View source for Operation Swath-10

{{short description|Croatian War of Independence battle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Operation Swath-10
| partof            = the [[Croatian War of Independence]]
| image             = {{Location_map+| Croatia | width=300| float=center |caption=  | overlay_image = Cro-occup-lines-Jan92.svg
| places   = {{Location map~|Croatia| label=[[Virovitica]] | lat=45.829995 | long=17.387526 | label_size=75 | marksize=6| position=right}}
{{Location map~|Croatia| label=[[Grubišno Polje]] | lat=45.702463 | long=17.172118 | label_size=75 | marksize=6| position=left}}
{{Location map~|Croatia| label=[[Pakrac]] | lat=45.439176 | long=17.192203 | label_size=75 | marksize=6| position=right}}
{{Location map~|Croatia| label=[[Novska]] | lat=45.34008 | long=16.978313 | label_size=75 | marksize=6| position=left}}
{{Location map~|Croatia| label=[[Nova Gradiška]] | lat=45.260389 | long=17.380687 | label_size=75 | marksize=6| position=right}}
}}
| caption           = Western Slavonian towns on map of Croatia (JNA-held area in late December 1991 is in red)
| place             = Western [[Slavonia]], Croatia
| date              = 31 October – 4 November 1991
| result            = Croatian victory
| combatant1        = {{flag|Croatia}}
| combatant2        = [[File:Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg|22px|border|Yugoslavia]] [[Yugoslavia]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Serbian Krajina (1991).svg}} [[SAO Western Slavonia]]
| units1          ={{flagicon image|Flag of Croatian National Guard.svg}} [[Croatian National Guard]]
| units2 = {{flagicon image|border=|Emblem of the Yugoslav People's Army (1991-1992).svg|size=22px}} [[Yugoslav People's Army]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Yugoslav Ground Forces.svg}} [[Yugoslav Ground Forces]]
**[[1st Krajina Corps|5th Banja Luka Corps]]
***[[2nd Krajina Brigade]]
[[Territorial Defense Forces (Yugoslavia)|Western Slavonia Territorial Defense]]
| strength1         = 2,647 troops<br>48 artillery pieces<br>12 [[armored car (military)|armoured vehicles]]
| strength2         = {{circa}} 1,750 troops<br>22 artillery pieces<br>8 armoured vehicles
| commander1        = {{flagicon|Croatia}} Franjo Kovačević
| commander2        = {{flagicon image|Flag of Serbian Krajina (1991).svg}} Rade Čakmak
| casualties1       = 5 killed<br>Dozens wounded
| casualties2       = 24 killed
| casualties3       = 22 Serb civilians killed, 4,000 displaced
}}
{{Campaignbox Croatian War of Independence}}
'''Operation Swath-10''' ({{langx|hr|Operacija Otkos-10}}) was a military offensive undertaken by the [[Croatian Army]] (''Hrvatska vojska'', or HV) against the [[SAO Western Slavonia]] [[Territorial Defense Forces (Yugoslavia)|Territorial Defense Forces]] on [[Bilogora]] Mountain in western [[Slavonia]]. Occurring from 31 October to 4 November 1991, during the [[Croatian War of Independence]], the operation was a Croatian victory and its success set the stage for follow-up advances by Croatian forces on [[Papuk]] Mountain in Operation Papuk-91 in late November and December. By the end of the year the HV gained control of Papuk, securing transport routes between eastern Slavonia and the rest of [[Croatia]].

The offensives were accompanied by the displacement of most of the [[Serbs of Croatia|Croatian Serb]] population of the area captured by the HV. The refugees initially fled to [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], but the majority were soon settled in the [[Yugoslav People's Army|JNA]]-held [[Baranya (region)|Baranja]] region of eastern Croatia. The offensive provoked accusations that Croatian troops had committed [[ethnic cleansing]] and [[civil rights|civil-rights]] abuses. These accusations were contested by the [[European Community Monitor Mission]] (ECMM). A month after the operation, the retreating paramilitary unit known as the [[White Eagles (paramilitary)|White Eagles]] perpetrated the [[Voćin massacre]], and its [[war crime]]s were prosecuted at the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]].

==Background==
{{main|1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia}}
During the [[1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia]], the 5th ([[Banja Luka]]) Corps of the [[Yugoslav People's Army]] (''Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija'', or JNA) was tasked with advancing north through western [[Slavonia]] from [[Okučani]] to [[Daruvar]] and [[Virovitica]] and with a secondary drive from Okučani towards [[Kutina]].<ref>{{harvnb|Marijan|2012b|p=262}}</ref> This was essentially consistent with the line expected to be reached by the main thrust of the JNA, advancing from eastern Slavonia in about a week. The link was designed to facilitate a further advance west, to [[Zagreb]] and [[Varaždin]].<ref name=Marijan12b261>{{harvnb|Marijan|2012b|p=261}}</ref> The corps had deployed a [[Battlegroup (army)|battlegroup]] of the 265th Mechanised Brigade near Okučani, supporting an advance which began on 21 September and reached the [[Papuk]] Mountains. The corps received one artillery and two motorised brigades as reinforcements during the advance, but the desertion and morale problems experienced by the JNA elsewhere also existed in the Banja Luka Corps.<ref name=Marijan12b266>{{harvnb|Marijan|2012b|p=266}}</ref>

The JNA was stopped by the [[Croatian National Guard]] (''Zbor Narodne Garde'', or ZNG) between [[Novska]], [[Nova Gradiška]] and [[Pakrac]], although [[SAO Western Slavonia]] [[Territorial Defense Forces (Yugoslavia)|Territorial Defense Forces]] (''Teritorijalna odbrana'', or TO) units took up positions on the [[Bilogora]] and Papuk north of Pakrac (near Virovitica and [[Slatina, Croatia|Slatina]]) with no JNA support.<ref name=BB102>{{harvnb|CIA|2002|p=102}}</ref> The capture of [[Ivanovo Selo]], {{convert|7|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} east of [[Grubišno Polje]] and {{convert|8|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} north of Daruvar, on 21 September marked the territorial peak of the TO-held area on the Bilogora. The village was recaptured by the ZNG the same day, with seven dead and fifteen wounded.<ref name=Nazor144/>

On 1 October, the Banja Luka Corps began probing attacks in the region before a major effort with most of the corps three days later. The advance established defensive positions just outside Novska and Nova Gradiška.<ref name=Marijan12b269270>{{harvnb|Marijan|2012b|pp=269–270}}</ref> On 6 October Pakrac was briefly isolated when the JNA captured [[Batinjani, Bjelovar-Bilogora County|Batinjani]] {{convert|4|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} (northwest of the town), blocking the last road available to supply the town. The ZNG recaptured the village the same day, driving the JNA back {{convert|6|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} at a cost of 22 killed.<ref name=Nazor144>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=144}}</ref> The JNA captured [[Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County|Jasenovac]] on 8 October; [[Lipik]] and part of Pakrac were captured four days later.<ref name=Marijan12b269270/> By then, the JNA offensive in western Slavonia had lost momentum<ref name=Marijan12a110>{{harvnb|Marijan|2012a|p=110}}</ref> and the ZNG made minor advances north of Novska and west of Nova Gradiška on 13 and 16 October.<ref name=Nazor144/> Croatian authorities no longer considered the war situation critical, issuing an order to plan a counter-offensive for 15 October.<ref>{{harvnb|Marijan|2012a|p=107}}</ref> On 29 October, the ZNG launched [[Operation Hurricane-91]] against positions held by the JNA and the TO near Novska and Nova Gradiška.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=134}}</ref>

The TO forces in the Bilogora Mountain region were officially part of the 28th Partisan Division, commanded by [[Colonel]] Nikola Marić.<ref name=Skvorc119>{{harvnb|Škvorc|2010|p=119}}</ref> In reality, they comprised about 1,750 soldiers, eight [[Armoured fighting vehicle|armoured vehicle]]s, ten cannons and twelve mortars.<ref name=Nazor138>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=138}}</ref> The TO force was organised into two battalions, headquartered in the villages of [[Mali Grđevac]] and Velika Peratovica and commanded by Rade Čakmak.<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=470}}</ref> North of the TO-held area, the ZNG deployed the 127th Infantry Brigade in the Virovitica area.<ref name="Basic485"/> In the Grubišno Polje area south of the Bilogora, the ZNG force was subordinate to the 57th Independent Battalion (later renamed the 77th Independent Battalion).<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=476}}</ref> The attacking ZNG force, under Colonel Franjo Kovačević,<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=483}}</ref> consisted of 2,647 troops supported by twelve armoured vehicles, eighteen cannons and twenty {{convert|120|mm|adj=on}} mortars—surpassing the defending TO force in every respect except for the [[close air support]] of the TO by the [[Yugoslav Air Force]]. The ZNG originally planned to deploy the 105th Infantry Brigade and the [[Croatian special police order of battle in 1991–95|Omega special-police company]] from [[Bjelovar]], but the units were needed elsewhere and unavailable for the offensive.<ref name=Nazor138/>

==Timeline==
{{Location map+| Novska Virovitica Orahovica | width=350| float=right |alt= Location map of western Slavonia
| caption       = Map of western Slavonia ([[Counties of Croatia|modern county]] lines provided for reference)
| overlay_image =
| places        =
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Virovitica]] | lat=45.832627 | long=17.387526 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Slatina, Croatia|Slatina]] | lat=45.702223 | long=17.700935 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Orahovica]] | lat=45.531666 | long=17.879549 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=left}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Daruvar]] | lat=45.59242 | long=17.223802 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Pakrac]] | lat=45.439538 | long=17.192031 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Lipik]] | lat=45.41472 | long=17.161475 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Novska]] | lat=45.340684 | long=16.977798 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Okučani]] | lat=45.260389 | long=17.199241 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Nova Gradiška]] | lat=45.26051 | long=17.380344 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Požega, Croatia|Požega]] | lat=45.333323 | long=17.672511 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Grubišno Polje]] | lat=45.702103 | long=17.172805 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=left}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Velika, Croatia|Velika]] | lat=45.455555 | long=17.661841 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Voćin]] | lat=45.61884 | long=17.544768 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Đulovac]] | lat=45.663726 | long=17.430469 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Kamenska]] | lat=45.443934 | long=17.480178 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Bučje, Pakrac|Bučje]] | lat=45.46597 | long=17.40062 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Španovica]] | lat=45.472411 | long=17.302423 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=top}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Kusonje]] | lat=45.460432 | long=17.228008 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=left}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Striježevica, Brestovac|Striježevica]] | lat=45.468618 | long=17.505499 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Novo Zvečevo]] | lat=45.545433 | long=17.514339 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Lončarica]] | lat=45.741891 | long=17.296545 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=left}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=Bastajski Brđani | lat=45.672124 | long=17.351432 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=left}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=[[Zrinska]] | lat=45.789193 | long=17.146198 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=Čečavac | lat=45.381633 | long=17.461382 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=Golobrdac | lat=45.370418 | long=17.427221 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=left}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=Sinlije | lat=45.35124 | long=17.453485 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=Opršinac | lat=45.327953 | long=17.484212 | label_size=75 | marksize=6 | position=right}}
{{Location map~|Novska Virovitica Orahovica| label=Ambush of 2 December | lat=45.511807 | long=17.662265 | label_size=75 | mark=Battle icon gladii red.svg| marksize=9| position=right}}
}}
Operation Swath-10 (also known as Bilogora '91){{sfn|Glas Slavonije|3 August 2012}} was planned by the Croatians to regain control of the [[D5 road (Croatia)|Virovitica–Lončarica–Grubišno Polje road]], cutting off and destroying the TO forces deployed in the area of the road (the northernmost part of western Slavonia captured by the TO or the JNA). Those objectives were also designed to deny the Banja Luka Corps support if it attempted to break through towards Virovitica; control the last remaining supply route between Zagreb and Slavonia; shorten the Croatian defensive positions, and improve troop and civilian morale.<ref name=Nazor137>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=137}}</ref> The offensive was originally scheduled for 15 October, but was postponed for two weeks due to the unavailability of the 105th Infantry Brigade and the special police. The plan of operation called for the ZNG to first cut off the two TO battalions on the Bilogora Mountain within 48 hours, with the second stage of the offensive destroying the trapped TO force.<ref name=Nazor1378>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|pp=137–138}}</ref> The operation was authorised by Colonel Miroslav Jezerčić, commander of Bjelovar Operational Zone, on 7 October.<ref name=Nazor136>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=136}}</ref>

The offensive was launched at 6&nbsp;am on 31 October, with a 50-minute [[Barrage (artillery)|artillery bombardment]] followed by a ZNG advance in three groups:<ref name=Nazor136/> the 57th Independent Battalion from the south, the 127th Infantry Brigade from the north and the 1st Battalion of the 127th Infantry Brigade from the northwest.<ref name="Nazor130"/> That day the ZNG captured the villages of [[Velika Barna]], [[Gornja Kovačica]] and [[Zrinska]], northwest of the Grubišno Polje–[[Veliki Grđevac]] road, securing Grubišno Polje. The ZNG also advanced along the Virovitica–Grubišno Polje road, arriving at the outskirts of Mala Peratovica ({{convert|4|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} east of Grubišno Polje) and approaching [[Lončarica]] ({{convert|11|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} south of Virovitica).<ref name=Basic485>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=485}}</ref> The TO forces put up a strong resistance (especially near Lončarica), although the battlefield situation was described as hopeless. The TO requested close air support from the Yugoslav Air Force,<ref name=Basic4856>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|pp=485–486}}</ref> and four to six aircraft were deployed in response.<ref name=Nazor138/>

On 1 November the ZNG conducted mopping-up operations in the areas northwest of Grubišno Polje, and the following day the TO force began retreating towards Papuk Mountain. Lončarica and Dapčevački Brđani (a village about {{convert|2|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} northeast of Mala Peratovica, along the Virovitica–Grubišno Polje road) were captured by the Croatian force on 3 November after they overcame strong TO resistance.<ref name=Basic485/> That day, the ZNG was renamed the [[Croatian Army]] (''Hrvatska vojska'', or HV).<ref>{{harvnb|MORH|8 July 2013}}</ref> After the villages were captured, HV forces advancing from Grubišno Polje and Virovitica met; the HV captured the village of Velika Peratovica, which was isolated by the advances along the Virovitica–Grubišno Polje road and northwest of Grubišno Polje on the first day of the offensive. On 4 November the operation was declared finished, after the HV secured the area.<ref name=Basic485/>

==Follow-up operations==
[[File:Map 4 - Croatia - Western Slavonia - September 1991 - January 1992.jpg|thumb|300px|Map showing the fighting in western Slavonia, September 1991 – January 1992; Operation Swath-10 is depicted in the bulge (salient) near the top of the map; Operation Papuk-91, a follow-up to Operation Swath-10, is depicted in the central portion of the map]]

===Battle of Bastajski Brđani===
On 10 November the 57th Independent Battalion advanced against the TO in Veliki Miletinac (east of the area captured in Operation Swath-10), capturing the village the same day. The neighbouring Mali Miletinac was captured by the HV the following day, and on 12 November the HV captured the villages of Bastajski Brđani and Rekići. Two days later the TO counterattacked, killing nine HV troops and wounding about ten more, but the HV defence held. Another effort to recapture Bastajski Brđani was made by the TO, reinforced with 50 paramilitary [[White Eagles (paramilitary)|White Eagles]]. It failed (despite being well prepared and supported by artillery) because the defending HV force was alerted by [[signals intelligence]] of the attack and reinforced. The White Eagles lost 46 killed in the battle.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=140}}</ref>

===Operation Papuk-91===
Operation Papuk-91 was planned to follow Operation Swath-10, advancing south from the Virovitica–Osijek road and clearing the Papuk and [[Psunj]] mountains of TO forces<ref name=Nazor141/> (elements of the 28th Partisan Division).<ref name=Skvorc119/> The offensive was approved by Jezerčić at a 23 November meeting in Slatina attended by HV [[Inspector General]] [[Martin Špegelj]], Colonel Miljenko Crnjac (commanding officer of the 123rd Infantry Brigade), Colonel Đuro Dečak (commanding officer of the 127th Infantry Brigade), Colonel Josip Černi (commanding officer of the 136th Infantry Brigade) and commanders of other units tasked with its support.<ref name=Nazor141>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=141}}</ref>

The operation was launched on 28 November; the HV advanced across a front spanning Grubišno Polje and [[Orahovica]], nearly {{convert|60|km|abbr=off}} east.<ref name=Nazor141/> On 2 December a detachment of the 123rd Infantry Brigade, en route to relieve troops manning a base on the Papuk, was ambushed with eleven soldiers killed. On 10 December the HV advanced to the Psunj Mountain area north of Nova Gradiška in an offensive, [[codename]]d Gradina, which captured the villages of Šnjegavić, Sinlije, Golobrdac, Vučjak Čečavski, Ruševac, Jeminovac, Čečavac and Opršinac. The advance improved the safety of the Nova Gradiška–[[Požega, Croatia|Požega]] road and secured the right flank of the Nova Gradiška axis of Operation Hurricane-91.<ref name=Nazor145>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=145}}</ref>

From 12 to 15 December the HV captured a cluster of villages around [[Đulovac]], southeast of the area captured in Operation Swath-10. The HV units approaching from the east captured [[Voćin]], about {{convert|10|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} southeast of Đulovac, on 14–15 December.<ref name=Nazor145/> Voćin and Đulovac were badly damaged by the retreating TO and paramilitary White Eagles,<ref>{{harvnb|Duijzings|2000|pp=54–55}}</ref> and the latter killed [[Voćin massacre|43 civilians in Voćin]] on 13 December.<ref>{{harvnb|Duijzings|2000|p=55}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ICTY|15 January 2003|p=6}}</ref> The victims' bodies were mutilated and left unburied, presumably as a warning to others.<ref>{{harvnb|Gow|2003|p=163}}</ref>

On 16 December the HV (in an operation codenamed Sokolina) captured the villages of [[Gornji Vrhovci]], [[Kamenski Vučjak]] and Kamenski Šušnjari, about {{convert|15|km|abbr=off}} south of Voćin and {{convert|10|km|abbr=off}} west of [[Velika, Croatia|Velika]]; this restricted the TO forces to the southwestern slopes of Papuk Mountain and Psunj Mountain further south. The following day, the HV captured [[Novo Zvečevo]] and a TO supply depot in the village (halfway between Voćin and Kamenski Vučjak) in an attack codenamed Johanesberg.<ref name=Nazor145/> On 18 December the HV advanced southwest from Kamenski Vučjak (in an advance codenamed Laništa), capturing the villages of [[Striježevica, Brestovac|Striježevica]], Bogdašić, Amatovci and Kamenski Šeovci and coming within {{convert|1|km|abbr=off|spell=in}} of the village of Kamenska (on the Pakrac–Požega road). Over the following three days, the HV performed mopping-up operations in the area.<ref name=Nazor146>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=146}}</ref>

On 21 December, the HV launched an unsuccessful attack (codenamed Prkos) on Kamenska and the adjacent village of [[Mijači]]. The TO withdrew from the area north of Kamenska (including the village of Sažije on 24 December), retreating from Kamenska and Mijači the next day. HV forces deployed in the Pakrac area (west of the Papuk and the Psunj), advanced east to support Operation Papuk-91 (capturing the villages of [[Dereza, Požega-Slavonia County|Dereza]], Gornji Grahovljani, Donji Grahovljani, [[Kusonje]] and [[Španovica]] on 24–25 December) and left less than {{convert|15|km|abbr=off}} of the Pakrac–Požega road separating HV units advancing from the west and east.<ref name=Nazor146/> Operation Papuk-91 ended on 26 December, when forces of the 123rd, the 127th and the 136th Brigades met at [[Bučje, Pakrac|Bučje]]; the final day's advance was codenamed Velebit.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|pp=146–147}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Five HV soldiers were killed in the operation and dozens were wounded.<ref>{{harvnb|Večernji list|1 November 2014}}</ref> Twenty-four JNA personnel and Croatian Serb rebels were also killed, as were 22 Serb civilians. A further 17 Serb civilians were killed in the weeks preceding the operation,<ref>{{harvnb|Srna|30 October 2013}}</ref> in which Croatian forces secured {{convert|370|km2|abbr=off}} of western Slavonia (including 21 villages). Although the HV secured the Virovitica–Grubišno Polje road, it failed to trap the TO troops deployed to the area. This was later attributed to insufficient manpower: the unavailability of the 105th Infantry Brigade or the 73rd Independent ([[Garešnica]]) Battalion, which were deployed in Pakrac. The HV positions set the stage for further advances against the [[SAO Western Slavonia]] in Operation Papuk-91.<ref name=Nazor139>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=139}}</ref> Some sources conflate Operations Swath-10 and Papuk-91, describing the latter as part of Operation Swath-10.<ref>{{harvnb|Thomas|Mikulan|2006|p=50}}</ref> Operation Papuk-91 eliminated the threat to the road connecting eastern Slavonia and Zagreb; the TO forces were pushed south, placing the road out of artillery range.<ref>{{harvnb|Štefančić|2011|p=428}}</ref> In Operation Papuk-91, the HV captured 110 settlements<ref name=Nazor141/> and {{convert|1230|km2|abbr=off}} of territory.<ref name=Nazor130>{{harvnb|Nazor|2007|p=130}}</ref>

In 2008, a monument to HV troops participating in the offensive was unveiled in Grubišno Polje.<ref>{{harvnb|Virovitica.net|4 November 2008}}</ref> Another monument was erected on Papuk Mountain to the 11 soldiers from the 123rd Infantry Brigade who were ambushed in Operation Papuk-91 on 2 December 1991.<ref>{{harvnb|034portal.hr|2 December 2011}}</ref> Operations Swath-10, Papuk-91 and Hurricane-91 (implemented in western Slavonia in late 1991) are considered the first offensive liberation operations in the Croatian War of Independence.<ref>{{harvnb|MORH|2011|p=11}}</ref>

The [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] (ICTY) charged [[Vojislav Šešelj]] with a number of [[war crime]]s, including the killings by the paramilitary White Eagles in Voćin on 13 December. Although the trial ended in 2012, {{as of|2013|August|lc=yes}} the verdict was pending.<ref>{{harvnb|Jutarnji list|20 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|The New York Times|30 August 2013}}</ref> [[Slobodan Milošević]], the president of Serbia at the time of the killings, was also tried by the ICTY for the crimes in Voćin, but died before his trial ended.<ref>{{harvnb|ICTY IT-02-54|p=1}}</ref>

===Refugees===
About 4,000 [[Croatian Serb]] civilians fled the area affected by Operation Swath-10.<ref>{{harvnb|Srna|30 October 2013}}</ref> According to Serbian sources, the population began to evacuate on the first day of the offensive; by the second day, about 800 vehicles had entered [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. The retreating columns included men of military age who refused to fight.<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=486}}</ref> A substantial number of refugees settled in Baranja, in houses owned by displaced [[Croat]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|pp=491–492}}</ref> Based on reports of fleeing civilians, the [[SFR Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] government accused Croatia of [[ethnic cleansing]] and other civil-rights violations. Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Mitrović wrote to the [[European Community Monitor Mission]] (ECMM), accusing Croatia of personal and property damage and the displacement of Serb civilians. Although the accusations were countered by evacuation plans made by SAO Western Slavonia authorities on 25 October<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=487}}</ref> and the testimony of civilians remaining in the area (that the TO ordered the population to flee, claiming that "the [[Ustaše]] are coming&nbsp;[...] and killing every Serb"),<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=488}}</ref> Serbian media [[Role of the media in the Yugoslav wars|extensively reported alleged atrocities]]. Reports compared the Croatian offensive to the [[World War II]] [[List of massacres in the Independent State of Croatia|massacres committed by the Independent State of Croatia]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=489}}</ref> On 3 November, the [[Presidency of Yugoslavia]] condemned the offensive, citing the destruction of 18 Serb villages, and the following day the [[National Assembly (Serbia)|National Assembly]] of Serbia appealed to the international community for help.<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|pp=489–490}}</ref>

In response to the situation (and a request from the Presidency of Yugoslavia) an ECMM team toured the area affected by the offensive on 6 November, targeting locations where media reports indicated atrocities; these included Velika Peratovica, Mala Peratovica, Gornja Rašenica, Donja Rašenica and Lončarica. The 6 November ECMM report refuted the accusations; although the team found only one Serb couple remaining in the area, they denied claims that the HV mistreated civilians left behind. The ECMM team reported no systematic destruction of houses, although a number of structures had artillery-bombardment damage and a small number of houses, farms and [[haystack]]s were recently torched. The team was unable to determine if the HV was to blame, if the villagers avenged SAO Western Krajina leaders or if the destruction was a result of a [[scorched earth]] policy by the retreating force.<ref>{{harvnb|Bašić|Miškulin|2010|p=490}}</ref>

The HV offensives in western Slavonia conducted in late 1991 (Operations Hurricane-10, Swath-10 and Papuk-91) created a total of 20,000 Serb refugees. They fled the area when the JNA ordered Croatian Serb forces to withdraw,<ref>{{harvnb|HRW|13 February 1992|loc=note 28}}</ref> and were settled in the JNA-held Baranja region of eastern Croatia.<ref>{{harvnb|HRW|21 January 1992|p=297}}</ref> The refugee resettlement coincided with Croatian Serb efforts to change the ethnic composition of the [[Danube]] area seized in late 1991, providing a secondary motive for the expulsion of non-Serb civilians.{{sfn|The New York Times|10 May 1992}}

===Ceasefire===
{{main|Vance plan}}
A 3 January 1992 ceasefire allowed the implementation of the [[Vance plan]], which protected civilians in areas designated as [[United Nations Protected Area (UNPROFOR)|UN Protected Areas]] (UNPAs) and deployed UN peacekeepers in Croatia.<ref>{{harvnb|Armatta|2010|pp=194–196}}</ref> One of the UNPAs defined by the plan, UNPA Western Slavonia, encompassed parts of the municipalities of Novska and Nova Gradiška and all of Daruvar, Grubišno Polje and Pakrac. This UNPA covered the area held by the JNA on 3 January, additional territory to the north (recaptured by the HV in late 1991) and towns never under SAO Western Slavonia control (such as Grubišno Polje and Daruvar).<ref>{{harvnb|Ramcharan|1997|pp=449–450}}</ref> The peacekeeping force ([[United Nations Protection Force]], or UNPROFOR), initially expected to be 10,000-strong,<ref>{{harvnb|CIA|2002|p=106}}</ref> began its deployment on 8 March.<ref>{{harvnb|Trbovich|2008|p=300}}</ref>

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|20em}}

==References==
;Books
{{refbegin|60em}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pXygFoqg-G0C|title=Twilight of Impunity: The War Crimes Trial of Slobodan Milosevic|first=Judith|last=Armatta|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|year=2010|isbn= 978-0-8223-4746-0|location=Durham, North Carolina}}
*{{cite book|ref={{harvid|CIA|2002}}|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=it1IAQAAIAAJ|title=Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|author=[[Central Intelligence Agency]], Office of Russian and European Analysis|year=2002|oclc=50396958|isbn=9780160664724|location=Washington, D.C.}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5HPvGOHR2RsC|title=Religion and the Politics of Identity in Kosovo|first=Gerlachlus|last=Duijzings|publisher=[[C. Hurst & Co.]]|location=London, England|year=2000|isbn=9781850653929}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LCAbMi9yeGsC|title=The Serbian Project and Its Adversaries: A Strategy of War Crimes|first=James|last=Gow|publisher=C. Hurst & Co.|year=2003|isbn=9781850656463|location=London, England}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPcVAQAAMAAJ|title=Počeci suvremene hrvatske države: kronologija procesa osamostaljenja Republike Hrvatske: od Memoranduma SANU 1986. do proglašenja neovisnosti 8. listopada 1991|language=hr|trans-title=Beginnings of the Modern Croatian State: A Chronology of the Independence of the Republic of Croatia: from 1986 SANU Memorandum to the Declaration of Independence on 8 October 1991|first=Ante|last=Nazor|publisher=Croatian Homeland War Memorial Documentation Centre|location=Zagreb, Croatia|year=2007|isbn=9789537439019}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BscO7yBjcLkC|title=The International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia: Official Papers, Volume 1|editor-first=B. G.|editor-last=Ramcharan|publisher=BRILL|year=1997|isbn=9789041104298}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G5Px01NrM7QC|title=TheYugoslav Wars (1): Slovenia & Croatia, 1991–95|first1=Nigel|last1=Thomas|first2=Krunoslav|last2=Mikulan|year=2006|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|location=Oxford, England|isbn=9781841769639|access-date=16 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218120417/http://books.google.hr/books?id=G5Px01NrM7QC|archive-date=18 December 2014|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite book|title=A Legal Geography of Yugoslavia's Disintegration|first=Ana S.|last=Trbovich|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, England|year=2008|isbn=9780195333435|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ojur7dVoxIcC}}
{{refend}}

;Journal articles
{{refbegin|60em}}
*{{cite journal|journal=Scrinia Slavonica|publisher=Croatian Historical Institute – Department of History of Slavonia, Srijem and Baranja|issn=1332-4853|url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/77914?lang=en|language=hr|volume=10|issue=1|date=September 2010|title=Grubišnopoljska kronika 1990.-1991. (drugi dio)|trans-title=Grubišno Polje Chronicle 1990–1991 (part two)|first1=Petar|last1=Bašić|first2=Ivica|last2=Miškulin|pages=454–494}}
*{{cite journal|ref={{harvid|Marijan|2012a}}|journal=Review of Croatian History|publisher=Croatian Institute of History|issn=1845-4380|url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/84984?lang=en|title=The Sarajevo Ceasefire – Realism or strategic error by the Croatian leadership?|first=Davor|last=Marijan|volume=7|issue=1| date=May 2012 |pages=103–123}}
*{{cite journal|ref={{harvid|Marijan|2012b}}|journal=Journal of Contemporary History|publisher=Croatian Institute of History|issn=0590-9597|url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=133719&lang=en|title=Zamisao i propast napadne operacije Jugoslavenske narodne armije na Hrvatsku u rujnu 1991. godine|language=hr|trans-title=The Conception and Failure of the Offensive Operation of the Yugoslav National Army in September 1991|first=Davor|last=Marijan|volume=44|issue=2| date=November 2012 |pages=251–275}}
*{{cite journal|journal=Cris: Journal of the Historical Society of Križevci|publisher=The Historical Society of Križevci|issn=1332-2567|url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=79740&lang=en|volume=11|issue=1|date=February 2010|title=Zapadna Slavonija uoči i u Domovinskom ratu do studenoga 1991. godine|language=hr|trans-title=Western Slavonia on the Eve of and in the Croatian War of Independence up to November 1991|first=Đuro|last=Škvorc}}
*{{cite journal|journal=Journal – Institute of Croatian History|publisher=Institute of Croatian History, [[Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb]], FF press|issn=0353-295X|url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=113509&lang=en|language=hr|title=Autocesta – okosnica rata u zapadnoj Slavoniji|trans-title=Motorway – The Axis of the War in Western Slavonia|volume=43|issue=1|date=December 2011|first=Domagoj|last=Štefančić|pages=427–455}}
{{refend}}

;News reports
{{refbegin|60em}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|Večernji list|1 November 2014}}|publisher=Večernji list|date=1 November 2014|url=http://www.vecernji.hr/hrvatska/obiljezili-23-obljetnicu-vro-otkos-10-prve-oslobodilacke-akcije-mup-a-i-hv-a-970807|language=hr|title=Obilježili 23. obljetnicu VRO 'Otkos 10' – prve oslobodilačke akcije MUP-a i HV-a|trans-title=23rd Anniversary of the Military-Police Operation "Swath-10" – The First Liberation Action of the MUP and HV|access-date=6 December 2014}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|The New York Times|10 May 1992}}|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 May 1992|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/10/world/the-demographics-of-exile-victorious-serbs-repopulate-croatian-villages.html?scp=9&sq=erdut&st=cse|first=John F.|last=Burns|title=The Demographics of Exile: Victorious Serbs Repopulate Croatian Villages}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|Glas Slavonije|3 August 2012}}|newspaper=[[Glas Slavonije]]|date=3 August 2012|url=http://www.glas-slavonije.hr/173306/12/Dokumentarac-o-egzodusu-Hrvata-iz-Dalja-Aljmasa-i-Erduta|title=Dokumentarac o egzodusu Hrvata iz Dalja, Aljmaša i Erduta|trans-title=Documentary on Exodus of Croats from Dalj, Aljmaš and Erdut|language=hr}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|034portal.hr|2 December 2011}}|publisher=034portal.hr|date=2 December 2011|url=http://www.034portal.hr/clanak.php?id=2990|language=hr|title=Najtužniji dan za požeške branitelje: Poginulo 11 mladića|trans-title=The Saddest Day for Defenders of Požega: 11 Youths Killed|first=Mario|last=Nakić|archive-date=29 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129191225/http://www.034portal.hr/clanak.php?id=2990|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|Virovitica.net|4 November 2008}}|publisher=Virovitica.net|date=4 November 2008|language=hr|url=http://www.virovitica.net/otkriven-spomenik-braniteljima-akcije-otkos-10/9269/|title=Otkriven spomenik braniteljima akcije Otkos 10|trans-title=Monument to Troops in Operation Swath 10 Unveiled|archive-date=2 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234817/http://www.virovitica.net/otkriven-spomenik-braniteljima-akcije-otkos-10/9269/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|Srna|30 October 2013}}|publisher=Srna|date=30 October 2013|url=http://www.srna.rs/novosti1/150950/parastos-povodom-stradanja-srba-u-istocnoj-bilogori.htm|language=sr|title=PARASTOS POVODOM STRADANJA SRBA U ISTOČNOJ BILOGORI|trans-title=Parastas Held in Memory of Serbs Killed in Eastern Bilogora|access-date=6 December 2014|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212437/http://www.srna.rs/novosti1/150950/parastos-povodom-stradanja-srba-u-istocnoj-bilogori.htm|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|The New York Times|30 August 2013}}|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=30 August 2013|first=Marlise|last=Simons|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/world/europe/international-judge-is-removed-from-case-over-apparent-bias.html?_r=0|title=International Judge Is Removed From Case Over Apparent Bias|archive-date=4 October 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131004161507/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/world/europe/international-judge-is-removed-from-case-over-apparent-bias.html?_r=1&|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|Jutarnji list|20 March 2012}}|newspaper=[[Jutarnji list]]|date=20 March 2012|url=http://www.jutarnji.hr/icty-zavrsio-sudenje-seselju--suci-se-povukli-na-vijecanje/1015971/|language=hr|title=U Haagu završilo suđenje četničkom vojvodi Šešelju: Tužiteljstvo traži kaznu od 28 godina zatvora!|trans-title=Trial of Chetnik Leader Šešelj Ends in the Hague: The Prosecution Asks for 28 Years in Prison!|agency=[[HINA]]|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005141/http://www.jutarnji.hr/icty-zavrsio-sudenje-seselju--suci-se-povukli-na-vijecanje/1015971/|url-status=live}}
{{refend}}

;Other sources
{{refbegin|60em}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|MORH|2011}}|url=http://www.hrvatski-vojnik.hr/hrvatski-vojnik/20GOSRH2011/20GOSRH_web.pdf|title=20 Years of the Croatian Armed Forces|publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (Croatia)]]|access-date=19 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008110100/http://www.hrvatski-vojnik.hr/hrvatski-vojnik/20GOSRH2011/20GOSRH_web.pdf|archive-date=8 October 2012|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|ICTY IT-02-54}}|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/slobodan_milosevic/cis/en/cis_milosevic_slobodan_en.pdf|title=Case Information Sheet – Kosovo, Croatia & Bosnia (IT-02-54) – Slobodan Milošević|publisher=[[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]]}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|MORH|8 July 2013}}|date=8 July 2013|url=http://www.morh.hr/hr/dan-osrh-2013/povjesnica.html|language=hr|title=Povjesnica|trans-title=A History|publisher=Ministry of Defence (Croatia)|archive-date=30 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131130121057/http://www.morh.hr/hr/dan-osrh-2013/povjesnica.html|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|ICTY|15 January 2003}}|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/seselj/ind/en/ses-ii030115e.pdf|title=The Prosecutor of the Tribunal Against Vojislav Seselj|date=15 January 2003|publisher=International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia}}
*{{cite book|ref={{harvid|HRW|21 January 1992}}|title=War Crimes in Bosnia-Hercegovina|publisher=Human Rights Watch|chapter=Appendix D: Helsinki Watch Letter to Slobodan Milošević, President of the Republic of Serbia and Blagoje Adžić, Acting Minister of Defense, January 21, 1992|pages=274–309|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/y/yugoslav/yugo.928/yugo928full.pdf|date=21 January 1992|location=New York City|isbn=1-56432-083-9}}
*{{cite book|ref={{harvid|HRW|13 February 1992}}|title=War Crimes in Bosnia-Hercegovina|publisher=Human Rights Watch|chapter=Appendix E: Helsinki Watch Letter to Franjo Tudjman, President of the Republic of Croatia, February 13, 1992|pages=310–357|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/y/yugoslav/yugo.928/yugo928full.pdf|date=13 February 1992|location=New York City|isbn=1-56432-083-9}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/anatomyofdeceita00blas|url-access=registration|title=Anatomy of Deceit: An American Physician's First-Hand Encounter With the Realities of the War in Croatia|first=Jerry|last=Blaskovich|publisher=Dunhill Publishing|location=Sonoma, California|year=1997|isbn=9780935016246}} – "Chapter 4: What Happened in Vocin"

{{Wars and battles involving Croatia}}
{{Wars and battles involving Serbs}}
{{Yugoslav wars}}

{{good article}}

{{Coord|45|44|N|17|16|E|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swath-10, Operation}}
[[Category:Conflicts in 1991]]
[[Category:1991 in Croatia]]
[[Category:Military operations of the Croatian War of Independence]]
[[Category:October 1991 in Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:November 1991 in Yugoslavia]]