Ivan Prezelj
Yugoslav military officer and commander of Blue Guard
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Ivan Prezelj (29 August 1895 – 22 April 1973) was a Yugoslav military officer and commander of Blue Guard, a detachment of Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland in German-occupied Slovenia during the World War II.[1]
- General Andrej (Serbian: Ђенерал Андреј) or Andrej Račić
- Austria-Hungary
Ivan Prezelj | |
|---|---|
Prezelj in 1930s | |
| Nickname |
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| Born | 29 August 1895 Nova Vas, Istria, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 22 April 1973 (aged 77) Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Allegiance |
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| Unit | Blue Guard (Slovene) |
| Conflicts | |
Before the Second World War, Prezelj was the Yugoslav military attache in Prague.[2]
Prezelj was initially subordinated to Major Karl Novak and Colonel Vladimir Vauhnik.[3] After the defeat in the Battle of Grčarice, Major Novak resigned and Prezelj was appointed in his place by Draža Mihailović.[4] Mihailović promoted Prezelj to the rank of General on 29 June[5] or 1 December 1944.[6] The headquarter of Prezelj was with Notranjska Detachment and Soča Detachments.[7]
Prezelj in Ljubljana met with Dimitrije Ljotić and Momčilo Đujić in 1945.[8] In April 1945 Prezelj was appointed as commander of Slovenian People's Army while Mirko Bitanc was appointed as his deputy.[9]
After the World War II Prezelj escaped from Yugoslav authorities to Italy.[10]