Croatian War of Independence facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Croatian War of Independence
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Clockwise from top left: the central street of Dubrovnik, the Stradun, in ruins during the Siege of Dubrovnik; the damaged Vukovar water tower, a symbol of the early conflict, flying the Flag of Croatia; soldiers of the Croatian Army preparing to destroy a Serbian tank; the Vukovar Memorial Cemetery; a Serbian T-55 tank destroyed on the road to Drniš
Date 31 March 1991 – 12 November 1995 (4 years, 7 months, 1 week and 5 days) Location Croatia Result Croatian victory Yugoslav army formally withdrew from Croatia from January 1992 under the Sarajevo Agreement; Croatian forces regained control over most of Republic of Serbian Krajina-held territory; Croatian forces advanced into Bosnia and Herzegovina to assist the united Bosnian and Croatian side, which led to the eventual end of the Bosnian War in December 1995. Territorial changes The Croatian government gains control over the vast majority of territory previously held by rebel Serbs, with the remainder coming under UNTAES control.
Belligerents
1991–94: Croatia	1991–92: SFR Yugoslavia SAO Krajina SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia SAO Western Slavonia
1994–95: Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina	1992–95: Republic of Serbian Krajina Republika Srpska
Commanders and leaders
Franjo Tuđman Gojko Šušak Anton Tus Janko Bobetko Zvonimir Červenko Petar Stipetić Ante Gotovina	Slobodan Milošević Veljko Kadijević Blagoje Adžić Života Panić Milan Martić Milan Babić Goran Hadžić Jovica Stanišić Franko Simatović Radovan Karadžić Ratko Mladić
Strength
70,000 (1991) 200,000 (1995)	145,000 (1991) 50,000 (1995)
Casualties and losses
15,007 dead or missing 8,685 soldiers and 6,322 civilians killed or missing 300,000 displaced	7,134 dead or missing 4,484 soldiers and 2,650 civilians killed or missing 1,279 soldiers killed 7,204 dead or missing 3,486 soldiers, 2,677 civilians and 864 unidentified killed or missing 7,204–8,106 dead or missing in total 300,000 displaced

The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and local Serb forces.

In Croatia, the war is known as the "Homeland War" (Croatian: Domovinski rat) and also as the "Greater-Serbian Aggression".

In Serbian sources, "War in Croatia" and (rarely) "War in Krajina" are used.

Images for kids

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  Map of the strategic offensive plan of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in 1991 as interpreted by the US Central Intelligence Agency

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  The Croatian military eased their equipment shortage by seizing the JNA barracks in the Battle of the Barracks.

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  The JNA breakthrough in eastern Slavonia, September 1991–-January 1992

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  Croatian internally displaced persons near Dubrovnik in December 1991

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  A destroyed T-34-85 tank in Karlovac, 1992

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  Croatian soldiers capture a Serb cannon and truck in the Miljevci plateau incident, June 21, 1992

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  Map of Operation Medak Pocket

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  Map of the Bihać enclave

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  A Croatian improvised fighting vehicle

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  Map of Operation Storm

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  The document issued by the Supreme Defense Council of the RSK on 4 August 1995, ordering the evacuation of civilians from its territory

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  Monument to the defenders of Dubrovnik, 2009

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  The former Stajićevo camp in Serbia, where Croatian prisoners of war and civilians were kept by Serbian authorities

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  Destroyed Serbian house in Croatia. Most Serbs were displaced during Operation Storm in 1995.

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  Bombardment damage in Osijek

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  A standard minefield marking

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  Territories controlled by Serb forces during the Yugoslav Wars. It is widely believed that Milošević tried to create Greater Serbia, which would unite all Serbs across a collapsing Yugoslavia.

See also

In Spanish: Guerra de Croacia para niños