Croatian Defence Forces The Croatian Defence Forces ( , HOS ) were the military arm of the Croatian Party of Rights ( HSP ) from 1991 to 1992 , during the first stages of the Yugoslav wars . During the Croatian War of Independence , the HOS organized several early companies and participated in Croatia ' s defense . At the peak of the war in Croatia , the HOS was several battalions in size . The first HOS units were headed by Ante Paradžik , an HSP member who was killed by Croatian police in September 1991 . After the November 1991 general mobilization in Croatia and the January 1992 cease - fire , the HOS was absorbed by the Croatian Army . The HOS units in Bosnia and Herzegovina consisted of Croats , Bosniaks and foreign volunteers led by Blaž Kraljević . On 9 August 1992 , Kraljević and eight staff members were assassinated by Croatian Defence Council ( HVO ) soldiers under the command of Mladen Naletilić . The HOS was disbanded shortly afterwards , and absorbed by the HVO and the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of the Croat - Bosniak War . The last HOS unit was dissolved on 5 April 1993 in central Bosnia . Name . The frequently used Croatian abbreviation of the organization , " HOS " ( " Hrvatske obrambene snage " ) , is identical to the abbreviation for the military of the World War II Nazi puppet state , the Independent State of Croatia . The military of the Independent State of Croatia were the Croatian Armed Forces ( " Hrvatske oružane snage " ) , also abbreviated " HOS " in Croatian . History . Croatia . Origin . The Croatian Party of Rights was reestablished in Croatia on 26 February 1990 , with Dobroslav Paraga president and Ante Paradžik vice - president . The Croatian civilian population began arming itself , and on 21 December 1990 the Serbs of Croatia rose up ; soon , the Yugoslav People ' s Army combined with the insurgent Serbs and the Croatian Party of Rights considered forming its own military wing . Although the first HOS squad was established in January , the HOS was officially founded on 25 June 1991 by Dobroslav Paraga , Ante Paradžik , Alija Šiljak and other leaders of the HSP . Soon after the establishment of the HOS general staff , Paradžik bacame its chief . The general staff was at Starčević Center , the HSP headquarters in Zagreb . At first , the HOS was poorly armed and its soldiers used their own weapons . However , they performed well in conflicts with Serb forces and attracted the attention of Croatian public . The HSP received donations from the Croatian diaspora and HSP branches in Australia and Canada , enabling them to buy weapons and increase their membership . Not every HSP member supported a military wing , and secretary Krešimir Pavelić left the party in protest . Many HOS recruits came from the diaspora : Bosnia and Herzegovina and overseas . In addition , HOS attracted trained soldiers from abroad . Battles . At the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence , the HOS consisted of about 6 , 000 soldiers . Although they were members of the Croatian National Guard ( ZNG ) , they obeyed orders from HOS officers . Because of an unwritten rule that HOS members could only be members of the HSP , the HOS was considered a party paramilitary organization . The HOS and the ZNG were involved in the Battle of the Barracks and other minor battles in Croatia . The HOS increased in popularity within the HSP , and soon the HOS were in nearly every town where the HSP was active . On 10 September 1991 , Paraga and Paradžik organized a demonstration of an HOS company for 10 , 000 spectators in Jelačić Square . Shortly after the demonstration , the company was involved in the Battle of Vukovar under Robert Šilić . At this time , HOS units were founded in Dalmatia . Until May 1991 , Dalmatian HOS units were company - sized . In an agreement between Paraga and the Slovene Minister of Defense Janez Janša , the units were sent to Slovenia for training . By October 1991 the unit had grown to battalion size ; it was called the 9th Battalion ( the Rafael " Knight " Boban Battalion ) and was commanded by Jozo Radanović , president of the HSP branch in Split . This unit became one of the most popular Croatian units ; in early December 1991 , Radanović was promoted to colonel in the HOS . Paradžik was shot at a police checkpoint near Zagreb on 21 September 1991 , in what was described by the authorities as an accident . On 23 November the Croatian government began a general mobilization , and most HOS militiamen joined Croatian Army units . Shortly after the cease - fire in January 1992 , the HOS ceased operations in Croatia . Bosnia and Herzegovina . Blaž Kraljević was a Croat paramilitary leader who commanded the HOS during the first few months of the Bosnian War . When the war began , Kraljević positioned the HOS as the primary Croat militia in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Unlike the HVO , the other Croat militia , the HOS opposed the partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina and an ethnically - cleansed Greater Croatia ; instead , they wanted to ally Bosnia and Herzegovina with Croatia . After early successes , many HVO soldiers defected and joined the HOS . During summer 1992 the HOS defended Stolac , launching an offensive into eastern Herzegovina which seized parts of Trebinje . Much of the Serb population of Trebinje and Bileća had begun to evacuate ; this ran counter to the Graz agreement between Republika Srpska and Herzeg - Bosnia concerning the country ' s division . After Kraljević ' s death , the HOS in Bosnia and Herzegovina was led by Ante Prkačin and Stanko Primorac . Symbols . The HOS had a black flag with its emblem in the centre : a circle of triple wattle containing a chequered shield ( with white first square ) over a four - sided blue - and - white triple - wattle symbol ; above , the inscription " HOS " ; below , " HSP , " Za dom spremni " " . These symbols resembled those of the NDH , a Croatian state during the Second World War which collaborated with German and Italian occupation forces . " " Za dom spremni ! " " ( " Ready for the homeland ! " ) was the official greeting of the NDH army . Uniforms . The HOS primarily wore black uniforms with World War II NDH - type insignia . They also wore available camouflage uniforms , usually US battle dress or the Croatian equivalent .