Whether in Croatia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whether in diaspora, Croatians, will remember retired General Ante Zorislav Roso and remain deeply grateful for his honourable and brave deeds and outstanding merits in the defence of our Croatian homeland during the 1990’s Homeland War.

At the outbreak of the war of aggression against Croatia, when Croatia needed heroes, Ante Roso volunteered for service and his conscientious personality and determination marked him as a leader from the outset. On the eve of the Croatian Homeland War, General Roso returned to Croatia from the French Foreign Legion and joined the Croatian Army, making his vast knowledge and experience, that Croatia in its pursuit of independence from communist Yugoslavia needed, available in the fight against the Greater Serbian brutal aggression.

Ante Zorislav Roso was born on April 25, 1952, in Osijek, Croatia, and his roots are from Ljubuski, Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the existence of communist Yugoslavia, he lived in exile, where in 1974 he began his long military career in the French Foreign Legion, where he rose to the rank of sergeant.

Having returned to Croatia at the outbreak of the Homeland War in 1991, together with other former members of the French Foreign Legion who had also returned to Croatia, he organised and trained elite units of the Croatian Army that carried out the most demanding operations.

The Zrinski Battalion (Croatian: Bojna Zrinski) was a special forces unit of the Croatian National Guard (Zbor narodne garde – ZNG) and later of the Croatian Army (Hrvatska vojska – HV) established in Kumrovec on 18 May 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence.

He participated in numerous operations during the Homeland War, especially in the military-police operation Maslenica. As a commander, he participated in the planning and implementation of the military-police operation Maslenica, which marked a turning point in the Homeland War for Croatia.

General Roso also significantly contributed to the defence of Croatian territories in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a member of the Croatian Defence Council/HVO, Chief of the HVO Main Staff and the Joint Command of the HVO and the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For his special merits in the Homeland War, the President of the Republic, Dr. Franjo Tuđman, decorated him with the Order of the Croatian Trefoil, the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski, the Order of Ban Jelačić and the Order of Prince Domagoj with Collar, as well as the Medal for Exceptional Achievements. He is also a recipient of the Foreign Legion decoration.

“We are eternally grateful for his contribution to the defence and creation of the independent Republic of Croatia. We will remember him as a great man and warrior. May he rest in God’s peace and may the Croatian nation he loved rest in peace,” said Ivan Anušić, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Croatia this week.

“It is difficult to find the right words when someone who marked our life path and was a part of our history passes away. Ante was a man of a special spirit, recognizable by his character and the strength with which he went through life,” said retired General Zeljko Glasnovic in his tribute to Ante Roso on his Facebook page.

General Ante Roso – first commander of the Zrinski Battalion and wartime commander of the Croatian Defence Council/HVO, has passed away on September 16, 2025 after a long illness during the past week in Port-la-Nouvelle, France, where he has lived for many years with his wife and son and where his eternal resting place shall remain. May the perpetual light shine upon you always, General Ante Roso. Ina Vukic