Operation Storm: Difference between revisions

Operation Storm
	Part of the Croatian War of Independence
Date	August 4 – August 7, 1995
Location	Croatia
Result	Croatian victory
Belligerents
Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Republic of Serbian Krajina
Commanders and leaders
Zvonimir Červenko	Mile Mrkšić
Strength
150,000 soldiers,; 350 tanks,; 800 artillery pieces,; 50 rocket launchers,; 30 aircraft and helicopters	40,000 soldiers,; 200 tanks,; 350 artillery pieces,; 25 rocket launchers,; 20 aircraft and helicopters
Casualties and losses
174 soldiers killed,; 1,430 wounded	(1) 600 soldiers and 677 civilians killed (Croatian sources) ; (2) 1,934 people killed,; at least 1196 civilians of which 524 women and 14 children (Serbian sources)

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Revision as of 21:23, 23 September 2006

This article is about a 1995 Croatian army operation. For a Polish Second World War partisan operation, see Operation Tempest.

Operation Storm (Croatian: Operacija Oluja, Serbian: Oпeрaциja Oлуja) was a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatia, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to recapture areas of central Croatia held by Croatian Serb forces. After only four days of fighting with relatively modest casualties on both sides, it ended in a decisive victory by the Croatians. The operation led to the ethnic cleansing of over 200,000 Croatian Serbs. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).. In the town of Obrovac, on the other hand, the entire population had already left during the first day of the operation. When Croatian Radiotelevision reporters entered the town soon afterwards they found a single old man. After that, many of those people packed whatever they could and went on the road together with their families.

Later events

Following the death of President Tuđman in 1999, the Croatian authorities began to undertake investigations of the activities of Croatian forces in the wake of Operation Storm. According to Croatia's Ministry of Justice, state prosecutors filed around 3,000 lawsuits against a total of 811 people for crimes allegedly committed during and after the operation. Several dozen people were convicted to jail sentences (up to 20 years according to Croatian law). Amnesty International has criticized the Croatian courts for inadequately investigating the war crimes allegations and failing to protect evidence as well as encouraging impunity for human rights violations.

The ICTY issued indictments against three senior Croatian commanders, Colonel General Ivan Čermak, Colonel General Mladen Markač and Brigadier (later General) Ante Gotovina. The three indictees were said to have had personal and command responsibility for war crimes carried out against Krajina Serb civilians. It was later disclosed by the ICTY prosecutor, Louise Arbour, that had he not died when he did, Croatia's President Tuđman would probably also have been indicted.

Čermak and Markač were handed over to the ICTY, but Gotovina fled. He was widely believed to be at liberty in Croatia or the Croat-inhabited parts of Bosnia, where many still view him as a hero, and his continued freedom was attributed to covert help from — or at least a "blind eye" turned by — the Croatian authorities. The US Government offered a $5 million reward for the capture of Ante Gotovina and he became one of the ICTY's most wanted men. The issue was a major stumbling block for Croatia's international relations. Its application to join the European Union was rebuffed in March 2005 due to the Croatian government's perceived complicity in Gotovina's continued evasion of the ICTY.

On December 8, 2005, Gotovina was captured by Spanish police in a hotel on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. He was transferred to Madrid for court proceedings before extradition to the ICTY at The Hague.

Battle figures

According to a Croatian source[1]:

Croatian forces and allies

Croatian Army (HV):

150,000 strong
- 80,000 soldiers in brigades, 70,000 in home guard regiments (domobranske pukovnije)
- 2nd echelon, 50,000
- 3rd echelon, 25 brigades
350 tanks
800 heavy artillery pieces
45-50 rocket launchers
18 MiG-21 "Fishbed" fighter jets
5 Mi-8 "Hip" transport helicopters
12 Mi-24D "Hind" attack helicopters

Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABiH):

5th Corps

Serbian forces and allies

Army of the "Republic of Serbian Krajina" (VSK)

40,000 strong
- 20,000 1st echelon
- 10,000 2nd echelon
- 10,000 3rd echelon
200 tanks
350 heavy artillery pieces
20-25 rocket launchers

Army of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia

10,000 strong (?)

References

RSK, Vrhovni savjet odbrane, Knin, 4. avgust 1995., 16.45 časova, Broj 2-3113-1/95. The faximile of this document was published in: Rade Bulat "Srbi nepoželjni u Hrvatskoj", Naš glas (Zagreb), br. 8.-9., septembar 1995., p. 90.-96. (the faximile is on the page 93.).

Vrhovni savjet odbrane RSK (The Supreme Council of Defense of Republic of Serb Krajina) brought a decision 4. August 1995 in 16.45. This decision was signed by Milan Martić and later verified in Glavni štab SVK (Headquarters of Republic of Serb Krajina Army) in 17.20.

RSK, Republički štab Civilne zaštite, Broj: Pov. 01-82/95., Knin, 02.08.1995., HDA, Dokumentacija RSK, kut. 265

This is the document of Republic headquarters of Civil Protection of RSK. In this document it was ordered to all subordinated headquarters of RSK to immediately give all reports about preparations for the evacuation, sheltering and taking care of evacuated civilians ("evakuacija, sklanjanje i zbrinjavanje") (the deadline for the report was 3. August 1995 in 19 h).

RSK, Republički štab Civilne zaštite, Broj: Pov. 01-83/95., Knin, 02.08.1995., Pripreme za evakuaciju materijalnih, kulturnih i drugih dobara (The preparations for the evacuation of material, cultural and other goods), HDA, Dokumentacija RSK, kut. 265

This was the next order from the Republican HQ of Civil Protection. It was referred to all Municipal Headquarters of Civil Protection. In that document was ordered to all subordinated HQ's to implement the preparation of evacuation of all material and all mobile cultural goods, archives, evidentions and materials that are highly confidential/top secret, money, lists of valuable stuff (?)("vrednosni popisi") and referring documentations.

Drago Kovačević, "Kavez - Krajina u dogovorenom ratu" , Beograd 2003. , p. 93.-94.

Milisav Sekulić, "Knin je pao u Beogradu" , Bad Vilbel 2001., p. 171.-246., p. 179.

Marko Vrcelj, "Rat za Srpsku Krajinu 1991-95" , Beograd 2002., p. 212.-222.

External links

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@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 |casualties2=(1) 600 soldiers and 677 civilians killed (Croatian sources) <br>(2) 1,934 people killed,<br> at least 1196 civilians of which 524 women and 14 children (Serbian sources)
 }}
-'''Operation Storm''' ([[Croatian language|Croatian]]: ''Operacija Oluja'', [[Serbian language| Serbian]]: ''Oпeрaциja Oлуja'') was a large-scale military operation carried out by [[Croatia]], in conjunction with the [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina]], to recapture areas of central Croatia held by [[Croatian Serb]] forces. After only four days of fighting with  casualties on both sides, it ended in a decisive victory by the Croatians. The operation led to the [[ethnic cleansing]] of over 200,000 Croatian Serbs. <ref>
+'''Operation Storm''' ([[Croatian language|Croatian]]: ''Operacija Oluja'', [[Serbian language| Serbian]]: ''Oпeрaциja Oлуja'') was a large-scale military operation carried out by [[Croatia]], in conjunction with the [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina]], to recapture areas of central Croatia held by [[Croatian Serb]] forces. After only four days of fighting with relatively modest casualties on both sides, it ended in a decisive victory by the Croatians. The operation led to the [[ethnic cleansing]] of over 200,000 Croatian Serbs. <ref>
-[http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur640022005 Croatia: Operation "Storm" - still no justice ten years on] by Amnesty International</ref>
-While in Croatia this day, [[August 5]] is celebrated as a [[national holiday]], Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, in Serbia it is marked by commemorations to the killed and exiled.
+In Croatia this day, [[August 5]] is celebrated as a [[national holiday]], Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.
 ==Background==