1994 Goražde air strikes

NATO attacks during its intervention in Bosnia Goražde air strikes NATO intervention in Bosnia and Operation Deny Flight A USAF F-16c during Operation Deny Flight 10 – 16 April 1994 around Goražde NATO operational failure United States 1960 Jeremy M. Boorda NATO 23pxUnited Nations 23px Republika Srpska 1 British BAE Sea Harrier shot down1 French Super Etendard damaged1 SAS member killed1 SAS member wounded150 UNPROFOR POWs 1 command outpost damaged File:A US Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon of the 510th Fighter Squadron, armed with two AIM-7M Sparrow Missiles, flies over the airfield. The aircraft is completing a sortie in support o - DPLA - 525c8536d80f8231ffdc3e05143f58e3.jpeg 320 The Goražde air strikes was a series of NATO actions under the umbrella of operation Deny Fly to stop the Serbian offensive on Goražde, Bosnia. As a result, a Serbian command post was hit by American aircraft, while on the NATO side a British fighter was shot down and a French strike aircraft sustained damage. On the ground, one Special Air Service British soldier was killed and another wounded, while 150 UNPROFOR soldiers were taken hostage. In the end, NATO stopped air operations over Goražde and the Serbs agreed to halt their offensive in the area. Background On 12 March, the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) made its first request for NATO air support, but close air support was not deployed, owing to a number of delays associated with the approval process. On 6 April VRS started Operation Star 94 pushing the ARBiH and approaching Goražde. On 10 and 11 April 1994, UNPROFOR called in air strikes to protect the Goražde safe area, resulting in the bombing of a Bosnian Serb military command outpost near Goražde by two US F-16 jets.https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8CGuDTORZUC&q=balkan+battlegrounds:+a+military+history+of+the+yugoslav+conflict Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995 2002 Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis 978-0-16-066472-4 460 en Campaign Two US F-16 jets bombed a Serb military command outpost near Goražde on 10 April. This was the first time in NATO's history it had ever attacked ground targets with aircraft. The VRS stopped the offensive momentarily. In reaction to the NATO attack, VRS took 150 UN personnel hostage on 14 April. Despite the now more difficult situation due to NATO pressure, the VRS continues to break through Bosniak lines and reach the first houses in the town of Goražde, where the city battles begin. Serbian fighters arrive only 300 meters from the hospital in Goražde. The VRS gets a special boost in morale after hitting two NATO planes. First, on April 15, a French Super Etendard on a photo reconnaissance mission was hit and damaged,Dassault-Aviation Étendard IVM/ P/ PM [in english] http://www.ffaa.net/aircraft/etendard/etendard%20UPG.htm 2024-09-17 www.ffaa.net and the next day a British Sea Harrier was shot down. Both aircraft were hit by MANPADS 9K38 Igla missiles.2024-01-05 NATO Plane Shot Down in Battle for Gorazde https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/04/17/nato-plane-shot-down-in-battle-for-gorazde/ce362807-6cb8-462d-9f14-e03881027be4/ 2024-09-17 Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 Also on April 15, two British SAS soldiers on the ground, operating as air controllers on the frontline, came under Serb heavy fire. One of them was killed and the other wounded.Barber Tony Bellamy Christopher 15 April 1994 Serbs storm into Gorazde: Bosnian Muslim pocket crumbles before ferocious assault - SAS soldier killed - Washington at a loss https://www.independent.co.uk/news/serbs-storm-into-gorazde-bosnian-muslim-pocket-crumbles-before-ferocious-assault-sas-soldier-killed-washington-at-a-loss-1370247.html The Independent 8 Aftermath In the negotiations with UNPROFOR on 18 April, it was agreed that Goražde would be a demilitarized zone, ending the VRS offensive. And on 18 April VRS would end the Operation Star 94. See also Banja Luka incident Udbina airstrike Pale airstrikes Scott O'Grady References Sources Ripley Tim Conflict in the Balkans, 1991–2000 Osprey Publishing 2001 1-84176-290-3 London Category:Military operations of the Bosnian War Category:NATO intervention in the former Yugoslavia Category:Aerial bombing operations Category:Battles of the Bosnian War Category:Airstrikes in Europe Category:Incidents involving NATO