1994 Goražde air strikes
| Goražde air strikes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of NATO intervention in Bosnia and Operation Deny Flight | |||||||
 A USAF F-16c during Operation Deny Flight | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 NATO United Nations |
 Republika Srpska | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Jeremy M. Boorda |
Ratko Mladić | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1 British BAE Sea Harrier shot down 1 French Super Etendard damaged 1 SAS member killed 1 SAS member wounded 150 UNPROFOR POWs | 1 command outpost damaged | ||||||
Goražde incident took place during VRS Operation Zvezda '94, NATO intervened to stop the Serbian offensive on Goražde, Bosnia, but two NATO planes were hit, one of them shot down. One Special Air Service British soldier was killed on the ground and another wounded, while 150 UN soldiers were taken hostage. In the end NATO was forced to stop the airstrikes and Serbs to stop the offensive on Goražde.
Background
[edit]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.[1]
Campaign
[edit]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 momentarly. 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,[2] and the next day a British Sea Harrier was shot down. Both aircraft were hit by MANPADS 9K38 Igla missiles.[3] 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.[4]
Aftermath
[edit]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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995. Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Russian and European Analysis. 2002. p. 460. ISBN 978-0-16-066472-4.
- ^ "Dassault-Aviation Étendard IVM/ P/ PM [in english]". www.ffaa.net. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ "NATO PLANE SHOT DOWN IN BATTLE FOR GORAZDE". Washington Post. 2024-01-05. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ 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". The Independent. p. 8.