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Pontoon Battalion and the 1 st Sisak Composite River Task Force - were committed to
other missions within the scope of the operation, from air defence of the vital military
facilities and infrastructure in Zagreb and Sisak to engineer support of the operation.
Th ree artillery-rocket groups were formed for artillery support, including the 6 th
Artillery Battalion, the 8 th Howitzer-Artillery Battalion, one battalion of the 16 th Artillery-
Rocket Brigade, some artillery units of the 2 nd Guards Brigade and the 202 nd Air Defence
Artillery-Rocket Brigade. Th ey were to provide artillery support along the axes Sunja -
Kostajnica, Madžari - Blinja, the village of Brkiševina - the village of Viduševac - Glina
and Sisak - Petrinja - Maja - Obljaj.
Two anti-armour detachments were formed from the 5 th Anti-Armour Artillery-
Rocket Brigade and two platoons of the 33 rd Engineer Brigade. Th eir mission was antiarmour
combat at Glinska - Polaja - Nebojan, Župić - Nebojan and Petrinja - Moščenica,
and defence against attacks from Vedro Polje and the village of Novoselci. In the second
phase they were responsible for anti-armour action at Kostajnica - village of Panjani and
the village of Volinja - Kostajnica, and direct engagement of targets on the right bank
of the river Una in order to prevent traffi c between Bosanska Kostajnica and Bosanski
Novi. Two Mi-24 helicopter gunships would provide air support. Th e command post
was in Zagreb, and advance command posts in Sisak and Sunja. Th e commander of the
Zagreb Corps District was Major-General Ivan Basarac. 335
Th e temporarily occupied area of Banovina was defended by the SVK Banija Corps,
headquartered in Glina. It included the 24 th , 26 th and 33 rd Infantry Brigades, the 31 st
Motorized Brigade, the Caprag and Obljaj detachments and the 87 th rear base. Th e Corps
commander was Major-General Slobodan Tarbuk. 336
Th e mission of the Banija Corps was to stop the HV breakthrough to Glinska Poljana
- Glina, to the village of Farkašić - Petrinja - Dvor and from Sunja to Kostajnica, break
the attack and create conditions for off ensive actions. Following that, aft er regrouping
the Corps would counterattack, crush the HV forces and set up defensive positions along
the rivers Kupa and Sava. Th e artillery group of the SVK General Staff , the 105 th Air
Brigade and the Air Force of Republika Srpska were earmarked for support. 337
118
Execution of the Operation
Th e HV 20 th Home Guard Regiment set off towards Glina as planned on 4 August. Aft er
the successful forced crossing of the river Kupa at the village of Brkiševina, it pushed
on to Stražišće and Gornje Jame. Th e assault ground to a halt because of stiff Serbian
resistance and heavy casualties; many members of the regiment were killed or wounded.
Th e regiment retreated to the village of Slana and held on to the bridgehead at the village of
335 MORH, GSHV: ZZP Zagreb, cl. 8/95-0174, reg. no. 1075-12/95-171 of 1 August 1995; Attack order.
336 HDA, RSK: APO 9136 Glina, conf. no. 31-247 of 15 November 1994; Manning as per wartime complement.
M. Sekulić, “Knin je pao u Beogradu” (Knin Fell in Belgrade).
337 VSA, MORH: Directive for the commitment of the Serbian Army of the Krajina, Op. no. 1, “GVOZD”.
February 1995. M. Sekulić, “Knin je pao u Beogradu” (Knin Fell in Belgrade), 239.