Zvonimir Červenko (13 November 1926 – 17 February 2001) was a Croatian

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

and

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

of the

Armed Forces of Croatia The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Oružane snage Republike Hrvatske – OSRH) is the military service of Croatia. The President is the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief, and exercises administrative powers in times of war by giv ...

from 1995 to 1996.

Origin

Červenko's grand-grandfather was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

with a surname ''Červenka''.

Croatian War of Independence

At the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence, Franjo Tuđman, president of the Republic of Croatia offered him the position of the minister of defence, but Červenko refused saying "I'm a soldier, not politician". He organized the defence of Zagreb, the blockade of enemy barracks, and started the process of forming 14 brigades in Zagreb. In January 1992, Červenko became the commander of Croatian Home Guard (''Domobranstvo''), becoming deputy of chief of the General Staff. The top of his military career came just before the

Operation Storm }) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory for the Croatian Army (HV), which attacked across a front against the self-declared proto-state Re ...

, when he succeeded

Janko Bobetko Janko Bobetko (10 January 1919 – 29 April 2003) was a Croatian general who had participated in World War II and later in the Croatian War of Independence. He was one of the founding members of 1st Sisak Partisan Detachment, the first anti- ...

in the position of

. He served as Chief of General Staff from 15 July 1995 until 16 November 1996. During his command, the Croatian Army executed the most successful operation of the war,

. President Tuđman replaced him in November 1996. He later became a member of the Chamber of Counties of the Croatian Parliament (

Sabor 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 Sabo ...

) on the electoral list of the Croatian Democratic Union. Beginning in 2000 he served as a member of the Amnesty Commission.

Death

Červenko died on 17 February 2001 in Zagreb. He was buried in Alley of Croatian Heroes at the

Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, hr, Gradsko groblje Mirogoj), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery ( hr, Groblje Mirogoj), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members o ...

Decorations

* Grand Order of King Petar Krešimir IV, * Order of Duke Domagoj, *

Order of Ban Jelačić The Order of Ban Jelačić ( hr, Red bana Jelačića) is the 10th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for excellence in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. It ...

, * Order of the Croatian Trefoil, * Order of the Croatian Interlace, * Commemorative Medal of the Homeland War, *Medal for Participation in Operation "Flash" *Medal for Participation in Operation "Summer '95" *Medal for Participation in Operation "Storm"

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cervenko, Zvonimir 1926 births 2001 deaths People from Prijepolje Military personnel from Zagreb Croatian army officers Croatian people of Czech descent Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament Croatian Democratic Union politicians Order of Duke Domagoj recipients Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery