11th Fighter Aviation Division

The division was intended primarily to protect the operations of attack aircraft, protect airfields and fight against enemy aircraft. From December 29, 1944 , it was formed and underwent development in Novi Sad as part of the air group of Major General Vitruk ^{[1] [2]} . It consisted of three fighter aviation regiments (111th, 112th and 113th), a communications company, a mobile radio station and a training fighter complex. The division consisted of 987 people: 112 senior officers, 250 junior officers and 625 soldiers, including 136 pilots and 647 technicians. In service were 115 fighter type Yak-1 ^[3] .

The personnel of the division was trained in the 236th fighter aviation division .

Battle Path

Parts of the division were based during the war years at the following points:

• The headquarters with reserve forces was based in Rum until March 27 , from March 27 to May 3 in Bachkom-Brestovets , from May 3 to 15 in Magyarmecheka .
• The 111th Aviation Regiment was based in Novi Sad until March 28 , and from Sombor from March 28 to May 25 .
• The 112th Aviation Regiment until March 10 was based in Veliky Radintsi (one squadron in Zemun ), from March 10 to 29 in Nadal , from March 29 to May 4 in Klenak , from May 4 to 14 in Magyarmecheka .
• Until the 17th of March the 113th Aviation Regiment was based in Rum , and later in Bachkom-Brestovets .

The combat sorties of the division pilots began in groups with Soviet pilots from January 17, 1945 with the aim of supporting from the air the actions of the ground units of the 1st Army in the area of ​​the cities of Vukovar , Chakovo , Vinkovtsi , Zhupan , Brchko and Bielina . Since February, the division supported the forces of the 2nd Army , attacking the communications line Vlasenitsa - Zvornik - Bielina , which was defended by the forces of the 91st Army Corps . From March 6 to 21, the pilots of the division participated in the liquidation of the German bridgehead on the left bank of the Drava north of the settlements of Doni Miholac and Valpovo . Together with the 42nd assault air division, she participated in the breakthrough of the Sremsky front and the final operations to liberate Yugoslavia.

Statistics

Throughout the war, the pilots of the division made 3464 sorties. Thanks to their efforts, three enemy planes were shot down, 87 anti-aircraft and 45 field guns, 36 locomotives and 200 wagons of various trains, 1000 cars were destroyed. Bombers sank 4 barges, blew up 12 shops and warehouses, also after their raids there were about 75 fires at the Wehrmacht bases .

On August 3, 1945, the 11th Fighter Aviation Division was transformed into the 1st Mixed Aviation Division with headquarters in Skopje , and since 1948 it was named after the 29th Assault Aviation Division (since 1953 - the fighter-bomber division). June 27, 1959 disbanded according to the plan "Drvar" on the reorganization of the Air Force of Yugoslavia.

• Air Group of Major General Vitruk, Group of Aviation Divisions (1944-1945)
• Air Force Command of the JNA (1945-1953)
• 7th Aviation Corps (1953-1959)

• 11th Fighter Aviation Division (1944-1945)
• 1st Mixed Aviation Division (1945-1947)
• 1st Assault Aviation Division (1947-1948)
• 29th Assault Aviation Division (1948-1954)
• 29th Fighter Bomber Aviation Division (1954-1959)

1944-1945

11th Fighter Aviation Division

• 111th Fighter Aviation Regiment
• 112th Fighter Aviation Regiment
• 113th Fighter Aviation Regiment

1945

11th Fighter Aviation Division

• 111th Fighter Aviation Regiment
• 113th Fighter Aviation Regiment
• 421st Assault Aviation Regiment
• 554th Assault Aviation Regiment

1945-1947

1st Mixed Aviation Division

• 111th Fighter Aviation Regiment
• 554th Assault Aviation Regiment

1947-1948

1st Assault Aviation Division

• 554th Assault Aviation Regiment

1948-1959

29th assault (fighter-bomber) aviation division

• Training Squadron (1953-1959)
• 81st Assault Aviation Regiment
• 107th Mixed Aviation Regiment
• 150th fighter-bomber aviation regiment (1952-1958)
• 161st Air Base (1953-1959)

• Ruma (1944-1945)
• Skopje (1945-1947)
• Niche (1947-1959)

Commanders

• Colonel Arseniy Bolevich ^[4]
• Lieutenant Colonel Mirko Shchepanovich (killed while trying to cross the border with Albania) ^[5]
• Lt. Col. Elijah Zelenika ^[5]
• Colonel Enver Chemalovich ^[5]

Political Commissioners

• Lt. Col. Lubish Churguz ^[4]
• Colonel Dragoman Radojcic ^[5]

• Encyclopedia War . - Beograd, 1972. - T. 4 (Quiga on Thursday).
• Bojan Dimitrijević. Jugoslovensko Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo 1942-1992. - Beograd, 2006.
• Zlatomir Grujić. Avijacija Srbije i Jugoslovije 1901-1994. - Beograd, 1997.
• Miloš Kovačević. Vazduhoplovstvo u narodnooslobodilačkom ratu Jugoslavije . - Zemun: Komanda Ratnog vazduhoplovstva, 1965.
• Božo Lazarević. VAZDUHOPLOVSTVO U NOR-u 1941-1945 . - Beograd: Vojnoizdavački zavod, 1972.