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Photographer's Note

On 25 June 1991, the parliaments of the two Yugoslav republics of Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence. This became the reason for the armed struggle of the Yugoslav People's Army garrisons, which in Slovenia ended after about a week, and Croatia continued until the end of 1991. It also resulted in the creation of 19 December 1991 the Republic of Srpska Krajina, located in the eastern part of Croatia along the border with Bosnia.

Krajina was inhabited for centuries almost exclusively by the Serbian people and its long history had nothing to do with Croatia. It was not until World War II was included in the Independent State of Croatia, established by the Fascist government of Ante Pavelic, which was established by Hitler and operated from 1941 to 1945. Then Tito left the Krajina in the Croatian Federal Republic only because of the location of the province, not including the ethnic factor completely because he had no significance in the socialist system, which built Yugoslavia.

You must also know that the Krajina Serb population most affected by the extermination of Yugoslavia by Croatian nationalists, who fought alongside of Germany with Tito's partisans. So when was proclaimed an independent Croatia, the Serbs in Krajina feel threatened and also firmly declared its independence, not to get into power Croatian Nationalists successors. They do not have to do any uprising and fought with anyone, but they actually have been retrofitted at that time, including artillery and tanks, by the federal Yugoslav People's Army, troops stationed in the province.

It's just that their weapon is nothing handy. Namely Krajina area was soon covered "Peace supervision" by the UN UNPROFOR troops that carried out the confiscation of all heavy weapons, which was in the hands of the Serb community. "Care" blue helmets then lasted for three years, so we had time for organizing, arming and training by Germany and the U.S. 100-thousand. Croatian Army career. When it is ready in August 1995, having tanks (Germany by distributing the surplus army of the GDR), artillery and aviation entered the Krajina. The Army has not encountered any resistance, or even protest from the 'peacekeepers' UN deployed at strategic points in the province. In this situation, the local Serb troops had no chance to resist the Croats. As a result of the province in a short time she fled, often under fire, all of its people. There were no protests from the "world public opinion" and work of human rights defenders, humanitarian aid or the West for 300 thousand. Serb refugees from Krajina. No one protested when the "heroic" Croatian soldiers killed few remaining old Serbs abandoned and burned by the people of Serb houses and estates. These facts are carefully concealed and revealed only after many years.

This is a scan from negative.

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Additional Photos by Jozef Zbigniew Napora (raszid62) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1789 W: 41 N: 3210] (18216)
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