Operation Otkos 10
| date | October 31 to November 4, 1991 |
|---|---|
| place | Slavonia , Croatia |
| output | Croatian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Troop strength | |
 Croatian Armed Forces2,467 soldiers |
 Yugoslav People's Army1,750 soldiers |
| losses | |
|
5 dead |
unknown |
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The operation Otkos 10 was a military offensive of the Croatian armed forces against the Yugoslav People's Army from October 31 to November 4, 1991 in Croatia .
Yugoslav offensives until October 1991
After the 5th Division of the Yugoslav People's Army from Banja Luka had successfully crossed the Sava River to Croatia and had conquered the town of Okučani in western Slavonia , their primary goal was along Pakrac and the Grubišno Polje route with the 28th partisan division on the Bilogora Mountains to meet. Together they should advance to the Hungarian border, which would have completely cut off Slavonia from the rest of Croatia and Zagreb .
The Yugoslav People's Army was supported by local Serbs in Slavonia who were armed in the spring of 1991.
Croatian counter-offensive
In order to prevent Slavonia from being cut off from the motherland, the Croatian army undertook its first offensive in the Croatian War , which had the goal of conquering the Bilogora Mountains in order to have a better position for further conquering the Papuk Mountains.
The operation involved: 127th Brigade ( Virovitica ), 57th Battalion and National Defense Units (Grubišno Polje), 24th Artillery Battalion, 52nd Battalion ( Daruvar ), special unit from Bjelovar and the volunteer company from Križevci .
End of the operation
In November, the Croatian troops captured 21 villages and an estimated 270 square kilometers of territory, thus preventing the Serbian plan.
An estimated 15,000 to 35,000 Serbs have been driven from the area. Several thousand houses were destroyed, including the Pakrec monastery . In contrast, various acts of revenge against Croats have become known.
The most important thing for the Croatian army was to capture and secure the Virovitica –Grubišno Polje– Kutina road , as this was the main supply route to Slavonia. Following this military operation, further parts of the country were conquered with Operation Hurricane . Operation Otkos 10 formed the basis for this.