The Territorial Defence Force of the Republic of Bosnia and Hercegovina (''Teritorijalna odbrana Bosne i Hercegovine (TO BiH)'') were the first official armed forces of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

at the beginning of the Bosnian War. Which eventually transformed into the

Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine or ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of ...

History

Teritorijalna odbrana (TO) was the name of a local defence reserve force in the former Yugoslavian Army. The TO was organized in their respective country with a separate command that of the JNA. The TO was a Civilian Home Guard, roughly like a paramilitary or a reserve military force. The regions of the TO were in charge of mobilization with the help of the local population.

TORBiH in Bosnia

The TO was the official army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the separate Bosnian military forces formed by

Sefer Halilović Sefer Halilović (born 6 January 1952) is a former general and commanding officer of the Bosnian Army during the 1992–95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2001, he was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former ...

the Patriotic League (PL). The TO, from 1991 to April 1992, absorbed all units of the PL and districts military formations into the TO, which was eventually transformed at the end of May 1992 into the Army of the

Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Република Босна и Херцеговина) was a state in Southeastern Europe, existing from 1992 to 1995. It is the direct lega ...

Organization

The TO was organized into seven regions (two refused to join the TORBiH), each controlling about 12 districts (totaling 73 districts, 36 refused to join). On April 15, 1992 all PL units joined the TORBiH. At the end of April 1992, the TO was reorganized into four regions (

Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

Tuzla Tuzla (, ) is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, e ...

and

Zenica Zenica ( ; ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. The city is k ...

) and two tactical groups that controlled TO, PL and newly formed brigades. The Sarajevo TO was transformed in the general headquarters. There were soon 26 brigades (named after districts). On 20 May 1992 the TORBiH was renamed The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

TORBiH command

April 1992 – May 1992

TORBiH General Headquarters,

*Colonel Hasan Efendić (Commander of the TORBiH) *Colonel Stjepan Šiber (Chief of Staff) *Colonel

Jovan Divjak Jovan Divjak ( sr-cyrl, Јован Дивјак; 11 March 1937 – 8 April 2021) was a Bosnian army general who served as the Deputy Commander of the Bosnian army's main staff until 1994, during the Bosnian War. Early life and education Divjak ...

(Deputy Chief of Staff)

TORBiH units

March 1991 – March 1992

Independent detachments throughout Bosnia all under the control of the TORBiH.

References

{{Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Military units and formations of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina