storm - Hrvatski memorijalno-dokumentacijski centar Domovinskog ...

Th e front was elongated and of small depth - less than 20 km from the village of Čanak
to the border with Bosnia&Herzegovina on Mount Plješivica. An additional problem
for the Lika Corps were the forces of the Army of BiH in the “Bihać pocket” because of
which it also committed part of its forces in that area. It is no surprise, therefore, that the
Gospić Corps District was among the fi rst to complete the operation and advance to the
state border.
Th e Serbian line of defence was breached already on the fi rst day of the operation by
attacks from eight directions. In this way the Gospić Corps District tried and succeeded in
compensating for the surprise factor on which it could not count. 266 Th e SVK defence line
on the Velebit range was also penetrated on the same day. Th e Serbian forces responded
on 4 August by an air raid on Gospić in which civilians were killed and wounded, with
extensive material damage. 267 Th at was the major Serbian action in the theatre. 268 In
the night of 4 August the Serbs were also aff ected by the syndrome of line “reduction”,
due among other things, according to post-war reports, to the decisions of the Chief of
the SVK General Staff . 269 Aft er the penetration of the Serbian defence line the Serbian
system was destabilized and reduced to unconnected resistance by individual groups
“which slowed down the rate of HV advance”. 270 Th ere was no signifi cant opposition and
already on 6 August the Gospić Corps District started to control the state border. An
extremely important contribution was provided by the MUP RH Special Police, a group
that accomplished its share of the mission in Storm with least problems and objections.
Operation Storm-3 liberated the entire zone of responsibility of the Gospić Corps
District. Its casualties totalled 68 killed and 298 wounded. Seven offi cers were killed,
among them the commander of the 118 th Home Guard Regiment and the commander of
one battalion of the 111 th Brigade. Th e heaviest losses were sustained while penetrating
the fi rst line mine fi elds. Th ree armoured vehicles were destroyed, and 17 tanks and
armoured vehicles damaged. 271 Th e Special Police had three men killed and about 60
wounded. 272 According to Serbian sources, by 8 August the casualties of the Lika Corps
totalled 65 killed, 300 wounded and 110-120 missing. 273
266 MORH, GSHV: ZZP Gospić, cl. 80-02/95-01/06, reg. no. 1043-04-95-43 of 30 August 1995; Analysis of
off ensive operation Storm 95.
267 As reported by the Vjesnik daily (Zagreb), 3 persons were killed and 15 severely wounded in the Serbian
air raid on Gospić.
268 MORH, GSHV: ZZP Gospić, cl. 80-02/95-01/02, reg. no. 1043-04-95-434 of 4 August 1995; Daily re-
port.
269 M. Sekulić, “Knin je pao u Beogradu” (Knin Fell in Belgrade), 202-203.
270 MORH, GSHV: ZZP Gospić, 80-02/95-01/06, reg. no. 1043-04-95-03 of 5 August 1995; Regular daily
report.
271 MORH, GSHV: ZZP Gospić, cl. 80-02/95-01/06, reg. no. 1043-04-95-46 of 30 August 1995; Analysis of
off ensive operation Storm 95.
272 HMDCDR: Ž. Sačić, “Specijalna policija u Oluji” (Special Police in Storm).
273 M. Sekulić, “Knin je pao u Beogradu” (Knin Fell in Belgrade), 204.
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