1st Croatian Guards Corps

Special formation of the Croatian Army a special forces unit established in 1994 army unit established in 1990 1st Guards Brigade (Croatia) June 2017 1st Croatian Guards Corps Dvadeseta obljetnica formiranja OSRH zastava 1 H G Zbor 270511 1341.jpg Corps flag, bearing corps shoulder sleeve insignia 1994–2000 Croatia Special forces 2,500 Zagreb Croatian War of Independence: Operation Winter '94 Operation Flash Operation Leap 2 Operation Summer '95 Operation Storm Bosnian War Operation Mistral 2 Operation Southern Move Mile ĆukMiljenko Filipović The 1st Croatian Guards Corps (hr 1. hrvatski gardijski zbor) was a special formation of the Croatian Army (Hrvatska vojska – HV) directly subordinated to the Ministry of Defence rather than the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia and reporting directly to the President of Croatia. The corps was established in 1994 by the amalgamation of various HV special forces. The 2,500-strong unit was organised into the 1st Croatian Guards Brigade (1. hrvatski gardijski zdrug – HGZ), a multi-purpose special forces combat unit, and four battalions tasked with ensuring the security of the President of Croatia and carrying out ceremonial duties. The HGZ took part in a number of military operations during the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War. It was disbanded in 2000, when its components were amalgamated with other HV units to form the Special Operations Battalion, the 350th Military Intelligence Battalion, and the Honour Guard Battalion. Establishment thumb|right|Honour Guard Battalion troops wearing dress uniforms first used by the 1st Guards Honour Battalion On 25 February 1994, the special forces of the Croatian Army (Hrvatska vojska – HV) were reorganised when all HV's special forces units were combined to form the 1st Croatian Guards Corps (1. hrvatski gardijski zbor).Žabec 27 November 2010 In April, personnel of the 8th Military Police Light Assault Brigade (itself only established in September 1993) were also transferred to the corps,Thomas Mikulan 2006 27 ultimately making the corps 2,500-strong. In addition to special forces operations, the corps was also tasked with providing security for the President of Croatia.Žabec 27 November 2010 The corps was organised into four specialised battalions and the 1st Croatian Guards Brigade (1. hrvatski gardijski zdrug – HGZ), a multi-purpose special forces combat unit.Bilandžić Milković 2009 note 20 The HGZ was considered the elite unit of the HV.Bilandžić Milković 2009 49 The entire corps was directly subordinated to the Ministry of Defence rather than the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia,CIA 2002 447 and reported directly to the president.Thomas Mikulan 2006 25 It was commanded by Major General Mile Ćuk. Ćuk and his deputy were based in the Presidential Palace, while the bulk of the corps was based in nearby Tuškanac barracks.Žabec 27 November 2010 The HGZ was capable of fielding up to 300 troops in combat.Index.hr 16 April 2011 It was commanded by Colonel (later Major General) Miljenko Filipović, who had previously commanded the Zrinski Battalion—one of the special forces units amalgamated into the corps.Biluš 14 September 2004 +Croatian Guards Corps order of battleBilandžić Milković 2009 note 20CIA 2002 447 Unit Purpose 1st Croatian Guards Brigade Multi-purpose special forces unit; the brigade included a parachute battalion, an armoured-mechanised battalion, an electronic warfare battalion and a mixed aviation squadron. 1st Guards Honour Battalion Honour guard unit, used in ceremonial occasions, wearing dress uniforms 2nd Guards Assault Battalion Presidential guard unit, wearing battledress 3rd Guards Naval Honour Assault Battalion Presidential guard and honour guard unit, headquartered on Brijuni Islands 4th Guards Special Purpose Battalion Plain clothes bodyguards; The battalion included a motorcycle honour guards platoon. Combat service The HGZ took part in several battles of the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War. In late November and December 1994, it participated in Operation Winter '94, the joint offensive of the HV and the Croatian Defence Council (Hrvatsko vijeće obrane – HVO) which pushed the Army of Republika Srpska (Vojska Republike Srpske – VRS) from the western parts of the Livanjsko field in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Ratković November 2011 Elements of the HGZ also saw action along the Novska–Okučani axis of advance in the HV's Operation Flash offensive that took place in western Slavonia in early May 1995.CIA 2002 p. 399, note 73 By this time, the HGZ also commanded its own artillery and Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunships, in addition to Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters.Thomas Mikulan 2006 25 The HGZ redeployed west of Livno once again in early June to take part in Operation Leap 2, extending the salient that had been created in late 1994 west towards Bosansko Grahovo and Glamoč.Marijan 2010 57 The unit participated in the capture of those towns in late July 1995 during Operation Summer '95.CIA 2002 365 In preparation for Operation Storm, the HV 4th Guards and 7th Guards Brigades were pulled back from positions facing the VRS that had been established during Operation Summer '95, and were reoriented south towards the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina (ARSK). The ARSK was protecting the northern approaches to Knin − the capital of the unrecognised Republic of Serbian Krajina − which Croatia claimed as part of its own territory. As the two brigades turned over the positions north and west of Bosansko Grahovo to the HV 81st Guards Battalion, the HGZ was deployed to the rear of the battalion, tasked with intervening in case of any VRS attack towards Bosansko Grahovo.Marijan 2010 79–80 On the second day of the operation, 6 August, after Knin was captured by the HV, the HGZ was airlifted from the Livanjsko field to the village of Rovanjska north of Zadar.Marijan 2010 note 198 They then linked up with the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Guards Brigade and advanced east to capture the villages of Muškovac and Kaštel Žegarski.Marijan 2010 86–87 On 8 August, the HGZ participated in an operation against the last significant ARSK pocket in the area of Donji Lapac and Srb, alongside the three guards brigades and special police forces.CIA 2002 374 In September 1995, the HGZ took part in Operation Mistral 2, which extended HV and HVO control in western Bosnia and Herzegovina and captured the towns of Jajce, Šipovo and Drvar, moving the confrontation line north towards the Bosnian Serb capital of Banja Luka.CIA 2002 381 In October, the HGZ also participated in Operation Southern Move, which captured the town of Mrkonjić Grad, and reached the southern slopes of Mount Manjača, 25 km off south of Banja Luka.CIA 2002 390–391 Reorganisation The corps was disbanded in 2000 and its constituents reorganised.Bilandžić Milković 2009 50 A part of the HGZ was amalgamated with the Special Combat Skills Centre Šepurine to form the Special Operations Battalion.MORH 29 April 2013 The remainder of the brigade was amalgamated with the Reconnaissance-Sabotage Company based in Pula, the 350th Sabotage Detachment, the 280th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platoon, and the 275th Electronic Warfare Company to form the 350th Military Intelligence Battalion.Vlahović October 2013 The elements of the corps which were tasked with security of the President of Croatia and ceremonial duties were reformed and the Honour Guard Battalion was established in their place.Žabec 27 November 2010 Footnotes 20em References Books 60em CIA 2002 https://books.google.com/books?id=it1IAQAAIAAJ Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995 Central Intelligence Agency Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis 2002 978-0-16-066472-4 Washington, D.C. http://centardomovinskograta.hr/pdf/izdanja2/1-400_engleski_oluja_final_25_05_10-opt.pdf Davor Marijan Storm Croatian Homeland War Memorial & Documentation Centre Zagreb, Croatia 978-953-7439-25-5 2010 30 June 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20171010145023/http://www.centardomovinskograta.hr/pdf/izdanja2/1-400_engleski_oluja_final_25_05_10-opt.pdf 10 October 2017 dead dmy-all https://books.google.com/books?id=G5Px01NrM7QC The Yugoslav Wars (1): Slovenia & Croatia 1991–95 Nigel Thomas Krunislav Mikulan Osprey Publishing Oxford, England 2006 978-1-84176-963-9 Scientific journal articles 60em Polemos: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research on War and Peace Croatian Sociological Association and Jesenski & Turk Publishing House 1331-5595 http://hrcak.srce.hr/47720?lang=en Specijalne vojno-policijske protuterorističke postrojbe: Hrvatska i svijet Croatian Special Military and Police Counter-Terrorist Units: Croatia and the World 12 24 December 2009 Mirko Bilandžić Stjepan Milković 33–60 News reports 60em Biluš 14 September 2004 Nacional (weekly) Tajna snimka tereti generala Filipovića Secret Recording Points to General Filipović http://www.nacional.hr/clanak/13957/tajna-snimka-tereti-generala-filipovica Marina Biluš 14 September 2004 461 Croatian 29 June 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20131206222246/http://www.nacional.hr/clanak/13957/tajna-snimka-tereti-generala-filipovica 6 December 2013 dead dmy-all Index.hr 16 April 2011 16 April 2011 http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/procitajte-brijunske-transkripte-glavni-dokaz-haskog-suda-/547318.aspx?mobile=false Index.hr Pročitajte Brijunske transkripte, glavni dokaz Haškog suda Croatian Read Brijuni Transcripts, Main Evidence of the Hague Court Ratković November 2011 Sinjske novine November 2011 http://www.sinjske-novine.kus-sinj.hr/pdf/kus937079465.pdf Obilježena 17. godišnjica vojne akcije "Zima '94." The 17th anniversary of military Operation Winter '94 marked Filip Ratković 3 December 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014354/http://www.sinjske-novine.kus-sinj.hr/pdf/kus937079465.pdf live Žabec 27 November 2010 27 November 2010 Krešimir Žabec http://www.jutarnji.hr/predsjednik-ivo-josipovic-iz-bojne-izbacio-sve-umijesane-u--sumnjive-poslove-/907146/ Croatian Predsjednik Josipović iz bojne izbacio sve umiješane u "sumnjive poslove" President Josipović Discharged Everyone Involved in "Suspicious Activities" from the Battalion Jutarnji list 29 June 2014 7 January 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140107041515/http://www.jutarnji.hr/predsjednik-ivo-josipovic-iz-bojne-izbacio-sve-umijesane-u--sumnjive-poslove-/907146/ dead Other sources 60em MORH 29 April 2013 29 April 2013 http://www.morh.hr/hr/prvi-za-hrvatsku-13/bojna-za-specijalna-djelovanja.html Croatian Ministry of Defence (Croatia) Bojna za specijalna djelovanja Special Operations Battalion https://web.archive.org/web/20140630154818/http://www.morh.hr/hr/prvi-za-hrvatsku-13/bojna-za-specijalna-djelovanja.html live 30 June 2014 Vlahović October 2013 October 2013 Domagoj Vlahović Spremni za buduće izazove Croatian Ready for Future Challenges http://www.hrvatski-vojnik.hr/hrvatski-vojnik/4332013/vob.asp Ministry of Defence (Croatia) Hrvatski vojnik 433 1333-9036 30 June 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140630154643/http://www.hrvatski-vojnik.hr/hrvatski-vojnik/4332013/vob.asp 30 June 2014 dead dmy-all Further reading 1. hrvatski gardijski zdrug Croatian 1st Croatian Guards Brigade 978-953-193-124-3 2011 Ministry of Defence (Croatia) Zagreb, Croatia Josip Lucić Josip Lucić http://katalog.nsk.hr/F/DN23F2FV4JYFMT8MYGFK1UPMUKVIA5B1UY51BF9XS65DSK6629-11911?func=full-set-set&set_number=002235&set_entry=000003&format=999 Category:Military units and formations established in 1994 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 2000 Category:Military units and formations of the Croatian War of Independence Category:Special forces units and formations Category:1994 establishments in Croatia