Kako je počeo rat na općini Gračanica: prvi dani agresije – maj 1992. godine
Beginning of the War on Gracanica Municpality: First Days of Aggression – May 1992

Summary/Abstract: This paper deals with the beginning of the war, that is the outbreak of hostilities in the territory of the municipality of Gracanica, with the details of the so-called The May Storm Over Gracanica (from 18th to 25th May, 1992) when the Chetniks from Ozren, on 25th May, 1992 performed the hardest granading over Gracanica, attepmting the infantry attack on the town that got in their way of realization of the famous plan of the occupation of the region of Tuzla codenamed Drina, for the first time. According to that plan, among other things, the municipality of Gracanica was to be cut by the Chetnik movement forces from Ozren, connecting Kakmuz on Ozren side and Lohinje (Serbian settlements) on Gracanica side, farther to Smoluca and Jasenica on the road Tuzla–Srebrenik. Another offensive line led from Karanovac on Ozren side, connecting with Lendic in the municipality of Gracanica and further by the direction of Skipovac – Duga Njiva on Trebava. In this direction, the specifically fortified Lendići were of great strategic importance, from which provocations and artillery strikes on Gracanica and neighboring Bosniak villages were very frequent during this period. In an attempt to eliminate the danger from this stronghold, the defenders of Gracanica, on 23th and 25th May carried out an attack on the most prominent Chetnik positions towards the village Malesici in the region of Ahmici and on the established ground level of Zecev Gaj within the reach of Lendic. Taking the positions in Ahmici on 23th May, the members of the Territorial Defense of Malesići and Stjepan Polje, supported by the volunteers from the Emergency Unit of the BPDA, tried two days later to take even the ground level of Zecev Gaj. Because of the obvious flaws in the organization of the attacks, insufficient safety precautions and inexperience, they suffered heavy losses, losing 10 young soldiers in just one day, after which all the actions in that area were suspended. The author describes in detail a series of armed provocations by the Chetniks from Ozren toward Gracanica and other settlements on the right side of Spreca, which preceded the decisive blows, on 25th May, 1992. At the same time, he points out the certain weaknesses in the organization of the defense of Gracanica, which had just escalated in the mentioned period as a result of political animosities in the military-political leadership of the municipality, and if these hadn’t been overcome, they could have caused even worse consequences.

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