Operation Maslenica
| date | January 22 to February 1, 1993 |
|---|---|
| place | Maslenica near Zadar ( Croatia ) |
| output | Croatian conquest of the area around the Maslenica Bridge |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 10,000 | 8,500 |
| losses | |
|
114 dead, |
492 dead |
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The operation Maslenica was an offensive of the Croatian armed forces during the Croatia war in the spring of 1993 against Serbian troops in the northwest of Dalmatia .
prehistory
In September 1991 , at the beginning of the Croatian War, the Serb-dominated army of the former All-Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) under Ratko Mladić supported Serbian irregulars and carried out offensives against Croatian-controlled areas in northwest Dalmatia. Although the Croatian paramilitary forces and police units in the Maslenica area were understaffed and poorly armed, they prevailed against the Serbian attacks. The strategically important Maslenica Bridge , which connected Dalmatia with northern Croatia, remained under Croatian control in the first few weeks .
In the following months the Serbian units were able to conquer larger and larger parts of the Maslenica area and after a while also controlled the city center of Zadar . The Maslenica Bridge was blown up in November 1991 under circumstances that have not yet been clarified.
In January 1992, the arrival of UNPROFOR soldiers shifted the line of conflict to the edge of the newly proclaimed Republika Srpska Krajina (RSK). Although the following months were rather calm, Dalmatia was territorially cut off from northern Croatia. The normal roads through Bosnia and the Lika were controlled by Serbians. Therefore, the traffic from northern Croatia had to use ferries and the bridges between the island of Pag and Dalmatia, which was often made more difficult by the weather. In addition, the bridge was damaged by JNA aircraft in 1991 . In addition, the Serbian units threatened to blow up the dam on Lake Peruča , which would have flooded the Cetina area and resulted in a lack of energy because a hydroelectric power station was being operated there.
Dalmatia, cut off from the motherland, also preoccupied Croatian domestic politics. Citizens criticized that President Franjo Tuđman did not use diplomatic means to improve the situation, but also did not take any military action. In the election campaign for the regional elections in February, the opposition wanted to take advantage of this situation and poach the incumbent HDZ voters.
Armed forces
In 1992 the Croatian army gained combat experience and weapons from old JNA stocks and a powerful army developed.
The RSK troops, on the other hand, were more and more abandoned by the Serb-controlled JNA as the fighting increasingly shifted to Bosnia-Herzegovina . In addition, some of the soldiers of the RSK had to support troops in Bosnia and were thus greatly weakened.
The RSK troops did not trust the Croatian army to take military action in 1992, as Croatia seemed to be busy fighting with Bosnian Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
course
On January 22, 1993, the Croatian army and Croatian paramilitary units launched an offensive in the Maslenica and Zadar areas. The RSK troops were completely taken by surprise and were unable to offer strong resistance. In addition, Croatian sea, land and air troops were deployed in a coordinated manner for the first time in this military operation.
Ultimately, the area was completely retaken by the Croatian forces and the army pushed the Serbian troops back into the northern Dalmatian hinterland. Janko Bobetko , who was in command of this military operation, was subsequently celebrated as a hero in this area and throughout Croatia.
Six days later, the Croatian Army's 126th Regiment launched an offensive on the Peruča Dam near Sinj . The dam was partially blown up, but not completely destroyed. Nevertheless, Dalmatia had major problems with the energy supply in the next year.
In the meantime, the RSK army stole weapons from depots of the UNPROFOR troops and offered ever stronger resistance against Croatian troops. In addition, Serbian soldiers, including Željko Ražnatović (called "Arkan"), supported the RSK troops, which enabled them to hold large parts of the Krajina.
In the period that followed, very little changed in the course of the front. Small attacks were followed by counterattacks and in the course of 1993 the cities of Zadar , Biograd and Šibenik were massively damaged by Serbian artillery fire.
reflection
Although the military operation was hailed as a victory by the Croatian government, there were also questionable sides to it.
The goals of protecting the Croatian cities and connecting Dalmatia with the motherland were not fully achieved. A pontoon bridge on the destroyed Maslenica Bridge was within reach of the Serbian artillery and their supreme commander Milan Martić was able to de facto determine the bridge until the UN intervened and secured the bridge.
losses
According to Croatian sources, 114 Croatians and 490 Serbs died.
Post war discussion
The military operation Maslenica was controversial in Croatia, as it was expected that far more than just the 50 victims announced by the government.
In 2005 military action became part of the election campaign. The Croatian Prime Minister (referred to as “President of the Government” in Croatia) Ivo Sanader used the military operation for his party HDZ , during whose reign under President Franjo Tuđman the operation was carried out. However, the then Croatian President Stipe Mesić was critical of the military operation, which he saw as Tu alsman's campaign tool during the war. As a result, Mesić was criticized from many sides.