Vladimir Laxa (; 21 January 1870 – 1945) 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 = , capit ...

n general who served 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 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and in the Croatian Home Guard during

World War II 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 opposin ...

. During World War II, he was Army Chief of Staff of the

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its o ...

, 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 ...

( hr, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH), from June 1941 until August 1942, when he resigned his commission purportedly in protest of the atrocities committed by the

Ustaše Militia The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...

. Laxa was commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Army on 18 August 1890. During the First World War he was commander of the 18th Mountain Brigade, and was one of only 131 men who were awarded the Military Order of Maria Theresa, the highest Habsburg decoration; in Laxa's case for the “''heroism, enormous bravery, and tenaciously successful defence of positions''” by himself and his men on Škabrijel (Italian: Mount Saint Gabriel) during the

Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo The Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo was a World War I battle fought by the Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946), Italian and Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Armies on the Italian Front (World War I), Italian Front between 18 August and 12 September 191 ...

in 1917. After the war ended, he joined the newly formed army of (what became known later as) the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...

. The

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-led Axis

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...

commenced on 6 April 1941, leading to the

proclamation A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

of the

on 10 April. Laxa was initially the Army second in command (April–June 1941) and then chief-of-staff. During the war he was awarded the state's

Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir The Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir ( hr, Red krune kralja Zvonimira) was an order awarded by the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). It was established as a "visible sign of decoration for merits done, in peace or in war, for Croatian people ...

. In October 1941 he was transferred to the NDH High Command. He took part in a conference in

Opatija Opatija (; it, Abbazia; german: Sankt Jakobi) is a town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean climate and its historic buildings r ...

(2–3 March 1942) that planned the

Third anti-partisan offensive Operation Trio ( sh-Latn, Operacija Trio) was the first large-scale joint German-Italian counter-insurgency operation of World War II conducted in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), which included modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was ...

, codenamed ‘Trio’. He remained in the NDH high command until August 1942 when he resigned (although there is a source that claims that Laxa was "removed by order of Marshal

Slavko Kvaternik Slavko Kvaternik (25 August 1878 – 7 June 1947) was a Croatian Ustaše military general and politician who was one of the founders of the Ustaše movement. Kvaternik was military commander and Minister of '' Domobranstvo'' (''Armed Forces''). O ...

and retired") due to his protestations about atrocities committed by Ustaše irregulars. Laxa was among the exodus that were forcibly returned to the Partisans at Bleiburg, in the

Bleiburg repatriations The Bleiburg repatriations ( see terminology) occurred in May 1945, after the end of World War II in Europe, during which Yugoslavia had been occupied by the Axis powers, when tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians associated with the Axis ...

. He was executed in 1945, and, after Croatia's independence in the 1990s, subsequently buried in

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 ...

.Vladimir Laksa at Mirogoj Cemetery
gradskagroblja.hr; accessed 21 July 2018.

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Vladimir Laxa served in Austrian, Yugoslav and Croatian army
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laxa, Vladimir 1870 births 1945 deaths Croatian Austro-Hungarians Croatian collaborators with Fascist Italy Croatian collaborators with Nazi Germany Executed Yugoslav collaborators with Nazi Germany Executed Croatian people People from Sisak Croatian military personnel of World War II Croatian military personnel in Austrian armies Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Austro-Hungarian Army officers Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Recipients of the Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir 19th-century Croatian military personnel 20th-century Croatian military personnel

See also

References

External links