Katarina Matanović-Kulenović (18 March 1913 in Vuka – 24 April 2003 in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

) was the first female Croatian pilot and parachutist. Born near Osijek in 1913, she lived in

from 1918. She became a graduated pilot in the

Yugoslav Royal Air Force The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; ( sl, Jugoslovansko kraljevo vojno letalstv ...

in 1936. She parachuted at an air show in

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; hu, Zimony) is a municipality in the city of Belgrade. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown Belgrade. The developme ...

in 1938. During the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...

period she was married to Croatian journalist Namik Kulenović. From 1943 she served in the Croatian War Air Force. For a time she was the personal pilot of minister

Ante Vokić Ante Vokić (23 August 1909 – 8 May 1945) was a Croatian politician, general and putschist. Member of the Ustaše, he was the Minister of Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia from 29 January to 30 August 1944, succeeding Mirosl ...

. In 1944, her husband died in a plane crash. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

she was no longer allowed to fly in

Communist Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yugo ...

and her story was largely unknown. She received the

Order of Danica Hrvatska The Order of Danica Hrvatska ( hr, Red Danice hrvatske; lit. "Order of the Croatian Morning Star") is the fourteenth most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on 1 April 1995. The medal is awarded for different pu ...

from Croatian president Franjo Tuđman in 1998. In 2000 Boris Puhlovski wrote a biography on Matanović-Kulenović titled ''Katarina na krilima''.Katarina na krilima
/ref> Matanović-Kulenović died in 2003.

Notes

References

Departing of the first female Croatian aviator
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matanovic-Kulenovic, Katarina 1913 births 2003 deaths Croatian World War II pilots Croatian Home Guard personnel Women aviators Royal Yugoslav Air Force personnel Women in World War II Yugoslav aviators