Krizhai, Josip

Childhood and Youth

Born in the village of Kopriva-on-Karst (the Hungarian counties of Gorizia and Koriska, then still part of Austria-Hungary). He graduated from the Salesian School in Ljubljana, enrolled in a trade school in Kopriva, but soon abandoned it and returned home. He worked in a store in Opchin, and then with his uncle in Aidovschina. From a young age he was interested in aviation and dreamed of flying.

Service in Italy

After the First World War, the part of Slovenia where Josip lived passed to Italy, and the young Slovenian automatically received the citizenship of this country, having received the name Giuseppe Critzai . In the fall of 1929, the Italian Air Force announced enrollment in flight schools. A message about recruiting students came to Josip. After the successful completion of training in Capua (near Naples) on March 11, 1930, 139 out of 339 cadets underwent air tests, and these lucky ones were awarded the rank of junior officer, and Breda was issued a flight license. Josip was among these lucky ones.

In Italy, Krijai served in the squadron along with the future Marshal and Minister of Aviation Italo Balbo . Several times he attended rallies dedicated to Balbo, and participated in air shows, symbolizing the power of Italian aviation. At the same time, the power of the Nazis in Italy began to exert more and more pressure on the communities of Slavic peoples in Italy, including the Slovenes. Such disrespect for compatriots made Krizhai think for the first time about returning to his historical homeland.

Despite favorable feedback from the command and the statement that “Giuseppe Kritzai is not only an outstanding pilot, but also a reliable and disciplined soldier,” the Slovenian firmly decided to leave the country. Although he, as a non-Italian, was transferred to reserve units and even once demoted to a rank-and-file mechanic, Josip more and more sought to get to his homeland and continued to look for opportunities to escape to Yugoslavia.

1930 Air Show

In the summer of 1930, when the next training course for pilots was completed, the Italians announced the speedy conduct of military maneuvers. Cadets of aviation schools tried their best to get into the list of those best who will take part in maneuvers. Josip was honored to lead the flight group, as the director of the aviation school in Kapua told him.

Krizhai Air Group organized several demonstration flights with various acrobatic elements. During one of the flights, Krizhai was in a difficult situation - he had to fly at a low altitude above the hangar, which was quite risky. However, Josip, thanks to his ability to control the machine, also coped with this task, having performed excellently on the maneuvers themselves. For participation, he was awarded a special medal.

Among other things, he participated in other competitions: in Milan in 1931, he won a medal in the air show of the Emilio Pensuti flying club. Both medals are currently kept at the Logatez National War Museum.

Escape to Yugoslavia

On June 25, 1932, Giuseppe Kritzai again became Josip Križai: during a military training exercise over the Kodoformido airfield in Udine, a Slovenian pilot boarded a Fiat AS1 and took off. Without refueling and stops, he flew to Ljubljana , and his disappearance was not immediately discovered. Soon he reached the main Slovenian city, made several laps and landed at the Siska airfield.

After landing, Josip asked the authorities of Yugoslavia for political asylum. The authorities of Ljubljana did not believe the words of Josip and sent him to prison, arresting along the way his entire family. Soon, Josip was transferred first to Loznitsa, and then to Bielino. Only after long interrogations, it was decided to release the pilot from prison: the Serbs were more favorable to the returnee than his own Slovenian compatriots. In Italy, he was convicted in absentia for theft of aircraft and illegal border crossing, sentenced to 16 months in prison.

At first, Josip was disappointed with the life and life of the Yugoslavs: he could not find work in Bielino, often went hungry (once in a hospital in the city of Bielino in the dining room, Josip found a living rat). However, two years later he returned to Ljubljana to his sister Stanislav. In 1934, he obtained Yugoslav citizenship and enlisted him in the ranks of the Yugoslav Air Force in the military rank of sergeant .

Civil War Service in Spain

In 1936, a civil war broke out in Spain, and Josip Crijay, as part of the International Brigades, went to Spain to help the Republicans, as his many compatriots did. In August 1936, he arrived in Spain, was enlisted in the Air Force of the Second Republic and soon held his first air battle. He made more than a hundred sorties, in two of them his plane was shot down. The first time this happened on September 11 : his plane was shot down by a Neuport 52 fighter under the command of Sergeant Magistrini and landed on a lawn near Talavera.

The second time this happened on September 15th . Initially, it was alleged that the same Magistrini repeatedly shot down Krizhai, however, no records were made of this event in the logbook of Magistrini. According to Spanish data, Jose Garcia Morato did this, which was subsequently confirmed. Initially, the version appeared that he was flying a Leoire 46, which seems unlikely, since there were few such aircraft in Spain. That day, Križai, who accompanied several Potez 530 bombers, collided with three Cassia Rosatelli CR-32 fighters at an altitude of 3,000 m. Within 15 minutes, the Slovenian fought back from attacks, but Garcia Morato shot down the Krizhai Dewoitine D.371 plane, and the Slovenian suffered a second defeat in the air.

The wounded Josip jumped out of a burning plane and escaped death, but was captured by the Francoists. In addition, he lost two toes, and because of the parachute that opened at the wrong time, he also broke three ribs. On Josip's face were several more scars that he received during the fire. While he was being treated at the hospital, an American cameraman from Paramount Pictures arrived there, who specially for the war chronicle filmed several episodes from the life of Josip in the hospital. The pilot himself sent a letter home to his sister Maria Fagel in Aidovschino (another copy went to sister Stanke in Ptuj). In a letter, Josip wrote that during an air battle he was shot down, but survived. The letter received by Stanka turned to Paris with a request to return her brother from captivity. He and two Soviet pilots were exchanged for three Italian pilots.

Upon returning from captivity, Josip continued to serve on a Dewoitine D.371 aircraft under the guidance of Soviet instructors. He had to defend the airspace on the east coast of Spain, with which Krijar did a great job. His acquaintance pilot Luis Angosto Ortiz spoke of Josip as a cool-headed, rationally minded and brave man. Despite the severity of the work and severity, Josip was treated with great respect.

In April 1938, Josip Krizhai returned to Yugoslavia. As a result, on his account were three shot down enemy aircraft, and he received the military rank of lieutenant of the Air Force of the Second Republic.

Liberation War

Returning to his homeland, Krizhai was again met quite coldly. He was appointed secretary of the flying club in Sombor, and also taught glider flights. In Smederevsk-Palanka, he worked as an aerobatics instructor, for the first time in 1939, inviting local freshmen to the air show. Among the students, he met his future wife Yelitsa (Elena) Stefanovich, also a pilot of the Air Force of Yugoslavia. In April 1940, they got married, and this wedding was the first wedding of pilots in Yugoslavia.

On April 6, 1941 , the war against Germany began : Josip immediately went to the airfield in Sarajevo, but the panicked soldiers of the royal army were not able to properly prepare the cars, and almost all the aircraft were destroyed on the runway by German bombers. Krizhai was captured by the Germans and was sent to the camp, but escaped from there and returned to Belgrade to his wife Elitsa. After the occupation of the country, he moved his wife to the village in order to protect her from German patrols.

Somehow he himself ended up in the USSR, where he continued to serve in Soviet aviation. After the liberation of the country, he became commander of the 3rd squadron of the 11th fighter division. Josip participated in the battles on the Sremsky front, in August 1945 he was awarded the Order for courage, and he himself received the rank of lieutenant. At the end of the war, his squadron was relocated to the Velika Goritsa airfield near Zagreb. There, on June 9, 1945, he flew to the Aidov region on a DH 82 Tiger Moth plane. He was met by numerous fellow countrymen and relatives, and he himself, with tears of joy, said to fellow countrymen “Here I am!”

The last years of life

In May 1947, Josip Krizhar led the aerobatic team in Ljubljana with the rank of captain. He was an assistant division commander, carrying responsibility for operations. His fighters flew to Pula during the exercises.

On October 8, 1948, Krizhar went on a reconnaissance flight, since the army planned to conduct major military exercises near Karlovac . Time and weather were absolutely unfavorable for flights, and Krizhai was not ready to fly. However, he was given an old Yak-3 aircraft, which, moreover, was still not refueled. At the airfield during refueling, Krizhai met with one of the army generals, who admired Josip's professionalism and his ability to command the squadron. When Krizhai took off, it was already night over Ljubljana, and the sky was in dense clouds. Krizhai circled over the airfield for some time, but then flew towards Primorye according to an old habit.

A few hours later, the plane of Josip Krizhai crashed into Mount Snezhnik. Slovenian pilot died on the spot. The cause of the death, according to most experts, was the lack of fuel, but there were also those who believed that the command intentionally sent the pilot to "honorable death". Three days later, rescuers found both the wreckage of the aircraft and the body of the pilot. With all the military honors, Josip Krizhai was buried in the cemetery. The farewell ceremony was attended by the best pilots of Yugoslavia.

The flying club in Aidovschina now bears the name of Josip Krizhai. He also erected a monument at the airport of Portoroz.

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