storm - Hrvatski memorijalno-dokumentacijski centar Domovinskog ...

98
Execution of the Operation
Th e assault of the 138 th Home Guard Brigade together with the 1 st Battalion of the 1 st
Guards Brigade started on 4 August in the morning hours from Dubrava via Danguba -
Osmagino Brdo towards Veliki Lisac, and along the communication Glibodol - Glibodolski
Križ - Lička Jesenica railway station. Notwithstanding the stiff resistance of parts of the
SVK 70 th Infantry Brigade, the Regiment cut the Dabar - Lička Jesenica communication
and captured the dominant points of Danguba. Konjska Glava, Osmagino Brdo and Mala
Kapela. 225 Aft er its engagement the 1 st Guards Brigade broke through the Serbian defence
line and reached the Podgradak - Glibodolski Križ - Potkapela line by nightfall. 226
Th e main body of the 133 rd Home Guard Regiment advanced towards Letinac - Dabar
- Vrhovina, and the auxiliary units towards Sinac - Zalužnica - Crni Tavan. Th e mission of
the regiment was to crush Serbian forces along the axis of the attacks, capture dominant
heights and envelop Serbian forces in the greater area of Dabar, Glavace and Doljani. 227 It
advanced against the 50 th Infantry Brigade and smaller forces of the SVK 103 rd Infantry
Brigade. 228 Along its main attack axis one of the regiment line battalions took the village
of Dabar, but the second battalion was halted at the Budimka point of defence. Along
its secondary line of attack the regiment entered the village of Zalužnica, where it was
halted aft er suff ering losses. While withdrawing the regiment entered a mine fi eld, and
several of its troops were killed and wounded. Th e regiment’s casualties totalled 15 killed
and 46 wounded, “resulting in failure of the action”. 229
By 4 August in the evening, in spite of strong Serbian resistance at Cicer and Mali
Cicer, the 128 th Brigade liberated the village of Trnavac, reached Homoljačko Polje and
cut the Vrhovine - Korenica communication at Homoljački Klanac - Pogledalo. Its left
fl ank was protected by the 3 rd Battalion of the 8 th Home Guard Regiment. Advancing
towards Stipanov Grič - Hinići - Božića Brod the battalion intersected the Vrhovine -
Turjanski communication. 230
Th e HV 9 th Guards Brigade faced the toughest part of its mission on the fi rst day of
the operation. It was opposed by the sturdy SVK 18 th Infantry Brigade of the Lika Corps.
Th e 9 th Guards attacked towards Perušića Kosa - Ljubovo and took Trla and Čukovac.
Aft er running into strong opposition at Tepsija and Griči, a battalion of the 118 th Home
Guard Regiment was brought in as reinforcement. By the evening the Brigade took the
225 SVA, MORH, GSHV: 138th Home Guard Reg., cl. str. conf. 035-01/95-01/01, reg. no. 1089-01-95-314 of
16 August; Action report.
226 ZZP Gospić, cl. 818-01/95-01/02, reg. no. 1043-05-95-434 of 4 August 1995; Daily report. ZZP Gospić,
cl.80-02/9501/06, reg. no. 1043-04-95-43 of 30 August 1995; Analysis of off ensive operation Storm 95.
227 ZZP Gospić, cl.80-02/95/01/06, reg. no. 1043-04-95-43 of 30 August 1995; Analysis of the off ensive op-
eration Storm 95.
228 M. Sekulić, “Knin je pao u Beogradu” (Knin Fell in Belgrade), 209-210.
229 MORH, GSHV: 133rd Home Guard Reg., cl. 80.01/95-01/01, reg. no. 2155-03-95-24 of 22 August 1995;
Analysis of the Storm action.
230 ZZP Gospić, cl. 818-01/95-01/02, reg. no. 1043-05-95-434 of 4 August 1995; Daily report. ZZP Gospić,
cl. 80-02/95-01/06, reg. no. 1043-04-95-43 of 30 August 1995; Analysis of the off ensive operation Storm 95.
HMDCDR, comments of the Association “HV 128th Brigade - Sveti Vid” on the text about ZP Gospić in the
military-police operation Storm.