The Operation Autumn '94 (in Bosnian: ''Operacija Jesen '94''), also called the Second Mitrovdan offensive (in Serbian Latin: ''Druga mitrovdanska ofanziva''; in

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: ''Друга митровданска офанзива'') was an operation carried out by the

ARBiH The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; 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 the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina i ...

against the VRS during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, with the goal of taking control over Podvelež and Velež, south-east of

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

Background

Throughout 1994, Bosniak forces in

Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...

directed their attacks on the Herzegovina Corps of the

Army of Republika Srpska The Army of Republika Srpska (; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed Serb secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Bosnia and Herz ...

during the

Siege of Mostar The siege of Mostar was fought during the Bosnian War first in 1992 and then again later in 1993 to 1994. Initially lasting between April 1992 and June 1992, it involved the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) and the Army of the Republic of Bosnia a ...

. Since the Bosniak army lacked

armored vehicles Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighti ...

and large-calibre weapons but was far more numerous in infantry, the

developed the doctrine of inserting large sabotage groups into the rear of the VRS. After the October unsuccessful attacks on

Konjic Konjic ( sr-Cyrl, Коњиц) is a List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, city located in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in no ...

, which was defended by the 2nd Herzegovina Brigade of the VRS, the ARBiH shifted its focus to the

–

Nevesinje Nevesinje ( sr-cyrl, Невесиње) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,162 inhabitants, while the municipality has 12,961 inhabitants. Geography The municipality o ...

direction, launching the operation codenamed ''Autumn '94''. However, the operation was planned poorly and the VRS already knew about it, so they inserted some defences.

Operation Autumn '94

The

began preparing the attack by inserting 1,000 saboteurs, part of the

Black Swans The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent on climat ...

unit, behind the lines of the VRS 8th Motorized Brigade on November 9. Part of the saboteurs were already found by a group of about 20 fighters in the area of Bruska on that same evening. During the following clashes, 113 fighters of the second battalion of the 41st Mostar Brigade of the ARBiH were encircled, and then captured after the commander of the 8th Motorized Brigade Zoran Purkovic ordered a circular defense and increased vigilance. The following night, more saboteurs continued to insert, but they were met with fierce fire by the Serbian fighters. The battle broke out on November 11, when the ARBiH launched a frontal attack, but the VRS fighters defended all positions, especially in the village of Banjdol. By the end of the day, the ARBiH began to retreat, while minor skirmishes with broken Bosniak groups continued in the following days, that were all repelled.

References

Books

* * * {{coord missing, Bosnia and Herzegovina Conflicts in 1994 Battles of the Bosnian War Military operations of the Bosnian War November 1994 in Europe 1994 in Bosnia and Herzegovina