Allegiance Yugoslavia
Croatia | Name Zvonimir Cervenko | |
Born 13 November 1926
Prijepolje, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (present-day Serbia) ( 1926-11-13 ) Died 17 February 2001(2001-02-17) (aged 74)
Zagreb, Croatia Service/branch SFR Yugoslav Air Force
Croatian Army Rank Staff General (stozerni general) Commands held General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia Battles/wars Croatian War of Independence
Operation Flash
Operation Storm
Operation Summer \'95 | ||
Sudbine-Generalova priča (Zvonimir Červenko) (dok.film, HTV 1994.)
Zvonimir Červenko (13 November 1926 – 17 February 2001) was a Croatian general and the chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia from 1995-96.
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Croatian War of Independence
At the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence, Franjo Tuđman, president of the Republic of Croatia offered him the position of the minister of defence, but Červenko refused saying "I'm a soldier, not politician". He organized the defence of Zagreb, the blockade of enemy barracks, and started the process of forming 14 brigades in Zagreb. In January 1992, Červenko became the commander of Croatian Home Guard (Domobranstvo), becoming deputy of chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia.
The top of his military career came just before the Operation Storm, when he succeeded Janko Bobetko in the position of Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. He served as Chief of General Staff from 15 July 1995 until 16 November 1996. During his command, the Croatian Army executed the most successful operation of the war, Operation Storm. President Tuđman replaced him in November 1996. He later became a member of the Chamber of Counties of the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) on the electoral list of the Croatian Democratic Union. Beginning in 2000 he served as a member of the Amnesty Commission.
Death
Červenko died on 17 February 2001 in Zagreb. With the highest honors, he was buried in Alley of Croatian Heroes at the Mirogoj Cemetery.