Mihajlo Lukić (24 September 1886 – 18 July 1961) was a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

n general who began his career as an officer in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

during World War I, then climbed the hierarchy of the

Royal Yugoslav Army The Yugoslav Army ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslovenska vojska, JV, Југословенска војска, ЈВ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Army, was the land warfare military service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (originally Kingdom of Serbs, ...

, finally joining the Croatian Home Guard during World War II. He was retired in 1943 due to his disapproval of sending Croat volunteers to the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

. After the collapse of 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 (1922–1943), Fascist It ...

, communist authorities sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Early life

Lukić was the father of a musical school professor, Darko Lukić. He finished gymnasium in

Bjelovar Bjelovar ( hu, Belovár, german: Bellowar, Kajkavian: ''Belovar'') is a city in central Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. At the 2021 census, there were 36,433 inhabitants, of whom 93.06% were Croats. Histor ...

, and was then sent to the Higher Cadet school in

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...

. He then finished the Military Academy in Vienna. Although his family was of

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

origin, he identified as

Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...

World War II

At the start of the April War, Lukić headed the Triglav Alpine Detachment. From the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia in April 1941 until June he headed the Osijek Division. From July to October 1941 he headed the Lika Brigade based in

Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

. He also briefly served as liaison officer to the Second Italian Army and was inspector-general of the infantry. From late 1941 until April 1943 he served as commander of the III Domobran Corps, covering much of the southern Independent State of Croatia. In 1942 he became outspoken against Croatian soldiers joining German units and claimed that German economic interests were outweighing the interests of the new Croatian state.Marijan, Davor. ''Borbe za Kupres 1942''. AGM. Zagreb, 1999. He was forced to retire in 1943, after being suspected to have contacts with

Chetniks The Chetniks ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Четници, Četnici, ; sl, Četniki), formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royali ...

. He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment 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 ...

. He is buried at

Mirogoj cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, hr, Gradsko groblje Mirogoj), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery ( hr, Groblje Mirogoj), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members o ...

.Mihajlo Lukić
, Gradsko groblje

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukic, Mihajlo 1886 births 1961 deaths Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Royal Yugoslav Army personnel Croatian people of World War II Croatian Home Guard personnel Croatian collaborators with Nazi Germany Croatian collaborators with Fascist Italy Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Eastern Orthodox Christians from Croatia Serbs of Croatia