Ljudevit Bencetić
Born on 26 December 1910 in Zagreb (Croatia), Ljudevit Bencetić (later Ludwig Stampa) (15 kills) graduated from 7.VP in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in 1930 and became a military pilot in
1932. He was promoted to second lieutenant in December 1940.
At the outbreak of war Bencetić was on non-flying duty with 12. base company of air force arsenal in Kraljevo (Serbia). He joined the ZNDH (Air force of the Independent State of Croatia – 1941.-1945.) in May 1941, and transferred to the Croatian Air Force Legion in July with the rank of first lieutenant. During his first combat tour Ljudevit Bencetić scored 14 confirmed victories and one unconfirmed kill. During his second tour he added one confirmed and one unconfirmed kill. By the end of 1943 he had flown a total of 250 missions, and had also served as an instructor with JG 104 at Fürth between July and September of that year.
Later employed on ferry duties with Flugzeugüberfiihrungs Geschwader 1 at Wiener Neustadt, before being put in command of 3.1 Kroatien Jagdgruppe 1 (later renamed 3./JGr Kro) in December, Bencetić was promoted to captain the following February. In September 1944, following the disbanding of most Croatian Air Force Legion units, he moved to 5. Zrakoplovna Luka (air base) Zalužani (Bosnia and Herzegovina – Republic Srpska) to command its MS 406-equipped 14.LJ. Bencetić flew three combat missions against the NOVJ and then engaged in ground battles with advancing partisan forces.
Given command of 13. Zrakoplovno Jato (air squadron) at Bjelovar (Croatia) airfield, Bencetić was made commanding officer of Borongaj-based 2.LJ in November 1944. He became the last Croatian pilot to claim an aerial victory in World War 2 when he downed an RAF Mustang on 23 April 1945 east of Zagreb (Croatia). Bencetić then escaped to Austria, but was returned by the British to face a court-martial in Zagreb. Granted amnesty in July 1945, he moved to Germany, where his wife, ex-Luftwaffe helferin Hella Stampa, awaited him. Ljudevit Bencetić duly changed his name to Ludwig Stampa and died in the late 1980s in Mainz Kastel (Germany).
source: Croatian Aces of World War 2 – Osprey, Razvoj ZNDH za vrijeme drugog rata – LWD