Peaceful Tango - Czech UNPROFOR '92 - '95

Inspired by the great work of @MajorSamm

music: Bijelo dugme - Ako ima Boga (1988)

The UNPROFOR peacekeeping mission was set up by resolution No. 721 of the UN Security Council dated November 27, 1991. The former government of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic passed its resolution No. 27 dated January 16, 1992, thus deciding on the participation of the Czechoslovak military in the peacekeeping mission. A battalion of three companies in total size of 500 was formed from volunteers of active and reserve soldiers. The Federal Assembly of this country approved deployment of the battalion on March 11, 1992, four days after the UN mandate for the UNPROFOR mission came into force for the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic.

Two days later, an advance party of 15 officers left for the former Yugoslavia. The Battalion was deployed in the area of Plitvice Lakes on the territory of today´s Croatia – that time the breakaway Republic Srpska Krajina – RSK. Czech and Slovak soldiers served at the Sector South, together with French and Kenyan peacekeeper battalions.

After the beginning of an open military confrontation between Serbs and Croats in the area of Zadar and Benkovac in January 1993, the activities of Kenyan and French battalions were paralysed and the Czechoslovak Battalion became a reserve for the Commander of the Sector South. As the only unit operational, it was engaged in the liberation of blocked French soldiers in the areas of Goleš, Drač and Karin Plaž. Later, a group of four officers – members of the Czechoslovak Battalion – Lieutenant Colonel Petr Pavel, Major Karel Klinovský, Major Stanislav Zaplatílek, and Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Jirkovský, received the French War Cross from the hands of the French Defence Minister Francois Leotard for extended co-operation with the French Battalion, and for saving the lives of French soldiers.

After the split of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic and formation of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic in January 1993, a joint Czech-Slovak Battalion served in the former Yugoslavia as one unit for next three months.

In April 1993, one Slovak soldier was killed and one Czech soldier was wounded during an exchange of artillery fire between Serbian and Croatian belligerents.

At the end of April 1993, the joint Czech-Slovak Battalion was replaced by a UN Battalion of Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. As of March 1994, the ”UN CzechBat” was reinforced with additional personnel to reach the size of 958 members. The Battalion was strengthen by mechanised, reconnaissance and engineer companies, an anti-tank platoon and a field surgical hospital; the battalion was still located on the territory of the so-called Republic of Srpska Krajina, where it guarded an area of 1918 square kilometres and the Inter Entity Border Line, a border of about 90 kilometres, dividing belligerents.

Видео Peaceful Tango - Czech UNPROFOR '92 - '95 канала Tadeáš Michal Kratochvíl