Operation Autumn '94

Throughout 1994, Bosniak forces in Herzegovina directed their attacks on the Herzegovina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska during the Siege of Mostar. Since the Bosniak army lacked armored vehicles and large-calibre weapons but was far more numerous in infantry, the ARBiH developed the doctrine of inserting large sabotage groups into the rear of the VRS. After the October unsuccessful attacks on Konjic, which was defended by the 2nd Herzegovina Brigade of the VRS, the ARBiH shifted its focus to the Mostar–Nevesinje direction, launching the operation codenamed Autumn '94. However, the operation was planned poorly and the VRS already knew about it, so they inserted some defences.^[1]

The ARBiH began preparing the attack by inserting 1,000 saboteurs, part of the Black Swans unit,^[1] behind the lines of the VRS 8th Motorized Brigade on November 9. Part of the saboteurs were already found by a group of about 20 fighters in the area of Bruska on that same evening. During the following clashes, 113 fighters of the second battalion of the 41st Mostar Brigade of the ARBiH were encircled, and then captured after the commander of the 8th Motorized Brigade Zoran Purkovic ordered a circular defense and increased vigilance.^[5] The following night, more saboteurs continued to insert, but they were met with fierce fire by the Serbian fighters. The battle broke out on November 11, when the ARBiH launched a frontal attack, but the VRS fighters defended all positions, especially in the village of Banjdol. By the end of the day, the ARBiH began to retreat, while minor skirmishes with broken Bosniak groups continued in the following days, that were all repelled.^[5]

• Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis (2002). Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995, Volume 2. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency. ISBN 978-0-16-066472-4.
• Ilić, Dragoslav. Republika Srpska in the Defensive-Patriotic War. Banja Luka: Republic Center for Research on War, War Crimes and Search for Missing Persons, 2018. ISBN 978-99976-730-1-5.
• Janjić, Zoran. The Nevesin Brigade in the 1992-1995 war. Невесиње. ISBN 978-99938-722-9-0.