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96
THE GOSPIĆ CORPS DISTRICT
The mission of the Gospić Corps District (ZP Gospić) in Operation Storm was to
crack and split the forces of the Lika Corps in the greater area of the Plitvice Lakes
with the support of the Croatian Air Force, and link up, along the Korenička
Kapela - Tržačka Raštela axis, with the ARBiH 5 th Corps. For this purpose the ZP was
reinforced with the HV General Staff units: the 1 st Guards Brigade, a company of the
50 th ABKO Battalion and the HV 150 th Brigade from Zagreb. 220 Th e envisioned special
MUP units from the Rijeka-Senj and Istrian Police Departments were not subordinated
to the ZP Gospić Command. It only coordinated with the Lika-Senj Police Department
the engagement of civil protection teams responsible for looking aft er livestock in the
liberated areas. 221
According to the plan of the ZP Command, in the fi rst stage of the operation the 138 th
and 133 rd Home Guard Regiments were to push on the Glibodol - Saborsko - Drežnik
Grad line, gain control of the Saborsko area and the Pavlovac hill, facilitating thereby the
commitment of the 1th Guards Brigade along the Saborsko - Selište Drežničko - Drežnik
Grad - Sadilovac axis. Th e 128 th Brigade and the 154 th Home Guard Regiment were to
crush the Serbian forces along the Čanak - Korenica line, and capture the village of
Homolje and Homoljački Klanac; this would support the commitment of the 8 th Home
Guard Regiment towards Homoljac - Čujića Krčevine - Prijeboj - Ličko Petrovo Selo.
Along with the 9 th Guards Brigade, the 118 th Home Guard Regiment and the 3 rd Battalion
of the 11 1th Infantry Brigade, the Croatian forces were to rout the hostile units at Perušička
Kosa - Ljubovo, take Ljubovo, roll back Serbian forces from Lički Osik and Gospić, and
establish a defence line at Počitelj - Barlete - Svračkovo Selo - Bunić. Aft er that, the units
would regroup, the majority of the HV 9 th Guards Brigade held in the Corps reserve, and
prepare for pushing on towards Korenica or Krbavsko Polje.
Th e plan for the second phase of the operation involved the continuation of the assault
and the crushing of Serbian forces, linkup of the main forces with the ARBiH 5 th Corps,
while auxiliary forces would encircle hostile units and force their unconditional surrender
or annihilate them. Aft er linkup with the ARBiH 5 th Corps, the ZP Gospić units would
liberate the region of Lika north of Gospić - Korenica, regroup and proceed to clearing the
rest of Lika, break out to the state border and establish a defence line at Plješivica - Panos.
220 ZZPGospić, cl. 80-02/95-02/06, reg. no. 1043-04-95-43 of 30 August 1995; Analysis of the off ensive operation
Storm.
221 SVA MORH, GSHV: GS HV, RP/12-3/95 of 26 June 1995; Attack directive, Op. no. 12-3/95, Storm-3,
published in J. Bobetko, “Sve moje bitke” (All My Battles), 462-475.