1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia

Part of the Croatian War of Independence

Clockwise from the top left: bombardment damage on Stradun, Dubrovnik, a Serbian Volunteer Guard patrol near Erdut, ruins in Vukovar, JNA officer inspecting documents near Dubrovnik, a destroyed T-34 tank near Karlovac

Date	20 September 1991 – 3 January 1992
Location	Croatia
Result	Stalemate

Belligerents

Yugoslav People's Army, Navy and Air Force

Republic of Serbia Territorial Defence Force

Republic of Montenegro Territorial Defence Force

Croatian Serb insurgents:
• SAO Krajina
• SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia
• SAO Western Slavonia

Serbian paramilitaries:
• Serbian Guard
• Serb Volunteer Guard
• White Eagles

Croatian National Guard (until November 1991)

Croatian Army (from November 1991)

Croatian Police

Croatian Defence Forces

Commanders and leaders

Strength

September 1991
145,000 troops
1,100 tanks
700 APCs
1,980 artillery pieces

September 1991
58,000 troops
January 1992
155,772 troops
216 tanks
127 APCs
1,108 artillery pieces

Casualties and losses

1,279 killed

3,761 killed

Civilian casualties: See the Aftermath section

The 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia was a series of engagements between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), the Yugoslav Navy and the Yugoslav Air Force, and the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) then the Croatian Army (HV) during the Croatian War of Independence. The JNA was originally deployed in order to preserve Yugoslavia, and the initial plan of the campaign entailed the military occupation of Croatia and the removal of the Croatian leadership elected in 1990. The JNA intervention was the culmination of its involvement in the confiscation of weapons from Croatia's Territorial Defence, and in the Croatian Serb revolt that had begun in August 1990. From that time, the JNA had been frequently deployed to form a buffer zone between the insurgents and the ZNG or the Croatian police. In effect, these JNA buffer zones often secured the territorial gains of the insurgents and led to an increasingly hostile relationship between the JNA and Croatia. The JNA campaign plan was amended shortly before the campaign to include the relief of JNA barracks besieged by the ZNG. The besieging and subsequent capture of several JNA facilities allowed Croatia to arm its previously poorly equipped military and to equip new recruits.

The campaign effectively started on 20 September 1991, even though relatively minor offensive actions had already been undertaken. By the end of the month, it suffered from serious delays and manpower shortages caused by low call-up turnout in Serbia. In early October, the original campaign objectives were reduced as Serbian president Slobodan Milošević and his allies gained greater control of the JNA. Subsequently, the campaign objectives were redefined to deny the Croatian Government access to parts of Croatia that contained substantial Serb populations and to protect Croatian Serbs. The campaign culminated in late November and early December with the Battle of Vukovar and the Siege of Dubrovnik. A limited Croatian counterattack and the development of the HV led to a stalemate on the battlefield.

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Wikipedia