Operation Bljesak
Course of the Bljesak operation
| date | May 1, 1995 to May 2, 1995 |
|---|---|
| place | Croatian region of Western Slavonia |
| Casus Belli | Rejection of the Z-4 peace plan for peaceful reintegration at the conference in Geneva by the representatives of the Republic of Serbian Krajina |
| output | Defeat of the army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina and conquest of parts of the internationally unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina by the Croatian army and police forces |
| consequences | Reintegration of parts of western Slavonia into the national territory of Croatia |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Troop strength | |
| 7,200 soldiers | 8,000 soldiers |
| losses | |
|
42 dead, |
188 dead, |
| 83–283 civilians killed | |
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The operation flash (flash) was a military operation of the Croatian Army and police in the Croatian War , when these forces on 1 and 2 May 1995 in only about 31 hour-long counter-offensive about 558 km² Croatian region of western Slavonia from the Army of the Republic Recaptured Serbian Krajina .
As a result, areas controlled by the internationally unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina came under the control of Croatia again and the important west-east motorway connection from Zagreb to Lipovac became freely accessible again.
In retaliation, Milan Martić, as president of the unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina , ordered the rocket bombardment of Zagreb , Sisak and Karlovac , killing seven civilians and wounding 214.
prehistory
Between 1991 and 1992 the Serbian troops supported by the JNA and financed by Belgrade expelled over 170,000 Croatians , murdered numerous Croatian civilians in the occupied parts of Croatia and established a self-proclaimed “Republic of Serbian Krajina”. Around 1,000 Croatians alone were murdered during the UNPROFOR mandate .
A return of the displaced Croatians was also out of the question in 1995.
course
A unit of around 5,500 soldiers from the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina was defeated by Croatian forces and most of the Serbian soldiers fled to neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina .
The 2nd Brigade of the Paramilitary Special Unit Panteri was defeated by the 125th Croatian "Home Guard " regiment after 24 hours and left behind several armored vehicles, a large number of weapons and large amounts of ammunition while escaping into the Krajina, which is still under Serbian control .
During the operation, in which the Croatian Air Force was also involved, the MiG-21 was shot down by Rudolf Perešin , who escaped from Bihać to Klagenfurt in 1991 , by the Panteri paramilitary special unit. Perešin was killed in the crash.
The military operation Bljesak had a significant psychological effect on the course of the military operation Oluja, which was carried out a little later : the morale of the Serbian troops was decisively weakened, while the Croatian army won.
consequences
The operation was a strategic victory for Croatia. The Croatian forces occupied an area of 558 km² that was previously under the control of Serb forces. The whole of Western Slavonia came under the control of the Croatian government. This made strategically important road and rail connections between the capital and the east of the country usable again for the movement of people and goods.
42 Croatian police officers and soldiers from the Croatian army were killed in the operation. 162 were wounded. The number of victims on the Serbian side is controversial. Croatian sources give 188 Serbian deaths, civilians and military combined, as well as 1,000 to 1,200 wounded and 2,100 prisoners. The Croatian Helsinki Committee gives 83 as the death toll among Serbian civilians.
Serbian sources, however, speak of 283 civilians who died.
It is estimated that of the 14,000 Serbs living in the region, around two-thirds fled immediately. Another 2,000 asked to be evacuated to the Serb-occupied parts of Bosnia during the following month. By the end of June 1995, only 1,500 Serbs are likely to have remained in the area.
Web links
- Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia: Military Operation Bljesak (Croatian with English subtitles) on YouTube