Operation Winter '94 - Timeline and Results

Timeline and Results

Operation Winter '94 began on 29 November 1994 in heavy snow and temperatures of −20 degrees Celsius (−4 degrees Fahrenheit). One hundred thirty soldiers from the HV 126th Home Guard Regiment (commanded by Brigadier Ante Kotromanović) infiltrated behind VRS positions on the left flank of the front line (ahead of the initial northwest advance along the Livanjsko field and Mount Dinara) with the bulk of the HV troops (commanded by Gotovina) against the VRS 9th Light Infantry Brigade. By 3 December, the advance gained 4 to 5 kilometres (2.5 to 3.1 miles) around Donji Rujani, followed by a brief stabilization of the newly established line of contact.

The advance was resumed by the HV 4th Guards Brigade and the 126th Home Guard Regiment on 6 December, gradually pushing back the VRS 9th Light Infantry Brigade towards Bosansko Grahovo. In more than a week of gradual advance, the force penetrated the VRS defences by 10 to 12 kilometres (6.2 to 7.5 miles) in the general direction of Bosansko Grahovo. The HVO units on the right flank of the attack made little progress towards Glamoč, and were faced with a determined VRS defence. By 11 December the VRS 9th Light Infantry Brigade had sustained losses sufficient to demoralize the unit, further complicating the battlefield situation for the VRS as the civilian population began to leave Glamoč. The civilian evacuation was nearly complete by 16 December; on that day valuables were removed from churches and monasteries in the VRS-held territory near the front line, although there was no immediate threat to them. On 23 December the Croatian forces reached Crni Lug (at the northwest rim of the Livanjsko field), forcing the VRS 9th Light Infantry Brigade to withdraw to more defensible positions. On 24 December the VRS withdrawal was complete, and the operation ended. In response to the reverse they had suffered, the VRS brought two brigades and two battalions from the 1st Krajina Corps, the Herzegovina Corps and the East Bosnian Corps to secure its defences in the Glamoč and Bosansko Grahovo areas and encourage the civilian population to return home.

After nearly a month of fighting, the Croatian forces had advanced by about 20 kilometres (12 miles) and had captured approximately 200 square kilometres (77 square miles) of territory northwest of Livno. The VRS was pushed back to a line approximately 19 kilometres (12 miles) southeast of Bosansko Grahovo. The HV and the HVO sustained losses of 29 killed, 19 seriously wounded and 39 slightly injured troops. Three soldiers were captured by the VRS, but they were later released in a prisoner-of-war swap. In a report following Operation Winter '94, the VRS 2nd Krajina Corps reported serious manpower shortages and 20% casualties. After the operation, ARSK deployed to Glamoč and Bosansko Grahovo area to assist the VRS in continued skirmishes against the Croatian forces in the area; however, the Croatian troops retained most of the ground, representing a salient to the northwest of Livno, gained during the winter offensive. The lull in fighting continued until mid-March 1995.