The Bosnian Serb Army at War

 This is Bojan Dimitrijevic's account of the Bosnian Serb Army during the 1992-95 conflict. Many books have been written on the conflict, but few focus on the fighting units. While the author attempts to write an objective military history, his objectivity slips several times. It is best described as a sympathetic view of an army that fought well under challenging circumstances but was also responsible for atrocities, not least the massacre at Srebrenica.

The author starts with a brief background and description of the army's (VRS) establishment. It mainly constituted the Yugoslav Army (JNA) units in the Serb areas of Bosnia and quickly incorporated paramilitary and militia units. It followed JNA ranks and organisation and was commanded by General Ratko Mladic, who was later convicted at The Hague for war crimes. The author describes a 'complicated relationship' with the civilian leadership, led by Radovan Karadzic, another convicted war criminal. While this was a predominantly ethic Serb army, there were a few Croat and Muslim officers.

The book is profusely illustrated with pictures and colour plates of the army's wide variety of equipment. In May 1994, this included 358 tanks (T-34, T-55, and M-84s) and 197 APCs. They also had a huge range of artillery, AA and tactical missile systems. Modellers will enjoy the variety of camouflage and additional armour used. 

The bulk of the book covers the main campaigns of the conflict. They had notable successes in 1992 and 1993, including Operation Corridor, Operation Vrbas, and Operation Lukavac. However, by 1994, their Croat and Muslim opponents were beginning to cooperate, and the army was increasingly forced back onto the defensive. NATO intervention meant they no longer had control of the skies, and their positions around Sarajevo came under ground attack. The US Congress also lifted the embargo on weapons deliveries to the Muslim forces. Pressure on the political front was a key feature of the final two years of the conflict. When the Contact Group's peace plan was rejected, NATO military intervention became more frequent. 

There were particular tensions around the capture of UN peacekeepers and their use as human shields against air attack. This was heightened when Serb forces captured the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica. I'm afraid the author lost the plot here, with the implication that the worst atrocity in Europe since WW2 was somehow the responsibility of a captain. The idea that 8,372 men and boys could be executed without the knowledge of the commanders is absurd. 

The VRS heavily outgunned its opponents in the early stages of the conflict and had the organisational advantage of building on already established armed forces. However, they had a lot of territory to defend, and the terrain was challenging. I have driven around Bosnia several times, and the defensive advantages are apparent. Putting objectivity aside, this book has all the factual information the wargamer and modeller needs on the VRS. 

Some of my 15mm JNA infantry of the period.