The state of Yugoslavia was, in reality, little more than "Greater Serbia". Its constitution guaranteed all important decisions were made in Belgrade dominated by Serbs. Bosnia was no better or worse off than any other province. In 1929 King Alexander established a royal dictatorship and redrew all internal borders. Traditional ethnic boundaries were completely ignored. Even the name "Yugoslavia" was an invention, designed to overwhelm tribal antagonisms. Within ten years Serbian dominance and Croatian separatism put an end to any dreams of Yugoslav national identity. A 1939 agreement assigned most of Herzegovina and southeastern Bosnia to Croatia. The rest went to Serbia. The large local Muslim population was not consulted!

After the 1941 invasion, Yugoslavia was split into German and Italian zones of occupation. Bosnia and Herzegovina fell under Nazi control as part of their puppet state, Croatia. There followed a brutal civil war in which Bosnians, Croats, and Serbs tore at each other. The Croat "Ustase" regime committed savage atrocities against Serbs. Reprisals were committed with equal savagery by the royalist Chetniks and by Tito's communist Partisans. Although it has been over fifty years, the memory of these horrors lives on and is used daily to justify new atrocities.

Tito's communists smothered internal conflict under a new dictatorship after the war. Bosnia-Herzegovina became one of six federated republics, since nationalist aspirations were incompatible with socialism. The 1974 constitution allowed a lot of autonomy to the republics, in an attempt to ease tensions. Things actually became worse, though, as the republics embraced nationalism almost immediately. In Bosnia-Herzegovina things were complicated by the constitutional recognition of Muslims as a separate nationality. After Tito's death in 1980, civil war was inevitable. Elections in November 1990 split the three communities along ethnic lines, and the Sarajevo government declared independence from Yugoslavia. Over three years of ethnic bloodshed followed.

The Dayton Peace Agreement was signed on Dec. 14, 1995, ending the fighting. But serious problems remained. Loyalties were never to the government in Sarajevo, but to ethnic communities which had nothing to do with state boundaries. The whole notion of a state called "Bosnia and Herzegovina" seemed like an "historic relic" with no contemporary relevance. Indicted war criminals continued to exert powerful influence on all three sides and remained committed to separate, "ethnically pure" states. A cloud of questions remains over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Is there a fair way to partition the country along ethnic lines? If the NATO and UN forces withdraw, will war resume? Many have addressed these problems but, so far, they have proved insoluble.

Tactical Notes 1991-1995

Small unit actions are all this army is capable of. You will have the best chance of putting up a good showing with them if you match them up against Serbian forces of the same time period. These are a fair match for them and interesting scenarios can be developed around attacking or defended militarily worthless but politically vital villages and towns. Your scenarios should always include significant numbers of unarmed civilians and partly armed militia. The protection of these will often be the key to one side's victory, while the other side may be trying to drive them out of an area (Ethnic Cleansing!).

Information on the UN "SFOR" and "KFOR" peacekeeping forces engaged against the FBiH from 1990-1995 is included in the "UN Peacekeeping Forces" Chapter. Organization of Serbian and Croatian Armies are in their own chapters.

Current Situation

Today, the "Federal Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina" (FBiH) officially comprises a union of two separate entities, one Bosnian (Muslim) and one Croatian. All powers not expressly designated to the federation are the responsibility and province of these "entities". Each has its own president, prime minister, and parliament. (Sounds pretty clear, but let's cut to the chase!) Real power is divided among the five international agencies present in the country: 1) The UN "Stabilization Forces" (SFOR) commander; 2) The staff of the "Special Representative of the UN Secretary General"; 3) The head of the "Organization For Security and Cooperation in Europe" (OSCE), backed by the U.S.; 4) The head of the "UN High Commission For Refugees" (UNHCR); and 5) overall power is exercised by the "UN High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina". Is this all perfectly clear?

"Landmines played a prominent role in the Bosnian Civil War. First, they were easy to use. Second, the former Yugoslavia was a major supplier of mines to the former Soviet Union, so they were also plentiful. All three factions buried hundreds of thousands of landmines along the "Zone of Separation" (ZOS) between the entities and around ethnically cleansed areas to discourage the return of refugees to their homes. It is estimated that there are between one and one-point-five million landmines still buried in 30,000 minefields scattered throughout the country. I spent nine months supporting SFOR’s mine awareness training program for the Bosnian people. During my tour it was a rare week not to have reports of several civilians maimed or killed by mines. Tragically, a very large proportion of these were children. There is a massive UN led International effort currently underway to de-mine Bosnia."*

*Provided by a valued friend, MAJ Daryl Nichols, USAR. His comments were greatly appreciated.

Point of Contact

FBiH Ministry of National Defense - Tel: (+387 71) 354 27

Current Arsenal

Vehicles 46 x T-34/85 8 x M-47 5 x T-54 77 x T-55 6 x M-84 45 x M60A3 50 x AMX-30 16 x BOV/BVP 3 x BRDM 8 x PT-76 72 x OT/BTR-60 80 x M113A2 2 x BTR-50PK 25 x AMX-10 3 x BTR-70

Anti-Tank AT-3, AT-6, and "Milan"

Artillery: 119 x [US] 155mm M114A2 116 x [RU] 122mm D-30 419 x MB-120 Mortars 492 x 82mm Mortars 36+ x 122mm MRL's

Anti-Aircraft 350 x 20-30mm A-A guns

Air Support 12 x Mi-8

Small Arms Any combination of small arms may be encountered, with former Soviet bloc weapons will predominating.

Organization & Equipment
1990-91

Generation: III
Class: Conscripts
Air Superiority Rating: 10

Infantry Brigade
1xTL3 Inf. (C) GHQ
2 to 6 Inf. Battalions

Infantry Battalion
1 x TL3 Inf. (C) HQ
3 x Inf. Companies
1 x 82mm B10 RcR(MP)
1 x (82mm or 120mm) Mortar

Infantry Company
3xTL3 Inf. (D)

Independent Formations

Recon Platoon
1 x TL3 Inf.(R)/BTR-60P

Tank Platoon
1 x (M4A3E8 "Easy-8" or
T-34/85 or T-55M)

Rocket Battery
1 x 130mm Type70(2)/Truck

Anti-Aircraft Platoon
1 x 20mm Flak38/Truck
or 1 x .50cal. AAMG/Jeep

Artillery Battery
1 x 155mm M114A1(2)/Truck
1 x 122mm M38 (2))/Truck

Organization & Equipment
1991-95

Generation: III
Class: Conscripts
Air Superiority Rating: 10

Infantry Brigade
1xTL3 Inf. (C) GHQ
2 to 6 Inf. Battalions

Infantry Battalion
1 x TL3 Inf. (C) HQ
3 x Inf. Companies
1 x 82mm B10 RcR(MP)
1 x (82mm or 120mm) Mortar

Infantry Company
3xTL3 Inf. (D)

Independent Formations

Armored "Group"
1 x T-62
1 x TL3 Inf.(C)/BTR-60PB
1 x "BOV"[R]

Recon Platoon
1 x TL3 Inf.(R)/BTR-60PB

Tank Platoon
1 x (M4A3E8 "Easy-8" or T-34/85 or T-55M)

Rocket Battery
1 x 130mm Type70(2)/Truck

Anti-Aircraft Platoon
1 x 20mm Flak38/Truck
or 1 x .50cal. AAMG/Jeep

Artillery Battery
1 x 155mm M114A1(2)/Truck
1 x 122mm M38 (2))/Truck

Notes
1) Stands w/o transport may obtain it at double normal cost. These represent commandeered civilian vehicles.
2) One stand in each battalion may have an attached AT-3 team (MP).
3) Bosnian forces in 1992 consisted of seven brigades.
4) The 1993 army consisted of six "Corps" of 2-6 brigades each.
5) There were one battalion each of Afghan, Palestinian, and Turkish "Mujahadeen" volunteers.
6) The Armored Group may be used in 1991 only.
7) The "BOV" vehicles, made in Slovenia, are similar in performance and appearance to the US "V-150" series.

This is a sample chapter from John’s up-coming Modern Micro-Armor Rules, to be published by GHQ.