Branimir Jelić

Branimir "Branko" Jelić (28 February 1905 in Donji Dolac, Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austria-Hungary – 31 May 1972 in West Berlin) was an exiled Croatian nationalist and doctor of medicine.

In autumn 1928 Jelić took a lead in the foundation of the militant youth organization Hrvatski Domobran (Croatian Home Defender) with the aim of establishing a Greater Croatia.

[2] Meanwhile, the political climate in the South Slav state roughened due to the assassination of Stjepan Radić, the leader of the Croatian Peasant Party.

The Hrvatski Domobran developed into an organizational backbone of Pavelić's Ustaša underground militia in Europe (for which Jelić recruited personnel).

Thus, he was prevented from taking a high position among the leadership of the Axis-allied Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH).

[5] After being released he continued his nationalist networking in London and established contacts to like-minded Croats as well as personalities of anti-Communist leanings.

[11] In the early 1970s he survived two assassination attempts in West Berlin (most probably organized by the Yugoslav secret service known as UDBA) and died a sudden death after he had returned from a fundraising tour to North America.