Battle of Osijek

Battle of Osijek
Part of the Croatian War of Independence
"Fićo gazi tenka!" monument to the Battle of Osijek
Date August 1991 – June 1992 Location Osijek, Croatia Result Ceasefire Croatia retains Osijek No territorial changes
Belligerents
Yugoslavia	Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Andrija Biorčević	Branimir Glavaš Karl Gorinšek
Units involved
Yugoslav People's Army Yugoslav Ground Forces 12th Corps Yugoslav Air Force Serb Volunteer Guard	Croatian National Guard (until November 1991) Armed Forces of Croatia (from November 1991) Croatian Army
Casualties and losses
Unknown	800 soldiers and civilians killed

The Battle of Osijek (Serbo-Croatian: Bitka za Osijek) was the artillery bombardment of the Croatian city of Osijek by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) which took place from August 1991 to June 1992 during the Croatian War of Independence. Shelling peaked in late November and December 1991, then diminished in 1992 after the Vance plan was accepted by the combatants. Airstrikes and attacks by JNA infantry and armored units against targets in the city accompanied the bombardment, which caused approximately 800 deaths and resulted in a large portion of the city's population leaving. Croatian sources estimated that 6,000 artillery shells were fired against Osijek over the period.

After the JNA captured Vukovar on 18 November 1991, Osijek was the next target for its campaign in Croatia. The JNA units subordinated to the 12th (Novi Sad) Corps, supported by the Serb Volunteer Guard, achieved modest advances in late November and early December, capturing several villages south of Osijek, but the Croatian Army maintained its defensive front and limited the JNA's advances.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Osijek, Croatian authorities charged thirteen JNA officers with war crimes against civilians, but no arrests have been made to date. Croatian authorities also charged the wartime commander of Osijek's defence, Branimir Glavaš, and five others with war crimes committed in the city in 1991. The five were convicted and received sentences ranging between eight and ten years, and as of March 2015, judicial proceedings against Glavaš are in progress.