Franjo Dzal
Born on 9 April 1909 in Bihać (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina), Franjo Džal (16 kills) initially attended observer school at Petrovaradin in 1927, prior to being accepted into pilot school at 1 .VP in Novi Sad (now in Serbia) the following year. He became a fighter pilot with 6.LP in Zemun (now in Serbia) in 1931. Already a member of Crna Legija (Black Legion – army of NDH), Džal was deputy commanding officer of 5.LP on the outbreak of war.
He joined the ZNDH (Air force of the Independent State of Croatia – 1941.-1945.) as a major on 29 April 1941, and the Croatian Air Force Legion in July. Franjo Džal became the first commanding officer of 15(Kroat)/JG 52, and in October 1941 was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. Between then and November 1942 he claimed 16 confirmed and three to five unconfirmed victories during the course of 157 missions, but achieved no further kills during his second tour in 1943, since he rarely flew and drank heavily. Franjo Džal became Croatian Air Force Legion commanding officer on 22 May, but was replaced and sent back to Croatia on 16 June to perform secondary duties with the ZNDH. However, in November 1943 he was made commanding officer of the Croatian Air Force Legion for the second time.
Promoted to lieutenant in February 1944, Džal returned the following month to ZNDH headquarters as operations officer. Eventually captured in Slovenia by units of 3rd JA (Jugoslavenska Armija – Yugoslavian Army) towards the end of the war, he was court-martialled in Belgrade (Serbia) and executed in October 1945.
source: Croatian Aces of World War 2 – Osprey, Razvoj ZNDH za vrijeme drugog rata – LWD