Mato Dukovac

Discussions on all aspects of the smaller Axis nations in Europe and Asia. Hosted by G. Trifkovic.
User avatar
J
Member
Posts: 199
Joined: 18 Jan 2006, 20:53
Location: Croatia

#31

Post by J » 15 Feb 2006, 02:22

Orlov wrote:
This information is more known, but I would like recognize his combat duty, action against Israelian or who else service with Dukovac in first Arab-Israeli war? I know this is after IIWW, but this place wil better for understanding Croatian (NDH) acticity in Middle East...
bestreg
Orlov
As far as his combat duty is concerned he doesnt appear in this list...
http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_272.shtml
and there arent any T-6 on this one...
http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_255.shtml
so, while this data leaves quite a lot to be desired, I am willing to assume his service was fairly uneventfull.

Dukovac effectively escaped from both repressive systems that fate saw fit to submerge both him and the Croatian nation in. I dont really see what his involvement in the Middle East have to do with one of those regimes (NDH).
As far as i know there was no documented organised croatian activity on a larger scale in the middle east.

But then there is this article(in Croatian), published in the daily paper Vecernji list
http://www.vecernji-list.hr/newsroom/ne ... 9/index.do
The reporter doesnt really seem to be acquainted with the historical period, and is prone to "N.T." exageration, but it's an interesting story to read nontheless. Anyway, a 13. SS Division veteran says that he went to fight for Syria after serving some time in another SS unit on the eastern front and being interned in Grotaglia, Italy after the war. He claims that once there he encountered an entire division (!) sent by Tito under leadership of Fuad Šefkobegović.

Everything mentioned aside, I would more than welcome any serious project for research of croatian participants in post-WW2 conflicts, especially A-I conflicts, Korean War and Indo-China wars (French foreign legion).

regards...

Larry D.
Member
Posts: 4103
Joined: 05 Aug 2004, 00:03
Location: Winter Springs, FL (USA)

#32

Post by Larry D. » 15 Feb 2006, 15:50

Yes, J, more light needs to be shed on this subject, that's for sure. I remember from my conversations with Branka Katušić 26-27 years ago that the Croatian contingent that went to Syria served mainly as trainers for the nascent Syrian Air Force. Perhaps that is why they are not showing up in the combat summaries in that web site you provided.

There is a lot of information on the Croatians in Syria in the hands of the Croatian emigre community, mainly in Canada. A Croatian professor at a small Catholic college in eastern Pennsylvania by the name of Jare Jareb used to have a lot of information on it, but he is probably deceased now. He would have have passed his collect and notes to the Canadian emigres, probably those in Montreal, with whom he was most closely connected. I think it would be pretty difficult to find any of the actual participants now. After all, the youngest of them would be close to 90 today.

--Larry


User avatar
Orlov
Member
Posts: 1054
Joined: 21 Feb 2003, 21:15
Location: Europe

#33

Post by Orlov » 18 Feb 2006, 22:10

Larry D. wrote:... There is a lot of information on the Croatians in Syria in the hands of the Croatian emigre community, mainly in Canada. A Croatian professor at a small Catholic college in eastern Pennsylvania by the name of Jare Jareb used to have a lot of information on it, but he is probably deceased now.
--Larry
That excellent I start think about to travel and find those emigree.
I ask one of my favourite professor Yoav Gelber, who write me about Israeli intelligence report about volunteers in Arab Armies and other material in his private archive (all unfortunately in Herbrew and he stayed in US for next year, but papers located in Haifa)

Sincerely...
Orlov

User avatar
Hrvat
Member
Posts: 131
Joined: 17 Jan 2005, 01:01

#34

Post by Hrvat » 05 Jul 2006, 02:34

Dukovac's Messerschmitt Bf.109G

Image

source:http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/33/194/0/3

User avatar
Benoit Douville
Member
Posts: 3184
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 02:13
Location: Montréal

#35

Post by Benoit Douville » 05 Jul 2006, 03:49

Nice picture Hrvat!

Regards

User avatar
Niccolo and Donkey
Member
Posts: 13
Joined: 19 May 2007, 01:59
Location: Toronto, Canada

#36

Post by Niccolo and Donkey » 19 May 2007, 18:56

Larry D. wrote:Yes, J, more light needs to be shed on this subject, that's for sure. I remember from my conversations with Branka Katušić 26-27 years ago that the Croatian contingent that went to Syria served mainly as trainers for the nascent Syrian Air Force. Perhaps that is why they are not showing up in the combat summaries in that web site you provided.

There is a lot of information on the Croatians in Syria in the hands of the Croatian emigre community, mainly in Canada. A Croatian professor at a small Catholic college in eastern Pennsylvania by the name of Jare Jareb used to have a lot of information on it, but he is probably deceased now. He would have have passed his collect and notes to the Canadian emigres, probably those in Montreal, with whom he was most closely connected. I think it would be pretty difficult to find any of the actual participants now. After all, the youngest of them would be close to 90 today.

--Larry
Recall that the NDH Doglavnik Dzaferbeg Kulenovic went into exile in Damascus where he died in 1956.

User avatar
Tero T
Member
Posts: 443
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 05:01
Location: Toronto

#37

Post by Tero T » 20 May 2007, 03:27

I remember a young member of the Ajax r/c club in the late 80's . His name if I remember correctly was Joey Krasnic and his grandfather flew in the Croation airforce. He owned a garage in the Ajax Ontario area. I spoke with his grandfather and if I recall he flew Do-17's during the war and ultimately wound up in Syria flying Harvards in ground attack.
Regards Tero T Toronto

S'ovarac
Member
Posts: 22
Joined: 17 Sep 2006, 20:38
Location: Melbourne, Australia

#38

Post by S'ovarac » 07 Jul 2007, 01:14

Larry D. wrote:
LMA-17 wrote:Just want to know if Croatians who served in Arab armed forces during First Arab-Israelis War have anti-Jewish tendencies or only mercenaries?
Every human being is different, but like most Europeans of that era the Roman Catholic Croatians harbored deeply entrenched anti-Semitic feelings that ranged from mild and passive to strong and outspoken.
With all due respect Larry, how did you come to this conclusion?

zoobie
Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: toronto, on

Re:

#39

Post by zoobie » 21 Dec 2012, 02:37

zoobie wrote:Mato Dukovac was Pravoslavni and he did not change his name.

Mato Dukovac was NOT Pravoslavni, I have only now noticed my error. Sorry if I gave people a false idea, I need to read over everything before I send from now on.

Larry D.
Member
Posts: 4103
Joined: 05 Aug 2004, 00:03
Location: Winter Springs, FL (USA)

Re: Mato Dukovac

#40

Post by Larry D. » 21 Dec 2012, 17:08

Reference my post of Fri Aug 06, 2004 5:39 pm on page 1 of this thread.

So Mr. Zoobie, I guess you are saying Mato lied to me? You have documents showing that he was not a Pravoslavni? He sat in a chair in the exact same room I am in right now in 1983 or so and told me he was a Pravoslavni. Could it be that he quickly changed religions right after 10 April 1941 and you have documents showing this? I can only go by what the man told me in person some 29 years ago. We can't rewrite history, Mr. Zoobie, just because we do not like some little detail we come upon.

L.

zoobie
Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 18:46
Location: toronto, on

Re: Mato Dukovac

#41

Post by zoobie » 22 Dec 2012, 04:06

You're more than welcome to have this discussion with Jeanette (Dukovac). She would be more than happy to clear up any details you might have overlooked.

Larry D.
Member
Posts: 4103
Joined: 05 Aug 2004, 00:03
Location: Winter Springs, FL (USA)

Re: Mato Dukovac

#42

Post by Larry D. » 22 Dec 2012, 15:28

Thank you for your kind offer but I'll go with what I have from the man himself. Jeanette's comments would be second-hand, no matter how well intended. I have never met Jeanette, but Mato and Jean spoke of their children and grandchildren quite often. I continued to exchange Christmas cards and notes with Jean for a number of years after Mato passed. I still have her Scarborough address in my computer data base.

Cheers,

L.

zakboyden
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 01 May 2013, 17:01

Re: Mato Dukovac

#43

Post by zakboyden » 01 May 2013, 17:18

Mr. Larry,

I never had the honour of talking with my grandfather because he passed away when I was one year old. However he and my father (a retired officer in the Canadian Armed Forces) had numerous discussions about the war and my Granfather's heroic actions. I have only the utmost respect for him. My Aunt Jeanette and mother Kathryn (Mato's daughters) are in possesion and have copies of Mato's journal entries. So Jeanette's comments (my aunt and godmother) would not be second hand. I am a serving member in the Canadian Armed forces, and I have been a soldier for the past 8 years, I have two younger brothers who currently serve, a younger cousin as well as an older cousin. We are all very proud. I am a head strong man and my Grandfather's past and history are very close to my heart, that is why I want to ask and clearify that all your information is correct, because if it is it would contradict what I have personally researched. I doubt very much so that my Grandfather would hand down false information to his family.

With all do respect,

Zak

Larry D.
Member
Posts: 4103
Joined: 05 Aug 2004, 00:03
Location: Winter Springs, FL (USA)

Re: Mato Dukovac

#44

Post by Larry D. » 01 May 2013, 22:54

Hello Zak,

Here is my original statement once again:
Mato Dukovac was a personal friend of mine during the 12 or so years immediately prior to his death. He and his Canadian wife Jean stayed with me at my home in Florida several times in 1982-84 and I spoke on the telephone with him several dozen times over the years. I interviewed Mato extensively about his wartime experiences, both in person and on the phone. As to your question, Mato was not an Ustasha or a Nazi and by 1944 he was fed up with the war and could clearly see that the Reich and her erstwhile allies were doomed to eventual defeat. His last flight from Flugplatz Eichwalde in East Prussia was an intentional and planned defection that had been arranged well before hand. A number of Croatian Legion pilots had already gone over to the Russians and Mato had been contacted and assured that he and any others who accompanied him would be well treated. He was very proud of his decision but kept these feelings to himself after the war because he feared possible retaliation from Canada's large Croatian population. Further, to them he was a fighter ace hero and for the sake of the Croatian people living in emigration he didn't want to destroy that image. Accordingly, he maintained the fiction about his forced landing behind Russian lines until his death. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Mato was a Pravoslavni and he was sickened by the persecution of this minority by the Roman Catholic Ustasha in the NDH under Pavelic and Dido Kvaternik. He no longer wanted to be associated with the NDH government by late 1943.
Grüß
Larry D.
It is 100% correct and based solely on my personal interviews with Mato. What he close to tell me and what he chose to tell his family and everyone else is not my responsibility. If you think my integrity is questionable, you can PM me with your personal e-mail address and I can ask a Croatian friend of 28 years - a name you would instantly recognize if you know your Croatian history of the NDH period - to e-mail you with a character reference. I will not renounce my statement because it is a verbatim representation of my interview with your grandfather.

Finally, I fail to understand your difficulties accepting these events. If Mato had been my grandfather, I would be even prounder of him for making such a momentous decision and getting out when he did. Had he not done so, you, in all probability, would not be here. Mato would have perished in the final chaotic days of the war.

L.

zakboyden
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 01 May 2013, 17:01

Re: Mato Dukovac

#45

Post by zakboyden » 01 May 2013, 23:35

Larry,

I am extremely proud of his actions. I am only interested in getting more and as much information as I can. Andy and all help with this would be greatly appreciated. I apologize of I came off as hostile was not my intention. My grandfather was a great man, and I would give anything to have a conversation with him. I would very much like to pm. I am only trying to connect what information and researching have with others who have more.

Thank you,

Zak

Post Reply

Return to “Minor Axis Nations”