CROATIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE – GUARDS BRIGADES, 4th Guards Brigade “Spiders”

4th Guards Brigade “Spiders” The first unit to be established in southern Croatia through a decision by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia, comprising volunteers from not only all over Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also the world, was the 4th Guards Brigade of the Croatian National Guard, which later came to be known as the 4th Guards Brigade “Spiders”. It was formed in Split on 28 April 1991 and (Major General) Ivo Jelić was made its first commander. The Brigade was established as an infantry brigade comprising five infantry battalions, military command, logistics and an Air Defence platoon. Three months later, in mid-July, the Brigade consisted of 817 people. On 25 July 1991, around one thousand volunteers were ready for their first combat task: defending Dalmatia along the line covering the area from Kruševo, Kijevo, Polača, Zadar, Vrlika, Sinj, Drniš, Šibenik and Vodice all the way to Dubrovnik and its hinterland. Under the motto In hoc signo vinces. (Lat. “In this sign you will conquer.”), the war path of the 4th Guards Brigade included a series of victories in 1992: Scorched Land, June Dawns (Jackal), Tiger, Liberated Land and Vlaštica, which liberated the far south of Croatia all the way to Prevlaka. As early as January 1993, these were followed by the military-police Operation Maslenica aimed at liberating the Zadar hinterland. During 1994 and 1995, the Brigade took part in operations Winter ‘94, Leap 1, Leap 2 and Summer ‘95, which liberated 2,325 km2 of Croatian territory. The royal city of Knin was liberated through the military-police Operation Storm – the most celebrated of all the operations in the Croatian War of Independence – which was executed by the 4th and 7th Guards Brigades. The raising of the flag at the Knin Fortress became a symbol of liberty. The Brigade demonstrated its maturity, war experience and professionalism during the final military-police operations Mistral and Southern Move, during which it defeated the Bosnian Serbs’ Army. On the long and wearing road to Croatian statehood, 193 members of the 4th Guards Brigade lost their lives, four are still considered missing, while more than 1,600 were wounded. During the War, 7,378 people passed through the Brigade. All of them deserve credit for the valour and heroism they demonstrated during the war and all of them are to be thanked for the fact that the Brigade received the Order of Duke Domagoj and the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski, as well as the Republic of Croatia Charter. Nowadays, the Brigade’s red beret and emblem are proudly worn by members of the 3rd Armoured Guards Brigade “Spiders”, which is the Guard Armoured Mechanized Brigade of the Croatian Army. Prof. Nela Klanac Retired Major of the Republic of Croatia Armed Forces