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ARBiH FIFTH CORPS IN STORM
With their operation Summer-95 the Croatian forces relieved the position of
the ARBiH 5 th Corps. Th e Serbian off ensive in July did not continue over
the fi rst three days in August. Attacks were still mounted, but of a much
lower intensity, and 5 th Corps forces began to mount counterattacks. Th e 5 th Corps also
provided its own contribution on the fi rst day of Storm. Part of its forces was also engaged
towards Croatian territory at Bugar - Rakovica and Glodina - Ivanjska - Dvor na Uni.
Two battalions were committed along the Plitvice - Korenica axis with the objective to
link up as quickly as possible with Croatian forces. 460
At the request of the HV General Staff , on 5 August the HVO General Staff informed
the Joint Staff of the Army of the Federation of Bosnia&Herzegovina that ARBiH and
HV forces would link up at the intersection of the Slunj - Ličko Petrovo Selo and Slunj
- Plitvice roads. 461 One day later, on 6 August in the morning, ARBiH and HV forces
linked up for the fi rst time at Rakovica. On the same day, in the confusion created by
Storm the ARBiH dealt for good with the autonomist ambitions of Fikret Abdić and his
armed forces, and thus remained the only Bosniak political and military option in the
theatre. 462
It is advance towards Dvor na Uni the ARBiH 5 th Corps attacked along the Čokovača -
Visoka Glava - Kotorani axis and point 551 - Hleb. Dvor na Uni was defended by the SVK
3 rd Infantry Brigade. Until 6 August it put up an organized defence, which was disrupted
aft er reports that Petrinja and Kostajnica had been liberated. Until late aft ernoon the
brigade held the Žirovac - Dvor line. On 7 August part of the brigade was engaged in the
460 B. Felić, «Peti korpus 1992-1995» (Th e Fift h Corps 1992-1995), 518-520.
461 HR HB, GS HVO, cl. str. conf. 80-01/95-02/03, reg. no. 02-10-03-95-01 of 5 August 1995. According
to the HVO report on Storm, troops of the ARBiH 5th Corps passed Nebljuse and entered the village of
Kruge, 10 km from Donji Lapac, already on 4 August (Th e Military Operation ‘Storm’ and Its Aft ermath,
Croatian Helsinki Committee, Zagreb 2001, 16). Aft er the linkup between the HV 1st Guards Brigade and
the ARBiH 502nd Mountain Brigade at Rakovica on 5 August, states the CIA analysis, on 6 August the two
formations were directed to press north towards Slunj, liberated by Croatian forces in the aft ernoon hours.
Petrinja, Kostajnica and Glina were liberated on the same day. Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History
of the Yugoslav Confl ict, 1990-1995, 373. Of course, the ARBiH 502nd Brigade did not participate in the
liberation of Slunj.
462 B. Felić, «Peti korpus 1992-1995» (Th e Fift h Corps 1992-1995), 523-525.