So, in 1991, at the time of the final collapse of Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav People's Army was rightfully considered the 4th army in Europe in terms of numbers (180,000 people) and was one of the most powerful European armies. Its tank fleet consisted of about 2000 vehicles: 1000 modern Soviet tanks T-54 and T-55, 93 T-72, about 450 newest Yugoslavian M-84 and a number of obsolete American M-47s, which were removed from service. M-4 "Sherman" (about 300) and T-34-85 (about 350) were transferred to the reserve and sent to warehouses.
The JNA also had 400 M-80 BMPs, 500 M-80A BMPs and 300 M-60R tracked armored personnel carriers of Yugoslav production. 200 Soviet BTR-152 (40), BTR-50 (120) and BTR-60 (80), with the last two in the KShM version, and 100 American half-track M-3A1. Romanian wheeled armored personnel carriers TAV-71M (variant of BTR-60PB) were handed over to the police. For reconnaissance, 100 PT-76, 50 BRDM-2 and 40 obsolete Soviet BTR-40 and American M-8 armored vehicles were used. The JNA military police began to receive modern wheeled BOV-VP armored personnel carriers of Yugoslav production.
It would seem that such an army is ready to repel all external and internal threats, but further events showed otherwise …
"Ten Day War" in Slovenia
On June 25, 1991, the Slovenian leadership announced that it had taken control of the airspace and borders of the republic and ordered the local military units to prepare to seize the barracks of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA).
A small historical digression: after the entry of the Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Yugoslav leadership decided that Yugoslavia would be next in line, and in 1969 adopted its own doctrine of total war, called the doctrine of total national defense. The doctrine was based on the experience of fighting the Yugoslav partisans during the Second World War. For this purpose, units of the Territorial Defense (TO) were created, which were an integral part of the Armed Forces. Each of the Yugoslav Union republics had its own paramilitary TO units, while the federation as a whole contained the Yugoslav People's Army, which had its own reserve. TO focused on small units of light infantry defending in areas well known to them. The main unit was the company. More than 2,000 factories, municipalities and organizations exhibited similar units. They had to act at their place of residence. At the regional level, battalions and regiments were also formed, which had artillery, air defense, and a certain number of armored vehicles.
Thus, the Slovenes had their own armed forces, numbering 15 707 people, armed with light small arms, anti-tank weapons and MANPADS.
Soldiers of the Slovenian TO with a 20-mm anti-aircraft gun M-55 of Yugoslav production
Already in September 1990, Slovenia did not send recruits to the JNA and did not transfer the army tax, which amounted to 300 million dinars, to the union budget. These funds were used to purchase weapons in Hungary, Germany and Poland for the maintenance forces, primarily anti-tank weapons, for example, the German RPG "Armbrust" and the Soviet RPG-7 were purchased.
Soldiers of the Slovenian TO are preparing to leave to organize an ambush on the JNA convoy
At the same time, the federal government continued to train and arm the Slovenian TO forces. Slovenian Defense Minister Janez Jansa wrote about this:
“Everything happened fantastic!… The JNA itself trained our territorial defense forces. Every year the best instructors were sent from Belgrade. They knew exactly what we were capable of. To fall into a trap, which they not only knew about, but also contributed to its installation, is the height of arrogance and irresponsibility."
On June 25, on the day of the declaration of independence, Slovenian Defense Minister Janez Jansa and Interior Minister Bovcar issued an order to mobilize TO forces and police officers. In theory, this is 70,000 people. However, in reality, the Slovenes managed to field 30,000 fighters and police officers. They were distributed throughout the territory of Slovenia, either around vital objects, or in areas determined in advance by the defense plan.
On the same day, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia Ante Markovic instructed the JNA command to take control of the situation in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.
Amphibious tanks PT-76 and BRDM-2 JNA are advancing to the airport of Ljubljana Brnik
The JNA units that launched the offensive met with fierce resistance from the Slovenian territorial detachments. On the border with Austria, on the route of the JNA units, the routes were blocked and barricades were erected.
18-20-year-old soldiers of the federal army, who were told that they would "defend their homeland from the invasion of NATO forces," but at the same time they were not even given ammunition (they were not prepared for serious resistance), confronted the reservists who had been specially trained to fight for many months for independence. The mass desertion of soldiers and officers of the JNA of Slovenes and Croats by nationality began. In Croatia, barricades began to be erected on the route of the military columns in order to prevent them from entering the territory of Slovenia. A pacifist campaign unfolded against the JNA, in which the movement of "soldiers' mothers" also played a significant role, demanding the return of conscripts to "their" republics.
JNA soldiers in Slovenia
The first clashes between the Slovenes and the JNA took place in the afternoon of June 26. This and the next day can be considered the last frontier, stepping beyond which, Yugoslavia stepped into the abyss of civil war. The main task of the JNA was to close the border of Slovenia with Italy and Austria, for this purpose a column of 1990 military personnel, 400 militiamen and 270 customs officers moved forward. However, the column ran into ambushes and barricades organized by mobile infantry detachments of the Slovenian TO, in addition, the local population was also involved in actions against the JNA - residents of villages and towns crowded roads or erected barricades.
Soldiers of the Slovenian TO with an 82-mm Yugoslav-made recoilless gun M-60A1 in an anti-tank ambush
Several units of the JNA were blocked on the roads. The 65th Border Battalion was captured and surrendered. Two companies (tank and mechanized) of the tank brigade that came to his aid were stopped not only by the fire of anti-tank weapons of the Slovenes, but also by minefields, and the ZSU BOV-3 battalion that was on the march was ambushed, having lost 12 people killed and 15 wounded.
A fighter of the Slovenian TO at the destroyed tank M-84 JNA
The killed soldiers of the JNA near the ZSU BOV-3 knocked out by the Slovenes
During the fighting, the Slovenes managed to seize several tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from federal troops.
A fighter of the Slovenian TO at the captured M-84 JNA
However, the JNA command itself did not have a plan for further action. Mechanized columns wandered aimlessly along the mountain roads of Slovenia, burning fuel, exposed to shelling, getting into numerous ambushes and suffering casualties. The special forces were used little. Mehpatrolls were ordered to "use weapons only as a last resort" and this "case" often ended in losses of the JNA. The mechgroups (near the company), called up to the places of attacks by the Slovenes, did not have enough infantry, or even did not have it at all. JNA aviation once bombed its own troops, which lost three killed, thirteen wounded, one M-84 tank and two M-60 armored personnel carriers were destroyed, three more M-84 and four M-60 were damaged.
Column of the JNA in Slovenia
On July 4, active hostilities ceased. And on July 7, 1991, through the mediation of the EEC, the Brioni Accords were signed, according to which the JNA pledged to end hostilities in Slovenia, and Slovenia and Croatia suspended the entry into force of their declarations of independence for three months. In December 1991, the last JNA soldier left Slovenia.
During the fighting, the losses of the Yugoslav Army (JNA) amounted to 45 people killed, 146 wounded, while 4693 military personnel and 252 employees of federal services were taken prisoner. 31 tanks were disabled (this included both burned and damaged ones), 22 transport armored vehicles, 172 vehicles and 6 helicopters. The losses of the Slovenian self-defense forces amounted to 19 killed (9 TO soldiers, the rest were civilians) and 182 wounded. Also killed 12 foreign citizens, mostly drivers in the service of international transport companies. The Slovenes managed to capture as trophies the equipment of two tank battalions and one artillery battalion 2S1 "Gvozdika" of the JNA tank brigade. They also got a training engineering regiment, some units of the air defense regiment, a border battalion, equipment and weapons of some other units. Only armored vehicles Slovenes managed to capture over 100 units (60 M-84, 90 T-55 and at least 40 T-34-85, BMP M-80, BTR M-60).
Soldiers of the Slovenian TO at the captured T-55 JNA tank
War in Croatia (1991-1995)
By the time Croatia declared independence on June 25, 1991, a war was already going on in the country, between the Serbs, who made up 12% of the population of Croatia, and the Croatian Interior Ministry forces. Croatian Serbs, who remembered very well the Ustasha genocide during the Second World War, supported by volunteers from Serbia, began the so-called. "log revolution" - to create road barricades of rounded logs and large stones in order to prevent the Croatian police forces.
In these clashes, Croatian militiamen used small arms and used 17 BOV-M armored vehicles in service.
Wheeled armored vehicle BOV-M Croatian police, spring 1991
At the same time, the JNA units remained neutral, trying to "separate" the opposing sides.
BOV-VP armored personnel carrier of the military police JNA, Croatia, 1991
After the coming to power of President Franjo Tudjman, a former general of the JNA, who was imprisoned for nationalism even under Tito, the Croats finally took a course of secession from Yugoslavia and the creation of their own armed forces, which were based on the units of the TO and the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the purchase of weapons. On April 11, 1991, the Croatian National Guard was formed in Croatia, on the basis of which the Croatian armed forces were later formed. In turn, the Serbs also began to create their own armed units.
With the beginning of the war in Slovenia, the Croats began to blockade the JNA barracks, the command of which gave the order to take the situation under control. In this, its units were actively assisted by local Serbs, and within a month after Croatia's declaration of independence, about 30% of the country's territory was under the control of the JNA and their armed formations.
Tanks M-84 JNA, Croatia, 1991
The Croats, knowing full well that the main striking force of the JNA are tank units, tried to "knock out this trump card" by organizing anti-tank ambushes.
Croatian grenade launchers in ambush
The JNA tankers called the war in Croatia "corn" because of the continuous corn plantings, which were widely used by the Croats to fight tanks. In addition to ATGMs and grenade launchers, Croats, large-caliber sniper rifles were widely used to combat tanks, especially with the M-84, primarily to penetrate the armor protection of the IR sight installed on the M-84 tank.
Croatian fighters at the destroyed tank M-84 JNA
Back in the spring of 1991, i.e. before the start of large-scale hostilities, a group of Croatian separatists occupied a tank factory in the town of Slavonski Brod and captured there a few only assembled M-84 tanks, guarded by a dozen JNA soldiers. Then, in order to seize heavy weapons, Croatian formations began the so-called."war of the barracks" - the seizure of weapons and military equipment of the JNA units stationed in Croatia. In the course of it, the Croats managed to capture: 40 152-mm howitzers, 37 122-mm howitzers, 42 105-mm howitzers, 40 155-mm howitzers, 12 MLRS of various types, about 300 82-mm and 120-caliber mortars. mm, 180 ZIS-3 and B-1 guns, 110 anti-tank guns of 100-mm caliber, 36 self-propelled guns of various types, 174 anti-tank systems, more than 2000 grenade launchers, 190 tanks, 179 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, 180 anti-aircraft guns of 20-mm caliber, 24 ZSU M-53/59 "Prague", 10 ZSU-57-2, 20 anti-aircraft guns, about 200,000 small arms, 18,600 tons of ammunition, 1,630 tons of fuel, i.e. practically all the armament of the 32nd corps of the JNA.
A column of JNA armored vehicles captured by the Croats: in front of the M-80A BMP, then the M-84 and T-55 tanks
The Croats were actively restoring the damaged JNA equipment, so they were able to capture and restore about fifty M-84 tanks.
The M-84 tank captured by the Croats
The captured equipment allowed the Croats already in October 1991 to create their first battalion of tanks on the T-55, as well as replenish their army with the heavy equipment it needed so much.
Croatian tanks T-55
However, their use was not crowned with success: a company of Croatian T-55s "head-on" attacked the Yugoslavian M-84s buried in the ground. 2 Croatian T-55s were destroyed, 3 were damaged.
Destroyed Croatian T-55
In addition, Gazel helicopters using the 9M32 Malyutka ATGM were also involved in the destruction of Croatian armored vehicles.
Launch of ATGM 9M32 "Baby" from the Yugoslavian helicopter "Gazelle"
The Croats managed to capture a lot of obsolete military equipment in the warehouses of the JNA, and then restore and throw into battle. However, the Croatian M47 tanks captured at the JNA warehouses did not perform well in battles against the Serbian T-55s.
Destroyed Croatian tank M-47
More successfully used by the Croats T-34-85. For example, during a battle with Serbian troops near Dubrovnik, a tank with the inscription "MALO BIJELO" withstood two hits from the Malyutka ATGM, which did not prevent the crew of this "thirty-four" from destroying two armored vehicles, one truck and one T-55. The Croats tried to compensate for the weakness of the side armor of the old tanks by hanging sandbags on the sides of the turret and hull.
Croatian T-34-85 "MALO BIJELO"
By the end of 1991, of the captured equipment, the Croats had lost 55 guns and cannons, 45 tanks and 22 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles in battles.
The main battle of the war in Croatia was the battle of Vukovar. On August 20, units of the Croatian National Guard undertook an assault on units of the JNA garrison in Vukovar, hoping to seize its arsenals. On September 3, the JNA began an operation to unblock the surrounded Yugoslav formations, which resulted in an assault on the city. The operation was carried out by units of the Yugoslav People's Army with 250 armored vehicles, with the support of Serbian paramilitary volunteer formations (for example, the Serbian Volunteer Guard under the command of Zeljko Razhnatovic "Arkana") and lasted from September 3 to November 18, 1991, including about a month, from the middle October to mid-November, the city was completely surrounded. The city was defended by units of the Croatian National Guard and 1500 Croatian volunteers. Despite the multiple advantage of the attackers in manpower and equipment, the defenders of Vukovar successfully resisted for almost three months.
Tank M-84 JNA tows the destroyed tank M-84
Vukovar became the "grave" of the armored units of the JNA, which, deprived of the support of the infantry, entered the city in columns, where they were destroyed by the Croats.
Broken armored column of the JNA in Vukovar
The city fell on November 18, 1991, and was almost completely destroyed as a result of street fighting, bombing and rocket attacks. In the battles for Vukovar, 1.103 soldiers of the JNA, TO and various volunteer formations were killed. 2,500 were injured. Lost 110 units of armored vehicles and 3 aircraft. The Croats lost 921 killed and 770 wounded. Also, many residents of the city died.
Column of tanks M-84 JNA in Vukovar
With the fall of Vukovar, a direct road to the Croatian capital Zagreb opened in front of the JNA tanks, but then European diplomats intervened in the matter. Under the most powerful political pressure from the West (by that time the USSR had collapsed, and the new Russian rulers had no time for Balkan problems), Belgrade had to stop its troops and go to an armistice. In January 1992, another ceasefire agreement (15th in a row) was concluded between the warring parties, which ended the main hostilities.
On January 15, 1992 Croatia was officially recognized by the European Community. In early 1992, the JNA began to withdraw its troops from the territory of Croatia, but the territories occupied by it remained under the control of the Serbian forces, since many of the JNA units in these areas were manned by local Serbs and then reorganized into units of the armed forces of the Serbian Krajina, which were armed with 303 tanks, in including 31 M-84, 2 T-72, the rest T-55, T-34-85 and floating PT-76.
Tank M-84 of the armed forces of Serbian Krajina
In total, Serbian forces controlled 13,913 km² in Krajina and Slavonia.
This situation did not suit the Croats at all, in addition, the war had already begun in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in which both the Croatian army and the armed forces of the Serbian Krajina actively participated. Therefore, hostilities continued throughout 1992, but on a smaller scale and with interruptions.
Croatian T-55
In several operations, the Croatian army succeeded in driving Serb forces out of several disputed areas. Separate combat operations of the Croatian forces continued in 1993.
Destroyed Croatian T-55
The Croats, however, did not waste time and were actively involved in the training and equipment of their army, purchasing, despite the embargo, weapons and military equipment all over the world. Germany actively helped them in this, generously providing both the arsenals of the former NNA of the GDR, and funds for the purchase of weapons.
In addition, the Croats, relying on a developed industry, themselves set up the production of weapons and military equipment, including armored vehicles. So, on the basis of the TAM-110 army truck, they created the LOV wheeled armored car. The body of the armored car is welded from steel armor plates, resistant to the hit of armor-piercing bullets of caliber 7, 62 mm. An air-cooled diesel engine was installed in the front lower part of the hull between the commander and driver's seats. The gearbox is manual. Above the roof of the hull rises a small wheelhouse, in which there are bulletproof glass, in the roof of the wheelhouse there is a hatch opening forward. In the roof of the hull, above the commander's seat, there is a rectangular hatch that opens backwards; a rotating periscope observation device is installed in front of the hatch. In the sides, next to the commander and driver's seats, there are doors opening forward. The suspension of the wheels is spring type, all wheels are equipped with hydraulic shock absorbers, there is a system for centralized regulation of air pressure in pneumatics. The front wheels are steered, the hydraulic booster is included in the control circuit.
The car had the following modifications:
- LOV-OP, an armored personnel carrier designed to carry 10 soldiers in full gear, excluding the commander and driver;
- LOV-UP1 / 2, artillery fire control vehicle;
- LOV-IZV, an armored reconnaissance vehicle, equipped with more advanced radio communication equipment;
- LOV-Z, command and staff vehicle with a crew of six;
- LOV-ABK, vehicle for reconnaissance and marking of terrain affected by weapons of mass destruction;
- LOV-RAK, MLRS based on the LOV armored car. The rear of the hull has been cut off, and a rotating 24-barreled launcher of 128-mm unguided rockets is installed on the resulting platform. For self-defense, a 12.7 mm machine gun is installed on the roof of the hull.
- LOV-ED, an electronic warfare vehicle, externally differs from the armored personnel carrier by additional antennas.
In total, in 1992-1995. 72 LOV armored vehicles of all modifications were produced.
The Croats also installed 9 launchers of the Soviet 9K35 Strela-10 air defense system, received from Germany, on the chassis of the Yugoslav army truck TAM-150, which received a homemade armored hull made of armored steel. This "product" was named Arrow 10 CROA1.
1994 was marked by a relative calm, with the main hostilities going on in Bosnia. At the end of 1994, with the mediation of the UN, negotiations even began between the leadership of the RSK and the Croatian government. The conflict flared up again in May 1995 after Krajina lost support from Belgrade, largely due to pressure from the international community. On May 1, during Operation Lightning, the entire territory of Western Slavonia came under Croatian control. Most of the Serb population was forced to flee these territories. However, the Croats failed to capture Eastern Slavonia, since the Yugoslav army began to move troops and tanks to the Croatian border in order to prevent its capture.
Croatian T-55 with a landing during Operation Lightning
On August 4, the Croatian army, together with the army of Bosnian Muslims, launched Operation Tempest, the purpose of which was to restore control over almost all territories controlled by the Krajina Serbs. In this largest ground operation in Europe since World War II, the Croatian army has deployed more than 100,000 troops. The total number of the Croatian army after mobilization before the Tempest was 248,000 soldiers and officers. There were about 45,000 people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. At that time, Croatia was armed with 393 armored vehicles, including 232 tanks, as well as 320 artillery pieces. In aviation, there were 40 aircraft (26 combat) and 22 helicopters (10 combat). the Croats were opposed by 27,000 Serb soldiers and officers. In service were 303 tanks, 295 other armored vehicles, 360 caliber artillery pieces, several combat aircraft and helicopters. During the armistice in the spring of 1995, 14,900 people were under arms. According to the mobilization plan, the size of the army on all fronts was to grow to 62,500 people.
The offensive was completed on August 9 and fully achieved its objectives. The army of the Serbian Krajina was partially defeated and partially retreated into the territories controlled by the Bosnian Serbs and Yugoslavia. Many Serbian civilians fled with her. Milosevic did not come to the rescue …
Croatian tank M-84 in the capital of Serbian Krajina, the city of Knin
On this occasion, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman stated the following:
“We have resolved the Serbian issue, there will be no more than 12% of Serbs or 9% of Yugoslavs, as it was. And 3%, how many there will be, will no longer threaten the Croatian state."
On November 12, 1995, a peace agreement was signed between the representative of Croatia and representatives of the RSK and Yugoslavia, who received detailed instructions from Slobodan Milosevic. The agreement provided for the integration of the remaining Serb-controlled territories of Eastern Slavonia into Croatia, along with Vukovar, which caused so much blood to be shed, over the next two years. On January 15, 1998, these territories were incorporated into Croatia. Milosevic was still flirting with the West at that time, not knowing that Serbia and himself would be next in line …
