia |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Austria-Hungary (until 1918) Yugoslavia (1918–1941) Croatia (1941–1943) |
| Years of service | 1905–1943[1] |
| Rank | General |
| Battles / wars | World War IWorld War II in Yugoslavia |
Early life
editLukić was the father of a musical school professor, Darko Lukić. He finished gymnasium in Bjelovar, and was then sent to the Higher Cadet school in Karlovac. He then finished the Military Academy in Vienna. Although his family was of Serb origin, he identified as Croat.[2][3]
World War II
editAt the start of the April War, Lukić headed the Triglav Alpine Detachment. From the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia in April 1941 until June he headed the Osijek Division. From July to October 1941 he headed the Lika Brigade based in Bihać. He also briefly served as liaison officer to the Second Italian Army and was inspector-general of the infantry.
From late 1941 until April 1943 he served as commander of the III Domobran Corps, covering much of the southern Independent State of Croatia. In 1942 he became outspoken against Croatian soldiers joining German units and claimed that German economic interests were outweighing the interests of the new Croatian state.[4] He was forced to retire in 1943, after being suspected to have contacts with Chetniks.[5]
He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Communist Yugoslavia. He is buried at Mirogoj cemetery.[6]
References
edit- ^ Županić, Sergej (4 April 2011). "General Mihajlo Lukić". Vojna povijest (in Croatian). Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "General Mihajlo Lukić". Vojna povijest.
- ^ "7 NEPOZNATIH PRIČA O DRUGOM SVETSKOM RATU Čudo u NDH: Srbin, a ustaša!". Kurir.
- ^ Marijan, Davor. Borbe za Kupres 1942. AGM. Zagreb, 1999.
- ^ Jozo Tomasevich (October 2002). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia: 1941 - 1945. Stanford University Press. pp. 435–. ISBN 978-0-8047-7924-1.
- ^ Mihajlo Lukić Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, Gradsko groblje