Pakrac clash: Difference between revisions

Battle of Pakrac
	Part of the Croatian War of Independence
	Pakrac Pakrac (Croatia)
Date	March 1–3, 1991
Location	town of Pakrac, central northern Croatia
Result	Croatian victory ; Croatian special police liberated the town of Pakrac from rebel Serbs
Belligerents
Croatia ; Croatian special police	rebel Serbs ; Yugoslav People's Army Yugoslav People's Army
Commanders and leaders
Stjepan Kupsjak	Jovo Vezmar
Casualties and losses
1 killed 3 wounded	32 captured

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The Battle of Pakrac was a battle that many^[who?] consider as the beginning of Croatian War of Independence.

The armed conflict between Croatian police forces and Croatian Serbs took place on March 1, 1991. This was the first open armed conflict of Croatian regular forces with Serbs.

This day is annually commemorated in Pakrac as anniversary of beginning of Homeland War in Republic of Croatia.

Chronology of events

March 1

Serbs have removed the flag of Republic of Croatia from the police station and the community building and replaced it with the flag of Republic of Serbia. Besides the latter, Serbs have put also the chetnik flag on the community building.

Then Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) has involved into the conflict. A column of 10 tanks set off from the JNA garrison in Bjelovar towards Lipik. It passed through Pakrac around 22:30.

March 2

Croatian reaction followed next day, March 2. The troops of special police forces of Republic of Croatia set off from Bjelovar. Their first action was removing the barricades from the road to Daruvar. Early in the morning they arrived in Pakrac. When they've reached the city center, Serb policemen from the positions on the Kalvarija hill started shooting on them from the infantry weapons.

Croatian special police responded and short fighting followed, in which they took the victory. They've captured 32 Serbian policemen, took the police station and removed Serb flags from the Croatian official buildings and restored the flags of Republic of Croatia. The Serb policemen were taken to Bjelovar.

The Serbian police commander was deposed from duty and police station got new commander, Stjepan Kupsjak.

That very same day, in the afternoon around 16:00 in Pakrac have come high Croatian officials, Vice President of Presidency of SFR Yugoslavia Stjepan Mesić and President of Council of Communities of Sabor of Republic of Croatia, Slavko Degoricija.

In order to defend Pakrac and to prevent Serbian forces in their attempt to retake the station, two buses of Croatian policemen set out towards Pakrac. They've arrived in Pakrac around 18:00. As soon as they've got out of the buses, strong rifle fire poured over Croatian policemen from the positions from surrounding hills and from machine gun from the tower of the Orthodox church.

After Mesić and Degoricija ended their visit, Serbs began shooting from the Kalvarija hill on the Pakrac. Serb attack on Pakrac and the clash of Croatian police with Serbian forces lasted whole night.

March 3

In the morning after the clashes, Serbs fleed in the woods or to the villages whome the approach was with the barricades set by Serbs.

Armoured unit of JNA went to help the Serbs, but it came too late in the Pakrac so it couldn't prevent the reaction of Croatian police.

Balance of attack

After the attack of Serbs on Pakrac and clash with them, Croatian police had three wounded.

References

Template:Hr icon Marijan Pinhak: Pakrac ne zaboravlja, Hrvatsko slovo, March 13, 2009, p. 8-9
Template:Hr icon Vjesnik Zdravko Sever: Obljetnica Domovinskog rata: Specijalci rastjerali pobunjene Srbe, March 2, 2005, p. 7

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 {{FixBunching|end}}
-'''Battle of Pakrac''' is the battle that many consider as the beginning of [[Croatian War of Independence]] against [[Greater Serbia]]n aggression.
+The '''Battle of Pakrac''' was a battle that many{{who|date=August 2010}} consider as the beginning of [[Croatian War of Independence]].
-The armed conflict between [[Ministry of the Interior (Croatia)|Croatian police forces]] and [[Republic of Serb Krajina|rebel Croatian Serbs]] took place on March 1, 1991. This was the first open armed conflict of Croatian regular forces with rebel Serbs.
+The armed conflict between [[Ministry of the Interior (Croatia)|Croatian police forces]] and [[Republic of Serb Krajina|Croatian Serbs]] took place on March 1, 1991. This was the first open armed conflict of Croatian regular forces with Serbs.
 This day is annually commemorated in [[Pakrac]] as anniversary of beginning of Homeland War in [[Republic of Croatia]].
 == Chronology of events ==
+{{unsourced-section}}
-=== Intro ===
-The aim of Greater Serbian ideologists was to conquer the city of [[Pakrac]]. According to their plans, that city was supposed to be the seat of [[SAO Krajina]] for Western Slavonia.
-Things began to boil in the beginning of 1991. It all started with open Greater Serbian iconography. Greater Serbs drew the chetnik signs and hoisted [[chetnik]] flags all over the city. Night shooting was becoming something usual and after all that, they began putting the explosives under the houses of Croats.
-Next step was done by functionaries of Assembly of Community of Pakrac, which were mostly Serbs (much above their share in ethnic structure of Community of Pakrac). On February 22, 1991 they voted for the annexation to the so-called SAO Krajina.
-At that time the chief of the local police (SUP) was Jovo Vezmar, person of Serb nationality. He was kept on that position for the reason of "peaceful coexistence".
-But, Serb politicians that incited the rebellion and annexation to Greater Serbia gave him the task to annex the Community of Pakrac to SAO Krajina. As a means to reach that goal, his task was to take over the control over Pakrac and local police station.
 === March 1 ===
-On March 1, 1991 he has ordered the mobilization of reserve police forces. He has mobilized exclusively Serbs. All the weapons that was designated exclusively for reserve police he gave exclusively to Serbs from Pakrac and neighbouring villages. Same night, from March 1 to March 2, by a method of swindle he has disarmed all policemen of Croat nationality (in total, 16 persons) and that way he took over the control over the police station.
-Rebel Serbs have removed the flag of Republic of Croatia from the police station and the community building and replaced it with the flag of Republic of Serbia. Besides the latter, rebel Serbs have put also the chetnik flag on the community building.
+Serbs have removed the flag of Republic of Croatia from the police station and the community building and replaced it with the flag of Republic of Serbia. Besides the latter, Serbs have put also the chetnik flag on the community building.
-Then [[Yugoslav People's Army]] (JNA) has involved into Serb rebellion. A column of 10 tanks set off from the JNA garrison in [[Bjelovar]] towards [[Lipik]]. It passed through Pakrac around 22:30.
+Then [[Yugoslav People's Army]] (JNA) has involved into the conflict. A column of 10 tanks set off from the JNA garrison in [[Bjelovar]] towards [[Lipik]]. It passed through Pakrac around 22:30.
 === March 2 ===
-Croatian reaction followed next day, March 2. The troops of [[special police]] forces of Republic of Croatia set off from Bjelovar. Their first action was removing the barricades from the road to [[Daruvar]]. Early in the morning they arrived in Pakrac. When they've reached the city center, rebel Serb policemen from the positions on the Kalvarija hill started shooting on them from the infantry weapons.
+Croatian reaction followed next day, March 2. The troops of [[special police]] forces of Republic of Croatia set off from Bjelovar. Their first action was removing the barricades from the road to [[Daruvar]]. Early in the morning they arrived in Pakrac. When they've reached the city center, Serb policemen from the positions on the Kalvarija hill started shooting on them from the infantry weapons.
-Croatian special police responded and short fighting followed, in which they took the victory. They've captured 32 rebel policemen, liberated the police station and removed Serb flags from the Croatian official buildings and restored the flags of Republic of Croatia. Rebel Serb policemen were taken to Bjelovar and in Pakrac the public order and peace was restored.
+Croatian special police responded and short fighting followed, in which they took the victory. They've captured 32 Serbian policemen, took the police station and removed Serb flags from the Croatian official buildings and restored the flags of Republic of Croatia. The Serb policemen were taken to Bjelovar.
-Rebel commander was deposed from duty and police station got new commander, Stjepan Kupsjak.
+The Serbian police commander was deposed from duty and police station got new commander, Stjepan Kupsjak.
 That very same day, in the afternoon around 16:00 in Pakrac have come high Croatian officials, Vice President of Presidency of SFR Yugoslavia [[Stjepan Mesić]] and President of Council of Communities of Sabor of Republic of Croatia, [[Slavko Degoricija]].
-Croatian troops soon found out that rebel Serbs are preparing now and stronger attack on police station for the very same night. In order to defend Pakrac and to prevent the Greater Serbs in their attempt to retake the station, two buses of Croatian policemen set out towards Pakrac. They've arrived in Pakrac around 18:00. As soon as they've got out of the buses, strong rifle fire poured over Croatian policemen from the positions from surrounding hills and from machine gun from the tower of the Orthodox church.
+In order to defend Pakrac and to prevent Serbian forces in their attempt to retake the station, two buses of Croatian policemen set out towards Pakrac. They've arrived in Pakrac around 18:00. As soon as they've got out of the buses, strong rifle fire poured over Croatian policemen from the positions from surrounding hills and from machine gun from the tower of the Orthodox church.
-After Mesić and Degoricija ended their visit, rebel Serbs began shooting from the Kalvarija hill on the Pakrac. Rebel Serb attack on Pakrac and the clash of Croatian police with rebels lasted whole night.
+After Mesić and Degoricija ended their visit, Serbs began shooting from the Kalvarija hill on the Pakrac. Serb attack on Pakrac and the clash of Croatian police with Serbian forces lasted whole night.
 === March 3 ===
-In the morning after the clashes, rebel Serbs fleed in the woods or to the villages whome the approach was with the barricades set by rebel Serbs.
+In the morning after the clashes, Serbs fleed in the woods or to the villages whome the approach was with the barricades set by Serbs.
-Armoured unit of JNA went to help the rebels Serbs, but it came too late in the Pakrac so it couldn't prevent the reaction of Croatian police. Though, passing through the city had other purpose: demonstration of force by driving through the city streets, intimidate Croats and encourage Greater Serbs.
+Armoured unit of JNA went to help the Serbs, but it came too late in the Pakrac so it couldn't prevent the reaction of Croatian police.
-A meeting was held on the local football playground in the presence of Stjepan Mesić (Vice President of Presidency of SFRY), [[Josip Boljkovac]] (Minister of Interior of RH), [[Mladen Ramljak (politician)|Mladen Ramljak]] (Vice President of Croatian government), [[Nenad Bućin]] and [[Bogić Bogićević]] (the representatives of Presidency of SFRY), [[Petar Gračanin]] (Minister of Interior of SFRY) and [[Konrad Kolšek]], Commander of 5th Army Oblast. The conclusion was to restore the things as they were before the March 1.
 == Balance of attack ==
-After the attack of rebel Serbs on Pakrac and clash with them, Croatian police had three wounded.
+After the attack of Serbs on Pakrac and clash with them, Croatian police had three wounded.
-[[Veljko Džakula]], the former President of [[Serb Democratic Party (Croatia)|Serb Democratic Party]] (for the area of Western Slavonia) in his testimony that he gave somewhat later, in July 1991 he personally got the death threat from the Serb police chief, Jovo Vezmar, "''because of passivization of Serbs in Western Slavonia and because it still no war took place''") ("''pasiviziranja Srba u zapadnoj Slavoniji i zato što još nije došlo do rata''") <ref>{{hr icon}} [http://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2006/01/17/Clanak.asp?r=van&c=1 Vjesnik] Nisu htjeli pregovore već prekid odnosa, January 17, 2006 ([[HINA]])</ref><ref>{{hr icon}} [http://www.legalis.hr/modules/news/article.php?storyid=860 Legalis: Croatian Iuridic Portal] Đakula prvi svjedočio protiv Martića, January 17, 2006, accessed December 28, 2009</ref>.
 ==References==