Vojska Republike Srpske

Army of the Republika Srpska Војска Републике Српске (ВРС) Vojska Republike Srpske (VRS)
guide
Commander in Chief :	President of the Republika Srpska, most recently Milan Jelić
Military Commander:	most recently Major General Cvetko Savić
Headquarters:	Banja Luka , Bosnia and Herzegovina
Military strength
Active soldiers:	Last 10,000
Conscription:	No
Eligibility for military service:
history
Founding:	1992
Replacement:	2006

The Army of the Republika Srpska ( Serbian Војска Републике Српске Vojska Republike Srpske , BPC / VRS for short ) comprised the armed forces of the Republika Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 2006 .

One of the “strategic goals” of the VRS during the Bosnian War 1992 to 1995 was the separation of the “national communities” in Bosnia-Herzegovina by creating separate “national territories” with ethnically “unmixed” communities. For this purpose, it used war crimes and ethnic cleansing of the Bosniak and Croatian civilian populations as military tactics (e.g. Srebrenica massacre , Tuzla massacre ).

history

The VRS was founded in 1992 from parts of the Yugoslav People's Army and irregular units stationed in Bosnia with the support of Slobodan Milošević by Radovan Karadžić to defend Serbian interests in Bosnia and Herzegovina and led by Ratko Mladić . In the Corridor '92 military operation , the VRS succeeded in creating a connection between the Serb-controlled areas in the west and east of Bosnia.

By November 1992, the VRS conquered almost 70% of the Bosnian territory. From 1993 the army conducted several operations in the Igman and Bjelašnica areas .

In 1994 Goražde and Bihać were attacked several times and one conquest failed.

During the Bosnian War the VRS had up to 85,000 troops. The majority of the officers and soldiers were Bosnian Serbs, while Serb paramilitary groups and foreign (including Russian and Greek) volunteers on the side of the VRS also took part in the war. Only a few Bosniaks and Croats fought in the VRS, such as Major Ismet Đuherić and his company "Meša Selimović" in the north of the country around Teslić and Derventa .

The VRS is charged with numerous war crimes, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre .

After the war, the VRS was headed by Major General Cvetko Savić . At last it was divided into four corps with a total of about 10,000 men.

In 2006 the VRS and the (Bosniak-Croatian) army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina were disbanded and transferred to a joint army . The tradition of the VRS is continued by the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the OSBiH. The regimental badge on the uniforms contains a Serbian flag.

The military reform that began at the end of 2005 was largely completed in December 2007.

Foreign volunteers

In total, around 4,000 foreign fighters of the Orthodox faith fought alongside their Serbian fellow believers in the Bosnian War. The Greek Volunteer Guard was active from 1992 to 1995 and was on site with the 5th Drina Corps of the VRS before and during the Srebrenica massacre . During the siege of Sarajevo in 1992 Romanian and Ukrainian volunteers and from 1993 to 1994 also Russian volunteers fought under the command of Alexander Shkrabov . About 700 Russians alone fought for the Bosnian Serb army, so that two army units were formed. The most effective military unit were the Tsarist Wolves under the command of Alexander Mukharev , with a company of Cossacks under Alexander Zagrebov . Another Russian unit was founded in September 1992 at Višegrad by Valery Vlasenko and also one by Alexander Alexandrov .

organization

VRS coat of arms on the turret of an M-84 tank

Land Forces

Organization during the war (1993)

1st Krajina Corps - Banja Luka

16th Motorized Brigade

27th Motorized Brigade

43rd Motorized Brigade

41st Infantry Division

007th Infantry Brigade

145th Motorized Brigade

149th Infantry Brigade

417th Artillery Regiment

005th Air Defense Regiment

552nd technical regiment

2nd Krajina Corps - Drvar

004th armed brigade

012th Motorized Brigade

140th Motorized Brigade

257th Motorized Brigade

010th Air Defense Regiment

3rd North Bosnian Corps - Bijeljina

002nd motorized brigade

195th Motorized Brigade

006th Infantry Brigade

011th Infantry Brigade

029th Infantry Brigade

454th Artillery Regiment

017th Air Defense Regiment

017th technical regiment

4th East Bosnian Corps (Sarajevo-Romanija Corps) - Han Pijesak

005th Motorized Brigade

006th Motorized Brigade

010th Motorized Brigade

049th Motorized Brigade

145th Motorized Brigade

437th Motorized Brigade

019th Mountain Brigade

215th Mountain Brigade

208th Artillery Regiment

004th Air Defense Regiment

5th Herzegovina Corps - Bileća

473rd Motorized Brigade

145th Motorized Brigade

013th Motorized Brigade

008th Motorized Brigade

005th Mountain Brigade

Air Force

Banja Luka

092nd mabr ( mješovita avijacijska brigada Mixed Air Brigade)

238. lbae ( lovačko bombarderska eskadrila “Risovi Vrbasa” - “Vrbas Lynxe” fighter-bomber squadron).

252nd lbae ( lovacko bombarderska eskadrila “Kurjaci sa Ušća” - fighter-bomber squadron “ Wolves of the Estuary”).

092nd levn ( laka eskadrila višestruke namjene - Light Squadron).

089. mhe ( mešovita helikopterska eskadrila - mixed helicopter squadron).

equipment

Land Forces

M-84

T-55

M-46 guns

M-77 Oganj

M53 / 59 Praga

20/3 mm M55

Equipment around 1995

vehicles

020 × Mercedes-Benz G-270 Puch

100 × TAM-110 4X4

090 × TAM-130 6X6

068 × TAM-5000 8X8

050 × FAP-2026 6x6

tank

085 × M-84 main battle tanks

193 × T-55 main battle tanks

040 × T-34/85 main battle tanks

001 × PT-76 light tank

120 × M36 Jackson tank destroyers

Transport and armored personnel carriers

001 × BRDM-2

015 × BTR-50

060 × M-80A IFV

040 × M-60P APC

060 × BOV-VP

010 × BTR-80

Tank artillery

005 × 2S1 self-propelled guns

Rocket launcher

020 × M-63 "Plamen" ("Пламен")

005 × M-77 "Oganj" ("Огањ")

Guns

A total of 487 guns:

M-56 Yugoslavia 

D-30 Soviet Union 

M-46 Yugoslavia 

D-20 Soviet Union 

Air defense

000008 × BOV-3/30

000005 × ZSU-57-2 (no longer used)

000110 × M53 / 59 Praga (no longer used)

approx. 150 × S-75

approx. 120 × S-125

approx. 070 × 2K12 cubic meters

20/3 mm M55

Air Force

Aircraft	Country of origin	period of service	Type	variants	Number preserved (1992)	Active (2006)	Remarks
Fighter bomber
SOKO J-20 Kraguj	Yugoslavia	1992-1995		J-20	3	0	Used by paramilitaries
SOKO J-21 Jastreb	Yugoslavia	1992-2006	bomber spotter Trainer total	J-21 IJ-21 NJ-21	9 2 3 14th	4th 2 3 9
SOKO J-22 Orao	Yugoslavia	1992-2006	bomber Trainer total	J-22 NJ-22	12 2 14th	7th 0 9
Transport aircraft and liaison aircraft
Antonov An-2	Poland	1995? -1996	Transporter / trainer for paratroopers	An-2TD1	1	0	Used by paramilitaries
PZL Wilga	Poland	1992-2003	STOL transport plane	PZL-104	1	0	Back to civil use
Piper PA-18	United States	1992-2004	Light liaison aircraft	PA-18-150 Super Cub	2	0	Back to civil use
Cessna 182	United States	1992-1995	Light liaison aircraft		1	0	Back to civil use
Training aircraft
Soko G-4 Super Galeb	Yugoslavia	1992-2006	Armed training aircraft	G-4 / N-62	1	1
Utva 60	Yugoslavia	1992-1995	Training aircraft	V-50	1	0	In civil use
Utva 66	Yugoslavia	1992-2004	Training aircraft	V-51	2	0	In civil use
Utva 75	Yugoslavia	1992-2006	Training aircraft	V-53	6th	2
Zlin Z-526	Yugoslavia	1992-1995	Training aircraft	Z-526 / N-61	1	0	In civil use
Attack helicopter
Soko Gazelle Gama	France Yugoslavia	1992-2006	Anti-tank helicopter	HN-42M / 45M	12	7th
Transport helicopter
Soko Gazelle	France Yugoslavia	1992-2006	Light transport and reconnaissance helicopter	HO-42/45	12	7th
Mil Wed-8	Soviet Union	1992-2006	Medium transport helicopter	Wed-8D	12	9

Ranks

	Generals			Officers
Ranks in Serbian	Генерал-Пуковник General-Pukovnik	Генерал-Потпуковник General-Potpukovnik	Генерал-Мајор Major General	Пуковник Pukovnik	Потпуковник Potpukovnik	Мајор Major	Капетан I класе Kapetan I klase	Капетан Kapetan	Поручник Poručnik	Потпоручник Potporučnik
Ranks	Colonel General	Lieutenant General	Major general	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel	major	Captain	Captain	lieutenant	Sub-lieutenant

	NCOs						Teams
Ranks in Serbian	Заставник I класе Zastavnik I klase	Заставник Zastavnik	Старији Водник I класе Stariji Vodnik I klase	Старији Водник Stariji Vodnik	Водник I класе Vodnik I klase	Водник Vodnik	Млађи водник Mlađi vodnik	Десетар Desetar	Разводник Razvodnik
Ranks	Warrant Officer First Class	Warrant Officer	Staff Sergeant	Sergeant Major	Sergeant Major	sergeant	Sergeant	Private	soldier

literature

• Hans Krech : The Civil War in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992–1997): A manual (=  armed conflicts after the end of the East-West conflict . Volume 2 ). Köster, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-89574-250-3 .
• Dr. Nigel Thomas, Krunoslav Mikulan: The Yugoslav Wars (2): Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia 1992–2001 . Osprey Publishing Ltd., Oxford 2006, ISBN 978-1-84176-964-6 .

Web links

Commons : Vojska Republike Srpske  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Badge of the Army of the Republika Srpska (English), (Serbian)
• Ministry of Defense (of the entire state)
• Description of the Army of the Republika Srpska on the ICTY side

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Prijevremene penzije za pripadnike VRS,  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Report of the State Television of the Republika Srpska of December 13, 2007.  
2. ↑ Andrea Böhm: Our unwanted colonies, article of the time of August 2, 2007.
3. ^ Gerard Toal , Carl T. Dahlman: Bosnia Remade: Ethnic Cleansing and its Reversal . Oxford University Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-19-020790-8 , pp. 5 .
4. ↑ Central Intelligence Agency (ed.): Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990-1995 . tape II . Washington DC 2003, p. 303 ff . (Annex 27: Ethnic Cleansing as a Military Operation).
5. ^ Charges against Slobodan Milošević before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
6. ↑ A Soldier's Guide to Bosnia-Herzegovina, ( Memento of the original from February 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Headquarters, US Army Europe. 
7. ↑ Vlado Mrkić: Četa poštenih agresora (Company of Honest Aggressors), article in BH Dani magazine of March 3, 2000, translated by ex-yupress.com.
8. ^ Peter Fitzgerald: The armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina . In: SFOR Informer No. 127, November 28, 2001.
9. ↑ Law on Defense of October 5, 2005
10. ↑ Speech of the chairman ( memento of the original from July 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Nebojša Radmanović on May 11, 2007. 
11. ^ State television report from February 8, 2006.
12. ↑ Aleksandar Sekulić: Istorijski čin, ( Memento of the original from November 25, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article in the newspaper Nezavisne novine of September 1, 2005. 
13. ↑ Press release of the Ministry of Defense  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. dated December 1, 2007.  
14. ↑ Dr. Nigel Thomas, Krunoslav Mikulan: The Yugoslav Wars . tape 2 : Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia (1992-2001). Osprey Publishing Ltd., Oxford 2006, ISBN 978-1-84176-964-6 , pp. 13 .
15. ↑ Description at vojska.net
16. ↑ Formed from the 237th lbae and 238th lbae of the Yugoslav People's Army from Slovenia .
17. ↑ World Military Aircraft Inventory, Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007