Wartime Commanders’ Club Presents 5th Guards Brigade “Hawks” Monograph to President Milanović

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received today a delegation of the Club of Wartime Commanders and senior officers of the Association of Veterans of the 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks” who presented to him a Monograph of the Croatian Army’s 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks”. It is the last in a series of Defence Ministry monographs published as part of the Edition of Monographs of Military and Police Units of the Croatian Armed Forces during the 1991-1996 Homeland War.

“This monograph is a permanent record of the time of Croatian pride and glory, it is a token of gratitude to all the Hawks of Slavonia, my combatants, sisters and brothers in arms, for their contribution to the development of the 5^th Guards Brigade and the defence and liberation of our Homeland. The Monograph is a memorial of the contribution and sacrifice of my generation, as well as a reminder to all future generations to continue to defend and build “Our Beautiful” with the same passion. The war service record of the Hawks of Slavonia was as clean as a whistle: honourable, proud and distinguished, military in accordance with all international conventions”, retired Major General and Commander of the 5^th Guards Brigade Ivan Kapular said among others presenting the Monograph to President Milanović.

Speaking at the meeting of the goal and purpose of writing the Monograph of the Croatian Army’s 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks” were retired Major General Živko Budimir, Club president; and Colonel Mijo Kožić, editor in chief and head of the Team of experts who prepared the Monograph. They pointed out that, until now, of all guards brigades only the 5^th Guards Brigade did not have its monograph. “Let this monograph not merely be a collection of memories, but a guide for new generations to preserve tradition and unity with pride and patriotism. That it never be forgotten who the Hawks of Slavonia were and may forever the victorious war service record in the Homeland War be recorded”, Colonel Kožić noted.

The Monograph encompasses the period from the formation of the Vukovar Veterans’ Brigade on 16 February 1992 until the end of the Homeland War. It portrays the Brigade’s war service record from its tasks at Kupres, to its departure for the Southern Battlefield and finally its participation in all operations for the liberation of Croatia: Flash, Wall, Summer of ’95, Phoenix and Storm.

“The Monograph has 732 pages and lists all 6,202 wartime members of the “Hawks”. It contains 713 photographs. We reviewed more than ten thousand documents and declassified archival material for about 650 documents. We created military-topographic maps for each operation. We consolidated all the decorations, awards and insignia of the Brigade”, Colonel Kožić explained, and concluded that the Monograph is “our debt to the past and a gift to the future”.

Established on 5 October 1992 in Vinkovci, the 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks” was made up of mostly units from Slavonia, mainly members of the Vukovar 204^th Brigade, the 108^th  Slavonski Brod Brigade, the 109^th Vinkovci Brigade, the 3^rd Nova Gradiška Company, the 122^nd Đakovo Brigade, the 123^rd Požega Brigade, the 132^nd Našice Brigade and members of the 3^rd Guards Brigade as well as other Guards units. During the Homeland War, 89 members of the 5^th Guards Brigade were killed and more than 300 members were injured.

During the presentation of the Monograph, a film on the “Hawks” was shown, and retired Major General Kapular presented the Monograph of the Croatian Army’s 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks” to President Milanović.

In the delegation of the Club of Wartime Commanders and senior officers of the Association of Veterans of the 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks” were the following: the Commander of the 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks”, retired Major General Ivan Kapular; Club president retired Major General Živko Budimir; Club vice-president retired Lieutenant Colonel Drago Adžaga; Club secretary retired Major of the Guards Brigade Zlatko Mihin; Commander of the 4^th Infantry Battalion of the 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks” in the 1993-1995 period retired Brigadier General Mladen Mikolčević; members of the Club’s presidency: Franjo Baričević, Marin Pišonić and Zdravko Nikolić; Commander of the Armoured Battalion of the Croatian Army’s 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks”  Ivica Jelečević; Club members: Mario Švarcmajer, Željko Đerek, Drago Blažević, Ante Elez, Franjo Ćorluka, Ivan Rečić, Borislav Lehki, Marko Derežanin, Ivan Ivanišević, Martin Cruickshank, Biljana Bozaroski, Sanja Samardžija-Dubac, Ana Jakičić, Anita Tunjić, daughter of Vinko Pinjuh, last member of the Croatian Army’s 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks” killed in the Homeland War (10 November 1995).

Accompanying the members of the Club of Wartime Commanders and senior officers of the Association of Veterans of the 5^th Guards Brigade “Hawks” were representatives of the team of experts who prepared the Monograph: editor in chief and head of the team of experts Colonel Mijo Kožić, Colonel Petar Matanović, Colonel Dražen Galović, Colonel Sandi Knežević, Lieutenant Colonel Mirko Mihić, Lieutenant Colonel Ivica Barać, Sergeant Major Mladen Stanković, and Sergeant Major Dražen Horvat.

Alongside President Milanović was the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić