Ustaše Militia
| Ustaše Militia Ustaška vojnica | |
|---|---|
Badge of the Ustaše Militia | |
| Active | 11 April 1941 – January 1945 |
| Country | Independent State of Croatia |
| Allegiance | Ante Pavelić |
| Branch | Land forces |
| Type | Volunteer militia |
| Role | Mass murder of civilians and operation of concentration camps, and anti-Partisan operations mostly under German command |
| Size | c. 76,000 in December 1944 |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Jure Francetić Rafael Boban Vjekoslav Luburić |
The Ustaše Militia (Croatian: Ustaška vojnica) was the military branch of the Ustaše, established by the fascist and genocidal regime of Ante Pavelić in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), an Axis puppet state established from a large part of occupied Yugoslavia during World War II.
The militia went through a series of re-organisations during its existence, expanding to include all armed elements of the NDH government outside of the Croatian Home Guard, Navy, and Air Force. It amalgamated with the Home Guard in December 1944 and January 1945 to form the Croatian Armed Forces (Hrvatske oružane snage, HOS), although the amalgamation did not result in a homogeneous organisation; former Ustaše militia officers dominated HOS's operations and held most command positions.
The Ustaše militia were responsible for some of the most egregious atrocities committed by the Ustaše regime during World War II, including playing a key role in the establishment and operation of about 20 concentration camps in the NDH. Its units included the Black Legion (Crna Legija), commanded by Jure Francetić and Rafael Boban, and the Ustaše Defence Brigades, commanded by Vjekoslav Luburić.