The 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division (, ) was a so-called "legionnaire" division of the German Army during World War II. It was formed in August 1943 using Croatian Home Guard soldiers with a German cadre. The division was commanded by Germans down to battalion and even company level in nearly all cases. Originally formed with the intention of service on the Eastern Front, this did not eventuate, and the division was used in anti-Partisan operations in the territory of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) until the end of the war. It was commonly known as the Blue Division.
History
Formation
After the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Ante Pavelić, the leader of the newly created Axis puppet state the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), offered Adolf Hitler volunteers to serve on the Eastern Front. This offer soon resulted in the formation and deployment of army, air force and naval detachments which, after being trained and equipped by Germany, were committed to fighting the Red Army. The largest element was the 369th Croatian Reinforced Infantry Regiment, which was part of the 100th Jäger Division, but was decimated at Stalingrad in January 1943. The Croatian forces performed creditably on the Eastern Front, and the Germans continued to support the development of NDH forces with the aim of raising several divisions to serve there. Due to the lack of trained leaders and staff, these divisions were raised using a German cadre.
Commencing on 17 August 1943, the 392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division was assembled and trained in Austria as the third and last Croatian division raised for service in the Wehrmacht, following its sister divisions the 369th (Croatian) Infantry Division and 373rd (Croatian) Infantry Division. One infantry regiment and the divisional artillery regiment were formed in Döllersheim, the other infantry regiment in Zwettl, the signals battalion in Stockerau and the pioneer battalion in Krems. It was built around 3,500 German cadre troops, and 8,500 soldiers of the Croatian Home Guard, the regular army of the NDH. It was formed under the command of Generalmajor Johann Mickl who remained its commander until the last weeks of the war. Mickl was an Austrian who had served under Erwin Rommel in France and North Africa, where he had been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He had also commanded the 11th Panzer Division on the Eastern Front, where he had received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross. The division wore Wehrmacht uniform with the coat-of-arms of the NDH on the right sleeve. Although originally intended for use on the Eastern Front, not long after its formation the Germans decided that the division would not be utilised outside the NDH. The division was deployed to the NDH in January 1944 to combat the Partisans in the territory of the puppet state. It was known as the "Blue Division" (, ).
Anti-Partisan operations
Initial deployment
The first task of the division after its arrival in the western part of the NDH was to secure the Adriatic coastline along the Croatian Littoral between Rijeka and Karlobag (including all islands except Krk) and about inland, and was a critical task due to German fears of an Anglo-American landing on the Adriatic coast. This operation included securing the crucial supply route between Karlovac and Senj. These areas had been largely dominated by the Partisans since the Italian capitulation in autumn 1943, in particular the port of Senj. The division was placed under the command of the XV Mountain Corps as part of the 2nd Panzer Army, and was initially headquartered in Karlovac. The division also took over responsibility for the security of the Zagreb-Karlovac railway line from the 1st Cossack Division. The division was engaged by the Partisans from the first night in their garrison areas. Before the division had completed its initial deployment, it was called upon to relieve the NDH garrison of Ogulin. This involved a drive southwest from Karlovac between 13 and 16 January 1944 initially led by the 847th Infantry Regiment. In the first engagements with Partisan units, the Croatian soldiers panicked and their German leaders were quickly wounded or killed. When the bodies of those that had been killed were recovered, they were often found stripped of equipment and some were even found naked. On 16 January, Ogulin was relieved, but the advance was continued south to Skradnik, and villages in that area were also secured.