MEMORIALS TO AIRMENAND VICTIMS IN AVIATION

Belgrade pays respectful tribute to the many fallen pilots and aviation victims. Graves, monuments, busts, streets, plaques, and other commemorative markers dedicated to aviation heroes are presented in this section of the guide.

Monuments and Burial Sites

  • Mihajlo Petrović – pilot and the first casualty of Serbian military aviation; monument located at Novo groblje (New Cemetery), plot 2.
  • Kosta Miletić – major and commander of the Serbian Air Command; monument located at Novo groblje, plot 26.
  • Jovan Jugović – captain-pilot and balloonist; monument located at Novo groblje, plot 4.
  • Edvard Rusjan – although no monument was built, the crash site is precisely known, located below the Kalemegdan fortress, a few hundred meters upstream from Nebojša Tower. His grave is in plot 15 of Novo groblje.
  • Monument to the Defenders of Belgrade (April 6, 1941) – located on the quay near Hotel Jugoslavija in New Belgrade. Created by academic sculptor Miodrag Živković and unveiled on April 6, 1997.

Pilots killed defending Belgrade (April 6–7, 1941):
Miloš Žunić, Miho Klavora, Vladimir Gorup, Karlo Štrbenk, Dobrica Novaković, Branislav Todorović, Jovan Kapešić, Milivoje Bošković, Dušan Borčić, Milutin Petrov, Živica Mitrović.

Captain Miloš Žunić – pilot of the 102nd Squadron; monument located at Novo groblje, plot 24.

Streets Named After Aviators

  • Deset Avijatičara Street – named after the ten defenders of Belgrade in 1941; located in the Konjarnik neighborhood.
  • Partizanske Avijacije Street – in New Belgrade, Bežanija district, near the “11. April” sports center.
  • Pilot M. Petrović Street – located in Cerak-Vinogradi; named after the first military aviation casualty (1913).
  • Major Branko Vukosavljević Street – Bežanijska kosa; named after the commander of the First Serbian Squadron in WWI.
  • Pilot R. Jovanović Street – Cerak-Vinogradi; dedicated to the NOVJ pilot killed in 1944.
  • Pilotska Street – located in Batajnica.
  • Captain Miloš Žunić Street – in the Mirijevo neighborhood.
  • Franjo Kluz Street – upper part of Bulevar Revolucije.
  • Rudi Čajavec Street – Mirijevo.
  • Aerodromski put (Airport Road) – Surčin.

Plaques and Busts

  • Boško Petrović – pilot and footballer; commemorative plaque at the JNA stadium.
  • Aviation workers’ strike (1940) – plaque at the IKL factory (formerly Rogožarski), Knez Danilova Street.
  • Franjo Kluz, Stanislav Vouk, Jovan Pešić, Ruđo Luiđi – NOVJ pilots; monuments at the British Military Cemetery within Novo groblje.
  • Major Ratko Jovanović – monument in the Alley of the Greats, Novo groblje.
  • Franjo Kluz bust – located in the “Kluz” factory compound.
  • Moma Stanojlović bust – within the “MOST” military facility in Batajnica.
  • Viktor Bubanj bust – located on Narodnih heroja Street, New Belgrade.

Memorial Sites and Historic Buildings

  • Avala Memorial – marks the site of the Soviet IL-18 crash on October 19, 1964.
  • Civilian victims of the April 1941 bombing – mass grave and memorial for 2,271 officially recorded casualties; located at Novo groblje.
  • Building in Prizrenska Street – preserved facade and damaged roof from the April 1941 bombing; across from Hotel Balkan.
  • Building in Simina Street 41 – hit by a 250 kg bomb during the 1944 Allied bombing; the bomb did not explode. The building now houses café “Guli”.
  • Plaque to Archibald Reiss – in the Aero Club building, Uzun Mirkova 4; unveiled in 1997 to mark 75 years of the Serbian Aero Club.
  • Plaque to Tadija Sondermajer – in memory of the founder of Aeroput and aviation pioneer; also at Uzun Mirkova 4, installed by JAT and Aero Club “Naša krila” in 1997.
  • RTS Memorial Plaque – commemorating 16 RTS employees killed in the NATO bombing on April 23, 1999; located in Tašmajdan Park.
  • Air Force and Air Defense Memorial – dedicated to 41 fallen personnel during the NATO aggression; located on the Air Force Command building in Zemun, unveiled June 9, 2000.