storm - Hrvatski memorijalno-dokumentacijski centar Domovinskog ...

Lieutenant General Krešimir Ćosić
HOW WE CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE WAR
Operation WINTER ‘94
(memoir notes on the fi rst Bihać crisis - memories of a participant)
The historical events linked with the so-called First Bihać Crisis and its connection
with Operation Winter ’94 of the Croatian Army are almost totally unknown to the
Croatian public. However, it can be claimed without any exaggeration that it was
precisely the Croatian Army and its operation that indirectly prevented the fall of Bihać
and a tragedy of the civil population comparable to the Srebrenica tragedy already in the
winter of 1994, and the probable end of the war in neighbouring Bosnia&Herzegovina,
in which the war criminals Karadžić and Mladić could have become victors. Memories,
facts and original documents bear witness to the fact that the Croatian Army, as far
back as late 1994, while defending Croatia successfully defended Bosnia&Herzegovina
in cooperation with the Fift h Corps of the BiH Army. Th e Serbs knew that the conquest
of Bihać would leave Croatia and Bosnia&Herzegovina in an almost hopeless military
and political situation. At the time they did everything they could in order to achieve
that goal. At the time many people in the international community thought that the fall
of Bihać was only a matter of days. However, Operation Winter ’94 reversed the course
of the war both in Croatia and in Bosnia&Herzegovina. Th e Croatian Army was not
impressed or confused by the deceits and threats about the might of the Serbian army
palmed off by Karadžić, Mladić and Martić, with which they had too long deluded the
international community, in particular the Contact Group led by Lord Owen. Operation
Winter ’94 waged by the Croatian Army opened up the way, through Crni Lug, to Grahovo
and Knin, and Bihać was saved. Th e events that followed in the summer of 1995
were almost identical to those in late 1994, because the Second Bihać Crisis in the summer
of 1995 was also linked with Croatian operations Summer 95 and Storm.
THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF BIHAĆ IN NOVEMBER 1994
FOR THE OUTCOME OF THE WAR IN THE
REPUBLIC OF CROATIA AND BOSNIA&HERZEGOVINA
In late 1994 the war crisis in Bosnia&Herzegovina reached its climax. Th e organized
and coordinated siege of Bihać by Serbian forces from Bosnia&Herzegovina and the
temporarily occupied parts of Croatia, with the logistic support of the Yugoslav Army,
was focused on the fi nal conquest of Bihać, followed by the establishment of total control
over almost the entire territory of Bosnia&Herzegovina. Th e Serbian attacks on Bihać - a
UN safe area - reached their peak on 29 November 1994. Th e fall of the town seemed to
be imminent; it had been totally surrounded for months, with many people killed and
wounded, weary and exhausted defenders and citizens. Th e eff orts of the international
community were largely limited to providing emergency relief for refugees and humani-
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