Operation Sadejstvo


Operation "Sadejstvo ’93" was a military offensive carried out by the Army of Republika Srpska in the summer of 1993 in the Bosanska Posavina region of northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The operation, also known as the Battle for the "Power Corridor", aimed to secure a strategically important route that ensured an uninterrupted supply of electricity to Bosnian Krajina. In addition to capturing key settlements, the offensive expanded the Bosnian Serb corridor showing that the VRS could advance in some of the most fortified areas through concentrated elite units, superior firepower, and coordinated planning.

Prelude

Since the stable and adequate electricity supply of Bosnian Krajina was threatened due to the state of war, the VRS decided to expand the corridor near Brčko to include and repair the electric line that passed through the villages of Brod, Donja Brka, Kolonija, Lipovac, Đukići and Bajići.
In the operation, the VRS engaged units of the 1st Krajina Corps and the East Bosnian Corps, divided into two tactical groups. The first tactical group relied on the Garda Panteri, the special detachment "Peša" of the 1st Posavina Brigade, the 4th Battalion of the 43rd Prijedor Mtbr, as well as parts of the elite 1st Battalion of the Military Police; TG-1 advanced in the direction of s. Brod and s. Mustache. The second tactical group was led by the 16th Krajina Motorized Brigade and the 5th Kozar brigade in the direction of s. Bajići, s. Lipovac and s. Djukići. An armored battalion of the First Armored Brigade also participated in the operation; artillery support was provided by the 1st and 3rd mixed artillery regiments.
The ARBiH relied on the following brigades during the operation: 21st Srebrenik Brigade, 108th Motorized Brigade and 108th HVO Brigade; all together 12,000 soldiers. The advantage of the defense was reflected in the terrain impassable by tanks and flat area. This meant that the armor and maneuverability of the elite infantry units, one of the main strengths of the VRS —was of little or no use from the start. In addition, the VRS could not use the great superiority in artillery due to the density of the enemy's defense ; high density allowed defense in depth, that is, more lines. On the other hand, the basic handicap of the ARBiH was the lack of heavy weapons, which condemned the ARBiH to leave the initiative to the attacker in the plains.

Offensive

The operation lasted seven days, from 20 to 27 July, and ended successfully. During the first few days of the operation, the advance of VRS forces was weak. The turning point occurred on 24 July, when special units of the VRS broke through the ARBiH positions and occupied the village of Brod and parts of Lipovac. By 27 July and the end of the operation, the VRS had conquered the following places: Dizdaruša, Brod, Kolonija, parts Lipovac, Omerbegovača and some parts of Brka, Although, they did lose those gained parts near Brka and Lipovac, Brčko remained a part of The VRS till the end of the War. With Brčko secured, the VRS was now able to switch focus to the ongoing Operation Lukavac '93 and the encirclement of the town of Goražde.