General Bozo Lazarevic.. help from a Serbian needed!!

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Karloff
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Joined: 17 Dec 2006, 23:32
Location: NRW, Germany

General Bozo Lazarevic.. help from a Serbian needed!!

#1

Post by Karloff » 13 Mar 2009, 18:07

I found some facts on Yugoslavian General Bozo Lazarevich, and one big entry in the Serbian wikipedia. Could someone who speaks Serbian please help me and translate his homepage:

http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr-el/%D0%91%D0 ... 0%B8%D1%9B

I would love to know some more facts about him!
Thank you so very much in advance!

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TISO
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Location: Slovenia - vojvodina Å tajerska

Re: General Bozo Lazarevic.. help from a Serbian needed!!

#2

Post by TISO » 14 Mar 2009, 15:37

My translation of the wiki article:
Božo Lazarević (1909-2007), pilot, general-colonel JNA and national hero of Jugoslavia.

Biography:

Born on 15th of april 1909 in village Mala Stijena near Podgorica. He was from poor pesant family. He finished primary school in his home town and high school in Berane and Podgorica. At the time of his school days he was active in youth movement and became member of SKOJ.

He finished military academy in 1932 and transfered to aviation where after schooling he became scout and combat pilot.

He was one of members of party cell in Zagreb garrison which was established by Mitar Bakić in March of 1939. At this time he met a few times with general secretary of CK KPJ Josip Broz – Tito (note by TISO: CK KPJ = central commite of komunist party of Yugoslavia).

During the april war( note by TISO: Operation Marita) Božo participated as captain-pilot in 8.bomber regiment (note by TISO: regiment was equpped with Bristol Blenheim Mk I bombers) on attacks on Klagenfurth (Celovec) airfield on 6th and 7th of April 1941, on attacks on Maribor-Graz (Gradec) railway and in attack on Pécs and Segedin where over 80% of crews of 69. group of 8. bomber regiment participating were lost.

At the end of the war he managed to avoid capture and returned to his home town where he immediately contacted the party organisation. He was assigned by regionally commite of KPJ for Montenegro to lead military training, organise units and gather weapons. When 13th of July insurrection began Božo was given a command of Veljebar sector. As deputy and then as a commander of Piper battalion he showed his worth in many battles but mostly in October 1941 in attack on Italian column by Jelin Dub where 42 Italian trucks were destroyed and 270 Italian soldiers were killed. His battalion was very succesfull also in battle by Rijeka Piperska were around 120 Italians were killed or captured.

After retreat of main Montenegro partisan units to Bosnia in June 1942 Lazarević as a experianced fighter and commander remaind on the territory of Podgorica and Danilovgrad srez, to in connection with Regional commite work on new gathering of fighters and formation of units. In April 1943 when re-attachment with main force of partisan units happened he was commander of Zeta NOP dettachment.

As member of 3. Udarna divizija (3rd shock division) he participated in 5. offensive (note by Tiso: Battle at Sutjeska) and after retreat to eastern Bosnia he commanded so called Krivanj unit grouping and then he was chief of staff of 3. Udarna divizija.

When in october 1943 Vrhovni štab (main HQ) ordered gathering the aviators from from partisan units, Božo Lazarević gathered aviators from Montenegro and Sandžak. After 20 days march Božo brought his group to Dravar in march 1944. Main HQ made him a member of military mission in UK. As such he preformed important tasks in North Africa and Italy where he influanced that large numbers of men from Royal Yugoslav forces and especcialy aviators joined the ranks of NOVJ (partisans).

From october 1944 Božo worked on formation of aviation regiments and divisions which were as per contract with SSSR transfered to NOVJ. Already on 29th of October 1944 he was deputy commander of air force of the NOVJ and from beggining of january 1945 commander of 42. attack division.

On 15th of March he was named as a commander of Air division group into which 11.fighter division and 9. ????oblasna vazduhoplovna bata??? were incorparated. Commanding this aviation forces which gave large contributions in final operations for liberation of Yugoslavia Božo Lazarević showed al qualities necessary for sucefull leadership of aviation units.

After liberation he preformed many responsible tasks in Air Force and AA defences. He was pansioned off on 31st of december 1964 ain the rank of genaral-colonel.

Besides large number of texts in spacilist publications he in 1972 published a book „Vazduhoplpvstvo u NOR-u 1941-1945"(Aviation in national liberation war 1941-45).

He died in Belgrade on 27th of december 2007. He is buried in Aley of national heroes on Novo Groblje (New cemetary).

He was decorated with Partisan orden of 1941. He recived the title Natioanl hero on 27th of November 1953


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