page_title: Marko Mesić (soldier)
section_title: Croatian Legion
hierarchical_section_title: Marko Mesić (soldier) / Croatian Legion
context_page_description: Marko Mesić was a decorated gunnery officer who served in the armies of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Independent State of Croatia, and the SFR Yugoslavia. He is best known for being the final commander of Croatian legionnaires in World War II, serving in the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front and in the Battle of Stalingrad.
context_section_description: After Nazi Germany defeated the Royal Yugoslav Army during the brief April War in 1941, Mesić joined the army of the Independent State of Croatia (a Nazi puppet state), the Croatian Home Guard, in Varaždin. He was promptly assigned to the 369th (Croatian) Reinforced Infantry Regiment (the "Croatian Legion"), a unit of the 100th Light Infantry Division, where he held the rank of lieutenant colonel of the artillery section. The Croatian Legion was formally a German Army (Wehrmacht) formation and was under full German command because the Independent State of Croatia never officially declared war on the Soviet Union. The regiment wore Croatian Home Guard uniforms.
  With Mesić as the artillery section commander, the 369th Regiment saw action against Russian forces in October 1941 after an exhausting 35-day, 750 kilometres (470 mi) march to the village of Budinskaja. The 369th Regiment was highly successful in difficult battles during the winter of 1941 and in the following spring and summer. Due to illness, regiment commander Colonel Ivan Markulj was transferred back to Croatia and Mesić temporarily replaced him on 7 July 1942. Mesić was later replaced by a new commander, Colonel Viktor Pavičić. Division commander General Sanne commended Mesić's artillery section on 21 and 22 February 1942; on 23 February 1942, he awarded Mesić with the Iron Cross.
  The legion experienced its most difficult battles at Harkov when Mesić was the artillery commander, including a very costly two-day battle at kolhoz Proljet Kultura. The regiment attacked Proljet Kultura on 27 July 1942, but an overwhelming Soviet counterattack the next day killed 53 and wounded 186 Legion soldiers. The Legion's bravery and success was admired by General Paulus, leading him to select the Legion as the only non-German unit to enter Stalingrad.
caption: 369th Legion Memorial badge
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