The Muslim-Croat Civil War in Central Bosnia: A Military History, 1992-1994

246 Pages·2003·2.87 MB·English

by  Charles R. Shrader

The Muslim-Croat Civil War in Central Bosnia
Number Twenty-three:
Eastern European Studies
Stjepan Mesˇtrovic´, General Editor
Series Board
Norman Cigar
Bronislaw Misztal
Sabrina Ramet
Vladimir Shlapentokh
Keith Tester

Charles R. Shrader
The
Muslim-Croat
Civil War
in Central Bosnia
A Military History,
1992–1994
Texas A&M
University Press
College Station
Copyright © 2003
by Charles R. Shrader
Manufactured in
the United States of America
All rights reserved
First edition
The paper used in this book
meets the minimum requirements
of the American National Standard
for Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials,
Z39.48-1984.
Binding materials
have been chosen for durability.
o
Shrader, Charles R.
The Muslim-Croat civil war in Central Bosnia : a military history,
1992–1994 / Charles R. Shrader.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(Eastern European studies ; no. 23)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-58544-261-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Yugoslav War, 1991–1995—Campaigns—Bosnia and Herze-
govina. 2. Bosnia and Herzegovina—History, Military. I. Title. II.
Eastern European studies (College Station, Tex.) ; no. 23.
DR1313.3 .S54 2003
949.703—dc21
2002153967
Excerpt from Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: The Record of
a Journey through Yugoslavia in 1937, courtesy Macmillan Publishers
Ltd., London, 1946.
To those who suffered

English persons, therefore,
of humanitarian and reformist disposition
constantly went out to the Balkan Peninsula
to see who was in fact ill-treating whom,
and, being by the very nature
of their perfectionist faith
unable to accept the horrid hypothesis
that everybody was ill-treating everybody else,
all came back with a pet Balkan people
established in their hearts as suffering
and innocent, eternally the massacree
and never the massacrer.
—Rebecca West,
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon:
The Record of a Journey
through Yugoslavia in 1937

Contents
List of Illustrations xi
Foreword, by Stjepan Mesˇtrovic´ xiii
Preface xvii
Prologue 3
1 The Operational Milieu / 5
2 Organization of the Opposing Forces / 21
3 Command, Control, and Communications / 41
4 Training, Doctrine, and Logistics / 57
5 Prelude to Civil War in Central Bosnia / 65
6 The ABiH Probing Attack,
January, 1993 / 73
7 The ABiH Main Attack,
April, 1993: The Vitez Area / 83
8 The ABiH Main Attack,
April, 1993:
Busovaca, Kiseljak, Zenica, and Elsewhere / 101
9 The Continuation of the Muslim Offensive,
May–June, 1993 / 123
10 The Continuation of the Muslim Offensive,
July–August, 1993 / 137
11 Operations,
September, 1993–February, 1994 / 151
12 Conclusion / 159
Appendix A: Order of Battle,
HVO Operative Zone Central Bosnia / 165
Appendix B: Order of Battle, ABiH III Corps / 167
Appendix C: Characteristics and Capabilities of
Selected Weapons Systems Used in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1992–94 / 169
Notes / 171
Glossary of Common Abbreviations / 209
Sources / 211
Index / 215