Overview of the Battle of Vukovar, August-November 1991
Background
In the late 1980s, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ) began to break apart. Yugoslavia comprised six republics and two autonomous provinces, each of which had its own communist party under the umbrella of the ruling League of Communists of Yugoslavia (SKJ) party. [1]
The Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) was subordinated to the “federal” Presidency of the SFRJ, while Territorial Defense (TO), milicija (police), and state security forces were subordinated to each constituent republic. [2] The decline of the SKJ’s authority resulted in the introduction of multi-party parliamentary elections across each republic in 1990. [1]
On 30 May 1990, and following parliamentary elections won by the nationalist Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Franjo Tudman became President of SR Croatia. Tudman and the HDZ immediately began taking steps towards secession from the SFRJ, leading to fears, on the part of Croatian Serbs, of becoming a national minority in an independent Croatia. These fears were played upon by Serb nationalists, who claimed that the new government in Zagreb would turn Croatia into a “Nazi state” and initiate an extermination campaign against Croatian Serbs, just as the Ustase regime had done during the Second World War. [2] [3] [4]
On 8 August 1990, SR Croatia created a new national police force staffed exclusively by Croats. On 19 August, Croatian Serbs held a referendum on autonomy after taking up arms as part of the “Log Revolution”. This would ultimately lead to their proclamation of the “Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina” (“SAO Krajina”) in central and southern Croatia with the intention of remaining part of the SFRJ. [2] [3] [4] In September 1990, SR Croatia began creating its own armed forces independent of Territorial Defense, since Croat police had failed to contain the Log Revolution. [2] As part of this, the Croats ran a clandestine operation to source arms from abroad. [4]
In January 1991 – and with the security situation in Yugoslavia deteriorating – JNA leaders wrested control of the miliary from the Presidency of the SFRJ and began issuing orders independently. By that point, “real power” in the SFRJ lay with the leaders of the constituent republics, these being Milan Kucan of SR Slovenia, Franjo Tudman of SR Croatia, Alija Izetbegovic of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Momir Bulatovic of SR Montenegro, Slobodan Milosevic of SR Serbia, and Kiro Gligorov of SR Macedonia. [4]
Another Serb-populated part of SR Croatia was Eastern Slavonia, on the border with SR Serbia. On 26 February 1991, the “Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Syrmia” (“SAO Eastern Slavonia”) was created, again with the intention of remaining part of the SFRJ. Afterwards, the local milicija split into Croat and Serb factions. [5]
Located on the Danube in Eastern Slavonia, the city of Vukovar was inhabited by Croats, Serbs, and people identifying as “Yugoslavs”. [5] Other ethnic groups in the city included Albanians, Bosniaks, Germans, Hungarians, Ruthenians, Slovaks, and Ukrainians. [6] According to the 1991 census, Vukovar had a population of 40,000, which increased to over 80,000 with the inclusion of nearby settlements. [7] From March-April 1991, the situation in Eastern Slavonia grew increasingly tense as a result of confrontations between Croat and Serb nationalists. [5]
Armed conflict begins in the Vukovar region
On 1 May 1991, four Croat police officers entered the Vukovar suburb of Borovo Selo — inhabited predominately by Serbs — with the intention of replacing the SFRJ flag flying there with a Croatian one. However, Serb paramilitaries opened fire on the Croats, as a result of which two were captured while the other pair escaped. [5]
The next day (2 May), Croat special police entered Borovo Selo and got into a firefight with the Serbs, as a result of which 12 Croats were killed. [5] Accounts differ as to whether the police went in under a white flag as part of an agreement to retrieve the officers captured on 1 May, or whether they had attacked Borovo Selo. The fighting ended after armoured vehicles of the JNA’s 12th Proletarian Mechanized Brigade arrived to separate the two sides. [5] [8] At that time, the JNA was still committed to the mission of preserving the SFRJ and preventing inter-ethnic clashes. [4] [5] It would, however, soon begin acting in the interests of Serb nationalists. [4] The two Croat police officers captured on 1 May were ultimately released.
On 19 May 1991, SR Croatia held a referendum on independence from the SFRJ. By June, SR Croatia had established its own armed forces, with four brigades of the National Guard Corps (ZNG) amounting to 8,000 personnel, in conjunction with thousands of police. [2] With that, Croat leaders felt confident enough to declare independence on 25 June, although the JNA still maintained a significant presence on Croatian territory. [5]
In June-August 1991, the violence between Croats and Serbs in Eastern Slavonia escalated into open war. During those months, Croat forces took control of most of Vukovar. [5] Croat paramilitaries operating in the region are also believed to have executed some 40 to 80 Serbs. [7] As a result of the Croat takeover of Vukovar, a battalion of the JNA’s 453rd Mechanized Brigade became besieged in its barracks in the suburb of Sajmiste. [5]
On 24 August 1991, Croat forces near Vukovar shot down a J-21 “Jastreb” of the Yugoslav Air Force’s 252nd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Squadron with an autocannon. The pilot ejected, after which he managed to make his way back to his unit. [4] [9]
Battle of Vukovar
On 25 August 1991, the JNA and Serb paramilitaries launched an offensive against Vukovar with the aim of relieving the battalion of the 453rd Brigade and “protecting” the local Serb population. This was consistent with Slobodan Milosevic’s goals of creating a Serb-dominated Yugoslavia and integrating Serb-populated parts of Croatia (and later Bosnia) into Serbia. [1]
The following JNA and Serb units participated in the offensive against Vukovar: [4] [5] [8] [10]
- 1st Proletarian Guards Mechanized Brigade (subordinated directly to the General Staff of the JNA)
- 12th Proletarian Mechanized Brigade (part of 17th Corps, Tuzla)
- 51st Mechanized Brigade (part of 12th Corps, Novi Sad)
- 453rd Mechanized Brigade (part of 12th Corps, Novi Sad)
- Various paramilitary groups (many now “legalised” as the “Territorial Defense of SAO Eastern Slavonia”; subordinated to the JNA)
At the height of the offensive, JNA forces totalled some 7,800 soldiers, 110 tanks, 70 other AFVs, and 145 artillery pieces and mortars, in conjunction with 2,200 paramilitaries. Opposing them were some 6,700 Croat fighters from various units, including the ZNG and HOS (“Croatian Defence Forces” paramilitaries; associated with the ultranationalist Party of Rights). [5]
From 10 September 1991, MiG-21s of the Yugoslav Air Force’s 126th Fighter Aviation Squadron (204th Fighter Aviation Regiment) began providing close air support to JNA units in Eastern Slavonia. Strikes were flown daily or near daily, with most at the request of officers on the front line. [9] [11] It should be noted that the MiG-21 was the RV i PVO’s preferred strike platform, since it was less vulnerable to ground fire than the G-4 “Super Galeb”, J-22 “Orao”, and J-21 “Jastreb”. [11]
On 14 September, the JNA managed to relieve the battalion of the 453rd Brigade in Sajmiste. That day, an armoured task group from the JNA’s 1st and 51st brigades also attacked the Croat-held suburb of Borovo Naselje from the direction of Trpinja. However, the column was ambushed by well-organised Croat defenders, as a result of which 11 tanks and three other AFVs were destroyed. Hence, Trpinja road became known in Croatia as the “Cemetery of Tanks”. [5]
By 2 October 1991, the JNA and Serb paramilitaries had completely encircled Vukovar. This was achieved by severing Croat lines of communication in settlements west of the city. [12]
By 10 October, the JNA and Serb paramilitaries had gained footholds in Borovo Naselje and central Vukovar. On 2 November, the Serb Volunteer Guard (“Arkan’s Tigers”) – supported by tanks of the the JNA’s 51st Brigade – captured the Croat-held suburb of Luzac, thereby cutting off Borovo Naselje from central Vukovar and isolating both suburbs. This action made a Croat defeat in Vukovar all but inevitable. [5]
Surrender of Croat forces
On 18 November 1991, exhausted Croat forces in central Vukovar surrendered. The next day (19 November), Croat forces in Borovo Naselje likewise surrendered. Some fighters reportedly managed to escape the city to Croat-held territory to the west. In total, around 3,000 were killed during the Battle of Vukovar, which includes combatants from both sides and civilians. [7] To this day, hundreds more remain listed as “missing”. [5]
To highlight the issue of missing persons, in December 2021, Reuters reported on the discovery of a new mass grave near Vukovar. [13] Vukovar resident Marija Sestan lost her 21-year-old son and volunteer fighter, Tomislav Sestan, after he was captured by Serb paramilitaries on 19 November 1991. Marija was quoted as saying, “The last information I have about [Tomislav] is that he was taken by bus to nearby Borovo Selo. You can imagine how it is to wake up each day… hoping it would be a day when you might get some indication about what happened to him.” [13] [14]
In terms of physical destruction, most of Vukovar lay in ruins. An estimated 7,000 artillery shells fell on the city during the battle. [7]
Ethnic cleansing
After the battle, the non-Serb population of SAO Eastern Slavonia was progressively expelled from the proto-state, with thousands also imprisoned in Serb-run camps. [6] [7] [15] On 20 November 1991, Serb paramilitaries massacred over 260 captives from Vukovar, most being Croats, on Ovcara farm outside the city. [16]
Three JNA commanders were convicted in The Hague in relation to the Ovcara massacre, since they had command responsibility over the paramilitaries. The commanders were: [6] [7] [17] [18]
- Colonel Mile Mrksic, commander of the 1st Proletarian Guards Mechanized Brigade
- Major Veselin Sljivancanin, “security officer” of the 1st Proletarian Guards Mechanized Brigade. As Mrksic’s deputy commander, Sljivancanin led JNA forces on the front line. Sljivancanin was often filmed by news crews wearing an M-89 “large oak” uniform, including in one episode where he exchanged insults with a Croat commander using a handheld radio and drank champagne with his men
- Captain Miroslav Radic, commander of an infantry company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Proletarian Guards Mechanized Brigade
Subsequent political developments
On 26 February 1992, SAO Eastern Slavonia was incorporated into the “Republic of Serbian Krajina” (RSK): the successor proto-state of SAO Krajina. [3] The JNA (and later the Yugoslav Army of Serbia and Montenegro) remained in Eastern Slavonia until January 1998, when the region was peacefully reintegrated into Croatia as part of the Erdut Agreement. [5] Eastern Slavonia was Croatia’s last occupied territory to be reintegrated, and followed the defeat of the RSK during “Operation Storm” in August 1995. [1]
References
[1] PARAMILITARIES IN THE DISSOLUTION OF THE SOCIALIST FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA: EFFECTS ON THE PEACE PROCESS https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA614255.pdf
[2] Хорватские вооружённые формирования 1990–1991 https://sammlung.ru/?p=34625
[3] Краина — сербская Атлантида https://sammlung.ru/?p=55376
[4] The Yugoslav Air Force in the Battles for Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1991–1992: Volume 1 by Aleksander Radic
[5] Сталинград на Дунае https://sammlung.ru/?p=41564
[6] The Battle of Vukovar: A Turning Point in the Croatian “Homeland War” https://journals.openedition.org/temoigner/5457
[7] The Fall of Vukovar: Oral History of a Croatian Town’s Destruction https://detektor.ba/2021/11/18/the-fall-of-vukovar-oral-history-of-a-croatian-towns-destruction/?lang=en
[8] Brigades of Yugoslav People’s Army: 1945–1992 http://www.vojska.net/eng/armed-forces/yugoslavia/brigade/
[9] Yugoslav Air Force and Air Defense
(Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo i Protiv Vazdušna odbrana — RV i PVO) http://www.vojska.net/eng/armed-forces/yugoslavia/airforce/organization/1991/
[10] Jugoslavenska Narodna Armija (JNA) — Yugoslav People’s Army: OOB 1990 / 2nd Edition http://elektron.tmf.bg.ac.rs/user/bojan/JNA%20OOB%20new.pdf
[11] Silver Birds over the Estuary: The MiG-21 in Yugoslav and Serbian Air Force Service, 1962–2019 by Bojan Dimitrijevic and Milan Micevski
[12] THE BATTLE OF NUŠTAR: THE FIRST AND LAST LINE OF DEFENCE OF THE CITY OF VINKOVCI http://croatiarediviva.com/2016/11/18/the-battle-of-nustar-the-first-and-last-line-of-defence-of-the-city-of-vinkovci/
[13] Newly discovered mass grave is reminder of painful search for Croatia’s missing https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/newly-discovered-mass-grave-is-reminder-painful-search-croatias-missing-2021-12-09/
[14] ‘Sve dok živim i dišem, nosit ću crninu za nestalim sinom Tomislavom. To je moja pokora’ https://grude.com/clanak/?i=357145&sve-dok-zivim-i-disem-nosit-cu-crninu-za-nestalim-sinom-tomislavom-to-je-moja-pokora
[15] 30 Years Since the Serbian Massacre in Vukovar https://www.novinite.com/articles/212293/30+Years+Since+the+Serbian+Massacre+in+Vukovar
[16] A Tale of Two Soldiers https://balkaninsight.com/2017/01/20/a-tale-of-two-soldiers-01-19-2017/
[17] Trial of Mile Mrksic, Miroslav Radic and Veselin Sljivancanin to Commence on Tuesday, 11 October, 2005 https://www.icty.org/en/press/trial-mile-mrksic-miroslav-radic-and-veselin-sljivancanin-commence-tuesday-11-october-2005
[18] THE APPLICATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE (CROATIA v. YUGOSLAVIA) https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/118/18184.pdf
