Rudolf Perešin (25 March 1958 – 2 May 1995) was a Croatian fighter pilot serving in the

Yugoslav Air Force The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ� ...

(JRZ) during the 1991–95

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

who defected to the Croatian side in October 1991, by flying his

MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames in ...

fighter jet from

Željava Air Base Željava Air Base, situated on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina under the mountain, near the city of Bihać, was the largest underground hangar and military air base in the SFR Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugosl ...

to Klagenfurt, Austria, on a reconnaissance flight for the JRZ. He was the first pilot to desert from the Yugoslav Air Force. Following his defection he continued to fly missions for the

Croatian Air Force The Croatian Air Force ( or HRZ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is tasked primarily with safeguarding the sovereignty of Croatian airspace and providing aviation support to other branches during joint operations. ...

and was shot down in May 1995 by Serb Krajina military forces, resulting in his death.

Biography

Perešin was born in the village of Jakšinec near

Gornja Stubica Gornja Stubica () is a village and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County, Croatia. Climate From 1981 to 1996, the highest temperature recorded at the Stubička gora weather station was , on 28 July 1987. The coldest temperature was , on 12 Februa ...

, north of the Croatian capital Zagreb. He enrolled at the Yugoslav Military Pilot Academy in

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

, and graduated in 1981 at the top of his class as one of the best fighter pilots of the

. In 1991, during the early stages of the war, Perešin decided to defect in order to help defend his homeland. Like all Croatian-born personnel, he was under close surveillance by his commanding officers. On 25 October 1991 Perešin flew his MiG-21R from the

and landed in Klagenfurt, Austria. His defection as well as his statement that he is a "Croat and I cannot and will not fire upon my Croatia" proved to be a significant morale boost for the Croatian forces. Another MiG on a stick

On 2 May 1995, while providing

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

to the

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( or HKoV) is the land force branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is numerically the largest of the three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces. The HKoV is the main force for the defense of the country against external threa ...

during

Operation Flash Operation Flash ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Bljesak, separator=" / ", Операција Бљесак) was a brief Croatian Army (HV) offensive conducted against the forces of the self-declared proto-state Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) from ...

, he was shot down over

Stara Gradiška Stara Gradiška (, ) is a village and a municipality in Slavonia, in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia. It is located on the left bank of the river Sava, across from Gradiška in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Etymology The first word in the name mea ...

by anti-aircraft artillery from the Serb Krajina forces. His remains were not recovered and returned until 4 August 1997. On 15 September 1997, Perešin was buried with full military honors at the

Mirogoj The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, ), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery (), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members of all religious groups: Catholic, Orthodox, M ...

cemetery in Zagreb. Today, the Croatian Air Force Flying School in Zadar and the Aeronautical Technical High School in

Velika Gorica Velika Gorica () is the largest and most populous city in Zagreb County, Croatia. According to the 2011 census, the city itself has a population of 31,341, and the municipality has a population of 63,517 inhabitants. Velika Gorica is the centre ...

are both named in his honor. The

aircraft number 26112 Perešin used to defect was moved to the

Heeresgeschichtliches Museum The Museum of Military History – Military History Institute () in Vienna is the leading museum of the Austrian Armed Forces. It documents the history of Austrian military affairs through a wide range of exhibits comprising, above all ...

(military history museum) in Vienna and briefly shown to the public there. It was publicly displayed at

Zeltweg Air Base Zeltweg Air Base, known in German as Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser, is a military airfield in Styria, Austria near Zeltweg. It is the main airfield of the Austrian Air Force. It was also used as a motor racing circuit in the 1960s. History Zelt ...

during the AirPower11 national air show in 2011. After a protracted international ownership dispute, with competing claims from Croatia and Serbia, the aircraft was handed over to Croatia in 2019.

References

External links

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CRO pilots from LYBI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peresin, Rudolf 1958 births 1995 deaths Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Croatian army officers Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence Military personnel killed in the Croatian War of Independence Aviators killed by being shot down Officers of the Yugoslav People's Army Yugoslav defectors Order of Duke Domagoj recipients Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski recipients Croatian military personnel killed in action