Operation Summer '95

Overview

Operation Summer '95 was a joint military offensive of the Croatian Army (HV) and the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) that took place north-west of the Livanjsko Polje, and around Bosansko Grahovo and Glamoč in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. The operation was carried out between 25 and 29 July 1995, during the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War. The attacking force of 8,500 troops commanded by HV's Lieutenant General Ante Gotovina initially encountered strong resistance from the 5,500-strong Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) 2nd Krajina Corps. The HV/HVO pushed the VRS back, capturing about 1,600 square kilometres of territory and consequently intercepting the Knin-Drvar road — a critical supply route of the self-declared Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). The operation failed to achieve its declared primary goal of drawing VRS units away from the besieged city of Bihać, but it placed the HV in position to capture the RSK's capital Knin in Operation Storm days later.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Operation Summer '95 was a joint HV/HVO offensive conducted between 25 and 29 July 1995 north-west of Livanjsko Polje and around Bosansko Grahovo and Glamoč in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite meeting strong initial resistance from the VRS 2nd Krajina Corps, the Croatian-led force captured approximately 1,600 square kilometres of territory and severed the Knin-Drvar road, a critical supply artery for the self-declared Republic of Serbian Krajina. The operation fell short of its stated primary objective — drawing VRS forces away from the besieged city of Bihać — but its territorial and logistical consequences proved decisive at the operational level. By cutting the Knin-Drvar road and positioning HV units in the approaches to the RSK's capital, Summer '95 directly set the conditions for Operation Storm, launched days later, which would collapse the RSK entirely. The battle is thus best understood not as a self-contained success but as the preparatory maneuver that made the broader Croatian offensive of summer 1995 viable.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)