Original scientific paper
From the life of the 122nd Brigade of the Croatian Army between 1991 and 1993
Ivica Miškulin
Abstract
On the basis of original documents and the relevant literature, this paper lays out the activities of the 122nd brigade of the Croatian Army. The Brigade was founded in Ðakovo, in the second half of September 1991, but its roots go deeper than that. After the initial period of adjustment to the military ways, the brigade gradually, in the course of October 1991, started engaging in combat operations on the East-Slavonian front. With regard to the general picture of this front, the brigade was deployed along the secondary line of Serb activities (left flank of the Vukovar-Vinkovci part of the front), while some of its parts took active part in attempts to break the seige of Vukovar. This paper presents an overview of the development of some of the brigade's branch formations. We also enclose a list of members of the brigade who lost their lives in the war.
In the second half of September in 1991 there was a second wave of drafting into the Croatian Army. The Slavonian area saw the foundation of four new brigades with their base in the batallions of the 107the and 108th brigade, which had by then acquired combat experience. In the Ðakovo area the 122nd brigade was founded. After a period of preparation, during October 1991, the brigade was deployed over the Eastslavonian battlefield, i.e., more precisely, along the left flank of the Vukovar-Vinkovci part of the battlefield. In its 20 km long zone of responsibility, the brigade managed to fight back during most of the time we are concerned with. It prevented the penetration of the enemy into the western parts of Ðakovo area and thereby secured a wider safe zone behind Osijek. Some branches of the brigade participated in attempts at breaking the siege of Vukovar. Regarding its internal organization, the 122nd birgade consisted of 4 infantry units and other attendant formations. Still, special mention should be made of the artillery (mixed armour-piercing artillery and mixed artillery division) and antiaircraft brigade formations which, along with parts of infantry, very frequently took active part in battles in other crisis areas (Posavina area). During 1992 there comes to a gradual reorganization and demobilization of the 122nd brigade. Its members for the most part returned to their prewar activities, however, some of them joined the professional forces.
Keywords
Croatian War of Independence; Croatian Army; East Slavonia; military history
Hrčak ID:
8145
URI
Publication date:
30.9.2005.
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