Published on 09/12/2008

Please, do not miss to see Episode 2 of the serial Heroes of Vukovar by Eduard and Dominik Galić on Croatian TV, Friday 12. 09. 2008. at 20.10. On the photo on the left is Marko Babić, a legendary Croatian defender.

Episode 2 on Croatian TV Friday 12. 09. 2008 at 20.10

Vukovar Heroes, Trpinjska road and the Tank graveyard

Do not miss to see Episode 2 of documentary serial on Croatian TV

2. The tank graveyard 2- Friday 12.09.2008 20.10

This episode is about Marko Babić and his co fighters, the man who destroyed 14 enemy tanks, more than anyone in Vukovar. Destroying the tanks is described in detail, methods of approaching the position to destroy the tank, chronological analysis of the battle and its progression as well as a way of fighting on glorious Trpinjska road. The people from this episode, changed the methods of warfare between east and west.

After Trpinjska road, the tank was never used in the same role in war as before. The main characters in this episode are

Marko Babić, Iva Leutar, Stipe Majić-Pipe, Mirko Brekalo, Zoran Janković, Ivan Mlinarić and Marko Petrovecky.

The city of Vukovar in 1991 during the Serbian agression on Croatia. Serbian tanks (bought mostly by Croatian money during the time of ex-Yugoslavia) were destroying houses in Vukovar one by one.

Opsada i pad Vukovara, hrvatskog gradića na rijeci Dunav, nakon tromjesečne opsade Jugoslavenske narodne armije i srpskih paravojnih snaga te bezuspješnih tenkovskih napada 1991., jedinstven je događaj u povijesti ratovanja na europskom kontinentu.

U početku opsade na strani JNA i paravojnih srpskih postrojba sudjelovalo je 27.362 ljudi, 616 tenkova i 527 oklopnih transportera. Taj se broj 14. rujna 1991. povećao na 57.154 ljudi,
682 tenka, 623 oklopna transportera, dok se
posljednjih dana opsade, od 10. do 18. studenoga 1991., broj popeo na nevjerojatnih
81.884 ljudi, 1097 tenkova i 984 oklopna transportera.

Snage hrvatskih branitelja s oružejm u samom gradu procjenjuju se na oko 1800 do 2200 pripadnika policije, te ZNG-a (Zbor narodne garde), HOS-a (Hrvatske obrambene snage) i dragovoljaca iz raznih krajeva Hrvatske, ustrojenih u 204. brigadu HV-a (Hrvatska
vojska), razvučenih na fronti dužoj od 10 kilometara.

Hrvatske snage uništile su oko 400 tenkova i drugih oklopnih vozila i 27 aviona. Glavni
stožer Hrvatske vojske procjenjuje gubitke JNA
na 8.000 poginulih vojnika.

U Vukovaru je poginulo oko 1100 civila. Među poginulima bilo je i 86 djece. Ranjeno je 2500 osoba, od čega su 570 ostali trajni invalidi. Bez jednog ili oba roditelja ostalo je 858
djece.

Prognano je 22.000 Vukovaraca, a najmanje 2.796 odvedeno je u srpske logore. Iz masovnih grobnica do 2007. godine ekshumirane su 1982 osobe, od čega oko 200 na Ovčari, kamo su odvedeni iz gradske bolnice i ubijeni.

Još se vodi postupak traženja za 486 nestalih i nasilno odvedenih.

Po svjedočenju zapovjednika inženjerijskog puka JNA, nakon zauzimanja Vukovara sahranjeno je 1300 mrtvih, izvučenih iz ruševina.

204. brigada HV-a je u bitci za Vukovar imala 879 poginulih i nestalih, te 777 ranjenih branitelja.

Na Vukovar je palo više od 1.500.000 granata svih vrsta i veličina i srušeno oko 13.500 kuća.

Ova je televizijska serija dokument o tim događajima. Prvi dio serijala "Vukovarski heroji" temelji se na svjedočanstvima osoba koje su branile Borovo Naselje pored Vukovara, i treba ih shvatiti kao uspomene na Bitku za Vukovar 1991. Treba ga shvatiti i kao poticaj za prikupljanje podataka, posebice zato što ovom serijom nisu mogli biti obuhvaćeni svi sudionici obrane Borava Naselja i Vukovara.

The occupation of Vukovar, a small Croatian town on the Danube river, after three months of occupation of the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) and Serbian paramilatary unists and
unsuccessful tanks attacs in 1991, is a unique event of warfare on the European continent.

In the beginning of the occupation on the side of JNA and Serbian paramilitary units 27,362 persons were participating, 616 tanks and 527
armoured personnel carriers. That number was increased on September 14th 1991 to 57,154
persons, 682 tanks and 623 armoured personnel carriers. During the last days of the
occupation from 10th to 18th November the numbers increased to unbeleivable 81,884
persons, 1097 tanks and 984 armoured personnel carriers.

The number of Croatian defense forces in the city was approximately 1,800 to 2,200 members of the police forces, ZNG (Assembly of People's
Guard), HOS (Croatian Defense Forces) volunteers from all parts of Croatia, organized in 204th brigade of HV (Croatian Army) and situated on the battle line longer than 10 km.

The Croatian forces destroyed over 400 tanks and other armoured personnel carriers and 27 aircrafts. The General Staff of the Croatian Army estimates the losses of JNA to 8,000 casualties.

In Vukovar died over 1,000 civilians. Among the casualties there were 86 children, 2,500 persons were wounded, and 570 remained disabled. 858 children remained without one or both parents.

22,000 citizens fo Vukovar were exiled, and at least 2796 of them were taken to Serbian
concentration camps. 1,982 persons were exhumed until 2007 from mass graves, aproximately 200 from Ovčara (a farm 5km from Vukovar), where the persons from the city hospital were taken and murdered.

The procedure of searching of 486 missing and abducted persons is still in progress.

According to the testimony of the JNA engineering regiment commander, after the occupation of Vukovar 1,300 dead people were burried that were pulled out of the ruins.

204th brigade of HV suffered 879 casualties, 879 missing and 777 wounded defenders in the
battle for Vukovar.

Vukovar was the target of more than 1,500,00 grenades of all kinds of sizes, and more than
13,500 houses were devastated.

This TV serial is a document about those events. The first part of the serial "The Vukovar Heroes" is based upon testimonies of the persons defending Borovo Naselje near Vukovar and it should be observed as a testimony on the Battle for Vukovar in 1991. It should be also understood as an encouragement to continue its collection, particularly beacuse this serial could not include all persons defending Borovo Naselje and Vukovar.

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