Key Facts
- Duration
- 7–26 June 1992 (19 days)
- Territory captured
- ~1,800 km² around Mostar and Stolac
- Attacker
- Combined HV and HVO forces
- Defender
- Army of Republika Srpska (VRS)
- Strategic goal
- Protect Port of Ploče and Split from VRS advance
Strategic Narrative Overview
Launched on 7 June 1992, the combined HV and HVO offensive struck VRS positions in and around Mostar and Stolac. The operation represented a pre-emptive Croatian military intervention into Bosnia and Herzegovina aimed at reversing Bosnian Serb territorial gains made during the early chaotic phase of the war. Over nineteen days, Croatian-led forces applied sustained pressure, exploiting the relative disorganisation of the newly formed VRS, which had only been constituted from JNA units in May 1992.
01 / The Origins
Following JNA offensive operations in April and May 1992 that seized Kupres and much of the Neretva River valley south of Mostar, Croatian military leadership concluded that the Bosnian Serb forces were threatening the strategically vital Port of Ploče and possibly Split. To pre-empt further VRS expansion, Croatia deployed its regular army, the HV, to a 'Southern Front' under General Janko Bobetko, setting the stage for a coordinated strike with the Bosnian Croat HVO.
03 / The Outcome
By 26 June 1992, the HV and HVO had secured an outright victory, capturing approximately 1,800 square kilometres of territory around Mostar and Stolac. The result marked the first notable defeat suffered by Bosnian Serb forces in the war. The operation placed Croatian forces in a position to subsequently re-establish overland supply routes to Dubrovnik, which had been under JNA siege since late 1991, significantly altering the strategic balance in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Janko Bobetko.
Side B
1 belligerent