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The Defense of Topusko is a set of combat activities undertaken by Croatian forces at the beginning of the Croatian War in order to defend the town of Topusko. Topusko suffered great destruction. Due to the still unfavorable international environment, the great superiority in technology and manpower of the Serbian invaders, the strong fifth column, numerous rebels, the city fell into the hands of the invaders.[1]
| Defense of Topusko in (1991) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Croatian War of Independence | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
.svg){kind=small} Yugoslavia SAO Krajina |
 Croatia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Željko Ražnatović |
 Franjo Druzak | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
 Krajina Territorial Defense Serb Volunteer Guard |
Croatian army Ministry of the Interior (Croatia) | ||||||
Background
editOn March 15, the Croatian name on the plaque of the police station in Topusko provokes the Serbs, so members of the SDS demand that the plaque be removed.
On April 1, 1991, The Executive Council of the National Council of the SAO Krajina passed the Decision on the annexation of Krajina to the Republic of Serbia, and that the laws of the Republic of Serbia and the Constitution of the SFRY are valid on its territory, and on May 1st at the constituent session of the Assembly of the SAO Krajina a referendum was announced on the annexation to Serbia, on May 4th the armored units came to the Dvor na Uni, on May 11 the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia declared the SAO Krajina referendum on the annexation of Serbia unconstitutional, but on May 16 The Assembly of SAO Krajina unanimously passed the Decision on the annexation of Serbia.
Course of the battle
editOn June 26, preparations for the defense of Topusko began.[2]
A war hospital operated in Topusko, the first war hospital in the Croatian War. It was organized by prim. Dr. Nino Šikić, surgeon from Karlovac. It worked in improvised conditions. It worked for a month and a half, until the evacuation. During its work, the hospital cared for 448 sick and wounded veterans. This hospital is the first for another one. The first helicopter transport of the wounded from the surrounding area was organized from it. It was launched on July 13.[3]
The forces of SAO Krajina and JNA attacked Topusko for the first time on July 15 from the direction of Petrova Gora. The attack on July 16 resulted in the wounding of seven HV members. On the same day, the Serbs attacked Saborsko and Drežnik Grad. As early as July 20, part of the Croatian exiles from the Topusko area were settled in Karlovac. Treatment intensified on July 30.[4]
On July 20, the MPU Karlovac sent two platoons of police officers with the task of participating in the defense. They were commanded by Franjo Druzak.
On August 4, a group of members of the 110th HV brigade went to help the forces in Topusko. Since the beginning of July, members of the 3/2 brigade have been here to help. and members of MPU Rijeka and Karlovac. On August 5, 53 fighters from the 110th brigade were separated and sent to defend Topusko. On August 7 , the rebel Serbs targeted Topusko with mortar fire, and on August 8, they operated on Topusko with automatic weapons. A truce was concluded, but already on August 9, the rebels were again active in Saborsko and Topusko. On August 14, Croatian defenders Topusko, Zvonko Turković from Ogulin and Zdravko Palisak from Ozalj, members of the HV, were killed, the new death was on August 19, when members of the HV, 110th Karlovac Brigade, Ivica Lucić and Damir Križanić from Karlovac were killed, and two guardsmen were wounded; On August 21, Topusko was in the Serbian circle, and on that day, Damir Pintar from Karlovac was killed in a position near Topusko, and two defenders were wounded.[5]
Topusko was targeted during the night of August 23; On August 27, HV troops left the village of Topusko (defensive positions in the vicinity, see Cerovac), a large concentration of Serbian forces in the area, and Croatian forces were intensively working on acquiring weapons for defense purposes.[6]
The fiercest attack was on August 29 and 30. The fighting was fierce and hand-to-hand. The Serbian forces were many times superior and better armed. The Croatian defenders then managed to hold the defensive line, without deaths, with 23 wounded defenders. They have been doctors of the military hospital in Topusko.[7]
Towards the end of August 1991, the situation was getting worse. The doctors and employees of this hospital eventually refused the offered evacuation and stayed with the Croatian veterans until the last battles and the decision to withdraw together.[8]
September 1 Heavy fighting takes place in Topusko, especially around Viduševac, Gređan and Ponikvar. Tomislav Žgela was killed, and Tomo Puškarić and Ivica Mejaški, members of the ZNG from Duga Resa, were wounded. On the same day, the Greater Serbian forces carried out offensive operations from the right bank of the Korana. On September 11, reserve policeman Dragan Brdar from Vrbovsko and HV member Antun Porubić from Ogulin were killed in the fighting to defend Topusko.[9]
With the fall of the surrounding Croatian towns under the Serbian occupation, Topusko gradually came into an ever-increasing environment, and by the end of summer, in September, it was almost completely surrounded. Because of this, every attempt to enter and leave Topusko represented a mortal danger. According to Ivan Cerovac's testimony, over 20km of the front around Topusko was never defended by more than 700 Croatian defenders who were poorly armed. The circumstances were that he had to take care of everything, especially the functioning and supply of the army and the functioning of the city and surrounding villages. At that time, the Croatian positions were in the surrounding villages, not in Topusko itself, but in the surrounding villages. Topusko was defended by numerous Croatian volunteers from Novi Zagreb, Duga Resa, Karlovac, Rijeka, members of the 3rd battalion of the 2nd brigade, Rijeka special forces, Croatian police from Sisak and Karlovac...[10]
On September 13, the crisis headquarters ordered a retreat. The route by which the withdrawal was determined was the road of salvation to Viduševac, which led across the Kupa to Zagreb. The evacuation was successful. A dozen old men refused to leave.
After a heavy bombardment, in September 1991, it was occupied by Serbian forces. They occupied it on September 14. Rebellious Serbs killed and massacred the remaining Croatian elders in their homes. The HV and MUP forces withdrew by the end of September 15.[11]
Aftermath
editThe evacuation was successful. Many civilians who remained until the fall itself were evacuated and there was not a large number of civilians killed in the evacuation.
And 4 years later, Croats started there Operation Storm 95, in which the HV took back Topusko on 8th August 1995, from the Serbs.[12] When the Croats reached Topusko, there was no fighting because the Serbs handed the town back to the Croats, otherwise Storm 95 would have lasted longer and there would be more lost lives.[13] And that is whem Operation Storm ended.[14]
References
edit- ^ "'Ranjena su 23 branitelja, ali crte obrane su ostale nepomaknute'". www.vecernji.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ "Ratni dnevnik - Topusko 1991". Portal Hrvatskoga kulturnog vijeća (in Croatian). 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ Marinić, Borna (2023-08-30). "Njega i trojicu Hrvata natjerali da si iskopaju grobove pa ih zatukli do smrti - otet Ante Žužić". Domovinski rat (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ "Domovinski rat: Napad na Topusko, 15. srpnja 1991". hu-benedikt.hr (in Croatian). 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ "DA SE NE ZABORAVI Napad na Topusko 15. srpnja 1991". hu-benedikt.hr (in Croatian). 2019-07-14. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ "GPH | Topusko". 2007-06-06. Archived from the original on 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Kronologija za 1991. godinu". 2015-12-08. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Topusko - još jednom! - pollitika: Neovisni, ali ne i neutralni". 2016-09-14. Archived from the original on 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Povijest Topuskog ukratko". www.topusko.hr. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ machine head (2018-02-06). Topusko , spašavanje ranjenika - kolovoz, 1991. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via YouTube.
- ^ Сјећање на Српску Крајину (2020-05-10). Топуско - Децембар 1991. године. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via YouTube.
- ^ Horvatić, Petar (2018-08-08). "8. kolovoza 1995. Topusko – svijet zahvalio Hrvatima na "humanom postupanju sa srpskom vojskom i civilima"". narod.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ Marinić, Borna (2024-08-08). "Da se nisu predali "Oluja" bi potrajala - predajom pobunjenih Srba okončana operacija "Oluja"". Domovinski rat (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ danas, hrvatska (2018-08-08). "Kraj operativnog dijela Oluje 8. kolovoza (utorak) 1995. - Oslobođen okupirani teritorij, spriječen masakr u BiH". Hrvatska danas (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-09-14.