Battle of Petrinja (1995)

Battle of Petrinja (1995)
Part of Operation Storm
Petrinja in 2011
Date 4 August 1995 Location Petrinja 45°26′26″N16°16′42″E / 45.44056°N 16.27833°E / 45.44056; 16.27833 Result Defensive Army of Krajina victory [1] Operation Storm temporarily halted in some areas [2] Collapse of the Croatian attack Failure of Croatian forces to take Petrinja and their withdrawal [3] Successful evacuation of 90% of the equipment to Republika Srpska
Belligerents
Republic of Serbian Krajina	Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Slobodan Tarbuk	Luka Džanko Ivan Basanac Predrag Matanović  † Stjepan Grgac  † Killed senior commanders: Željko Paunović  † [4] Miroslav Matleković  † [4] Ozren Jeličić  † [4] Vlado Vočanec  † [4] Dubravko Bečaj  † [4]
Units involved
Army of Serbian Krajina 39th Banija Corps	Croatian Army 2nd Guards Brigade 12th Home Guard Regiment 2nd Home Guard Regiment
Strength
2,000	8,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	90 killed, 4 tanks destroyed and at least 14 wounded [1] [5] [3]

The Battle of Petrinja was a failed attack of Croatian Forces to capture Petrinja which resulted in their withdrawal with heavy casualties.

Despite a promising start for the Operation Storm, its individual components faced difficulties. The Zagreb Corps immediately encountered problems when it began "Storm-1." The elite special police units of the MUP, which were supposed to lead the attack on Petrinja while the 2nd Guards Brigade bypassed it, were unavailable. As a result, 1st General Basarac decided to modify the attack plan. He apparently ordered the 2nd Guards Brigade to launch a direct assault on Petrinja instead of following the original plan to encircle the town.

Battle

The opposing 31st Infantry Brigade of the Army of Serbian Krajina was well-prepared for a frontal attack; its anti-tank guns destroyed several HV tanks at the approaches to Petrinja and prevented the infantry from capturing any significant positions in the town. The Home Guard and reserve infantry units, lacking the discipline and motivation of the Guards, were unwilling to attempt a breakthrough to Petrinja, leaving the 2nd Guards Division to bear the brunt of the fighting. The result was an almost immediate collapse of the attacking mission. ^{[6] [7]}

Thanks to the energetic defense by Serbian troops in Petrinja, the HV did not enter the town on 4 August, instead they did on 6th, allowing the 39th Banija Corps to evacuate 90% of their equipment to Republika Srpska. Croatian sources reported that the HV suffered its heaviest losses in Banija, with up to 90 soldiers killed on the first day of the operation, as well as the deaths of commander Predrag Matanović, 2nd Battalion commander Stjepan Grgac and other sergeants. ^[4]

References

1. Kompasinfo.rs
2. "Petrinja obilježila 30. obljetnicu oslobođenja u Oluji".
3. Kurir.rs
4. "Obilježena godišnjica pogibije brigadira Stjepana Grgca i suboraca".
5. "6. kolovoza 1995. treći dan 'Oluje' – Petrinja je slobodna". 6 August 2024.
6. "KRVAVA BITKA ZA PETRINJU Prvi dan Oluje svi bi najradije zaboravili". www.index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 7 September 2025.
7. Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict. Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis. 2002. pp. 370–371. ISBN   978-0-16-066472-4.

Bibliography

• "Битка за Петрињу: Како су српске снаге сломиле хрватски напад на Банији током „Олује"?". kompasinfo.rs. 6 August 2025.
• "KRAJIŠNICI POTUKLI HRVATSKU 2. BRIGADU PRVOG DANA OLUJE! Borci Vojske Krajine nisu hteli da beže, ovo je BITKA ZA PETRINJU!". kurir.rs. 3 August 2021.