Battle of Petrinja (1995)

The Battle of Petrinja was a failed attack of Croatian Forces to capture Petrinja which resulted in their withdrawal with heavy casualties.

Despite a promising start for the Operation Storm, its individual components faced difficulties. The Zagreb Corps immediately encountered problems when it began "Storm-1." The elite special police units of the MUP, which were supposed to lead the attack on Petrinja while the 2nd Guards Brigade bypassed it, were unavailable. As a result, 1st General Basarac decided to modify the attack plan. He apparently ordered the 2nd Guards Brigade to launch a direct assault on Petrinja instead of following the original plan to encircle the town.

The opposing 31st Infantry Brigade of the Army of Serbian Krajina was well-prepared for a frontal attack; its anti-tank guns destroyed several HV tanks at the approaches to Petrinja and prevented the infantry from capturing any significant positions in the town. The Home Guard and reserve infantry units, lacking the discipline and motivation of the Guards, were unwilling to attempt a breakthrough to Petrinja, leaving the 2nd Guards Division to bear the brunt of the fighting. The result was an almost immediate collapse of the attacking mission.^[6][7]

Thanks to the energetic defense by Serbian troops in Petrinja, the HV did not enter the town on 4 August, instead they did on 6th, allowing the 39th Banija Corps to evacuate 90% of their equipment to Republika Srpska. Croatian sources reported that the HV suffered its heaviest losses in Banija, with up to 90 soldiers killed on the first day of the operation, as well as the deaths of commander Predrag Matanović, 2nd Battalion commander Stjepan Grgac and other sergeants.^[4]

• "Битка за Петрињу: Како су српске снаге сломиле хрватски напад на Банији током "Олује"?". kompasinfo.rs. 6 August 2025.
• "KRAJIŠNICI POTUKLI HRVATSKU 2. BRIGADU PRVOG DANA OLUJE! Borci Vojske Krajine nisu hteli da beže, ovo je BITKA ZA PETRINJU!". kurir.rs. 3 August 2021.