Yugoslav Ground Forces

Ground Forces
Emblem of the Yugoslav People's Army Ground Forces
Active	1945–1992
Country	Yugoslavia
Size	about 600,000 personnel (ca. 2.000.000 reserve)
Part of	Yugoslav People's Army
H/Q	Belgrade
Anniversaries	22 December
Engagements	Ten Day War Croatian War of Independence Bosnian War
Disbanded	Breakup of Yugoslavia (1992)
Commanders
Last commander	Colonel General Života Panić

The Yugoslav Ground Forces (Serbo-Croatian: Kopnena Vojska – KoV, Cyrillic script: Копнена Војска – КоВ) was the ground forces branch of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) from 1 March 1945 until 20 May 1992 when it became the Ground Forces of Serbia and Montenegro (then called Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) under the threat of sanctions.

The origins of JNA can be found in the Yugoslav Partisan units of World War II. As a part of the antifascist People's Liberation War of Yugoslavia, the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (NOVJ), a predecessor of JNA, was formed on 22 December 1941 in the town of Rudo in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the establishment of the 1st Proletarian Brigade. After the liberation of the country from the Axis Powers occupation, that date was officially celebrated as the Day of the Army in the SFR Yugoslavia.

In March 1945, the NOVJ was renamed the Yugoslav Army (Jugoslovenska Armija) and finally on its 10th anniversary on 22 December 1951, received the adjective People's (i.e. Narodna).

In September 1968, the Territorial Defense (TO) was formed to support the JNA and on 21 February 1974 TO units were subordinated to their provinces or republics. Thus the JNA and TO became equal parts of the Yugoslav Armed Forces (Oružane Snage SFRJ).

IAW the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution the Land Forces were divided into six armies allocated to the five republics: