Operation Coast-91 - Aftermath

Aftermath

Although Operation Coast-91 failed in achieving most of its primary objectives, Dalmatia now had severely reduced land links with the rest of Croatia. Dalmatia had trouble with its electricity, water and food supply for much of the following several years as a result.

The JNA barracks in Split started to evacuate in October, supported by Yugoslav Navy which blockaded and sporadically shelled the city. One of the ships involved in the blockade was the destroyer Split; the first time in history that a city came under attack from a warship bearing its own name.

On October 1, fighting started in the furthest southern part of Dalmatia, which became known as the Siege of Dubrovnik.

In mid-November, the Battle of the Dalmatian channels started as the Croatians broke off the Yugoslav Navy blockade of Split and the surroundings.

On November 18, the village of Škabrnja suffered the Škabrnja massacre.

On November 21, the Maslenica Bridge was destroyed.

By December, the entire line in northern parts of Dalmatia had stabilized and major fighting had stopped entirely.

On December 21, the Bruška massacre happened.

On January 3, 1992 the final ceasefire came into effect and the large scale fighting ended. As part of the ceasefire, the JNA withdrew from most of Croatia and UN peacekeepers came in to patrol the lines between the two armies. In reality, the 9th Corps just passed its equipment down to local Serb units and dissolved.

In June 1992, the Miljevci plateau incident briefly disturbed the cease-fire in central Dalmatian hinterland.

The Croatian Army launched Operation Maslenica on January 22, 1993 to reinforce its link with the remainder of Croatia. It was successfully concluded, communications were normalized, and the Maslenica pass was reopened, even though the front lines remained dangerously close to the bridge.

On January 27, 1993, after the Maslenica operation, the UNPROFOR forces at the Peruća dam were attacked by the Serb forces in an attempt to destroy the dam. Explosive charges were detonated, but failed to bring down the dam, after which Croatian forces intervened and recovered the dam (though dysfunctional) and the surrounding area.

The rest of occupied Dalmatia would remain under Serb control until Operation Storm in 1995 when the Krajina was overrun by the Croatian Army.