Serbian Army of Krajina
Serbian armed force, 1992–1995
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The Serbian Army of Krajina (SAK, Serbo-Croatian: Srpska vojska Krajine, Српска војска Крајине, abbr. SVK), also known as the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina or Krajina Serbian Army, was the armed forces of the Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). The SVK consisted of ground and air elements.
Milan Čeleketić
Mile Mrkšić
| Serbian Army of Krajina | |
|---|---|
| Српска Војска Крајине Srpska Vojska Krajine | |
 Officer emblem of SVK, 1993–1995 | |
| Military leader | Mile Novaković Milan Čeleketić Mile Mrkšić |
| Foundation | October 17, 1992 |
| Dates of operation | 1992–1995 |
| Dissolved | August 7, 1995 |
| Allegiance |  Serbian Krajina |
| Headquarters | Knin |
| Size | 30,000[1] |
| Battles and wars | |
| Colors | (Serbian tricolour) |
| War flag |  |
Created through the merger of the Territorial Defense of the Republic of Serbian Krajina (TORSK), units of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and the Krajina Militia, the SVK was officially established on 19 March 1992. Responsible for the security of the RSK, its area of responsibility covered an area of some 17,028 km² at its peak, as it was located entirely inland it thus had no naval forces. The SVK, along with the state of RSK, ceased to exist in 1995 following the Croatian military offensive Operation Storm.
Organization
Commanders-in-Chief
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milan Babić (1956–2006) | 19 December 1991 | 16 February 1992 | 1 month | SDS | ||
| 2 | Goran Hadžić (1958–2016) | 26 February 1992 | 12 December 1993 | 1 year, 9 months | SDS | ||
| (1) | Milan Babić (1956–2006) | 12 December 1993 | 23 January 1994 | 1 month | SDS | ||
| 3 | Milan Martić (born 1954) | 23 January 1994 | 7 August 1995 | 1 year, 6 months | SPS | ||
Commanders
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major general Mile Novaković (1950–2015) | 1992 | 1994 | 1–2 years |  Army | |
| 2 | Major general Milan Čeleketić (born 1946) | 1994 | 1995 | 0–1 years | Army | |
| 3 | General Mile Mrkšić (1947–2015) | 1995 | 1995 | 0 years | Army |
Structure
105th Aviation Brigade- 44th Air defense rocket brigade
- 75th Mixed artillery brigade
- "Pauk" Operational Group
- 2nd Guards Motorized Brigade
Special forces corps
7th Dalmatia (Dalmatinski) corps
15th Lika (Lički) corps
21st Kordun (Bordunski) corps
39th Banija (Banijski) corps
18th West-Slavonia (Zapadnoslavonski) corps
11th East-Slavonia (Istočnoslavonski) corps
Strength
At the creation of the army, it was planned that its number would be 80,000 people, however it turned out to be less.
- According to Colonel Kosta Novaković: 62,483 (772 officers, 2,709 non-commissioned officers and 59,002 soldiers) or 78% of the planned number.[2]
- According to the General Staff in 1994: 62,805 (2,890 officers, 4,329 non-commissioned officers and 55,886 soldiers).[3]
- According to General Milisav Sekulić: 71,409 (3,291 officers, 3,424 non-commissioned officers and 60,496 soldiers).[3]
Equipment
Vehicles
In 1995, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) estimated that the SVK had a total of 250 tanks and 100 armoured personnel carriers.[4]
| Name | Type | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks | |||
| T-34 | Medium tank | Soviet Union | [4] |
| T-55 | Main battle tank | Soviet Union | [4] |
| M-84 | Main battle tank | Yugoslavia | [4]~30 |
| Armoured fighting vehicles | |||
| BVP M-80 | Infantry fighting vehicle | Yugoslavia | [4] |
| OT M-60 | Armoured personnel carrier | Yugoslavia | M-60P variant used.[4] |
| Armoured trains | |||
| Krajina Express | Armoured train | Republic of Serbian Krajina | [5] |
Artillery
In 1995, the IISS estimated that the SVK had a total of 200 pieces of artillery of varied calibers, 14 multiple rocket launchers, and an unknown number of 81 mm, 82 mm, and 120 mm mortars.[4]
| Name | Type | Origin | Caliber | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towed artillery | ||||
| 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) | Field gun | Soviet Union | 76 mm | [4] |
| M-56 Howitzer | Howitzer | Yugoslavia | 105 mm | [4] |
| 122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30) | Howitzer | Soviet Union | 122 mm | [4] |
| 122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19) | Field gun | Soviet Union | 122 mm | [4] |
| 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46) | Field gun | Soviet Union | 130 mm | [4] |
| M-65 Howitzer[4] | Howitzer | Yugoslavia | 155 mm | Yugoslav copy of the M114 155 mm howitzer.[6] |
| Multiple rocket launchers | ||||
| M-63 Plamen | Multiple rocket launcher | Yugoslavia | 128 mm | [4] |
Anti-tank
| Name | Type | Origin | Caliber | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-tank missiles | ||||
| 9M14 Malyutka | Anti-tank guided missile | Soviet Union | 125 mm | Also mounted on BOV-1s.[4] |
| Recoilless guns | ||||
| M60 | Recoilless gun | Yugoslavia | 82 mm | [4] |
| M65 | Recoilless gun | Yugoslavia | 105 mm | [4] |
| Anti-tank guns | ||||
| MT-12 | Anti-tank gun | Soviet Union | 100 mm | 30 in service in 1995.[4] |
Aircraft
In 1995, the IISS estimated that the SVK had 16 fixed-wing combat aircraft and 9 helicopters in service.[4]
| Name | Type | Origin | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed-wing aircraft | ||||
| SOKO G-2 Galeb | Trainer / Light attack | Yugoslavia | [4] | |
| SOKO J-22 Orao | Attack | Yugoslavia | [4] | |
| Helicopters | ||||
| SOKO Gazelle[4] | Utility | Yugoslavia | License-built version of the Aérospatiale Gazelle.[7] | |
| Mil Mi-8 | Transport | Soviet Union | [4] | |
Air defence
| Name | Type | Origin | Caliber | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-aircraft guns | ||||
| Zastava M55 | Anti-aircraft gun | Yugoslavia | 20 mm | The M75 variant was also used.[4] |
| M-53/59 Praga | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun | Czechoslovakia | 30 mm | [4] |
| ZSU-57-2 | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | 57 mm | [4] |
Gallery
Krajina Airforce G-2 Galeb
Krajina Airforce Aérospatiale Gazelle
Krajina Airforce Utva 66
Krajina Airforce Zlin Z-526
War crimes
During the Croatian War of Independence, numerous massacres were conducted by the Army of Serbian Krajina. On 2–3 May 1995, seven civilians were killed and many more injured in the Zagreb rocket attacks.[8][9][10]
The main leaders of the Serbian Army of Krajina, Milan Martić, Milan Babić and Goran Hadžić, were indicted and trialled by the ICTY for various war crimes and crimes against humanity. Milan Martić was sentenced to 35 years in prison,[11][12] Milan Babić was sentenced to 13 years,[13] while Goran Hadžić died shortly after their trial started.[14][15][16]