The Southern Flank D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part II

Kennedy and Saratoga had moved into the Eastern Mediterranean on the previous night, later than originally planned. COMSIXTHFLT had held them back following their UNREP to goad the Soviets into thinking the two carrier battle groups were going north to the Adriatic instead of deeper into the Med. The enemy, however, did not take the bait. Now the US carrier groups were playing a shell game with Soviet reconnaissance aircraft, RORSATs, and the few surviving enemy attack subs in theater. Hiding in the Mediterranean is no simple task. The sea is a soup bowl constricted by islands, continental landmasses, and chokepoints. But the carriers remained undetected through the day.

As dusk fell, the two carrier groups took station south of Crete. As the night grew darker, Saratoga and Kennedy’s airwings launched missions against targets in Bulgaria. For the aviators from Kennedy, this was a baptism of fire and they acquitted themselves well. For their counterparts from the Saratoga, these missions marked a return to the war following a short period of rest and refit. The first round of attacks were concentrated on airbases, and air defense sites. Strikes later in the evening targeted fuel depots, C3 facilities, and troop concentration. USAF F-111s and F-16s also conducted attacks on similar targets, but the two carrier air wings were the centerpiece of NATO air operations in the Balkans that night.

Croatia was an independent nation at 12:01AM on D+13. The newborn nation officially broke away from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the minutes leading up to midnight. People filled the streets of Zagreb and other cities and towns across the country. Spontaneous celebrations erupted that dragged on through the early morning. But joyful Croats weren’t the only ones taking to the street. Croatian Serbs were as well, and their mood was considerably darker than their Croat counterparts. Clashes erupted between opposing groups. Demonstrations and celebrations melded together and became bloody riots. By 0300 the sounds of gunfire, and exploding bombs could be heard all over Zagreb. In eastern Croatia, pro-independence Croats attacked Yugoslavian soldiers who had entered some of the larger towns in the region in the previous days. The single shots, and occasional explosions being heard in Zagreb were firefights in places like Osijek, and Dakovo.

At first light, the column of Yugoslav armor and motorized infantry near Daruvar started moving west towards Zagreb, 86 kilometers away. Off of Dubrovnik, Yugoslav naval vessels shelled the city, as Yugoslav MiG-21 Fishbeds, and J-22s flew low over Zagreb. Only this time they dropped bombs on government buildings.

Late in the morning Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic addressed the nation and called Croatia’s independence declaration an ‘act of the highest treason and sedition’ against the federal republic. He announced a nationwide state of emergency and suspended travel to and from Croatia. The Yugoslavian military was being dispatched to ‘quell the uprising’ and bring the ‘traitorous organizers in Zagreb to justice.’

Fighting continued through the day. The army column moving towards Zagreb found its progress hampered by roadblocks, and attacks by Croats who brandished heavy weapons kept hidden for years. Other bands of Croats spread out across the country, liberating as much weaponry from Territorial Defense Force depots as possible. Croatia had no regular, organized army at the moment, but militias were forming up and the Croatian Police would be the core of this newly formed defense force.

The battles went on through the afternoon and evening, escalating in some areas. In Belgrade, Milosevic was receiving disturbing reports from Slovenia, and Bosnia about pro-independence politicians and activists taking to the streets there. The house of cards that was the Socialist Federal Republic was about to come crashing down and the ramifications might be felt worldwide.