 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Croatian Defence Council" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Croatian Defence Council | |
|---|---|
| Hrvatsko vijeće obrane | |
 | |
| Leaders | Milivoj Petković Bruno Stojić Vladimir Šoljić Slobodan Praljak Ante Roso Tihomir Blaškić |
| Dates of operation | 1992–1996 |
| Allegiance |  Herzeg-Bosnia |
| Headquarters | Mostar |
| Size | 50,000[1](1995) |
| Allies |  ARBiH (1991–1992, 1994–1995) HV |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | Yugoslav Wars Bosnian War Croat–Bosniak War Operation Storm |
| Flag |  |
TheCroatian Defence Council (Croatian:Hrvatsko vijeće obrane,HVO) was the armed wing of the self-proclaimedCroatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, a breakaway entity unrecognised by the international community. It existed in theRepublic of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1991 and 1996. The HVO was the main military force of theCroats of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[citation needed]
In the initial stage of theBosnian War, the HVO fought alongside theArmy of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) against theArmy of Republika Srpska, but in the latter stage of the conflict clashed against its former ally, particularly in theMostar area.[2] TheEuropean Community Monitoring Mission estimated the strength of the HVO in the beginning of 1993 at 45,000–55,000.[3] In July 1993, theCentral Intelligence Agency estimated the HVO forces at 40,000 to 50,000 men.[4]
The HVO was incorporated into theArmy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VFBiH) in December 1995 by following the agreement made after signing theDayton Accords. In December 2005, the HVO was reorganised as the 1st Infantry Guard Regiment of theArmed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after VFBiH and Army of Republika Srpska were united into a single armed force.
The HVO was established on 8 April 1992 inGrude by the political leadership of Croats, mainly members ofCroatian Democratic Union, as the official military formation ofHerzeg-Bosnia.[citation needed] On 15 May 1992, the HVO Department of Defence was established. By then, the HVO Main Staff, Main Logistics Base, Military Police, and Personnel Administration were also formed.[5]
Armed conflict erupted between Herzeg-Bosnia (with Croatian support) and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, following a shift by the HVO toward territorial expansion and the establishment of Croat-controlled areas, often accompanied by displacement and violence against non-Croat populations. However, inBihać, andUsora, the HVO and ARBiH still worked together. In March 1994, theWashington Agreement was signed, which ended fighting between the HVO and ARBiH.[6]
The main HVO headquarters was located inMostar, and was divided into four corps-status operational zones: South-Eastern Herzegovina, North-Western Herzegovina, Central Bosnia, and Bosnian Posavina. In comparison, the first three zones were grouped more or less together, with two enclaves,Usora, which was defended by the110th Usora Brigade, andŽepče, which was defended by the111th Žepče XP Brigade [hr], Posavina was completely isolated in northern Bosnia on the right bank of theSava river around Orašje and was entirely dependent on support fromCroatia. There was also the101st regiment "Ante Knežević-Krpe" [hr] in theBihać enclave which liaised with theARBiH 5th corps. Each OZ controlled 8-14 infantry brigades, amilitary police battalion and an MP "Light Assault Battalion".
The HVO also included theAnte Bruno Bušić Brigade [hr] manned by full-time soldiers, two independent infantry battalions, a light anti-aircraft artillery battalion, Special Forces and artillery units. In early 1993, theHVO Home Guard [hr] (Croatian:Domobranstvo) was formed to provide support for the brigades.[7] The HVO forces became better organised as time passed, but they started creating guards brigades, mobile units of professional soldiers, only in early 1994.[8][9]
The Guards brigades were the sections of the HVO which handled its heavy weapons. The HVO had around 50 tanks, 400 artillery pieces, and 200 armoured troop carriers. A brigade numbered a few hundred to several thousand men, but most had 2,000–3,000.[10][11]
Reservists staffed 38 infantry brigades, 19 had names and/or numbers, and 19 only had names. The names commemorate famous or infamous figures from Croatian and Bosnian history. Each brigade had three or four battalions plus supporting elements. Two, the 107th and 109th were later transferred en masse to the ARBiH due to their Muslim majorities, as did the Muslim contingent of the 108th Brčko Brigade, who went on to form the ARBiH's 108 Motorised Brigade. The 107th became the ARBiH 107th "Chivalrous" Brigade while the 109th became the 109th Mountain Brigade.
In 1993, General Ante Roso restructured the HVO along the lines of theCroatian Army (HV). The four OZs were designated as Corps Districts Mostar,Tomislavgrad,Vitez andOrašje. Orašje included a much reducedBosanska Posavina. Four Guards Brigades were formed, each manned by full-time professional soldiers. Twenty-nine brigades were reformed as three-battalion strong Home Defence Regiments, usually with the same name and depot. Four brigades were disbanded. The military police were reduced to one Light Assault Brigade at Mostar.
Eight HVO units served with the ARBiH, while one HVO brigade was forcibly incorporated into the ARBiH. The Sarajevo King Tvrtko Brigade became part of the ARBiH's 1st Corps.
Zastava M57 || ||
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|
The HVO Air Forces and Anti-aircraft Artillery was formed in 1992 and consisted of the 11th Combined Squadron, which operated helicopters and transports, and the 121st Observation Squadron, which operated various civilian light aircraft in an observation and communications role. There was also the 14th Anti-aircraft Missile Unit, which operated several different SAM systems.
Media related toCroatian Defence Council at Wikimedia Commons
