1st Guards Brigade (Croatia)
| 1st Guards Brigade | |
|---|---|
1st Guard logo
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| Active | 1990–2008 |
| Country | Croatia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Mechanized Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Karlovac |
| Nickname(s) | "Tigers" |
| Motto(s) | "For Croatia like a tiger!" |
| Engagements |
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
General Josip Lucić Major General Marijan Mareković Brigadier Drago Horvat |
Croatia's First Mechanized Guard Brigade (Croatian: Prva mehanizirana gardijska brigada) - named "The Tigers" - was the most elite and best equipped military brigade of the Croatian Army. Its military base and headquarters was in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, origin of most of the brigade's personnel. In 2008, as part of a larger military restructuring, the brigade-sized unit was disbanded and reformed as a battalion of the Motorized Guard Brigade.
It was initially formed on November 5, 1990, at the military base in Rakitje. It was formed from volunteers and elements of the Croatian Police (which was to form the basis for the new Croatian army). Initially, lack of equipment forced the unit to be a wholly Infantry brigade, but this was soon corrected and the unit became a Motorized Infantry brigade by September 1991, when major military operations in the war begun.
It was the part of the Croatian National Guard, the predecessor of the Croatian Army, and was initially referred to as the 1st "A" Brigade.
When the war begun, the 1st Brigade was directed to eastern Slavonia, an area of Croatia which was under heaviest attack. The battle of Vukovar, pivotal battle of the first phase of the war, was where elements of brigade first saw combat service. As the city was under heavy attack by a large number of tank and mechanized units of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), it was soon surrounded and besieged. Small elements of the 1st Guard Brigade remained inside the city, but the majority of the brigade was outside and continued to hold the front against overwhelming enemy strength. The city would eventually fall, but some of the entrapped defenders managed a breakout.
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