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Battle of Osijek
Part of the Croatian War of Independence
"Fićo gazi tenka!" monument to the Battle of Osijek
Date August 1991 – June 1992 Location Osijek, Croatia Result Ceasefire Croatia retains Osijek No territorial changes
Belligerents
Yugoslavia	Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Andrija Biorčević	Branimir Glavaš Karl Gorinšek
Units involved
Yugoslav People's Army Yugoslav Ground Forces 12th Corps Yugoslav Air Force Serb Volunteer Guard	Croatian National Guard (until November 1991) Armed Forces of Croatia (from November 1991) Croatian Army
Casualties and losses
Unknown	800 soldiers and civilians killed

The Battle of Osijek (Serbo-Croatian: Bitka za Osijek) was the artillery bombardment of the Croatian city of Osijek by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) which took place from August 1991 to June 1992 during the Croatian War of Independence. Shelling peaked in late November and December 1991, then diminished in 1992 after the Vance plan was accepted by the combatants. Airstrikes and attacks by JNA infantry and armored units against targets in the city accompanied the bombardment, which caused approximately 800 deaths and resulted in a large portion of the city's population leaving. Croatian sources estimated that 6,000 artillery shells were fired against Osijek over the period.

After the JNA captured Vukovar on 18 November 1991, Osijek was the next target for its campaign in Croatia. The JNA units subordinated to the 12th (Novi Sad) Corps, supported by the Serb Volunteer Guard, achieved modest advances in late November and early December, capturing several villages south of Osijek, but the Croatian Army maintained its defensive front and limited the JNA's advances.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Osijek, Croatian authorities charged thirteen JNA officers with war crimes against civilians, but no arrests have been made to date. Croatian authorities also charged the wartime commander of Osijek's defence, Branimir Glavaš, and five others with war crimes committed in the city in 1991. The five were convicted and received sentences ranging between eight and ten years, and as of March 2015, judicial proceedings against Glavaš are in progress.

Background

In 1990, following the electoral defeat of the government of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, ethnic tensions worsened. The Yugoslav People's Army (Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija – JNA) confiscated the weapons of Croatia's Territorial Defence (Teritorijalna obrana – TO) to minimize potential resistance. On 17 August 1990, the escalating tensions turned into open revolt by the Croatian Serbs. The revolt took place in the predominantly Serb-populated areas of the Dalmatian hinterland around Knin and in parts of the Lika, Kordun, Banovina regions and eastern Croatia. In January 1991, Serbia, supported by Montenegro and Serbia's provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo, made two unsuccessful attempts to obtain approval from the Yugoslav Presidency to deploy the JNA to disarm Croatian security forces.

After a bloodless skirmish between Serb insurgents and Croatian special police in March, the JNA itself, supported by Serbia and its allies, asked the federal Presidency to grant it wartime powers and declare a state of emergency. The request was denied on 15 March 1991, and the JNA came under the control of Serbian President Slobodan Milošević in the summer of 1991 as the Yugoslav federation started to fall apart. By the end of the month, the conflict had escalated, resulting in the first fatalities of the war. The JNA then stepped in to support the insurgents and prevent Croatian police from intervening. In early April, leaders of the Serb revolt in Croatia announced their intention to integrate the areas under their control with Serbia. The Government of Croatia considered this an act of secession.

Timeline

The JNA intervened directly against Croatia for the first time on 3 July 1991, driving Croatian forces out of Baranja, north of the city of Osijek, and out of Erdut, Aljmaš and Dalj east of Osijek. The advance was followed by intermittent fighting around Osijek, Vukovar and Vinkovci. At several points, JNA positions approached to within several hundred yards of Osijek city limits.

The JNA units near Osijek were subordinated to the 12th (Novi Sad) Corps, commanded by Major General Andrija Biorčević. In the city itself, the JNA had several barracks which housed the 12th Proletarian Mechanised Brigade and the 12th Mixed Artillery Regiment. The 12th Proletarian Mechanised Brigade contained one of a handful battalions maintained by the JNA at full combat readiness. Osijek was established as their starting point in a planned westward offensive toward Našice and Bjelovar.

Croatian forces in the area were formally subordinated to the Operational Zone Command in Osijek headed by Colonel Karl Gorinšek. In practice, the city's defense was overseen by Branimir Glavaš, then head of the National Defence Office in Osijek, according to information presented at Glavaš trial in the 2000s. Glavaš formally became commander of city defenses on 7 December 1991.

Bombardment of the city

The JNA first attacked Osijek by mortar fire on 31 July 1991, and heavily bombarded the city's center on 19 August 1991. The attacks came from positions north, east and south of Osijek, and were supported by JNA garrisons stationed in Osijek itself. On 7–9 September, an inconclusive battle was fought in Tenja, within three kilometres (1.9 miles) of the city. The JNA garrisons were besieged by Croatian forces in mid-September. After a barracks in the city centre was captured on 15 September 1991, the remaining JNA garrison tried to break through the Croatian troops besieging the barracks and, after heavy fighting, reached JNA positions south of Osijek on 17 September 1991. The intensity of the shelling increased thereafter, peaking through November and December. After a ceasefire was arranged in January 1992, following the acceptance of the Vance plan, the artillery attacks dropped off and became intermittent, and ceased by June.

During its height, the intensity of the bombardment was reported to reach as high as one shell per minute, and the artillery attacks were compounded by Yugoslav Air Force strikes against the city. According to Croatian sources, a total of 6,000 artillery shells were fired against Osijek in the period. Prior to the start of the bombardment, the civilian population of Osijek totaled 104,761 city residents and 129,792 municipal residents. These numbers were significantly reduced as civilians fled the fighting. It is estimated that only about a third of the population remained in the city by the end of November, with some sources placing the estimate even lower, suggesting that the population of the city was reduced to just 10,000 civilians during the most intense periods of the bombardment. Those who remained in Osijek through the fighting generally slept in bomb shelters.

Ground offensive

After JNA captured Vukovar on 18 November, the JNA 12th (Novi Sad) Corps, supported by the Serbian Ministry of Interior-trained Serb Volunteer Guard paramilitaries, started to advance west between Vinkovci and Osijek on 20 November. The city of Osijek appeared to be the next target of the JNA, which was later confirmed by General Života Panić, commander of the JNA 1st Military District.

On 21 November 1991, the JNA captured the villages of Stari Seleš, Novi Seleš and Ernestinovo situated approximately ten kilometres (6.2 miles) south of Osijek. Laslovo, five kilometres (3.1 miles) south of Ernestinovo, was captured three days later. Those developments threatened Đakovo and pointed to the potential encirclement of Osijek. On 4 December 1991, the Special Envoy of Secretary-General of the United Nations Cyrus Vance visited Osijek to inspect the damage.

In early December, the JNA made modest advances, capturing Antunovac located six kilometres (3.7 miles) south of Osijek on 5 December 1991. On the same day, an armoured JNA force unsuccessfully attacked positions held by the Croatian 106th Brigade in Rosinjača Forest near Nemetin, approximately two kilometres (1.2 miles) east of Osijek. On 6 December, the JNA pushed Croatian troops out from Tenja, followed by a heavy attack against Osijek repulsed by the Croatian Army (Hrvatska vojska – HV) on 7 December. On 11 December, HV personnel entered the frontline village of Paulin Dvor, less than three kilometres (1.9 miles) west of Ernestinovo, and summarily executed 19 civilians (18 Serbs and one Hungarian). The JNA captured Paulin Dvor five days later, on 16 December, and attacked Osijek once again. The HV managed to contain the attack, though fighting continued south of Osijek until January 1992.

Operation Devil's Beam

Advances of the JNA north of Osijek threatened HV control of a narrow bridgehead held across the Drava River skirting the city's northern edge. By mid-December the bridgehead was reduced to a strip of land opposite Osijek, encompassing suburban settlements of Podravlje and Tvrđavica. In order to remove the threat, the HV launched an offensive codenamed Operation Devil's Beam (Croatian: Operacija Đavolja greda) on 17–18 December. The offensive, involving the 1st Battalion of the 135th Brigade, elements of the special forces Frankopan Battalion and the Osijek-based Orao special police unit, Drava River flotilla, artillery of the 106th Brigade, and personnel of the 4th Beli Manastir Police Station, successfully pushed the JNA north, across Stara Drava oxbow lake located approximately four kilometres (2.5 miles) north of Osijek. The JNA also withdrew from the village of Kopačevo towards Darda and Vardarac, but the HV did not have sufficient resources to exploit the development. The HV lost eight killed in the offensive, but the JNA's advance towards Osijek from the north was halted.

Aftermath

By June 1992, approximately 800 people had been killed by the bombardment. By the end of the Croatian War of Independence in 1995, a total of 1,724 people from Osijek had been killed, including 1,327 soldiers and 397 civilians. The city itself suffered great damage during the war, with the bulk of direct damage occurring as a consequence of the 1991–92 bombardment. Direct war damage sustained by the city was estimated at a total of US$1.3 billion. The damage was regularly recorded by 400 volunteers during the bombardment.

Although media reported on the bombardment of Osijek, journalists in the city itself felt that it was receiving an unduly low level of media coverage compared to wartime events elsewhere in Croatia. The attacks on Osijek were welcomed by the Pravoslavlje newspaper published by the Serbian Orthodox Church, which appeared to give a blessing to the attack as a part of a "holy war", setting it in the context of World War II massacres and concentration camps in the Independent State of Croatia.

The JNA withdrew from Croatia in 1992, but continued to contribute personnel and equipment to the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina (ARSK) which controlled the areas previously held by the JNA. Although the United Nations Protection Force peacekeepers deployed to the area on the basis of the Vance plan and placed most of the ARSK heavy weapons in storage, Osijek was intermittently bombarded throughout the war—the last artillery strike occurred in September 1995. The hostilities ceased in November 1995 through the Erdut Agreement securing restoration of Croatian rule in the region.

In November 2010, then-Croatian President Ivo Josipović officially apologized for the Paulin Dvor massacre, shortly after his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadić issued a formal apology for the massacre at Vukovar.

War crime trials

In 2008, Croatian authorities formally charged Colonel Boro Ivanović, commanding officer of the JNA 12th Proletarian Mechanised Brigade, and twelve other JNA officers with war crimes against the civilian population. The charges include causing the deaths of 307 civilians in Osijek and surrounding areas, injuries to another 171 civilians, and the destruction of at least 1,188 different structures. As of 2013, all of the indicted officers remain at large in Serbia.

In 2005, the Osijek District Court convicted former Croatian soldier Nikola Ivanković for his involvement in the killings at Paulin Dvor, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. In 2012, Enes Vitesković was also convicted for his involvement in the atrocity, and given an eleven-year sentence.

After the war, five Croatian fighters were charged and convicted of eleven counts of murder, one of attempted murder, and one of torture of Serb civilians found in the JNA barracks, which surrendered on 15 September 1991. They received prison sentences of between five and eight years. Glavaš, who was tried alongside them for the same crimes, received a ten-year sentence. Before the conviction became final in 2009, and to avoid extradition, Glavaš fled to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he had granted citizenship. His sentence was reduced to eight years and became final in 2010, when he was arrested and imprisoned in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In January 2015, the conviction was set aside by the Constitutional Court of Croatia, pending a new trial before the Supreme Court of Croatia.

Footnotes

1. Hoare 2010, p. 117.
2. Hoare 2010, p. 118.
3. The New York Times 19 August 1990.
4. Woodward 1995, p. 170.
5. Hoare 2010, pp. 118–119.
6. Ramet 2006, pp. 384–385.
7. ^ Hoare 2010, p. 119.
8. Sell 2002, p. 373.
9. The New York Times 3 March 1991.
10. The New York Times 2 April 1991.
11. Ramet 2006, p. 397.
12. ^ Marijan 2012a, p. 111.
13. CIA 2002, p. 93.
14. ^ The Washington Post 6 September 1991.
15. ^ Marijan 2012b, p. 261.
16. Vreme 7 September 2006.
17. ^ CIA 2002b, p. 103.
18. Marijan 2003, note 20.
19. Slobodna Dalmacija 8 November 2003.
20. Slobodna Dalmacija 26 October 2006.
21. Libal 1997, p. 30.
22. Libal 1997, p. 38.
23. ^ Ramsbotham, Miall & Woodhouse 2011, pp. 308, 310.
24. Mesić 2004, p. 233.
25. CIA 2002b, p. 86.
26. ^ Nacional 24 October 2006.
27. ^ Jegen 1996, p. 14.
28. Bailey 2004, p. 435.
29. Ramet 2006, p. 409.
30. Nacional 27 April 2012.
31. Andraković & Jukić 2009, p. 31.
32. Los Angeles Times 26 November 1991.
33. Ramsbotham, Miall & Woodhouse 2011, p. 308.
34. ^ CIA 2002, pp. 101–102.
35. Macdonald 2002, p. 104.
36. Ahrens 2007, p. 117.
37. CIA 2002b, p. 208.
38. The Washington Post 4 December 1991.
39. Glas Slavonije 6 December 2012.
40. Los Angeles Times 9 December 1991.
41. ^ BBC 4 November 2010.
42. ^ B92 11 December 2011.
43. Fraser 17 December 1991.
44. SIB.hr 23 December 2013.
45. ^ Bajto 18 December 2011.
46. Pejić 19 December 2014.
47. Alilović 18 December 2014.
48. Zelenić 18 December 2014.
49. HRT 28 June 2012.
50. Pavičić 2009, p. 150.
51. Pavičić 2009, p. 154.
52. Pavičić 2009, p. 153.
53. Mercier 1995, p. 135.
54. Ramet 2006, p. 400.
55. Armatta 2010, p. 216.
56. CIA 2002, p. 107.
57. Večernji list 16 November 2011.
58. Ramet & Matić 2007, p. 46.
59. Blic 17 November 2008.
60. Nacional 8 May 2009.
61. Nacional 28 September 2010.
62. Jurasić 12 January 2015.

References

Books

• Ahrens, Geert-Hinrich (2007). Diplomacy on the Edge: Containment of Ethnic Conflict and the Minorities Working Group of the Conferences on Yugoslavia. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8557-0.
• Armatta, Judith (2010). Twilight of Impunity: The War Crimes Trial of Slobodan Milosevic. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-4746-0.
• Bailey, Jonathan B. A. (2004). Field Artillery and Firepower. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-029-0.
• Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis (2002). Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency. ISBN 978-0-16-066472-4. OCLC 50396958.
• Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis (2002). Balkan battlegrounds: a military history of the Yugoslav conflict, 1990–1995, Volume 2. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency. ISBN 978-0-16-066472-4.
• Hoare, Marko Attila (2010). "The War of Yugoslav Succession". In Ramet, Sabrina P. (ed.). Central and Southeast European Politics Since 1989. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. pp. 111–136. ISBN 978-1-139-48750-4.
• Libal, Michael (1997). Limits of Persuasion: Germany and the Yugoslav Crisis, 1991–1992. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-95798-8.
• Mesić, Stjepan (2004). The Demise of Yugoslavia: A Political Memoir. Budapest, Hungary: Central European University Press. ISBN 978-963-9241-81-7.
• Ramet, Sabrina P.; Matić, Davorka (2007). Democratic Transition in Croatia: Value Transformation, Education & Media. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-58544-587-5.
• Jegen, Mary Evelyn (1996). Sign of Hope: the Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights in Osijek. Uppsala, Sweden: Life & Peace Institute. ISBN 978-91-87748-34-9.
• Macdonald, David Bruce (2002). Balkan Holocausts?: Serbian and Croatian Victim Centered Propaganda and the War in Yugoslavia. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-6467-8.
• Mercier, Michèle (1995). Crimes Without Punishment: Humanitarian Action in Former Yugoslavia. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7453-1080-0.
• Ramet, Sabrina P. (2006). The Three Yugoslavias: State-Building And Legitimation, 1918–2006. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34656-8.
• Ramsbotham, Oliver; Miall, Hugh; Woodhouse, Tom (2011). Contemporary Conflict Resolution. Cambridge, England: Polity. ISBN 978-0-7456-4973-3.
• Sell, Louis (2002). Slobodan Milosevic and the Destruction of Yugoslavia. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-3223-7.
• Woodward, Susan L. (1995). Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 9780815722953.

Scientific journal articles

• Andraković, Verica; Jukić, Marijan (December 2009). "Dinamika stanovništva grada Osijeka od 1857. do 2001. godine" [Population dynamics in the city of Osijek from 1857 till 2001]. Annals of the Institute for Scientific and Art Research in Osijek (in Croatian) (25). Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts: 23–45. ISSN 1332-456X.
• Marijan, Davor (December 2003). ""Jedinstvo" – Posljednji ustroj JNA" ["Unity" – The last order of battle of the JNA]. Polemos: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research on War and Peace (in Croatian). 6 (11–12). Croatian Sociological Association and Jesenski & Turk Publishing House: 11–47. ISSN 1331-5595.
• Marijan, Davor (May 2012). "The Sarajevo Ceasefire – Realism or strategic error by the Croatian leadership?". Review of Croatian History. 7 (1). Croatian Institute of History: 103–123. ISSN 1845-4380.
• Marijan, Davor (November 2012). "Zamisao i propast napadne operacije Jugoslavenske narodne armije na Hrvatsku u rujnu 1991. godine" [The Conception and Failure of the Offensive Operation of the Yugoslav National Army in September 1991]. Journal of Contemporary History (in Croatian). 44 (2). Croatian Institute of History: 251–275. ISSN 0590-9597.
• Pavičić, Marta (December 2009). "Ratne štete kao posljedica Domovinskog rata i njihov utjecaj na razvoj Osijeka" [War damage as a consequence of the Croatian War of Independence and its impact on development of Osijek]. Annals of the Institute for Scientific and Art Research in Osijek (in Croatian) (25). Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts: 149–164. ISSN 1332-456X.

News reports

• Alilović, Saša (18 December 2014). "23. godine od Đavolje grede" [23 Years Since Devil's Beam] (in Croatian). Radio Baranja. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
• Bajto, Amoreta (18 December 2011). "Đavolja greda" [Devil's Beam] (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision.
• "Serb leader Tadic apologises for 1991 Vukovar massacre". BBC. 4 November 2010.
• "21 years since massacre of civilians in Croatia". B92. 11 December 2012.
• Bajto, Amoreta (28 June 2012). "Dan osječkih branitelja: "Opća opasnost" večeras" [Day of the defenders of Osijek: "Opća opasnost" in the city tonight] (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
• "Optužnica protiv 13 oficira JNA zbog razaranja Osijeka" [Charges against 13 JNA officers for destruction of Osijek]. Blic (in Serbian). Tanjug. 17 November 2008. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013.
• Čizmić, Martina (28 September 2010). "Branimir Glavaš uhićen i odveden u pritvor u Drinovcima" [Branimir Glavaš arrested and in custody in Drinovci]. Nacional (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 1 October 2010.
• Cvitić, Plamenko (24 October 2006). "Srbe ubijala somborska skupina" [Serbs were killed by the Sombor Group]. Nacional (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 22 January 2012.
• Đuričić, Vuk (26 October 2006). "Smrt je stizala crvenim Yugom" [Death arrived in a red Yugo]. Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 30 November 2013.
• Đuričić, Vuk (8 November 2003). "Transport kostiju" [Bone Transport]. Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 30 November 2013.
• Engelberg, Stephen (3 March 1991). "Belgrade Sends Troops to Croatia Town". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013.
• Fraser, John (17 December 1991). "EC Agrees a Compromise Deal over Yugoslavia: Pressure from Bonn Speeds up Support for Breakaway Regions". The Herald (Glasgow).
• Harden, Blaine (6 September 1991). "Besieged Croatian City Groans Under Shelling; Serb Guerrillas Press Attack on Osijek". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
• Janić, Adelina (17 December 2012). "Obilježena 21. obljetnica akcije "Đavolja greda"" [21st Anniversary of Operation Devil's Beam Marked] (in Croatian). Baranja Medija. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
• Jurasić, Marinko (12 January 2015). "Ustavni sud ukinuo osuđujuću presudu Vrhovnog suda Branimiru Glavašu" [Constitutional Court Sets Aside Supreme Court Conviction of Branimir Glavaš]. Večernji list (in Croatian).
• "HDSSB se neće odreći zločinca" [HDSSB will not give up the criminal]. Nacional (in Croatian). HINA. 27 April 2012. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013.
• Pejić, Darko (19 December 2014). "Prisjećanje na uspješnu akciju Đavolja greda" [Commemoration of Successful Operation Devil's Beam]. Glas Slavonije (in Croatian).
• Rački-Kristić, Željka (16 November 2011). "HNK gorio pod granatama. "Gledali smo u zgradu kao u pokojnika"" [Croatian National Theatre burned in bombardment. "We stared at the building as if it just died"]. Večernji list (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 30 November 2013.
• "Roads Sealed as Yugoslav Unrest Mounts". The New York Times. Reuters. 19 August 1990. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
• "Skidamo prašinu: Vojno-redarstvena akcija Đavolja greda" [Removing Dust From: Military and Police Operation Devil's Beam] (in Croatian). SIB.hr portal. 23 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
• "Scattered Shelling Mars Latest Yugoslav Cease-Fire". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 26 November 1991. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
• Silber, Laura (4 December 1991). "Vance Inspects Damage in Besieged Croatian City". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
• Sudetic, Chuck (2 April 1991). "Rebel Serbs Complicate Rift on Yugoslav Unity". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013.
• Šimičević, Hrvoje (8 May 2009). "Glavaš osuđen na 10 godina zatvora, Šišljagić i HDSSB ga skrivaju" [Glavaš sentenced to 10 years in prison, Šišljagić and HDSSB shelter him]. Nacional (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 11 May 2009.
• Švarm, Filip (7 September 2006). "Dete Službe" [Service Issue]. Vreme (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 6 February 2012.
• "Vance Reportedly Makes Gains on Peacekeepers for Croatia". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 9 December 1991.
• Vukotić, Mirko (6 December 2012). "Hrvatska ne može, neće i ne smije zaboraviti svoje junake, rekao je ministar" [Croatia can not, will not and must not forget its heroes, said the minister]. Glas Slavonije (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 30 November 2013.
• Zelenić, Ksenija (18 December 2014). "Godišnjica akcije "Đavolja greda"" [Anniversary of Operation Devil's Beam] (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2015.

Further reading

• Blaskovich, Jerry (1997). Anatomy of Deceit: An American Physician's First-Hand Encounter With the Realities of the War in Croatia. Sonoma, California: Dunhill Publishing. ISBN 978-0-935016-24-6. – Chapter 6: The Devastation of Osijek and the Smoldering Ashes of Vukovar

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European 17th/18th- century wars	Thirty Years' War Uskok War Battle of Sablat Siege of Heidelberg (1622) Sack of Magdeburg Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) Battle of Lützen (1632) Battle of Nördlingen (1634) Seven Years' War Battle of Lobositz Battle of Kolín Battle of Breslau (1757) Battle of Hochkirch Battle of Meissen Battle of Landeshut (1760) Battle of Liegnitz (1760)
19th-century wars	French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars Battle of Castiglione Battle of Bassano Battle of Ostrach Battle of Stockach (1799) Battle of Marengo Battle of Caldiero (1805) Battle of Austerlitz Battle of Landshut (1809) Battle of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit Battle of Sankt Michael Battle of Raab (1809) Battle of Graz Battle of Leipzig Hungarian Revolution of 1848–49 Battle of Pákozd Vienna Uprising Battle of Schwechat Battle of Mór Battle of Kápolna Battles of Komárom First battle) Second battle Third battle Battle of Temesvár Third Italian War of Independence Battle of Custoza Battle of Vis Austro-Hungarian – Bosnia-Herzegovinian War Battle of Jajce (1878) Battle of Vitez (1878) Battle of Sarajevo (1878) Battle of Livno (1878)
20th-century wars	World War I Adriatic Campaign Battle of Galicia Battle of Soča Battle of Caporetto Bombardment of Ancona Second Battle of the Piave River Battle of Vittorio Veneto World War II Invasion of Yugoslavia Battle of Kozara Battle of Livno Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Neretva Operation Otto Battle of the Sutjeska Raid on Drvar Syrmian Front Battle of Knin Battle of Mostar Battle of Lijevče Field Battle of Sarajevo (1945) Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) Pakrac clash Plitvice Lakes incident Borovo Selo killings Operation Stinger 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia Dalj massacre Battle of Osijek Battle of Vukovar Vukovar massacre Battle of Gospić Battle of Šibenik Battle of Zadar Battle of Kusonje Battle of the Barracks Siege of Varaždin Barracks Siege of Bjelovar Barracks Battle of the Dalmatian Channels Gospić massacre Siege of Dubrovnik Operation Otkos 10 Operation Orkan 91 Operation Whirlwind Operation Baranja Operation Jackal Battle of the Miljevci Plateau Operation Tiger Operation Maslenica Daruvar Agreement Operation Medak Pocket Operation Winter '94 Operation Flash Operation Summer '95 Operation Storm War in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995) Battle of Kupres (1992) Siege of Sarajevo Siege of Bihać (1992–95) Operation Vrbas '92 Operation Koridor Battle of Žepče Siege of Mostar Operation Neretva '93 Operation Tvigi 94 Battle of Kupres (Operation Cincar) Battle of Orašje Operation Maestral 2 Operation Una Operation Southern Move
21st-century conflicts	War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) (2003–2014) Resolute Support Mission Force (RS) (2015–present) Golan Heights ceasefire after Yom Kippur War United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) (2008–2013)
Category

v t e Yugoslav Wars
Wars and conflicts	Log Revolution (1990) Slovenian War of Independence (1991) Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) Bosnian War (1992–1995) Croat–Bosniak War (1992–1994) Kosovo War (1998–99) Insurgency in the Preševo Valley (1999–2001) 2001 insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia (2001)
Background	SFR Yugoslavia Breakup of Yugoslavia
Anti-war protests	Belgrade Sarajevo YUTEL for Peace
Successor states	Republic of Croatia Republic of Slovenia Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Republic of Macedonia Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY/SRJ)
Unrecognized entities	Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia (HRHB) Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia (APZB) Republic of Kosova Serb Autonomous Regions Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia SAO Krajina SAO Western Slavonia Republika Srpska (RS) SAO Bosanska Krajina SAO Herzegovina SAO North-Eastern Bosnia SAO Romanija Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia Dubrovnik Republic
United Nations protectorate	UNTAES UNMIK
Armies	Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) Yugoslav Territorial Defence (TO) Slovenian Territorial Defence (TORS) Yugoslav Army (VJ) Croatian Army (HV) BiH Territorial Defence (TORBIH) Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina (SVK) Croatian Defence Council (HVO) Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK in R. Serbia) National Liberation Army (UÇK in R. Macedonia) Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB)
Military formations and volunteers	Croatian National Guard (ZNG) Croatian Defence Forces (HOS) White Eagles Serb Guard (SG) Serb Volunteer Guard (SDG) Scorpions Yellow Wasps Garda Panteri Dušan the Mighty Kninjas Serb Falcons [sr] Tobutski sokolovi Jackals Greek Volunteer Guard Wolves of Vučjak AKSH Green Berets (GB) Patriotic League (PL) Black Swans Bosnian mujahideen People's Defence of Western Bosnia (NOZB)
External factors	NATO IFOR SFOR KFOR EU (EUMM) United Nations (UN) UNPROFOR UNCRO
Politicians	Fikret Abdić Milan Babić Mate Boban Momir Bulatović Milo Đukanović Nijaz Duraković Vuk Drašković Goran Hadžić Alija Izetbegović Janez Janša Borisav Jović Mirko Jović Radovan Karadžić Vojislav Koštunica Momčilo Krajišnik Milan Kučan Ante Marković Milan Martić Stjepan Mesić Slobodan Milošević Ante Paradžik  X Dobroslav Paraga Lojze Peterle Biljana Plavšić Jadranko Prlić Jovan Rašković  † Ibrahim Rugova Vojislav Šešelj Haris Silajdžić Franjo Tuđman Krešimir Zubak
Top military commanders	Rahim Ademi Janko Bobetko Agim Çeku Wesley Clark Rasim Delić Sefer Halilović Veljko Kadijević Ratko Mladić Mile Novaković Dragoljub Ojdanić Života Panić Nebojša Pavković Momčilo Perišić Milivoj Petković Ridvan Qazimi  † Martin Špegelj Gojko Šušak
Other notable commanders	Mehmed Alagić Tihomir Blaškić Đorđe Božović  † Valentin Ćorić Jovan Divjak Atif Dudaković Ante Gotovina Zaim Imamović Adem Jashari  † Blaž Kraljević  X Vladimir Lazarević Veljko Milanković  (DOW) Mile Mrkšić Naser Orić Arif Pašalić Slobodan Praljak Ivica Rajić Željko Ražnatović Ljubiša Savić Stjepan Šiber Veselin Šljivančanin Vukašin Šoškoćanin  † Milan Tepić  † Milorad Ulemek Dragan Vasiljković Blago Zadro  †
Key foreign figures	Robert Badinter Lord Carrington Jimmy Carter Willy Claes Pieter Feith Richard Holbrooke Lord Owen Cyrus Vance Jacques Paul Klein Peter Galbraith Javier Solana Manfred Wörner
v t e Croatian War of Independence Part of the Yugoslav Wars Prelude Log Revolution SAO Krajina 1991 Pakrac clash Plitvice Lakes incident Siege of Kijevo Battle of Borovo Selo 1991 riot in Zadar 1991 protest in Split SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia Killings of Serbs in Vukovar Sisak killings Tenja killings Operation Stinger Dalj massacre Operation Labrador SAO Western Slavonia Banija villages killings Battle of Vukovar Battle of Osijek Battle of Gospić Petrinja killings Berak killings Battle of Kusonje Četekovac massacre Battle of the Barracks Siege of Varaždin Barracks Siege of Bjelovar Barracks Battle of Zadar Battle of Šibenik 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia Korana bridge killings Tovarnik massacre Siege of Dubrovnik Novo Selo Glinsko massacre Bombing of Banski dvori Široka Kula massacre Lovas killings Gospić massacre Baćin massacre Saborsko massacre Požega villages massacre Operation Otkos 10 Battle of Logorište Poljanak and Vukovići massacres Erdut killings Pula incident Battle of the Dalmatian channels Kostrići massacre Škabrnja massacre Vukovar massacre Novska murders Vance plan Murder of the Zec family Operation Whirlwind Paulin Dvor massacre Gornje Jame massacre Operation Orkan 91 Voćin massacre Joševica massacre Operation Devil's Beam Bruška massacre Vrsar airport bombing 1992 Sarajevo Agreement 1992 European Community Monitor Mission helicopter downing Operation Baranja Operation Jackal Battle of the Miljevci Plateau Operation Tiger (1992) Operation Liberated Land Battle of Konavle Operation Vlaštica 1993–94 Operation Maslenica Daruvar Agreement Operation Backstop Operation Medak Pocket Z-4 Plan Operation Winter '94 1995 Operation Leap 1 Operation Flash Medari massacre Zagreb rocket attack Operation Leap 2 Operation Summer '95 Operation Storm Kijani killings Golubić killings Uzdolje killings Bosanski Petrovac refugee column bombing Dvor massacre Komić killings Gošić killings Varivode massacre Operation Maestral 2 Timeline of the Croatian War of Independence Internment camps Begejci camp Bučje camp Kerestinec camp Knin camp Kuline prison camp Lora prison camp Marino Selo camp Ovčara camp Pakračka Poljana camp Sremska Mitrovica prison camp Stajićevo camp Velepromet camp Other Independence of Croatia Persecution of Croats in Serbia during the war in Croatia Erdut Agreement (UNTAES) Category Commons
v t e Bosnian War Part of the Yugoslav Wars Belligerents Bosniak side Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1st Corps 2nd Corps 3rd Corps 4th Corps 5th Corps 6th Corps 7th Corps Paramilitary Patriotic League Green Berets Croatian Defence Forces Bosnian mujahideen Croat side Croatian Defence Council 1OZ 2OZ 3OZ 4OZ Paramilitary Croatian Defence Forces Knights Serb side Army of Republika Srpska 1st Krajina Corps 2nd Krajina Corps 3rd Corps East Bosnia Corps Herzegovina Corps Sarajevo-Romanija Corps Drina Corps Paramilitary Wolves of Vučjak White Eagles Serb Volunteer Guard Scorpions Yellow Wasps Western Bosnian side National Defence of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia Prelude Milošević–Tuđman Karađorđevo meeting Zulfikarpašić–Karadžić agreement RAM Plan Serb Autonomous Regions Bosanska Krajina Herzegovina North-East Bosnia Romanija Establishment of the Croatian Community of Herzeg Bosnia Establishment of Republika Srpska Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum Sarajevo wedding attack Declaration of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Battle of Bosanski Brod Sijekovac killings Bijeljina massacre 1992 anti-war protests in Sarajevo 1992 Battle of Kupres Siege of Sarajevo Kazani pit killings Foča ethnic cleansing Bosanski Šamac ethnic cleansing Siege of Srebrenica Zvornik massacre Doboj Snagovo massacre Prijedor ethnic cleansing Sarajevo column incident Siege of Goražde Graz agreement Glogova massacre Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing Tuzla column incident Zaklopača massacre Siege of Doboj Bradina massacre Sarajevo bread line massacre Bijeli Potok massacre Pionirska Street fire Operation Jackal Višegrad massacres Bosanska Jagodina Paklenik Barimo Sjeverin Čemerno massacre Siege of Bihać Ahatovići massacre Croat–Bosniak War Operation Vrbas '92 Operation Corridor 92 Bikavac fire Killings in Bratunac and Srebrenica Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia Korićani Cliffs massacre Mičivode massacre Novoseoci massacre Gornja Jošanica massacre 1993 Kravica attack Duša killings Skelani massacre Štrpci Siege of Mostar Srebrenica shelling Ahmići massacre Trusina massacre Sovići and Doljani killings Zenica massacre Vranica case Dobrinja mortar attack Battle of Žepče Battle of Travnik (1993) Battle of Bugojno Operation Irma Operation Neretva '93 Grabovica massacre Mokronoge massacre Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia Inter-Bosniak conflict in Bosanska Krajina Stupni Do massacre Operation Deny Flight Križančevo Selo killings 1994 Operation Tvigi 94 First Markale massacre Banja Luka incident Washington Agreement Establishment of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Operation Bøllebank Attack on Spin magazine journalists Operation Tiger Operation "Breza '94" Battle of Kupres Operation Amanda Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 347 Operation Spider Operation Winter '94 1995 Operation Vlašić Operation Leap 1 Battle of Orašje Operation Leap 2 Split Agreement Operation Summer '95 Pale air strikes Tuzla shelling Battle of Vrbanja Bridge Srebrenica massacre Kravica Battle of Vozuća Operation Miracle Operation Storm Second Markale massacre NATO bombing campaign Operation Mistral 2 Operation Sana Operation Una Operation Southern Move Exodus of Sarajevo Serbs Dayton Agreement Establishment of Bosnia and Herzegovina Internment camps Silos Manjača Liplje Luka Vilina Vlas Omarska Keraterm Trnopolje Sušica Čelebići Musala Batković Dretelj Uzamnica Heliodrom Gabela Vojno Kamenica camp Aspects Ethnic cleansing and massacres Bosnian genocide Bosnian genocide denial Internment camps Rape Peace plans NATO intervention Foreign support Foreign fighters Timeline of the Bosnian War (Timeline of the Croat–Bosniak War) Category Commons
v t e Breakup of Yugoslavia Overview Breakup of Yugoslavia (1991–1992) Timeline of the breakup of Yugoslavia (1980–2008) Background Josip Broz Tito (until 1980) Brotherhood and unity (until 1990) League of Communists of Yugoslavia (until 1990) Croatian Spring (1967–1971) 1981 protests in Kosovo Islamic Declaration (1983) SANU Memorandum (1986) Contributions to the Slovene National Program (1987) Slovene Spring (1987–1988) Agrokomerc Affair (1987) 8th session of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Serbia (1987) JBTZ trial (1988) Hyperinflation in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1980s) Events and actors Anti-bureaucratic revolution (1988–1989) Gazimestan speech (1989) 14th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (1990) Independence of Croatia (1989–1992) Log Revolution (1990–1991) Milošević–Tuđman Karađorđevo meeting (1991) RAM Plan (1991) Brioni Agreement (1991) Role of the media in the breakup of Yugoslavia Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on Yugoslavia (1991–1993) v t e Independence referendums in Yugoslavia Republics and provinces Slovenia (1990) Croatia (1991) Macedonia (1991) Kosovo (1991) Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992) Montenegro (1992) Montenegro (2006) Autonomy SAO Krajina (1990) Sandžak (1991) Srpska (1991) Ilirida (1992) Eastern Slavonia (1997) Macedonia (2004) Consequences Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001) Ethnic cleansing Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) Ten-Day War (1991) Bosnian War (1992–1995) Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992–) Graz agreement (1992) Sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992–2001) Hyperinflation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992–1994) Dayton Agreement (1996) Joint Criminal Enterprise Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Control (1996) International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (1993–2017) Overthrow of Slobodan Milošević (2000) Nationalism Greater Albania Greater Croatia United Macedonia Greater Serbia United Slovenia Anti-Serbian sentiment Islamophobia Albanian nationalism Bosniak nationalism Croatian nationalism Macedonian nationalism Montenegrin nationalism Serbian nationalism Serbian–Montenegrin unionism Slovenian nationalism Yugoslavism Category
Category Commons

45°34′N 18°40′E / 45.56°N 18.67°E / 45.56; 18.67

• 1991 in Croatia
• 1992 in Croatia
• Battles of the Croatian War of Independence
• History of Osijek
• Yugoslav People's Army
• Eastern Slavonia Front