storm - Hrvatski memorijalno-dokumentacijski centar Domovinskog ...

THE AIR FORCE IN STORM
The basic mission of the Croatian Air Force (HRZ) in the off ensive operation was air
defence, focused particularly on the Zagreb -Karlovac - Sisak - Kutina area, air support
of ground forces of the committed corps districts, reconnaissance, and airlift ing of
troops and wounded HV members. 446 Th e entire Air Force was engaged in the operation: 17
combat aircraft , 5 combat helicopters, 9 transport helicopters, 3 transport aircraft , one An-2
aircraft and one Mi-24 helicopter for electronic-thermovision action. Th e forces were deployed
at the air bases of Pleso, Pula, Divulje and Lučko, and the helidromes in Sinj and Požega. Th e
situation in the air space was monitored by ZMIN (Air Surveillance and Guidance System)
units, particularly in the sectors Kutina - Okučani - Banja Luka; Zagreb - Kupčina - Vrginmost
- Udbina; Valtura - Crna Punta - Udbina; and Zemunik - Bruška - Otočac - Udbina. 447
Execution
Th e fi rst HRZ combat mission was the air strike against fortifi ed Serbian objectives, to be
carried out at exactly 0600 hours on 4 August. 448 On the fi rst day of the operation the HRZ,
according to its own assessment, knocked out the Ćelavac radio-relay node and damaged the
Magačevac radio-relay node, destroyed the command post of the 18 th Infantry Brigade of the
SVK Lika Corps at Bunić, destroyed the command post at Banski Grabovac and neutralized
the Serbian positions at point 160 near Petrinja and point 206 near the confl uence of the
rivers Glina and Kupa. Th irteen MIG-21s were committed in the strikes. Four MIG-21s were
committed to the air defence of the Ivanić Grad - Kutina zone and Sinj. Th ree Mi-8 helicopters
transported 5 severely and 15 lightly wounded troops. Four MIG-21s were damaged in action,
three of them lightly. 449
On 5 August, the second day of the operation, the HRZ knocked out the communications
centre on the Zrinska Gora mountain, neutralized Serbian positions on the hill Generalovo
Brdo near Petrinja, attacked hostile positions and armour at Turanj, destroyed several tanks
and motor vehicles west of Knin on the road near Biovičino Selo, put out of action part of
the equipment in the Udbina Air Base, destroyed a larger number of motor vehicles on the
446 MORH, GSHV: HRZ and PZO command, cl. 813-07/95-01/04, reg. no. 3044-14-95-192 of 26 September
1995; Report.
447 MORH, GSHV: HRZ and PZO command, cl. 813-07/95-01/04, reg. no. 3044-14-95-192 of 17 August
1995; Analysis.
448 GSHV, cl.08-01/95-02/08, reg. no. 512-06-05/01-95-365 of 3 August 1995; Order.
449 MORH, GSHV: HRZ and PZO command, cl. 8/95-01/09, reg. no. 3044-14-95-54 of 4 August 1995; Analysis.
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