Battle of Orašje

Coordinates: 44°58′55″N 18°43′36″E / 44.982072°N 18.726690°E / 44.982072; 18.726690
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This article is about the battle fought in 1995. For combat in the general area in 1992, see Operation Corridor 92.

Battle of Orašje
Part of the
Orašje

Orašje on the map of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date5 May – 10 June 1995
Location
Northern Bosnia and Herzegovina
Result

Croat victory

  • No territorial changes
  • Herzeg-Bosnia retains Orašje
Belligerents
 Republika Srpska  Herzeg-Bosnia
 Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Republika Srpska Dragoslav Đurkić
Momir Talić
Ratko Mladić		 Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia Đuro Matuzović
Units involved
Army of Republika Srpska Croatian Defence Council
Police of Herzeg-Bosnia
Croatian Army
Strength
8,000 soldiers 6,000 soldiers

The Battle of Orašje was fought during the

codenamed
Operation Flame-95 (Operacija Plamen-95) and referred to by Croatian sources as Operation Revenge (Operacija Osveta) was actually fought with varying intensity, with periods of combat interspersed by lulls lasting two to seven days. The heaviest fighting was reported on 15 May, when the VRS managed to break through a portion of the HVO defences near the village of Vidovice, but the breach was successfully contained and the lost ground was recovered by the HVO.

The HVO, supported by Croatian Army artillery deployed north of the river, managed to withstand the offensive and the front line remained unchanged from the commencement of the battle. This demonstrated the changed balance of power at this stage of the war. At the commencement of the war, the VRS had greater military capabilities than its opponents, particularly in terms of heavy weapons and organisation, but over three years from mid-1992 its capabilities had been matched by its adversaries.

Background

As the

Bosanski Brod with artillery, resulting in a cross-border operation by the Croatian Army (Hrvatska vojska – HV) 108th Brigade.[2] On 4 April 1992, JNA artillery began shelling Sarajevo.[3] There were other examples of the JNA directly supported the VRS,[4] such as during the capture of Zvornik in early April 1992, when the JNA provided artillery support from Serbia, firing across the Drina River.[5] At the same time, the JNA attempted to defuse the situation and arrange negotiations elsewhere in the country.[4]

The JNA and the VRS in Bosnia and Herzegovina faced the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,[5] the VRS controlled approximately 60 percent of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[8] The extent of the control was extended to about 70 percent of the country by the end of the year.[9]

A significant portion of the territory controlled by the VRS was located in western

Croatian Serb-controlled areas of Croatia. After the capture of Derventa by the HVO and the HV in May 1992,[10] the VRS launched Operation Corridor 92 and regained control of the resupply route in late June. By October, it had eliminated all HV or HVO-held pockets along the southern bank of the Sava and the border of Croatia, except a single bridgehead around the town of Orašje. Even though the fighting secured the route for the VRS, the corridor remained mere 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) wide at its narrowest point.[11]

Prelude

The balance of military power in the Bosnian War had started to shift against the VRS in early 1994, despite its advantages in heavy weapons.

Operation Leap 1),[14] the VRS launched its own offensive—Operation Joint Action 95 (Serbian: Operacija Sadejstvo 95). Operation Joint Action 95 was intended as a war-winning offensive, and was launched south of the Derventa–Brčko corridor, but was also designed to widen the critical resupply route.[15] Launched on 19 April, the VRS offensive faced determined resistance from the ARBiH and the HVO and had bogged down by the end of the month.[12]

In early May, the HV launched a successful offensive,

codenamed Operation Flash, against a RSK-held part of western Slavonia in Croatia. The move caused the VRS to reorient its attention to the Orašje pocket, the only territory outside its control between the Derventa–Brčko road and the Sava River. The shift of VRS focus to Orašje may have been the result of a desire to retaliate for the defeat suffered by the RSK in western Slavonia, or meant as a quick land-grab before a peace settlement was accepted.[16]

Order of battle

The VRS earmarked Tactical Group 5 (TG-5) for the offensive, normally deployed against HVO positions in the Orašje pocket. TG-5, commanded by

Colonel Generals Momir Talić and Ratko Mladić were present to directly supervise the operation.[16]

The Orašje pocket was defended by the 6,000-strong HVO Orašje Corps, consisting of one guards brigade and three Home Guard regiments. Overall command of the corps was held by Staff Brigadier Đuro Matuzović. The defences lacked depth, and did not exceed 10 kilometres (6.2 miles). To offset this, the HVO had prepared strong forward defences, including trenches and bunkers,[17] built along the 18 km (11 mi) front line.[18] The HVO positions were supported by HV artillery and multiple rocket launchers deployed north of the Sava River, in Croatia.[17]

Army of Republika Srpska order of battle[19]
Corps Unit Note
1st Krajina Corps (TG-5) 1st Čelinac Light Infantry Brigade In Krepšić area
11th Dubica Infantry Brigade In
Lončari
area
2nd Krajina Infantry Brigade In Obudovac area
2nd Posavina Infantry Brigade In
Bosanski Šamac
area
Reinforcements 1st Military Police Battalion
1st Armoured Brigade One or two battalions
43rd Prijedor Motorised Brigade 4th Battalion only
1st Bjeljina Light Infantry Brigade Some elements of the brigade only
Drina Wolves Special operations detachment
1st Reconnaissance Sabotage Detachment
1st Mixed Artillery Regiment Organised in two to three artillery groups
Croatian Defence Council order of battle[19]
Corps Unit Note
Orašje
Corps		 4th Guards Brigade Held in reserve
202nd Home Guard Regiment In Domaljevac–Grebnice area
106th Home Guard Regiment In Oštra Luka area
201st Home Guard Regiment In Vidovice–Vučilovac area
Special police detachment 200-strong unit of the Ministry of the Interior
HV Osijek Corps Croatian Army artillery, located north of the Sava River, inside Croatia

Timeline

Map of the Battle of Orašje, May–June 1995

On 5 May, the 1st Krajina Corps launched its offensive aimed at capturing the Orašje pocket, codenamed Operation Flame-95 (Serbian: Operacija Plamen-95). It is also referred to by Croatian sources as Operation Revenge (Croatian: Operacija Osveta).[16] The offensive started off with a substantial artillery bombardment and ground assault,[20] directed at Oštra Luka, at the centre of the front line. According to Croatian sources, the 5 May attack was not coordinated very well and it gave the HVO the chance to bolster its defences.[21] While the fighting was in progress, the VRS artillery bombarded the town of Orašje itself.[22] The attack was quickly defeated, and after this initial setback, the VRS paused for five days.[20]

The offensive resumed on 10 May, when a number of VRS

NATO designation of "FROG–7", were fired at HVO positions.[20] The opposing forces blamed each other for the resumption of fighting—the VRS accused the HVO of bombarding the Derventa–Brčko road to interdict traffic, while the HVO accused the VRS of bombarding the town of Orašje first. During the morning of 10 May, UN observers counted more than 1,000 explosions in the area and described the fighting as "intense", but said that it had lost some momentum by the afternoon.[23] The primary axes of the attacks, directed at the centre and the east of the pocket and aiming towards Orašje and the village of Vidovice failed to gain ground. The secondary effort on the left flank made some progress towards Grebnice before being beaten back by the HVO.[20] During the fighting, rumours circulated that the Orašje area would be surrendered in exchange for territory lost to the HV in western Slavonia.[21]

The VRS attacked at least seven more times over the next thirty days, with pauses of two to seven days between each attack. Some lasted for several days, and during each attack UN observers counted from 2,000 to 5,000 explosions. The most successful attack occurred on 14–15 May, when the VRS nearly reached Vidovice on the southern bank of the Sava River.

Livanjsko field. By 10 June, the VRS had called off Operation Flame-95 and the Battle of Orašje effectively ended.[20]

Aftermath

The VRS failure in the battle demonstrated its declining capabilities relative to its adversaries over the preceding three years. The failure was despite the offensive being conducted competently, and applying VRS military doctrine calling for the use of armoured and assault infantry supported by artillery. By 1995, the VRS was facing well-organised militaries employing a comparable number of artillery pieces and good defensive fortifications. In consequence, the VRS was no longer capable of defeating its opposition by relying heavily on artillery superiority, and it was unwilling to commit its dwindling numbers of infantry to a decisive but risky attack. The battle resulted in no territorial changes,[20] but both belligerents reported dozens of casualties, both military and civilian.[27] Even though the battle was over, intermittent artillery exchanges continued in the area, and as early as 19 June, the VRS bombarded Orašje again.[28]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Ramet 2006, p. 382.
  2. ^ a b Ramet 2006, p. 427.
  3. ^ Ramet 2006, p. 428.
  4. ^ a b CIA 2002, p. 136.
  5. ^ a b CIA 2002, p. 137.
  6. ^ CIA 2002, pp. 143–144.
  7. ^ Bellamy & 10 October 1992.
  8. ^ Burns & 12 May 1992.
  9. ^ Ramet 1995, pp. 407–408.
  10. ^ CIA 2002, p. 145.
  11. ^ CIA 2002, p. 146.
  12. ^ a b CIA 2002, p. 304.
  13. ^ CIA 2002, pp. 302–303.
  14. ^ CIA 2002, pp. 295–296.
  15. ^ CIA 2002, p. 303.
  16. ^ a b c CIA 2002, p. 298.
  17. ^ a b CIA 2002, pp. 298–299.
  18. ^ Tomas & July 2012, p. 45.
  19. ^ a b CIA 2002, p. 400, note 88.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h CIA 2002, p. 299.
  21. ^ a b c Tomas & July 2012, p. 46.
  22. ^ Pomfret & 8 May 1995.
  23. ^ Cohen & 11 May 1995.
  24. ^ Pomfret & 15 May 1995.
  25. ^ Herald Scotland & 15 May 1995.
  26. ^ Jahn & 16 May 1995.
  27. ^ Wilkinson & 20 May 1995.
  28. ^ The Columbian & 19 June 1995.

References

Books
  • ISBN 978-0160664724
    .
  • Ramet, Sabrina P. (1995). Social Currents in Eastern Europe: The Sources and Consequences of the Great Transformation. Durham, North Carolina:
    ISBN 978-0822315483
    .
  • Ramet, Sabrina P. (2006). The Three Yugoslavias: State-Building And Legitimation, 1918–2006. Bloomington, Indiana:
    ISBN 978-0253346568
    .
News reports
Other sources

44°58′55″N 18°43′36″E / 44.982072°N 18.726690°E / 44.982072; 18.726690

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