The Royal Croatian Home Guard ( hr, Kraljevsko hrvatsko domobranstvo, Hrvatsko-slavonsko domobranstvo or Kraljevsko hrvatsko-ugarsko domobranstvo, often simply ''Domobranstvo'' or ''Domobran'' in singular, in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Croatisch-Slawonische Landwehr'') was the Croatian-Slavonian army section of the

Royal Hungarian Landwehr Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

( hu, Magyar Királyi Honvédség), which existed from 1868 to 1918. The force was created by decree of the

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sa ...

on December 5, 1868 as a result of the

Croatian–Hungarian Settlement The Croatian–Hungarian Settlement ( hr, Hrvatsko-ugarska nagodba, hu, magyar–horvát kiegyezés, german: Kroatisch-Ungarischer Ausgleich) was a pact signed in 1868 that governed Croatia's political status in the Hungarian-ruled part of Aust ...

The settlement specified four conditions: # Croats (and Croatian Serbs) would serve their military service within Croatia # Military training would be conducted in Croatian # Cadet and Domobran academies would be formed # Croatian military units could take on Croatian names

Formations and units

The Home Guard initially consisted of 8 squadrons, garrisoned in 6 town: * 79th Home Guard Squadron (

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) * 80th Home Guard Squadron (

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

) * 81st Home Guard Squadron ( Virovitica) * 82nd Home Guard Squadron (

Vukovar Vukovar () ( sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, hu, Vukovár, german: Wukowar) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of ...

) * 29th Home Guard Squadron (

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) * 30th Home Guard Squadron (

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) * 31st Home Guard Squadron (

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surround ...

) * 32nd Home Guard Squadron (

) Following a reform, it was reorganized into 8

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

s each garrisoned in a different town: * 83rd Home Guard Battalion (

Sisak Sisak (; hu, Sziszek ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavin ...

) * 84th Home Guard Battalion (

Bjelovar Bjelovar ( hu, Belovár, german: Bellowar, Kajkavian: ''Belovar'') is a city in central Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. At the 2021 census, there were 36,433 inhabitants, of whom 93.06% were Croats. Histor ...

) * 87th Home Guard Battalion (

Gospić Gospić () is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field ( Ličko Polje). Gospić is the ...

) * 88th Home Guard Battalion (

Ogulin Ogulin () is a town in north-western Croatia, in Karlovac County. It has a population of 7,389 (2021) (it was 8,216 in 2011), and a total municipal population of 12,251 (2021). Ogulin is known for its historic stone castle, known as Kula, and the ...

) * 89th Home Guard Battalion ( Švarča) * 90th Home Guard Battalion (

Glina Glina is a word of Slavic origin, meaning "clay". It may refer to: * Glina (river) in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina *Glina, Croatia, a town in Croatia ** Glina massacres, 1941 * Glina, Piotrków County in Łódź Voivodeship (central Poland) * ...

) * 91st Home Guard Battalion (

Nova Gradiška Nova Gradiška is a town located in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia, population 14,229 (2011). It is located in the historic region of Slavonia, near the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first word in the name means ''New'', and there ...

) * 92nd Home Guard Battalion ( Mitrovica) Following a second reform, it was reorganized into 5

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

s, each in 5 major cities: * 25th Home Guard Infantry Regiment (

) * 26th Home Guard Infantry Regiment (

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...

) * 27th Home Guard Infantry Regiment (

) * 28th Home Guard Infantry Regiment (

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

) * 10th Home Guard Cavalry Regiment (

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)

Commanders

*Count (1869–1875). * (1875–1880). * (1881–1890). * (1890–1893). * (1893–1897). *Josip Bach (1897–1901). * (1901–1903). * (1903–1907). * Svetozar Boroević (1907–1912). * Stjepan Sarkotić (1912–1914). * Ivan Salis Seewis (1915). *

Anton Lipošćak Anton Lipošćak, (9 April 1863 – 24 July 1924) was an Austro-Hungarian Army General of the Infantry of Croatian descent who served as the Governor-General of the Military Government of Lublin during the World War I. After the war, Lipošć ...

(1915–1916, 1917). * (1916–1917). * (1917–1918). * (1918).

World War I

The

42nd Home Guard Infantry Division The 42nd Home Guard Infantry Division ( hr, 42. domobranska pješačka divizija, also ), nicknamed the Devil's Division (Croatian: ''Vražja divizija'') was an infantry division of the Royal Croatian Home Guard within the Austro-Hungarian Army whi ...

consisting of the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th Home Guard Infantry regiment under the Command of Stjepan Sarkotić took part in the battle against Serbia in August, 1914 together with the 104th Landsturm (pučko-ustaška) Brigade under the Command of Theodor Bekić. In late 1918, elements of various Royal Croatian Home Guard regiments took part in occupation of Međimurje.

Legacy

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...

was formed and its regular army was also called the "Croatian Home Guard". It existed from April 1941 to May 1945. On 24 December 1991, during the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yug ...

, a part of the

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...

was formed that was also called the "Home Guard" ("Domobranstvo"). It ceased to exist in a 2003 reorganization.

References

{{Authority control Austro-Hungarian Army Military history of Croatia 19th century in Croatia 20th century in Croatia Military units and formations established in 1868 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 19th-century military history of Croatia 20th-century military history of Croatia

Formations and units

Commanders

World War I

Legacy

See also

References