Battle of Gospić
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The Battle of Gospić ( hr, Bitka za Gospić) was fought in the environs of
Gospić Gospić () is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field ( Ličko Polje). Gospić is the ...
,
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
, from 29 August until 22 September 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. The battle pitted the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
(JNA), stationed in five barracks in the town, and paramilitary elements of the
Serbian Guard The Serbian Guard ( sr, Српска гарда / ''Srpska garda'') was a Serbian paramilitary active in the Croatian War with close ties to the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO). Eighty percent of the guard's members were members of the SPO. Th ...
against the
Croatian National Guard The Croatian National Guard ( hr, Zbor narodne garde or ZNG) was an armed force established by Croatia in April and May 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although it was established within the framework of the Ministry of the Interio ...
(ZNG),
police forces The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
based in Gospić and police reinforcements from elsewhere in Croatia. Fighting in the eastern districts of Gospić, controlled by JNA forces with supporting artillery, was largely static but the balance shifted in favor of the Croatian forces following the capture of several JNA depots and barracks on 14 September. The remaining barracks were captured by 20 September leading to the expulsion of the JNA and Serbian Guard forces from the town. The battle followed escalating ethnic tensions in the Lika region, including attacks on Croatian civilians in
Lovinac Lovinac is a municipality in Lika-Senj County, Croatia. Geography The village of Lovinac is located 35 kilometers from Gospić to the southeast of the greatest Croatian karst field, Licko polje. At one time, the shortest trade routes from Lik ...
, an attack on a Croatian police checkpoint in Žuta Lokva, and skirmishes at the
Plitvice Lakes Plitvice or Plitvička jezera can refer to: * Plitvice Lakes National Park, the largest and oldest national park in Croatia * Plitvička Jezera, a municipality of Lika-Senj County, Croatia See also * Plitvica (disambiguation) {{geodis ...
and the Ljubovo Pass on the Gospić–
Plitvička Jezera Plitvička Jezera ( or just ''Plitvice'' ; ''Plitvice Lakes'', in English) is a municipality (''općina'') in central Croatia, in the eastern part of the Lika-Senj county, that lies in and near the eponymous Plitvice Lakes National Park, bisected ...
road. The remainder of 1991 saw further deterioration of the situation in the region, resulting in war crimes against
Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
s and
Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
s in the
Gospić Gospić () is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field ( Ličko Polje). Gospić is the ...
and
Široka Kula massacre The Široka Kula massacre was the killing of 41 civilians in the village of Široka Kula near Gospić, Croatia during the Croatian War of Independence. The killings began on 13 October 1991 and continued until late October. They were perpetrate ...
s. Fighting in the region remained deadlocked, with little to no territorial gains to either side, until a lasting ceasefire was called with the signing of the
Sarajevo Agreement The Vance plan ( hr, Vanceov plan, sr, Vensov plan, italics=yes) was a peace plan negotiated by the former United States Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in November 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. At that time, Vance was the ...
of 2 January 1992.


Background

In August 1990, an insurrection took place in
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
centred on the predominantly
Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
-populated areas of the Dalmatian hinterland around the city of
Knin Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagr ...
, as well as in parts of the Lika,
Kordun The Kordun () region is a part of central Croatia from the bottom of the Petrova Gora (Peter's mountain) mountain range, which extends along the rivers Korana and Slunjčica, and forms part of the border region to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within ...
, and Banovina regions, and settlements in
eastern Croatia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja, ...
with significant Serb populations. These regions became the newly formed
SAO Krajina The Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Srpska autonomna oblast Krajina, Српска аутономна област Крајина) or SAO Krajina () was a self-proclaimed Serbian autonomous region (oblast) wit ...
(
Serb Autonomous Oblast From August 1990 to November 1991, during the breakup of Yugoslavia, several Serb Autonomous Regions, or Districts ( sr, Српска аутономна област (САО) / ) were proclaimed in the Yugoslav republics of SR Croatia and SR Bosni ...
). The announcement of SAO Krajina's intent to integrate with
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
resulted in the government of Croatia declaring the insurrection a rebellion. By March 1991, the conflict had escalated into the Croatian War of Independence and in June 1991, with the Breakup of Yugoslavia, Croatia declared its independence. The declaration came into effect on 8 October after a three-month moratorium. The SAO Krajina, renamed
Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sh, Република Српска Крајина, italics=no / or РСК / ''RSK'', ), known as the Serbian Krajina ( / ) or simply Krajina, was a self-proclaimed Serb proto-state, ...
(RSK) on 19 December, then initiated a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Croatian civilians. Control of the growing tensions became hampered by increasing support of SAO Krajina being provided by the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
(JNA). The inability of the
Croatian Police Law enforcement in Croatia is the responsibility of the Croatian Police ( hr, Hrvatska policija), which is the national police force of the country subordinated by the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, carrying out certain task ...
to cope with the situation led to the establishment of the
Croatian National Guard The Croatian National Guard ( hr, Zbor narodne garde or ZNG) was an armed force established by Croatia in April and May 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although it was established within the framework of the Ministry of the Interio ...
(ZNG) in May 1991. However, the development of the ZNG into a
military force A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
was hampered by a UN arms embargo, introduced in September, while the military conflict in Croatia continued to escalate—the Battle of Vukovar started on 26 August.


Prelude

An already tense situation in the Lika region, following 1 April
Plitvice Lakes incident The Plitvice Lakes incident ( hr, Krvavi Uskrs na Plitvicama or ''Plitvički krvavi Uskrs'', both translating as "Plitvice Bloody Easter") was an armed clash at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence. It was fought between Croatian po ...
when the first fatalities of the Croatian War of Independence occurred, deteriorated further in June when Croatia reaffirmed its sovereignty through a
parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
declaration. This was reflected in the rise of violent incidents, setting up of unauthorized road checkpoints and occasional exchanges of small arms fire. On 22 June, three policemen were abducted on the road between
Gospić Gospić () is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field ( Ličko Polje). Gospić is the ...
and SAO Krajina-controlled Gračac, and a series of attacks on the Croatian police occurred in various parts of Lika, including Gospić, on 27–28 June. In July 1991, the JNA started to openly confront the Croatian police and the ZNG in Lika. On 1 July, Plitvice police station was surrounded by the JNA, and on 6 July, two ZNG troops were killed and another two wounded in a JNA ambush near Gospić. Further escalation of the fighting was seen at the Ljubovo pass on the Gospić–
Korenica Korenica is a village in Lika, Croatia, located in the municipality of Plitvička Jezera, on the D1 road between Plitvice and Udbina. According to 2011 census it has 1,766 residents. It is the seat of the Plitvička Jezera Municipality. In ...
road, where the JNA and SAO Krajina troops fought and pushed the ZNG back on 28–29 July. Ethnic violence continued to escalate when Serb paramilitaries abducted and killed five
Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
ian civilians from
Lovinac Lovinac is a municipality in Lika-Senj County, Croatia. Geography The village of Lovinac is located 35 kilometers from Gospić to the southeast of the greatest Croatian karst field, Licko polje. At one time, the shortest trade routes from Lik ...
in southern Lika on 5 August, and a police checkpoint in Žuta Lokva was attacked. In early August, the JNA moved the 236th Proletarian Motorized Brigade (a brigade in name only, the 236th was actually only a company-sized unit) and a portion of the motorised battalion of the 4th Armoured Brigade, previously deployed to the Ljubovo pass, to Gospić as reinforcements for its garrison in the town. Other movements in that month include the assault and capture of the Plitvice police station on the 30th by SAO Krajina forces. With the imminent capture of Plitvice and the withdrawal of the ZNG from
Lički Osik Lički Osik is a village in Croatia situated 8 km north-east from Gospić. It is connected by the D25 highway. Demographics According to the 2011 census, the village of Lički Osik has 1914 inhabitants. This represents 66.34% of its pre-war po ...
on 31 August, north of Gospić, the SAO Krajina and the JNA shifted their focus in Lika to Gospić itself, where Serbs comprised 38.4% of the total population of 12,000.


Order of battle

The JNA forces consisted of 70 officers and 200 soldiers garrisoned at the ''Stanko Opsenica'' barracks and four other smaller JNA facilities in Gospić. The garrison was supported by 128
Serbian Guard The Serbian Guard ( sr, Српска гарда / ''Srpska garda'') was a Serbian paramilitary active in the Croatian War with close ties to the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO). Eighty percent of the guard's members were members of the SPO. Th ...
paramilitaries led by
Đorđe Božović Đorđe "Giška" Božović ( sr, Ђорђе Гишка Божовић; 16 September 1955 – 15 September 1991) was a Serbian criminal, gangster and paramilitary commander during the Yugoslav Wars. Biography Early life Božović was born Đorđe ...
, which deployed to Gospić from Serbia using JNA transportation, according to an interview with the commanding officer of the southern Lika
Territorial Defence Territorial Defense or Territorial Defense Forces may refer to: Active * Territorial Troops Militia, a Cuban paramilitary militia under the command of the MINFAR * Territorial Forces (Finland) * Territorial Troops (Kazakhstan) * Territorial Def ...
in 1991. Following a reorganization in 1991, the JNA units based in Gospić were the 236th Motorized Brigade and the 1st Brigade of the 35th Partisan Division, both subordinated to the Rijeka Corps. Prior to this, the 10th Proletarian Infantry Regiment, a B-class unit required to maintain only 15% of wartime troop levels, was stationed in Gospić, but was amalgamated with the 9th Proletarian Infantry Regiment to form the 236th Motorized Brigade. The JNA garrison in Gospić was formally commanded by
Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Petar Ćavar, however effective command was taken over by his chief of staff, Yugoslav Counterintelligence Service Major Relja Tomić. In early September, Croatian forces in Gospić comprised 427 troops, largely drawn from police forces based in Gospić, Rijeka and
Zabok Zabok is a town and situated in northwest Croatia in the Krapina-Zagorje County. According to the 2011 census, it has a total population of 8,994, with 2,714 in Zabok itself. Zabok is situated on the main crossroads in the heart of Hrvatsko Zag ...
, volunteers from Gospić,
Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
and
Senj Senj (; it, Segna, la, Senia, Hungarian and german: Zengg) is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains. The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress ( hr, Tvrđava Nehaj) whic ...
as well as
Croatian Defence Forces The Croatian Defence Forces ( hr, Hrvatske obrambene snage or HOS) were the paramilitary arm of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) from 1991 to 1992, during the first stages of the Yugoslav wars. During the Croatian War of Independence, the HOS ...
troops. The only ZNG unit in Gospić was the 118th Infantry Brigade, which started to form around the ZNG 58th Independent Battalion on 14 August, but would not be fully assembled until after October. By mid-September, the brigade comprised two battalions—one with four companies and the other one three. The 118th Infantry Brigade was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Mirko Norac Mirko Norac (born 19 September 1967) is a former Croatian general of the Croatian Army (HV), and a convicted war criminal. He was the first Croatian Army general to be found guilty of war crimes by a Croatian court, in 2003, after his case was t ...
, while the head of the Croatian police in Gospić was Ivan Dasović.


Timeline

The JNA and the Serb paramilitary force bombarded Gospić with artillery stationed in the village of Divoselo and JNA Jasikovac Barracks on 29 August 1991. The intensity of these attacks increased significantly towards mid-September causing significant damage to Gospić; one SAO Krajina report of the attack estimated that more than 50% of structures in the city were damaged. At the outset of the battle, the JNA and the paramilitaries pushed the Croatian force out of eastern Gospić. On 5 September, Croatian forces captured JNA
Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Trajče Krstevski, along with three armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and 32 soldiers, when he attempted to reach JNA barracks that were isolated in the centre of the town but released them the next day following the successful negotiation of a
prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...
exchange (POWs). The Croatian commanders in Gospić, however, declined a request that the APCs also be returned—contrary to the instructions of Croatian authorities in Zagreb. Following the capture of Krstevski, the JNA artillery bombardment intensified, averaging 1,100 artillery shells per day. Despite the intense bombardment, the second week of the battle was a stalemate, without any changes in lines of control. The ZNG and Croatian police planned to cut power, water and communications to all JNA facilities in the government-controlled part of Croatia on 14 September. In Gospić, this action was brought forward to 13 September, the same day that the ZNG captured a JNA storage facility. This provided the Croatian troops with 14,000 rifles and a substantial quantity of
antitank weapon Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first de ...
s, more than sufficient for the Croatian forces to match the JNA in the town. The JNA barracks in Perušić and Kaniža Barracks in Gospić were captured the following day. The bulk of the JNA garrison in Gospić surrendered on 18 September, following three days of fighting for the Stanko Opsenica Barracks. An infantry attack aiming to support the JNA garrison was successfully repelled by Croatian forces on 16 September in the Divoselo area, where Božović was killed. After the city centre became relatively secure, the Croatian forces extended their offensive, capturing the Jasikovac Barracks and relieving two Croatian-held pockets in villages of Ribnik and Bilaj by 20 September. As the JNA surrendered, the Serb forces retreated from the eastern parts of Gospić to a line in front of
Medak Medak is a town in Medak district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Medak mandal in Medak revenue division. And There is a river named srujan which is big in length. Etymology and History Medak wa ...
, as the Croatian forces completed mopping up in Gospić by 22 September.


Aftermath

Croatia captured approximately 300 JNA officers and soldiers, who were taken to Rijeka after their capture. They were later exchanged for Croatian POWs captured by the JNA in the Battle of Vukovar and elsewhere in Croatia. A large quantity of small arms and ammunition was captured as well as seven tanks and twelve mortars. After the battle, the artillery bombardment of Gospić continued from positions around Divoselo and Lički Čitluk, approximately south of Gospić. Skirmishes in Lika continued until January 1992 as each side sought to improve their positions on the ground, especially around Gospić and
Otočac Otočac () is a town in Croatia, former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. It lies in the northwestern part of Lika region, in the Gacka river valley. The population of the administrative area of the Town of Otočac was 9,778 in ...
. On 23 September, a Croatian advance to the south was stopped by JNA and SAO Krajina forces, consisting of an infantry battalion and the
Krajina Express The Krajina Express ( sr, Крајина експрес) was an improvised armored train used by the Krajina Serb army during the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War, from 1991 to 1995. The main battle in which the train became invol ...
armored train, which were defending a JNA storage depot in
Sveti Rok Sveti Rok is a village in the Lovinac municipality, in Lika–Senj County, Croatia. Sveti Rok has a population of 292. The majority of the population are Croats. History Until 1918, Sveti Rok (named ''Sanct Roch'' before 1850) was part of the A ...
. The JNA secured the depot and captured Lovinac on 26 September. By the end of September, Croatian defensive positions around Otočac were sufficiently reinforced that only minor attacks were launched and primarily near the village of Drenov Klanac. In late October and early December, fighting intensified around Divoselo near Gospić, but no territory changed hands. The intensity of artillery bombardment of Gospić peaked on 1 November 1991, when 3,500 artillery shells struck the town. In December, the JNA Knin Corps proposed to the JNA General Staff to advance from Gračac in an attempt to capture Gospić and Otočac, but the signing of the
Sarajevo Agreement The Vance plan ( hr, Vanceov plan, sr, Vensov plan, italics=yes) was a peace plan negotiated by the former United States Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in November 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. At that time, Vance was the ...
and ceasefire of 2 January 1992 largely halted further fighting, until the commencement of
Operation Medak Pocket Operation Medak Pocket ( sh, script=Latn, Operacija Medački džep, ) was a military operation undertaken by the Croatian Army between 9 – 17 September 1993, in which a salient reaching the south suburbs of Gospić, in the south-central Lika ...
in September 1993. The continuing military confrontation in the region was accompanied by an escalation of ethnic violence, culminating in war crimes against civilians committed by military authorities in Gospić and the SAO Krajina military in the area around Lički Osik in October 1991. In Gospić, approximately 100 Serb civilians were taken from the town and killed in the surrounding fields. Some of the responsibles for the event, later known as the
Gospić massacre The Gospić massacre was the mass killing of 100–120 predominantly Serb civilians in Gospić, Croatia during the last two weeks of October 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence. The majority of the victims were ethnic Serbs arrested i ...
, were prosecuted by the Croatian judiciary. This resulted in the conviction, in 2003, of Norac and two other defendants to 12 years in prison. The killings in the Lički Osik area, known as the
Široka Kula massacre The Široka Kula massacre was the killing of 41 civilians in the village of Široka Kula near Gospić, Croatia during the Croatian War of Independence. The killings began on 13 October 1991 and continued until late October. They were perpetrate ...
, resulted in the deaths of 40 civilians, mostly Croats but also some Serbs suspected of supporting Croatia. In 2011, a court in Belgrade, Serbia, convicted four former SAO Krajina militiamen of killing four Serbs and a Croat in Široka Kula. In 1993, Croatian authorities charged Marcel Dusper, Tomo Čačić, Jovo Kuprešanin, Bogdan Odanović, Relja Tomić, Duško Bajić, Dane Drakula, Mićo Vasić, Goce Koneski, Slobodan Dotlić, Dragoljub Lazarević, Radovan Radenković, Bratislav Milojković, Stevo Milošević and Miloš Bogdanović, 15 former JNA officers, posted in Gospić garrison in 1991 with war crimes against a civilian population. All of the defendants, except Drakula were tried ''in absentia''. Drakula was acquitted, while Dusper, Tomić and Bajić were convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison each while the remaining defendants were sentenced to 15 years. The rulings were upheld by the
Supreme Court of Croatia , image = Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia.jpg , imagesize = 220px , caption = Palace of the Supreme Court is located at the Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square , established = , country = , location = Zagreb , coordinates = , type = ...
in 1994. Dotlić was arrested on 18 October 2013 after he visited his parents living in Croatia. Prior to his arrest, Dotlić had requested a new trial, but after his arrest the charges against him were changed to armed insurrection but this was later dropped following the General Amnesty Act.


Footnotes


References

;Books * * * * * * ;News reports * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Scientific journal articles * ;International, governmental, and NGO sources * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Gospic Conflicts in 1991 1991 in Croatia Gospic History of Gospić August 1991 events in Europe September 1991 events in Europe History of Lika