Within 72 hours Croatian, the swift and freedom loving military operation Storm had by 5 August 1995 liberated Croatian territory (about 25% of Croatia’s total territory), territory occupied by rebel Croatian Serbs with the help of Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbia for four years.
This year is the 18th anniversary of Operation Storm, of Croatia’s victory in the name of freedom and democracy.
Casualties of Croatia’s Homeland War – a snapshot:
Croats Killed: 15,970 (including 402 children/6,605 civilians) (source: Ivo Pilar Institute)
Croats Missing: 2,251 (currently the number in excess of 1,700 due to discoveries of mass graves in recent couple of years)
Croat Wounded and permanently disabled: 32, 249 (969 children/90 severely permanently disabled as result of wounds). Total number of wounded: 48,677
Croat Veteran suicides after the war: 2,283
Croat casualties from landmines left from war: 509 people killed and 1,466 injured
Orphaned Croat children through war (lost either both or one parent): 10,000
While Croatia celebrates today the glory of victory over evil thoughts of gratitude go to all those who lost their lives for this noble cause.
Let a special light shine upon memories of the innocent children who lost their lives in this brutal war of aggression and upon those who suffered trauma that will haunt them throughout their lives. Let’s trust that all those individuals who perpetrated these horrible crimes will meet their deserved justice – soon.
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
Croats expelled from Vukovar Nov 1991
10 000 children lost their parent/s in
Croatia’s Homeland War
Croat child refugee 1991
Photo: wikimedia
Croatia December 1992
Vukovar 1991
Croatia Ilok near Vukovar Oct 1991
Croatia Slavonski Brod May 1992
28 Croat children were killed in this town
Croatia Slavonski Brod 1992 funeral of
killed children photo: Udruga Travnik
Croatia 1992 – amidst the devastation
Croatia Slkavonski Brod – 1992 Yugoslav Army planes’
indiscriminate bombing
Croatia 1995 – we remember!
Photo: Moslavina Museum Kutina
Croatia Skabrnje massacre victims – late 1991
Croatia Slavonski Brod 1992
Children were killed brutally
Croatia 1992 – wounded child
Photo: Tomas Samogyi
Croatia Slavonski Brod
Tribute to fallen children
Croatia Vukovar Nov 1991
Croats expelled from their homes by Serbs
Croatia Vukovar 1991 – at burial of murdered father
Photo: Ron Haviv
Croatia Vukovar 1991 – amidst death and destruction
Photo: Christopher Morris
Croatia Zagreb Dec 1991 – A Croat child farewells soldier father
Photo: Jadran Mimica
Croatia Vukovar 1991 – a collage of Serb brutality
Photo: forum-net.hr
Croatia Slavonski Brod May 2013
Children remember the children Photo: soundset.hr
Croatian Homeland War Timeline
Photo: illyria-proboards.com
In celebrating the victory of Operation Storm
Croatian National Bank issued 1995 a commemorative
gold coin of featuring the town of Knin – “The Town
of Croatian Kings” – all proceeds from the sale of
this coin went to the “Save the Children of Croatia”
(Humanitarian Foundation For Children Of Croatia)
Headed and founded by president Franjo Tudjman’s
wife Ankica Tudjman. Ankica Tudjman was the first
person in the war of Croatia to dedicate
humanitarian efforts across the globe to aid
Croatian war orphaned children.